044. auction (2)
“Close your eyes a little. I’ll wake you up in four hours.”
I ran non-stop towards Area 80.
When fuel ran out, it stopped in the middle of the wilderness to replenish it immediately, and both meals and sleep were taken care of in the car.
As a result, they were able to arrive in District 80 four hours before the auction started.
The entrance to the auction house was in the form of a small building on the outskirts of the district.
All kinds of luxury cars were already parked in rows around them.
“It’s mostly black. People who are eager to reveal who they are will usually come in their own cars.”
I left the parking lot to the staff who was waiting outside, and went inside the building.
“Please choose a mask and wear it here before entering. Please attach the number tag you received to the right side of your chest.”
57A and 57B.
After putting the number tag on the chest of the suit and dress, he turned his gaze to the wall with all kinds of masks hanging on it.
“What mask are you going to wear?”
“Don’t do this.”
I chose a white ghost mask with a plain design, and she chose a fox mask.
Then I got on the elevator and headed downstairs.
Thing-
When the door opened, a large space appeared that was unimaginable even in the basement.
At the central desk stood staff in modest attire, and in the hallways extending to both sides, there were room doors at wide intervals.
Other corridors and stairs lead to facilities such as swimming pools, restaurants, and casinos.
“All facilities are provided free of charge, so we would appreciate it if you could feel comfortable during your stay.”
I got the card key in the room, unpacked my luggage, and went out again.
“It’s my first time coming here, but it’s like a recreation facility. The room is like a deluxe room of any hotel.”
recreational facilities.
It wasn’t completely wrong.
Once you enter, you can enjoy all the facilities without any limitation until you leave.
For this reason, there were not a few people who paid an expensive entrance fee and came as a vacation concept.
“It would cost a lot of money to build and maintain a place like this, right?”
“Since no one or two companies are involved, it will go far beyond what ordinary people can imagine.”
If you go up high, you can see high-ranking officials from the imperial government or the National Police Agency.
“There is still time until the auction starts, so let’s have a little fun and go inside.”
her eyes gleamed.
We seeped among people of the same dress code.
All the staff were also wearing masks, so the basement gave off an atmosphere like a party hall.
We had a decent meal at the restaurant, browsed the brand’s stores, and entered the casino.
“Do you want to invest in me? I can definitely call you.”
“… Slot glyphs are random. It’s impossible to hit with a fuselage sight.”
“ah.”
My purpose was to understand the internal structure rather than to enjoy the facility.
It was just in case.
It is a place where unexpected situations are highly likely to occur as large amounts of money are collected.
‘… Something is strange.’
The staff is busy walking among the people who enjoy the facility.
Guards stationed in various places are exchanging radios and shining their eyes fiercely.
It is a landscape that is not at all strange from the outside. But in the meantime, I was feeling an unknown sense of incongruity.
widely.
As I was thinking about something else, I bumped into a man on the shoulder. My chips from the tray fell to the floor in rain water.
“Ah, sorry. sir. I couldn’t see properly.”
“… Okay.”
They bent over and picked up chips together.
He picked up the last chip and handed it to me.
“sorry again. Please forgive me for my disobedience.”
I straightened my back and looked at him.
There were three stars indicating the position of a middle manager or so, and the mask was wearing a goat mask.
‘… … .’
For a moment, I felt an indescribable sense of dread.
It’s definitely not the physique, hair color, or tone of voice I know.
“why? What’s going on?”
“It is nothing.”
“Look at this rather than that! I got them all!”
A huge amount of chips was piled up on her tray.
There was a jackpot in the slot machine where she was just sitting.
“… … .”
“Can I exchange this chip and use it as I please?”
“… okay.”
I never set her luck high. This time it must have been seen that she was really lucky.
Time passed and the start of the auction drew near. I got on the elevator and headed to the basement floor.
“From here on, only those who have made a reservation in advance can enter.”
I showed the chest number plate along with the plaque I had been issued at the previous branch.
We entered the auction house through several double doors.
“It looks like an opera house. Although it is a little small.”
“Have you been?”
“Ignoring people. I went there often. One of my old dreams was to be a singer.”
The seats were divided into several floors. At the bottom, there was a stage where auction items were placed.
“Have you ever participated in an auction before?”
“have.”
“Then I will skip the guidance. Have a good time.”
I took a small microphone, attached it to my shirt collar, and sat on the highest seat.
Before long, people started to enter and the place was full.
There was no one talking.
Everyone remained silent and looked down on the stage on the first floor.
Estelle whispered.
“… I’m nervous. I heard that Mithril comes out at the end of the auction. How long are you thinking about?”
“The same sale was sold for 90 million shillings two months ago. Considering the variables, it would be around 100 million shillings.”
In fact, the probability of going up to 100 million is extremely low.
The main auction item for this auction exists separately, and most of the big hands will have that purpose.
A man in a mask adorned with feathers climbed up the podium and picked up the microphone.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Dayron, who is in charge of running this auction. Thank you to everyone who has come a long way.”
He bowed and greeted with an exaggerated gesture.
goat mask.
He was the one who bumped into him outside.
After a small applause, the auction began immediately.
“Two million.”
“There were 200,000. Do you have any more?”
“320!”
“3.2 million! Let’s count to five seconds!”
The auction started with large and small works of art and proceeded in the order of relics found in the ruins or rare items made in the horse tower.
“1.5 million!”
“1.8 million.”
“2.3 million!”
“2.7 million! If there are no more, I will win the bid!”
The prices of the items gradually increased.
