73 episodes
20 Underground Auction House (1)
“… … .”
5 Princess Diana was pensive in her study at Cheongseonggung Palace.
Her fingers tapping the armrests regularly.
Even though she was clearly benefiting greatly from the fall of the third prince, Diena’s face was not so bright.
“… … I really don’t know.”
With those murmurs, she remembered the scene she had seen underground on the night that the Jeokseonggung was attacked in her mind.
read at noblemtl. com
Most of it had already been destroyed by Ygracia, but the wreckage alone was enough to guess the inhumane experiments that had taken place so far.
And it was so shocking that even Diena, who had grasped Enoch’s perverted hobbies, was astonished.
Perhaps, if she had properly understood these experiments, especially those applied to the fairies, she would have been at war with Enoch earlier.
‘ Perhaps Sion also knew that fact and offered me cooperation.’
How on earth did Zion know what she couldn’t understand?
Come to think of it, Shion knew more than Diena herself even when the old Legan Ursula dug a trap.
‘ Is there really an information power that surpasses me?’
It was nonsense, but if it were true.
She might have had to overthrow all the rankings of checks that exist in her head.
‘ Moreover, due to this incident, the forces under his command are increasing at a tremendous rate.’
It really made me wing.
And that was the reason why her face was not bright.
The more she knew about Zion, the more she felt how dangerous Zion was.
Therefore, she was more concerned about the fact that Zion’s side was getting stronger than her own.
It really felt like I was going to overtake her someday.
Add to that.
‘ The Ascalon family made contact with Prince Zion.’
It was only after this information came in, so I had no choice but to have a lot of worries and thoughts.
“ Well, it’s a situation that Ascalon expected enough.”
The reason the Ascalon family cut ties with Zion from the beginning was because there was really no prospect.
However, now that Zion has fully demonstrated his potential due to various incidents, there was no reason for them not to contact each other again.
To strike a balance with him, Diena also had to gain the support of one of the other five great families, but the most likely place was the Ozrima family.
3 After the prince died, it was like they lost their focus.
‘The problem is that they don’t move at all.’
Do you want to do a bongmun (封門)?
The Ozurima family did not respond to her continued attempts to contact her.
At that, Diena was feeling a great sense of frustration.
“ After… … .”
Slowly shaking her head and letting out a long sigh, she looked at Lloyd standing behind her and asked.
“ What is Zion doing now?”
Since Shion was already one of the top surveillance targets she designated, it was basic to always know its movements.
“ I heard information that he had secretly left the fortress a little while ago.”
“ Out of the castle? Do you know where you are going?”
” I’m not sure exactly, but my guess is that it’s headed to the Plington Underground Auction House.”
“ Plington? Where is it? I think I’ve heard it once… … .”
At Lloyd’s next reply, Diena’s expression changed strangely.
“ It’s the only place in the capital where slaves are auctioned off.”
* * *
‘ There are more people than I thought.’
It was Sion’s impression of sitting in the VIP seat of the auction house and looking around.
Hundreds of seats were packed in the auction house, which was like a huge hall.
And the seats were all full of people without a single empty space.
And it was the same with the VIP seat upstairs where Shion was sitting.
Just by looking at this, you can fully guess the grandeur of the Plington Auction House.
‘ You don’t come here.’
Shion thought as she glanced through the catalog of auction items on the table next to the seat.
Since it is certain that the item he was thinking of is coming out today, it was right to think that he deliberately omitted it.
There are two cases where an auction item does not appear in the catalog.
The first case was not a commodity but living slaves, and the second case was an item of great value among the items to be released.
What Zion is trying to save here today is not a slave, so it must be the latter.
at that time.
“ I see a lot of giants than I thought.”
Eileen, who sat next to her and looked around, opened her mouth to Shion in a subtly tone.
“ I’m hiding my identity, can you tell me?”
“ Okay. Still, the name is the head of the intelligence guild, but you can’t be recognizable just because your face is covered.”
