“It’s been a long time since I went to an auction. I’m really excited,” Felicia said as she looked out the window of the moving carriage.
“Did you bring funds to buy something?” Sell asked.
“Not really. I might have enough to buy something small. Otherwise, I can always ask my great aunt if I really want something. She’s going to be there too,” Felicia answered. “What about you?”
“I’m just going to watch,” Sell said, shaking her head.
“What about you, Adion?” Felicia asked, “Since your family even prepared a booth, I’m guessing you’re going to make a few bids?”
“Probably,” Adion nodded.
Their family wasn’t really wealthy enough to contend with the bigger families of Cyalis, but with the Elixir of Life, that would change. And since it was sure to make a killing, Adion’s grandfather had already received a vast amount of money beforehand. This was not only so they could make a bid in case they spotted something they liked, but also because it would help draw suspension away from their family after the auction.
If their family suddenly started spending money like crazy right after the Elixir of Life was sold, some people might start looking into where that money came from. So his grandfather had asked for a loan, which the Appos Auction House agreed to without a problem.
His grandfather had already started spending that money, so now it would just seem like they had held a lot of money in reserve and began spending it once they became a Noble family. Considering that they sold their manor to the Valis Royal family, no one would think it so strange that they had a lot of money. It also made sense that they didn’t want to show off their wealth too much before his grandfather became a Soul mage.
I’m glad Grandpa thought about that. I also need to come up with a reason for buying a new manor for Tib and Perk. I could find a way to do it anonymously, but that would also mean that they wouldn’t have the protection of a Noble family.
But I can’t really do it openly, either. That would make building a secret organizition separate from my family completely useless.
Oh well, I’ll think of something.
The carriage came to a halt, and everyone stepped outside. Adion saw his Grandpa and siblings step out from the carriage in front of them, and his Grandpa gestured for them to follow him.
What a magnificent building.
Adion had never been to the River of Coins before, so everything around him was new. River of Coins was a part of Cyalis known for it’s extreme wealth. The most luxurious stores and establishments in Cyalis were located here, and that included the Appos Auction House.
The building was located by an enormous square, and the auction house itself took up the entire side of the square. It was surprisingly made out of wood, but Adion knew that it couldn’t be any type of ordinary wood. It was almost black in color, and it seemed as sturdy as rock.
All around them, carriages were arriving with influential people getting out. All of them heading to the auction house.
“That’s the crest of the Alago Royal family,” Sell commented as she spotted a luxurious carriage arriving, “It seems like this auction has managed to gather people from all over Shiora.”
“The Appos Auction House better have something heaven-shaking to auction for an announcement like this,” Felicia said, “I can feel a Soul mage’s aura from that carriage. Even in a Royal family, their status can’t be low. These types of people will not be happy if they have had their time wasted.”
“I’m sure they are well aware of that,” Relmon said, “I just wonder what it could be. I almost feel like I’m part of a historic event.”
“It might be,” Felicia said.
“I’m just afraid it will result in some kind of fight,” Sell said, “With these powerful people all gathered, things might get heated if something too precious is up for bids.”
“The Appos family has two members in the Council,” Adion said, “I don’t think even a Royal family would dare cause a ruckus.”
“Maybe,” Sell nodded.
As their group stepped onto the red carpet that Adion guessed was made from the hairs of some rare beast, a Diamond mage in uniform approached Adion’s grandfather with hurried steps.
“Patriarch Remori, it’s good to see you again. I hope you have been well,” The man said with a light bow and a wide smile.
“So it’s Diamond Terofs,” Adion’s grandfather said with a chuckle, “How can I not have been well? But I have been cooped up for too long, so I hope your auction house can give me some excitement tonight.”
“Of course,” Terofs said with a laugh, “Why don’t you all follow me and I’ll take you to your booth.”
“Then I’ll thank you,” His grandfather said with a smile.
Does that man know? He shouldn’t. I’m sure only the Soul mages in charge of the Appos Auction House know that it’s Grandpa who delivered the Elixir of Life. Terofs has probably seen him at their family mansion a few times.
The group entered the auction house and reached the grand entrance hall. It was full of people conversing and laughing, drinks in their hands.
“Adion?” A voice called out.
Adion turned to see his old roommate Heso approach him with a smile.
