Two days after the ball, Yu was standing outside the Treasure Pavilion’s Gui Empire Capital Auction House. It was about five times the size of the one at the sect, which surprised Yu.
“I thought it would be bigger,” Yu said to herself. Her master, who was standing to her right in his sect robes, ignored her. He was wearing his confused madman mask for the evening. On the other side of her was Fengdu, wearing a moderately formal but not ostentatious hanfu. He laughed openly at Yu’s comment, apparently finding it quite funny.
Not sure what was so hilarious, Yu fidgeted with the evening’s assigned outfit. Unfortunately, as Yu was going to be in the Long clan box, she had to dress “appropriately,” rather than be in her sect robes. Tonight that meant she wore a semi-formal Qipao, similar to the one she had worn in the arena with a short skirt and exposed arms. This one however, covered her shoulders with a sheer net-like cloth that was mostly transparent. The skirt was dark blue while the top was pure white and decorated with three long branches coming from her right hip and were covered by beautiful pink cherry blossoms.
The three of them were in one of numerous lines attempting to enter the auction house. They had access to one of the “special” lines designated for reserved boxes. They did not get to use the wait-free entranceway solely for the five great clans, but it was still a lot faster than the poor folks who had lesser status.
It was not long before they stood in front of an older mortal man in a very professional black and white hanfu. He bowed, despite already being stooped and then he spoke without even really looking. His routine was clearly unchanging, and he likely did not even realize he said it anymore.
“The Treasure Pavilion welcom—”
He stopped himself as he finally looked up and saw her master. Yu watched as his face paled and he fumbled through his vest to pull out a little bell and began ringing it. And ringing it. He did not stop ringing it until a pudgy middle-aged man waddled up to them in a hurry, sweat beading on his forehead.
“What is—”
In a comical repeat of events just moments prior, the man froze mid-sentence once he saw Yu’s master. Then he took out a much larger bell than the prior man and started ringing it. A few moments pass and nothing happened, causing the man to take out a cloth and pat down his sweat-beaded face. Still nothing seemed to be happening, so he held the bell and began waving it frantically, making the prior ringing sound like a wind chime.
Yu covered her sensitive ears, but kept watching when a third man arrived. He was obviously a cultivator because he appeared in a swirl of wind.
“What could possibly—”
Yu turned around and cleared her throat, biting her lip and covering her mouth with her hand. She coughed then, desperately hoping it would stop her from breaking out into hysterics.
Her back still facing the scene, Yu heard a very loud clearing of a throat. “Ahem/. Why, Sect Leader Long, what a… pleasant surprise to see you here this evening.”
“Huh? Oh yes.”
Yu turned back, having schooled her expression back to neutral. What she saw was her master leaning forward into the Wind Cultivator’s personal space, their noses just a few finger widths apart. As the man had a gigantic mustache that looked like the forward-facing horns of a Mud Oxen, it appeared to her that her master’s face was twitching from being tickled.
“Wait, do I know you?” her master asked, befuddled. “I don’t think so, as I am confident I would remember someone with such a magnificent mustache, although it appears to be a little limp.”
Yu spun back around, slapping her hands over her mouth. But he apparently was not done.
“The wax from the Glistening-scaled Wax Beetle makes for a very strong stiffening agent. It might help you with the floppiness of your tips.”
Fengdu coughed then, also turning around. He and Yu looked at each other surreptitiously, both clearly trying not to laugh. Unfortunately, her master just would not stop.
“I can refer you to a friend. She helps quite a few men with their drooping problem. As she is an expert in the study of hardening fluids, she has helped many address limpness. Why, she has even been known to offer hot wax treatments upon request, although they cost extra.”
Yu bit into her hand while Fengdu failed to maintain control and laughed, but turned it into a few coughs. Thankfully, he managed to turn around and speak before anyone else could.
“Good evening, sir. I am Long Fengdu, representative of the Long clan here in the capital. I wonder if you could tell us why you were summoned? Do you have a message for myself, my cousin, or his apprentice?”
For the umpteenth time, someone cleared their throat, and Yu turned back, having given up.
“Yes. Long Fengdu, thank you for asking. And… thank you as well sect leader for the… advice.”
Yu had to give the man credit. He covered his irritation well. If it wasn’t for the twitching of his left eye, she would not have known.
“Well, the reason I am here is to speak on behalf of the Treasure Pavilion. Not just this auction house, but the larger Treasure Pavilion organization. As you know, we are a respected continent-spanning enterprise. The reason we are capable of being so, is because we have an excellent reputation for trustworthiness. And the way that we keep the trust of our clients is both by having strict rules for our auctions, and by making sure our patrons adhere to those rules.”