“ Yeah? So who is that woman over there?”
To her confidently speaking, Shion pointed to a woman sitting diagonally down from among the same VIP seats and asked.
A woman with a snake tattoo on her left shoulder with her head biting her tail.
She was also the woman I saw when Shion first entered the auction house earlier.
Of course, because he was wearing a mask, his face was unknown.
“… … Who is it? I don’t know at all.”
A bewildered voice came out of Eileen’s mouth, who had been staring at the woman for a moment.
“ If the nobles of the capital are even assigned to VIP seats, I can’t tell you… … .”
At her reaction, Shion nodded her head slightly as if she had expected it.
I had no choice but to do so.
Because that woman, and the organization to which she belongs, will move in a later time than it is now.
Since nothing had been revealed yet, it was natural that Eileen did not know.
“ Do you know who you are… … .”
It was time for Eileen to ask again at Shion’s reaction.
– Hello! This is Ronnie Harlen, who will be running today’s auction.
The inside of the auction house became dark, and an auctioneer appeared on the podium in front of it.
– First of all, I would like to express my sincere thanks to everyone who attended the auction. Spring has passed, full of colorful flowers that please our eyes, and the fresh green that smells of early summer… … .
An auctioneer who skillfully continues the message straight away.
Then the first items began to appear from behind him.
-… … Today, I would like to introduce the first item that marks the start of the auction.
It was one picture.
A picture in which several multicolored lines are geometrically drawn on a white drawing paper.
From Sion’s point of view, I thought, ‘Is that really a painting?’ … .
Before the auctioneer could finish speaking, people began to raise their hands like crazy.
-88 times 10 million came out, at that moment 105 times 15 million! Oh, you called 20 million straight from number 206!
The price of the painting soared in an instant.
“… … .”
Zion didn’t think they really knew the value of painting.
What they see is the value of the name of the painter who drew the picture and how many people will recognize and admire it when it is hung in the library.
Of course, Shion wasn’t interested in such things.
“ If that’s the kind of thing that came out in the first place, then maybe the next ones are worth looking forward to.”
Next to Shion like that, Eileen muttered a little.
As she said, the following auction items were also great.
Items that are not very practical, but boast a tremendous rarity enough to stimulate the possessiveness of the aristocrats.
Is it really the best underground auction house in the empire?
All such items were being sold at astronomical prices.
‘ What did you come here to buy?’
Even though the auction was going on like that, Eileen looked at Shion, who had never bid, with a puzzled look.
At the Plington Auction House, the order in which items appeared was by value, not by category.
So, whether it’s a simple work of art or a magical artifact, the order is determined by the purely assigned value.
And slaves, who are living beings, were no exception.
Therefore, even though many slaves had already been auctioned off in the middle, Zion did not even move.
‘ Aren’t you really here to buy slaves?’
Usually, the purpose of visiting this auction house was to purchase slaves, so it was a natural question.
at that time.
– Now, this item is Lord Scanvia’s cursed necklace.
A slightly different item from before came up on the podium.
– In the past, Sir Scanbia, who ruled the huge territory of the northwestern part of the empire, Carlot, obtained this necklace by subjugating the warlock Gerd, who was notorious for that time. Afterwards, Sir Scanbia died of an unknown disease, and since then… … .
A necklace imbued with a curse so severe that it takes the wearer’s life.
‘ Things like that, no matter how rare, are not very popular.’
Even if there was only one in the world, it wasn’t the kind that you could bring out like a work of art and show off to anyone, and it wasn’t worth much.
Therefore, only aristocrats with some manic hobbies were participating in the auction.
-66 from 3 million, 3 million! Do you have anyone else to call?
The auctioneer was also proceeding with a lower tempo, perhaps as expected from the beginning.
The Noble 66, who called the last price, was also sitting comfortably, thinking that there would be no competitors.
– Alright then, for Sir Scanvia’s necklace, go to number 66… … .