As the wealthy gathered, the asking price also jumped, and the atmosphere gradually heated up.
“This item is a bracelet unearthed outside Area 75. It looks normal, but if you inject mana like this… .”
Jiing.
With a small echo, a large rectangular curtain appeared right in front of the host.
An assistant appeared, shot in front of him and swung his sword, but the curtain did not break.
“It’s not as good as the wizard’s own, but depending on the user’s abilities, he can create a strong enough shield. It is a product that has been verified by the horse tower and can be used about 200 times depending on the standard amount of mana. We will start with the asking price of 1 million shillings.”
100 million. 130 million. 160 million. 250 million.
The price went up in an instant.
“Three million!”
The call came from the seat next to me.
It was Estelle.
She clenched her fists and fixed her gaze below.
‘That bracelet seems greedy.’
The 100,000 shillings given to her at the casino went up to 5 million shillings when the slot machine exploded.
If there was no fierce competition, a bracelet of that size would be enough to win the bid.
“3.1 million.”
From the other side, a woman in a cat mask came right in.
“315 million.”
“3.2 million!”
“3.3 million.”
“3.4 million.”
“… 350 million.”
“3.7 million.”
“Four million.”
A strange current flowed.
Whenever the asking price went up, the cat mask did not lose.
The other participants suddenly fell out, and it became a fight between the two of them.
“4.1 million.”
“4.2 million.”
They called for 4.1 million shillings, but this time there was no room.
Estelle licked her lips as she stared at her opponent.
“Five million.”
“5.1 million.”
The winning bid, which had risen in increments of 100,000 shillings, eventually exceeded 5 million shillings.
The moment her opponent called for 5.1 million shillings, she was stunned.
“5.1 million! If there are no more quotes, I will win the bid for number 42! I will count to five seconds!”
The corners of his opponent’s lips were raised in triumph.
“5!”
“4!”
“3!”
“2!”
As the seconds passed, the difference in expressions between Estelle and her partner became more and more stark.
“One!”
“Six million.”
The hall shook for a moment.
Estelle looked at me with surprised eyes.
“It came out to 66 million shillings. Do you have any more?”
The opponent clenched his teeth and sang the next bid.
“… 6.1 million.”
“Seven million.”
I could feel the gaze of the cat mask staring at me. But the price didn’t go up any further.
In the end, the bracelet was sold to me.
“… thanks.”
“If you need anything, just tell me.”
Compared to the items that will come later, there was no burden on the children because it was a no-fault or next-to-no amount.
Also, it wasn’t a bad choice because her power increase would soon lead to my power increase.
The auction went through the middle and reached the second half. The amount has also risen, and the asking price now starts at at least 10 million.
“98 million! The bid for number 57 was successful!”
As expected, Mithril Ore did not have many competitors.
After several workshops, I was able to win the bid without difficulty.
“The following is the long-awaited item that everyone in this room has been waiting for.”
I could feel everyone in the left sitting down.
right!
The host flicked his finger, and an assistant appeared from the inner passage with a box.
When I turned the key and unlocked the lock on the inside, a blue jewel emitting a brilliant light appeared.
At that moment, shouts burst out of everyone’s mouth.
“It is tanzanite that God created the world and made by gathering the remaining fragments. There are only three true handicrafts on the continent, one of which is known to have disappeared with the fall of the duke of Medina eight years ago.”
The sound of saliva swallowing could be heard everywhere. There was tension in the hall.
“I don’t know how it got here. But what is certain is that we have already completed the authenticity test.”
Everyone held their breath.
He was paying attention to the host’s lines and hand movements.
“We need to run the auction quickly. But before that, I have something to show you.”
─Suddenly?
─I saw you prepared something.
There was a murmur in the intestine.
I whispered to Estelle.
“Raise your mana. Just in case.”
“yes? What?”
She didn’t seem to understand the situation well, but for once she followed my instructions.
The host placed another box on the table, which had been lying on the floor since the beginning of the auction.
I had already figured out the guy’s identity.
And how things are going to go in the future.
“Thank you again for being here.”
The box was opened.
Inside was a red skull mask.
“I ask for your cooperation so that I can take the jewels out safely.”
—Did you hear what I just said?
-It feels a little strange. why all of a sudden
—Wait a minute, a skeleton?
He completely changed the goat mask into a skull mask.
The murmur grew louder, and those who noticed the situation rose from their seats.
Just right.
He snapped his fingers again.
All doors leading to the inside of the auction house closed automatically with a ‘clap’ sound.
hooked.
At that sound, everyone’s eyes turned to Dan again.
“… … !”
The assistant’s chest holding the jewelry box was pierced deeply by the dagger.
The assistant fell to the floor as slowly as in slow motion, and he snatched the floating jewelry box and put it in his arms.
“Ahhh!”
A scream broke out.
As if it was a signal, half of the guards pulled out a knife and stabbed their mate nearby.
“Ouch!”
“Hey, what suddenly… !”
And just like their leader, they changed the mask with the skeleton they took out of their arms.
Soon there was a fight all over the place.
There were three main reactions from people.
“open it! Open it!”
“Get away! Do you know who I am! I mean, you have to get out of here!”
Knocking on a door that won’t open while having a fight in a panic.
“Criminal bastards don’t know the subject!”
Either with bare hands, or somehow avoid the swordsman, secretly pull out the weapon he was holding and jump into a fight.
“What are you going to do?”
Or, like us, watch the situation without taking any action.
“We’ll have to find what we paid for first.”
I got up from my seat, smashing someone who was pushed in during the fight with my protective magic.