Ah! I think I know where this is going. I can only imagine what he did to deserve such a lecture.
“So, I was asked that, if you were to attend one of our auctions, again by the larger organization, to remind you, esteemed sect leader, of the rules. The first of which is that no violence or threats of violence are permitted in our auction houses.” Then he took a deep breath. “That includes making other patrons spontaneously disappear or explode.”
Oh, gods. He didn’t.
“There was some emphasis placed on that part. Please do not explode anyone. Moving on, the second rule is that you should only bid on what you wish to buy. There is no way to, for example, tell the auctioneer to forget your bid. Whether by accident or on purpose, all bids are final.”
Yu had been watching her master carefully during the poor man’s diatribe. His eyes never left the monstrous mustache, and she had no idea what to make of that.
“Thirdly, you must actually pay for your goods – specifically, when you acquire them. As you have a box, they will be brought there, and you are expected to provide the silver at the time of delivery. Please do not simply make the items disappear with you.”
Fengdu coughed then. “I believe my clan has an account with the Treasure Pavilion.”
Yu saw the first genuine smile from the man then. “Indeed you do. And you have a quite a substantial line of credit as well.”
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“Excellent. Please grant access to that line of credit to my young cousin here.” Then he gestured to Yu.
Yu blinked up at him. “Wait, what?”
The man nodded, still smiling. “It will be my pleasure.” Then he turned to Yu. “Do you have a Treasure Pavilion badge, or will you need one to be provided?”
Still surprised, Yu stuttered, “Y-yes? Or I don’t know, maybe? Will this work?”
She took the silver badge that she used at the auction house in the sect from her ring and showed it to the man.
He examined it and nodded. “Ah, of course. A sect branch. Excellent. However, that will not allow you access to your clan’s box outside of the sect. I will need to provide a new badge.” Then he took out of a ring a pair of jade badges that were a lot more intricate than any she had seen before, and touched them together. He held out one of them and instructed Fengdu to do the same with his, and after he did, the man gave it to her.
The man smiled widely down at Yu. “You may now use as both an identifier, as well as a access point to purchase from your clan’s line of credit.”
“Uhh…” was all Yu could come up with.
Thankfully her master took that opportunity to take large strides into the auction house, and that apparently signaled that they were done with introductions and warnings.
The building layout was the same as at the sect, just bigger, and they were escorted all the way up to a jade-level box. Yu learned that there was a jade level above gold, which was news to her as gold was the highest the sect’s auction house went, although it explained the new badge.
Yu did not say anything until they entered the private box, which, like hers, was a suite. Of course, this one was more opulent. It had more decorations, more rooms, more furniture, more servants, and more just about everything else. Otherwise, to Yu it felt familiar.
There was a big window looking down on the action floor which Yu assumed would have an enchanted display like the arena. Strangely, the seats were right up the window, but it did not really concern her. She then found a bidding tablet lying on a side table. It appeared just like the one she knew except for the fact that it had extra gems up to billions of silver, mindboggling as that was.
Putting it back down, she walked to one of the cooking areas and ordered an infused meal of spicy beef with rice and vegetables as well as a pot of infused tea. After that, she stood at the window, looking out. She looked towards the other booths, seeing many familiar faces.
She also noticed two groups of booths with people she had never seen before. It was easy to see by their attire that one was being used by the Dominion and the other by the third empire. The young men and women in the Dominion booths were… large, just like how she had seen all their people so far. They wore mostly furs and exposed a lot of skin, which showed off muscles that Yu was both envious of and not at the same time. She wished to have their physical power, but it was not what her empire considered attractive, especially on a girl. As far as their attitude was concerned, they were quite boisterous, but not crudely so. To her, they just looked full of energy.
The other booths’ occupants were quite the opposite. They covered themselves so only the head and hands were visible, and their clothing – kimonos Yu presumed – were perfectly worn and all very similar to each other. They were also quite subdued, demonstrating a dramatic contrast in attitude to the other booth. Strangely, two booths used by this empire had people who were fully covered in either black or dark red cloth. It was skin tight, and only a slit for their eyes could be seen.
Those are definitely not kimonos. How odd…
To the side, Yu heard her master sit in one of the seats and looked over. His public façade was gone, and he looked bored.
“I hate these things,” he complained to Fengdu, who sat on a couch next to him.
Shrugging, Fengdu relaxed, spreading his arms and legs. “I usually come for something to do. But they do occasionally have an item or two worth purchasing. And of course, I have to spend the clan’s silver, otherwise my budget will be reduced.”
“Really?” Yu asked, surprised at his statement. “You just come to spend clan resources?”
“Generally, yes,” he responded nonchalantly. “Sure, they have something worth buying once in a while, but most of the time I just resell, store, or give away as gifts what I purchase.”