That was then.
– Whoa! 11 times! You called 3.5 million from number 11!
someone raised a hand
Eileen’s face changes to a surprised expression.
That’s right, because number 11 was Zion.
‘ By the way… … .’
What are you thinking?
– 4 million from 66 again!
While she was staring at Shion’s languid face, who couldn’t understand her thoughts, the Noble No. 66 raised her hand again.
-11 times 4.5 million!
Sion raises the bid again before the auctioneer has finished speaking.
Due to the competition between the two, the price of the necklace began to soar in an instant.
‘ Are you trying to assassinate someone with that?’
Eileen’s eyes were colored with confusion as she stared at the necklace that reached close to 10 million in an instant.
No matter how much I thought about it, the necklace was not worth this much.
‘ Can I raise it a bit more?’
However, Sion was thinking that way by raising the price to 12 million.
Cursed necklace of Lord Scanbia.
Shion knew the true value of that necklace.
Because it was an artifact that appeared once in the Chronicle of Flosimar.
It is now in that shape because of the Warlock’s curse, but if the curse is lifted, that necklace will be transformed into a low-level, legendary artifact.
Therefore, even though it was not the item he was originally aiming for, he was in a state of bidding.
‘ No matter how much you give, once you win the bid, it’s not a loss.’
In the first place, in the case of legendary weapons and artifacts, in most cases, it was impossible to obtain them even with money.
Besides, I didn’t have enough money anyway, so it overflowed.
The Empire’s top intelligence organization and now serving Zion, Shadow of Eternity was operating borrowed-named businesses throughout the Empire, earning astronomical amounts from it.
‘ The master is going to the auction house, but there is not enough money. Please feel free to write. You can buy the entire auction house.’
These were the words Thierry had handed over to Shion a magic-coated bearer black card.
I heard that the bank only issued it to the highest-ranking customers, and there was no limit.
The only card that can be used at the Plington Auction House, which accepts only cash.
‘ In particular, I said that this was done so that the user’s identity could not be known.’
Deeply admiring Thierry’s meticulousness, Shion raised the necklace’s bid to 30 million.
“ Profit!”
He heard an angry voice from the 66th side.
11 … … 30 million! Anyone want to bid more?
A bid that will no longer go up.
Perhaps the price that was just called as number 66 seemed to be the limit.
Or you think it’s too much of a loss to pay any more.
– With this, Sir Scanvia’s necklace has been successfully bid for customer number 11.
The sound of the hammer echoing along with the auctioneer’s voice.
“… … .”
I could feel the stinging gaze of Eileen sitting next to me.
I’d rather buy a slave. The unspoken pressure of why the hell are you putting 30 million on that thing.
Shion lightly ignored her gaze and concentrated on the auction.
How much longer did the auction go on?
By the time all the items in the catalog appeared and the prepared slaves were also coming to an end.
– Now, the item to be released this time does not exist in the catalog. It is so rare that it cannot be valued, and it is still an object that many great nobles and supreme lords are looking for.
The auctioneer lowered his voice and opened his mouth in a tone different from before.
A small blue ring appeared on the podium with him.
A deep blue brilliance bursting from such a ring begins to fill the entire large auction house.
Also, the temperature drops noticeably.
The auction house didn’t do anything else.
Just because the ring existed here, this phenomenon was happening.
– In the old days, before the empire was formed, there was a queen who ruled the north where only blizzard existed. The queen, who was born with the power to control snow and ice, put that power into a single ring before she died.
“ No way, how could that be here!”
A small cry came out of Eileen’s mouth, who first recognized what the ring was.
– That’s what this ring is, the Breath of the Frost Queen.
And finally, the moment when the auctioneer’s words are finished and the ring’s appearance is fully revealed.
“!!!!!!”
People inside the auction house vomited in amazement, and some even stood up.
And with him.
‘ Are you finally here?’
A cold light began to flow from within Shion’s languid eyes.