“So, you two are from Ellia? What’s it like there?” Adion heard Benji ask Termon.

“That’s right,” Termon nodded.

Termon and Benji were seated next to each other on a fancy couch placed in the middle of the booth. The table in front of the seating arrangement had various drinks and delicacies. Rufus was already helping himself to the alcohol.

Adion turned to listen in on the conversation.

“The Delhelm family is a 1st-tier family clan, and we have our main manor in Ellia. Our family is very old, so even though we have yet to have one of us reach the Soul stages, we have over 30 Diamond mages.” Termon said with a proud look.

“But it’s not all good. After so many generations, our family has split into branches. And we don’t all always get along,” Prago cut in from beside Adion.

“Yes, unfortunately,” Termon lamented, “Prago is very talented. He became a Bronze mage just before turning 16, but since my part of the family does not have a Diamond mage at the peak, he doesn’t get the resources he deserves.

“So, I have taken it upon myself to travel with him and train him myself. I plan on making some profits for my business back in Ellia at the same time.”

“What’s your business?” Sahra asked from the armchair she was seated in.

“I buy and sell antiques,” Termon answered with a kind smile, “As such, there is no better place to take a business trip than an auction. At times, I’ve managed to get a great bargain on rare antiques that have difficulty getting sold at just prices at these places.”

“Doesn’t the auction house have someone knowledgeable to appraise the items they sell?” Benji asked.

“Of course they do,” Termon answered, “But no one can be an expert on everything.”

“What’s your expertise?” Adion asked.

“Paintings,” Termon answered with a smile, “I’ve seen so many of them that by this point, I can almost feel the value a painting has just by being near it. I once got to see ‘Landfall on Shiora,’ you know. The Imperial family has it in their reception hall. By far the most marvelous painting I’ve seen.”

“Will there be paintings sold tonight?” Benji asked.

“There usually are some,” Termon answered, “But I’m not only here for them, of course. I run a business selling all kinds of antiques, not just paintings. What about you young ones? What are you looking for?”

“We’re not here looking for anything,” Benji answered, “We’re headed for the Outskirts but thought it would be nice to see Dorbarta before going there. We heard there would be an auction tonight, so we just came to check it out and enjoy the spectacle.”

“I see,” Termon said, “Well, the prices at these things can get out of hand, so that’s probably for the best. This is the first auction being held since the Tyllen family became a Noble family after all, a lot of big shots seem to have gathered.”

“Oh? Any juicy rumors?” Sahra asked.

“Haha!” Termon chuckled joyfully, “I’m afraid I don’t know much about the local politics, but the Derolm family can’t be too happy about the recent developments. They are a powerful 1st-tier family in the area. Like any other family clan, they have been striving to reach Noble status for a long time. But it looks like the Tyllen family beat them to it.”

“Does Noble status grant you anything special?” Adion asked.

“Of course,” Termon said, “It’s not all about having a Soul mage in the family. The Imperial family will give you a lot of benefits. And Nobles tend to stick together, once you’re part of their group, you won’t ever be the same as the other family clans again. Good luck getting someone from a Noble family to take responsibility for their actions. Unless you’re from a Noble family too, not much can be done. This is not the case not only in the Empire, but all over Shiora.”

“Sounds like the Derolm family will be facing a difficult time then, or are the two families friends?” Benji asked.

“I’m not sure, but from what I’ve heard, they are anything but close,” Termon said.

“Well,” Rufus said, “Whatever the Nobles or family clans get up to, it’s none of our business, right Benji?”

“You’re right,” Benji nodded, “I have perhaps been too curious.”

“Not at all,” Termon said with a smile, “The youth should be curious.”

“It’s starting,” Prago suddenly said. The group all looked down toward the stage in the main hall, where the only source of light was now directed. Adion tried to find the source of light in the ceiling.

“It’s runes,” Prago said quietly beside him, “A real powerful one at that, can’t have been cheap. It’s definitely the work of a master.”

“You know about runes?” Adion asked.

“Some,” Prago admitted, “It’s my greatest passion when it comes to magic. I’m not much of a fighter.”

“I know next to nothing about runes, but I’d like to learn,” Adion said.

“Well, you’re going to Cyalis Academy when you turn 17, right?” Prago asked.

“That’s the plan,” Adion said.

“I’m heading there too next year. I’ll focus on studying runes. I guess you’ll get there a year after me, so I can give you some tips on classes I found useful.” Prago said.

“Oh? Thanks a lot.” Adion said.

What a friendly guy.

“Ladies and Gentlemen!” A voice sounded from the stage down below.

“Runes?” Rufus asked in a low voice.

“I think he’s just yelling, Rufus,” Lomin answered.

“Yeah,” Prago nodded.

“Ah…” Rufus scratched his neck in embarrassment.

“Welcome to the Dorbarta Auction House,” The voice continued, “We hope you brought your wallets, because the items up for auction tonight will be the most valuable in years, if not decades!”

A loud cheer roared through the hall.