“Heso, it’s been a while,” Adion greeted with a smile.
“Haha,” Heso laughed, “It sure had. With your new status as the disciple of the Headmaster, I can only guess how busy you have been. I expected you to come here with him.”
“My family has a booth already, so I chose to attend the auction with them,” Adion said.
“I see,” Heso nodded, “Well, I won’t hold you up. Come by the Jimmen family booth later if you want to have a chat. I will become very popular if I manage to introduce you to some people there.”
“Maybe,” Adion nodded.
He left Heso behind and continued following his family. They entered a wide staircase at the side of the entrance hall and started climbing floors.
“I have spotted quite a few great influences from all over Shiora,” His grandfather commented to Terofs, “I guess basically every Noble family from all over Shiora will show up thanks to your announcement.”
“Haha,” Terofs laughed, “Far from every Noble family, I’m afraid. But I do believe that most have at least sent a representative. Some families have taken it more seriously than others, but at the very least, one person has been sent from all the top powers. We even have some unexpected guests.”
“Unexpected guests?” His grandfather asked.
“Apparently, a few people here tonight have come from some powers of the Fire Phoenix Empire on Quemer,” Terofs said with excitement in his voice, “I don’t know why they are here, nor do I know their exact background. But they should be pretty big fish.”
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“Interesting,” His grandfather said slowly. “Things will get lively tonight, it seems.”
“They are sure to be,” Terofs nodded, “But what fun would an auction be without some tensions? However, rest assured, we have prepared for this auction for quite some time now, and the security for tonight is leagues above any other auction in at least the past century. Not even the powers from Quemer can cause a ruckus.”
“I expect nothing less from the Appos family,” His grandfather said with a chuckle.
The group soon reached a long hallway, a red carpet covered the floor and it was lit up by crystal crowns hanging from the ceiling. Twelve doors lined one of the walls, and each door had a Diamond mage standing guard outside. Terofs stopped by one of the doors and handed a key to Adion’s grandfather.
“This is the booth we have prepared for you. If you have any requests, please ask one of the servants inside and they will do do their utmost to fulfill it.” Terofs said.
“Alright,” His grandfather nodded and unlocked the door.
Their booth reflected the theme of the auction house, dark wooden walls with a luxurious red carpet. There were couches and armchairs for more than fifteen people to sit. There were also drinks and snacks that Adion thought would be enough for more than fifty people.
There was a man and a woman standing against the wall, they both bowed and greeted them as they stepped inside.
They have Silver mages acting as servants? What kind of luxury is that? They are even just above 30 years old.
Adion was quite shocked at the luxury suddenly in front of him. It was countless times more affluent than the Dorbarta Auction House he had previously visited.
He turned to look at Sell and asked in a low voice, “Are these types of situations normal in Noble circles?”
Sell smiled and answered, “It’s the foremost auction house in Cyalis. What did you expect? They are receiving Soul mages here, after all. The booths of the guests from Royal families are surely countless times more spectacular. They probably even have Diamond mages serving them.”
Ganta. Well, I guess this won’t be out of my reach any longer. If I didn’t have to take care not to flaunt my wealth too much, I might even afford to buy something similar to this whole auction house.
“Alright, everyone,” His grandfather said, “Help yourselves. The auction won’t start for a while, so I will go see some acquaintances.”
“Alright,” Aiden nodded.
As his grandfather left, everyone started talking more easily. Adion stepped up to pour himself a drink but was stopped by the servant girl.
“Please let me, young master,” The girl said with a smile.
“Oh, alright,” Adion nodded awkwardly. He turned to look at Sell and asked, “Is this the kind of wine that you’re always talking about?”
“Let me take a look,” Sell said as she approached the table of drinks and looked over the selection. “Oh? This one is really good. Poor two glasses of this, please.” Sell pointed out the bottle of wine she wanted to the servant.
Adion got his glass and tasted it curiously. “It’s quite good.”
“Quite good?” Sell questioned.
“Well, it’s really good,” Adion admitted. “But I still prefer regular beer. It just has a certain something.”
“You’re just a brute,” Sell said, shaking her head with a smile.
