The sounds of the auction participants died down as Gravila’s words floated over them. Her voice was endearing, and as it touched Dollar’s ears, it tickled them unnaturally, gripping his attention. He couldn’t see any artifacts on her, so he assumed it was the effect of a spell or [skill]. Across the amphitheater, there were jovial smiles as everyone settled into their seats, each holding a white stick that ended on a wide tip with a painted number on it.

There were also several booths set up in the upper areas, but they were all dark, their windows clouded by symbol arrays.

“Hey, we don’t have one of those.” Mitsy pointed at the numbered sticks being held by the participants below.

“We don’t need a bidding stick. We’re booth 3,’ Dollar said. “See the buttons here?”

Dollar gestured to a table between their chairs, where the staff had set up a crimson box with four buttons. Pressing the first button raised bids by 1 silver coin. Pressing the second button would raise the bid by 1 gold coin. The third button would call an employee to give them refreshments.

A fourth button was there to give the booth occupant the option of letting everyone see inside the booth. Dollar didn’t know how it would be done, but he suspected the use was more political than functional.

An influential person could reveal their identity to a rival bidder to scare them off. I guess the guild’s impartiality isn’t as all-encompassing as they let on. Dollar smiled. The System’s guarantees can only go so far.

Their auction system reminded him of the auctions back on Earth. Those had certain advantages afforded to those who knew how to use them. And had the money to pay for them.

A quick check also showed him a small artifact that could transmit his voice outside.

How did they do that? If they used sound symbols, then I wonder if I could make some kind of communication device, Dollar thought.

“Now then, I’m sure you’re all excited to see what we have today.” Gravila’s lips curled into a smile as she watched over the crowd. “And I’m certainly excited to see the coin you’ve brought.”

A small spatter of laughter rose from the crowd, and Dollar watched as several tin-ranked employees brought out seven pedestals covered with sheets. They placed them on the ground and stepped back as two guards wearing silver badges took over. One of them had muscles bigger than Dollar’s head and the other was skinnier and lankier, but with an air of confidence about him.

“For those of you that are new, I’m Gravila Uriel, and today I’m running this little auction of ours. It comes in three parts, objects of mystique, artifacts to boggle your mind, and finally, mystical items that can change your lives. Gentlemen, if you would please unveil the first object.”

An employee saluted her and swept the sheet off the first pedestal, revealing a painting. Two horse-like animals ran across a field, but as Dollar stared at the finer details, the painting shifted and writhed, transforming into something indecipherable.

He turned his head away and blinked in surprise.

What is that? He thought.

“Painted by the famed artist master Lin, this enigmatic piece changes when you bond with it and shows you the potential you hold. Maybe you’ll see a handsome man and wonder why you’re looking in a mirror. Perhaps you’ll see an empress ruling over Ioa. The possibilities are endless. We’ll start the bidding at one gold coin.”

Mitsy took in a sharp breath from beside Dollar.

“One gold for the starting item?” She looked worried.

“Don’t worry,” Dollar said. “We’ve got enough. Or rather, we will have enough. Once Grisham’s artifact sells.”

The painting sold for five gold to an incredibly beautiful woman in a dress made of silver, her golden eyes alight with joy as she moved to the back rooms to pay and pick up her item. From the looks of it, she’d come prepared for that single item.

As the evening passed on, Dollar saw most of the participants staying silent until they spotted something they wanted. Soon, the guild had sold all the pedestals except one.

“The last item of the first section,” Gravila smiled. “I can see all of you vibrating with anticipation as the artifacts draw nearer, but don’t discount that which remains.”

Gravila walked up to the final pedestal, sweeping the sheet personally and revealing the item underneath.

It was a purple and gold book bound in thick leather.

“This is a dossier on the participants in the upcoming Tournament of Kings.” Gravila snapped her fingers and the pages flipped open. Too fast to read, but quick enough to catch everyone’s interest. “Composed by the famed investigator, Obscure, he has graced us with a single copy to sell.”

A lukewarm response greeted her words. Most participants didn’t blink, and others laid back, content to pass on the bidding. Some even got up, keen to use the item as a break to stretch. Dollar leaned forward, and to his surprise Mitsy did too, her eyes flashing with interest for the first time since the auction began.

Once, when he had first started on his journey, Dollar had made a list of goals for the future. Each one would help him overcome House Tiberius.