“Is it a lot?” Yu figured a clan their size would not miss a few million here and there. Heck, a junior alchemist had that much sitting in his ring, not counting the cards she could not access due to the blood seals.
“Oh, not so much. I mean, I can’t go overboard or anything, but a few billion a year won’t be missed.”
Yu choked. “What?! A few billion? What happens if the clan finds out?”
He looked puzzled. “What do you mean? They already know.”
“Wait, wait. You basically waste billions of silver, they know, and nobody cares?” Yu’s voice was a little shrill there at the end.
Her master chuckled. “You will have to forgive her, Fengdu. She does not understand true scale.”
Fengdu looked unsure for a moment, then it cleared up. “Ah, yes. Apologies. I forgot.”
“Forgot what? That wasting billions of silver is okay with everybody?”
Fengdu laughed then. “Well, sort of. I forgot your history. My dear clansman, the Long clan’s total continental transactions are in the tens of trillions of silver. Now, that is not all ours as we often act as neutral arbiter, but we get a piece of all of it.”
Yu fell into the soft cushion of the nearest couch. “That’s… Really? What does the clan do exactly?”
A light stiffening of the environment told Yu that either Fengdu or her master had created a bubble of power to keep their conversations secret. She had seen it many times when her master was in a more public setting and had to convey some message or another. It takes a domain, so she could not create one until she reached the fourth stage.
“Oh, we do many things,” Fengdu answered. “In that ‘transactions’ example from before, we act as an unbiased middle agent of sorts. In short, we move goods securely between factions. But that is only a fraction of our overall business. Our greatest source of revenue, or at least straight sales income, is spatial ring blanks. However, the most profitable market, and what we are – indirectly at least – known for the best, is information trading.”
“I get spatial rings. And formations too I assume?” Fengdu nods. “Those seem straight forward. But information trading?”
“Well, my dear cousin, if you could see into the past and future, and be anywhere in the world you have visited before in an instant, why would being a spy not be on your list of capabilities?”
Yu blinked. “Oh.” When he put it like that, it seemed obvious.
The barrier dropped as the food and drink were delivered, and they ate in silence, Yu reflecting on her erstwhile clan and its capabilities.
She raised her head and asked a question with her eyes. The barrier returned and she spoke.
“Does the clan act as assassins too?”
Fengdu tilted his head to side. “Mmmm, yes and no. It is really not our favorite thing to do, generally. We do have a small, specifically-trained arm of the clan for ‘special activities’ that reports directly to the clean head, but it is not a product we sell. When it is used, and that is rare, it is mostly for internal matters.”
“Oh,” Yu said again. She really was not expecting that answer. Why wouldn’t they conduct secret killings?
“It is important to remember balance, disciple,” her master said. “The affinity is a physical representation of the world’s rules. That means power, but it also means balance. I recall telling you that the Spatial Affinity is something like being on the edge of a blade – too much one way or another and…
“You lose balance and get cut,” Yu finished.
“Yes. I am sure my repeated lectures about responsible use of your powers and how the clan polices itself has stuck with you.”
Yu nodded.
Of course I remember, but is killing for profit one of those things they look out for?
Fengdu picks up where her master left off. “Well, we prefer not to risk the ire of the heavens by pushing the boundaries too far. Some in the clan believe we already have and do, although that is a small minority. The general consensus is if we kill to protect ourselves, that is acceptable to a point, but every major use our affinity must be balanced.”
“How does that work? Like, how do you know?”
“First, it does not include minor actions such as enchanting, as that act creates no direct imbalance. The same goes for things like just moving from place to place. The act of stepping by itself does not generally affect the world. Using stepping for mass murder, on the other hand, would almost certainly result in repercussions.”
“Those are the extremes to either side,” her master interjected. “The clan has substantial documentation on our generations of research regarding the implications of using Spatial Affinity powers, what imbalance they create, and how to offset them in a timely manner. Keep in mind that if we had not managed ourselves so closely, the clan’s power would have waned generations ago – either by direct sanction from the Heavens or joint action by multiple powerful forces.”
It really never occurred to Yu the level of detailed research required to govern their powers. Generations and generations of trying and failing different things until they were able to actually document what did and did not work.
“That’s… wow. Just wow.”
Fengdu shrugs. “If you had been brought up a member of the clan, none of it would be that impressive to you.”
Yu glanced at her master with her eyes and found him smirking. Clearly they were both thinking of the theorical other life she could have had at the clan. And Yu felt like neither of them regretted where they were.
The barrier dropped, telling Yu the time for talking about the clan was over.
Nodding to herself, Yu sat back drinking her tea and waited for the auction to finally start.