“Adion, you’re a Noble now,” Felicica said as she approached the two, “You need to start to familiarize yourself with these things.” Felicia then leaned in to whisper in Adion’s ear, “We can’t have you embarrass Sell in the future, can we?”
“Felicia,” Sell looked at Felicia with a stern look.
“I’m just joking around, relax,” Felicia said with a laugh, taking a swing of her drink.
“Your friends are even more careless than me,” Adion said in a low voice, smiling teasingly.
“Sorry,” Sell muttered, embarrassed.
Thankfully, it was only Relmon around who could overhear, and he was on the opposite side of the room. Even if he heard, most things could be waved off as teasing, so Adion wasn’t worried.
Time passed with everyone enjoying themselves. Eventually, Adion’s grandfather returned as well. He took a drink and talked lightly with everyone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please gather your attention to the stage,” A voice rang out.
Adion looked up as he noticed that the voice hadn’t come from the stage but from inside the booth. He spotted a small runic device in the ceiling of their room.
They even have these runes here? I don’t know a lot about runes yet, but this must have been incredibly complicated to incorporate.
“It’s starting,” Ailera said with an anticipatory smile, “Should we stay in here or go outside?”
Their booth was covered by a large glass panel. From there, they could look out over the large auction hall without any problem. But it was a special type of glass that could only be viewed through from one direction. Thus, no one else could look inside.
If they wanted to, though, there was a small balcony they could step out on. But if they made their bids from there, everyone would know who it was.
“We might as well head out to the balcony,” His grandfather said, “No matter what we bid on, we won’t attract more attention than the final item. And we won’t be bidding on that. Besides, I might not know exactly what kind of runes they have working here, but I don’t think that the more powerful guests will have any trouble seeing through this glass. Perhaps it could work on other occasions, where Soul mages don’t show up, but not today. Even I can feel the aura of people I recognize in a lot of booths.”
“Oh, that makes sense,” Ailera nodded.
This certainly is a creative way of making bidding anonymous, but in front of the truly powerful, it just comes off as silly.
The last time I went to the auction in Dorbarta, I used my powers to spy on people there without anyone noticing. But I don’t have the courage to try that tonight.
They all stepped out on the balcony, and Adion turned his head to see a lot of other people choosing to do the same. He spotted Heso, waving to him from across the auction hall a few floors below. Adion waved back and turned to see if he could spot anyone else he recognized. But before he could, his attention was brought to the stage down below, where a black-haired girl who looked to be in her late twenties walked up.
“Hello and welcome, everyone. My name is Milana Appos, and I will be your host this unforgettable evening,” Milana’s voice rang out across the hall.
She received thunderous applause from the auction hall, which was filled to the brim with guests from all over the continent.
“Before we start, I would like to thank a certain guest on behalf of the Appos Auction House. And that guest is no one else but the Headmaster of Cyalis Academy, Headmaster, Sage, and Pure Soul Vermon Demorr.” Milana said as she graciously bowed to a booth high above.
Adion turned his head to see the Headmaster sitting on the most prestigious of all balconies a few floors above him.
It might have caused some stir of one of the Royal families got the seat of honor when there are so many of them here. But with the Headmaster in that spot, I don’t think anyone could raise any objections.
The Headmaster responded to the introduction with a simple nod and a light smile.
“Adion,” His grandfather said in a low voice.
Adion turned to look back at his grandfather and saw him, and everyone else, bowing to the Headmaster.
“I know you’re his disciple, but you should still bow,” His grandfather said with an amused smile.
“Right,” Adion said and hurriedly bowed along with basically every single other guest there. Even if you came from a Royal family, the Headmaster of Cyalis Academy was not someone you could slight. That was not even mentioning his strength or status as a Sage.
“As this is a very special night for our auction house, we have managed to get the protection of the Council of Cyalis. This is a night where a lot of influential people from all over the continent have gathered, and there might be some tensions. But I hope you can all remember to give some face to Cyalis, and not take things too far,” Milana said, smiling as she looked out over the guests.
The Headmaster agreed to act as protection? Does that mean he actually knows about the Elixir of Life? Isn’t that something even he is interested in?
Maybe he’ll bid for it anyway.
I’ll feel a little guilty taking his money as his disciple, though.
“Now then, honored guests,” Milana continued with a bright smile, “Let the auction commence!”