“And as always, the host for tonight, Gerard Tyllen!” The voice sounded, and then a handsome blonde man walked out on stage to thunderous applause. He was a middle Gold mage even though Adion could feel he was only 33 years old.

Impressive.

“Welcome, dear guests,” Gerard said in a soothing but strong voice that carried throughout the hall. “Well, I could make some grand speech about our patriarch reaching the Soft Soul stage, and how our family has moved up in the world to become a Noble family. But I’m sure you’d rather see what our first item of the night is, am I right?”

A loud cheer went out once again.

Are people generally this excited at auctions, or are they expecting some item? It’s a nice atmosphere, though.

“The first item of the evening, an Orange Insight Pill, produced by the great Loranth Hesfym!”

The entire hall went completely silent. Even Adion was shocked. Although he was hard-pressed to be impressed by any kind of pill, he knew how rare Orange pills were. From his understanding, even Soul mages would fight over them.

“Impossible!” Termon said.

He wasn’t the only one. The audience was utterly shocked.

“What’s the use of auctioning one of those here?” Benji asked, “There can’t be any Soul mages in an auction like this, and surely they could earn more money from the pill if they sold it to someone like that?”

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“Well,” Termon said, “It will certainly give a lot of prestige to the auction house and the Tyllen family when news gets out. But they could also earn a pretty penny. Who would pay more for an Insight Pill, someone who has already managed to break through to the Soul stages, or a Diamond mage without any other hope? A 1st-tier family clan usually has a good amount of wealth built up, after all.”

“That’s true,” Benji said.

It didn’t take long for the auction to begin, and the price quickly soared.

“100 Vastros!” A man yelled out from a booth on the other side of the hall.

“110 Vastros!” Another one quickly followed. This went on until the final price landed on 500 Vastro coins, a value of a little over 65,000 gold coins. Even the entire treasury that they had robbed didn’t have that many Vastro coins.

The winning bidder, Adion found out, was the Derolm family that Termon had mentioned earlier. They were in a booth two floors above Adion’s.

“Do they usually open up with the most valuable item?” Adion asked, “Or will there be even more expensive items following?”

“It’s normal to have something like this as a first item; the first and last are not necessarily the most expensive, but they tend to be the most noteworthy. The things people talk about once the auction is over,” Prago said.

“I see,” Adion said.

“Next up, we have this runic sword,” Gerard announced as he showed off the sword, “Made from a fine runic craftsman in Regor, its metal has been conjured with the concept of sharpness. The craftsman is a Diamond mage and goes by the name Hugyn Herrman. The runes inscribed will allow for the mage using the sword to make use of the sharpness concept in the metal to its very limit. Our bidding will begin at 5 Vastro coins!”

“I would love to take a look at those runes,” Prago said.

“Are you going to buy it?” Adion asked.

“No,” Prago shook his head, “Although it’s a very precious item, it’s not very rare. We have a few of similar quality in the family clan.”

“Oh,” Adion said.

This auction will be good for me to get a good grasp of the prices of these things, so I don’t get scammed in the future.

The sword ended up selling for 34 Vastro coins, and following that were some more weapons of similar making. Adion started focusing on the people he could see around him and suddenly got an idea to have some fun.

Adion focused on his sphere of space mana and chose to grab hold of the space in the booth next to theirs. He then applied the same tactic as he had when he listened in on the conversations at Little Jiggot back in Wender.

“Dad, please! With this spear, I’m sure to make it to Bronze by the end of summer!” He heard a boy speaking.

“How will a spear help you with that? Just focus on your mana control, and don’t say silly things.” An older voice said in return.

Adion quickly got bored and tried another booth, but it was the same story where the younger and older generations disputed the importance of fancy weapons.

Adion then got the idea to try the booth he heard the Derolm family were in. He focused on the space in their booth and made the tricky effort to infuse his Will into the space mana there, enough to hear and, to some degree, see the room while not actually teleporting there himself.

“Your grandfather might have something for you,” A middle-aged man said.

“But why not just bid for the one here?” A young man questioned.

“Do you think we have an endless supply of money? That Insight Pill was already more than we could afford, really.” The older man said.

“But if it can make grandfather break through to the Soul stages, we will have two Soul mages in our family. I’d like to see the faces of those Tyllen bastards then. They have been acting arrogantly lately. Did you know that Astor-” The young man was cut off by the man Adion assumed was his father.

“You’ve told me. Bear with it. We will have our revenge. For everything,” The older man said.

“I just don’t get why we hide that matriarch Femmia has reached the Soft Soul stage already. We should be acknowledged as the Nobles we are already,” The young man said.

“You will know eventually,” Was all the older man said.

“You should really tell me more of what’s going on, father. I heard something about how we were attacked at our branch in Wender? They say Uncle Eulen has died.” The young man said.

“It’s more complicated than you think,” The older man said, “Just focus on growing stronger, and you will get to know what you need to know.”

Uncle Eulen? Attacked in Wender?

Adion wanted more details, but the conversation between the father and son changed topics, and Adion couldn’t keep up his spying technique any longer.

I don’t know enough to draw any real conclusions, but the Derolm family is undoubtedly connected to Heavenly Light in some way.

“You okay, Adion?” Prago asked, “You seem to be out of it.”

“Oh, sorry. I’m fine.” Adion responded and looked out to the stage again, where the auction was still ongoing.

It doesn’t matter. I will focus on getting stronger. No need to get involved in these things yet.

The auction continued, with different objects being sold one after the other. Pills and potions, weapons, jewelry, fruits and herbs from the Endless Forest, and even old books and paintings. Termon himself won a bid for a painting he said was worth double what he had to pay for it. Hours later, it was finally time for the final item of the auction.

“Some of you might have heard rumors of an artifact being up for auction here tonight,” Gerard said, “Of course, The Dorbarta Auction House has not gotten to the point where we can auction off something like that. But the rumors do have some basis, as our final object could be something left from the Age of Wonder.”

Everyone had their ears perked up. The entire audience was leaning forward on their seats as Gerard brought forth an object of metal, a disk two feet wide with runes engraved in it.

“This object was found at an expedition in the Endless Forest, according to the one who offered it up for auction. The one selling this item through our auction house has agreed to meet with and answer questions from the one with the winning bid after the auction ends.

“So, what is it? The answer is: we don’t know; it is obviously some sort of runic device, but no one has managed to figure out what it is supposed to do as most of the runes are unfamiliar. It is our belief that this is indeed an artifact left behind from the Age of Wonder. However, it might be the case that it is broken, it might be that we don’t know how to use it, it might be that it works perfectly, but we can’t understand its effects. I will attempt to activate the runes as a demonstration.”

Gerard then put his hands under the runic device, and the runes started to light up ever so slightly. Adion could immediately tell its effects.

It stabilised space. It does what I do when I freeze space, just weaker. A lot weaker. But I can feel the effects even from this distance, even if it is small, so it might have held some use. Or perhaps it worked better during the Age of Wonder.

“I can’t tell what the runes do,” Prago commented.

“Not even the Diamond mages here can tell what it does,” Termon said, “But it has certainly sparked my interest. I wonder how much these people are willing to pay for something this uncertain.”

“You guys don’t feel it either?” Adion asked his teammates.

“I don’t feel anything,” Rufus said, “You feel something, Adion?”

Adion didn’t want to expose his secrets in front of strangers, of course, but he thought people should be able to feel the difference in the surrounding space if they focused on it.

“Something just feels…off,” Adion said, moving his arm up and down.

The group looked at him for a while before closing their eyes and trying to see if they could feel something.

“Space,” Lomin was the one who felt it, “Space is harder to move through than before. By a tiny amount, but it’s there.”

“So that’s it,” Adion said as if he didn’t already know.

“Amazing, you can feel that, Lomin?” Termon asked, “I think I might feel something now that you mention it, but it might just be my imagination. Are you sure, Lomin?”

“I am certain,” Lomin said with a smile.

Termon got a serious expression on his face and immediately began bidding for the artifact.

This was Adion’s intent; he wanted to pay Prago and Termon back for their hospitality. And since Adion had no use of an artifact doing what he could already do better, he tried to hint at the artifact's use.

He also wanted to get a chance to study the artifact himself. He might get an opportunity to do so if Termon won the bidding. He couldn’t afford it himself, and even if he could, it wouldn’t be worth paying so much for something that probably wouldn’t be of any use. The teleportation formation in the Remori manor was basically a much better version of the small disc, so Adion wasn’t very impressed.

But what’s the use? Is it necessary to stabilize space? Whatever, I’ll think about it later.

Unfortunately, Termon didn’t have the budget to win the auction. Adion wasn’t bothered with who did; he could maybe teleport in an attempt to steal it, but he wasn’t about to do something so risky for basically no gain. He had had enough of that for a while and wanted to focus on increasing his power.

“It’s really a shame,” Prago said as everyone left the booth and headed outside, “To get the chance to study runes left behind by the Age of Wonder. Will I ever get a chance like that again?”

“I’m sure you will,” Adion comforted.

“Thanks,” Prago said, “Well, I guess I’ll see you at Cyalis then, Adion.”

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a little under two years, I guess,” Adion said.

“Look for me when you get there, and I’ll show you around,” Prago said with a smile.

“Thanks,” Adion said. The group said their goodbyes to Prago and Termon and thanked them for the evening.

“That was fun!” Sahra said as the team made their way back to the hotel, “Too bad we couldn’t buy anything.”

“Well, we wouldn’t have been able to afford much anyway,” Rufus said.

“We’ll have to plan our next robbery with a lot of care, so we can get out with more money than we could ever spend,” Sahra said with a smirk.

“Ganta,” Benji sighed.

Adion didn’t say anything and just listened to his friends joking around, enjoying the warm summer night.

When Adion got back to his room, he almost immediately fell asleep, but pushed himself to get some training done before bed. It was something he always made sure to get done.

Today was really fun, but I’m excited to head for the Outskirts again. Nothing beats getting stronger, after all.