1. Go to Zendria and meet his father’s friends, specifically a man called Achimedes. Use their connections to get into Brauer Academy.

2. Find his grandmother.

3. In the future: Participate in the Tournament of Kings, if possible.

The first goal hadn’t worked out well. Dollar had adapted to it, however, and with the help of his grandmother, he had still accomplished its intention, which was to get to safety. His next goal was to enter the Tournament of Kings.

The next tournament was coming up in a little under a year, but the minimum age of entry was ten. The maximum age was twenty-five.

Dollar was seven. Too young to join now. But he would be old enough when they held the next tournament in eight years.

Eight years from now. That’s when the next Tournament is. Dollar thought. If I win, I’ll likely have to reveal my existence to the world and to House Tiberius. But the prizes will be worth it.

Marcus and Parelius had both entered the top sixteen of the Tournament of Kings, and that had allowed them to force House Tiberius into becoming one of the top seven households on the continent. The prestige given from entering the tournament was unparalleled.

The Tournament of Kings would be the moment his reputation spread forth. Every lip would whisper his name, and the world would recognize his abilities.

It would be when he would crush House Tiberius.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a key fact.” Gravila’s fingers tapped the book, each movement resonating into the air. “This dossier is for participants in the main tournament. Not the sub-tournaments. For those who don’t know, organizations keep the abilities and potential of the main tournament contenders a secret. Even their identities. But this year Obscure has gathered them all into this one tome. Including their names. The bidding will start at two silver coins.”

There was a sharp hiss of surprise from the crowd, and Dollar frowned.

Their gazes changed when she mentioned it was the main tournament. Dollar scrutinized the crowd. What’s the difference?

“I think we talked about this once, but The Tournament of Kings is a monumental event,” Mitsy answered his unspoken question. “In the beginning, it was one big tournament, but now they have three. The two sub-tournaments for symbology and magic, and the main tournament.”

Something cracked, and Dollar glanced at Mitsy. Her skin was pale, and the chair she was sitting in had been the source of the sound. Her fingers were digging into the wood, and crushing it, but he could tell from the look on her face that she hadn’t noticed.

Her expression was one of desperation.

Dollar pressed the bidding button several times.

“Five silver coins from the bidders in booth three,” Gravila beamed. “A notable increase. Going once…”

Five silver coins became eight, and eight became one gold. The bidding slowed down as others hesitated, but Dollar kept his eyes on the book, ignoring them.

“Two gold coins. Does anyone want to beat it? This is a chance to know the strengths and weaknesses of the people taking part in the greatest tournament in the world.”

Nobody raised their hand as the countdown expired.

“Sold to the honored guests in booth 3!” Gravila declared.

“What about Bill?” Mitsy asked. “We need every coin we can get.”

“I’m confident,” Dollar smiled. “Besides, you’re not the only one that can read minds. If something bothers you that badly, it’s worth the coin.”

“I don’t read minds,” Mitsy huffed, then she glanced at the book, the guards taking it away to be delivered. “Dollar, thank you.”

Dollar nodded, curiosity flickering through him. He didn’t know why Mitsy wanted the book so desperately, but for a moment, the tome had taken priority over Bill.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Back in Zendria, Grisham said Mitsy was going to train for the Tournament of Kings. Dollar recalled. Since it’s held in the central continent, Joie, it would take around a year to get there. At least I think so. Because my grandmother took a month to bring us here, they wouldn’t make it in time if he came here and picked her up. That’s why Grisham had to go alone. But Mitsy said he was going to fight a dangerous person. Wait, okay, I get it now.

The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. Mitsy and Grisham were preparing to fight a participant in the Tournament of Kings. All of whom were powerhouses, with giant organizations behind them.

That was why she wanted the dossier. It held information on her enemy.

Which was likely information her father didn’t have.

A knock on the door came quickly and after verification of funds and payment -guided by The System-, Mitsy was hugging the book tight. A moment of indecision followed as she warred with herself about whether to read it. Then it disappeared into her choker as she made her choice.

Below them, a murmur spread out across the crowd and Dollar looked down to see the auction employees raise seven pedestals onto the stage, each one sweating as they handled the precious cargo. Shimmering veils covered the seven pedestals, raising the anticipation of the crowd.

Dollar could feel the existence of symbol arrays underneath each one.

“Well now, we shall move on to the most fascinating portion of the evening. The artifact sales. Oh, I see that got your attention.” Gravila let out a titillating laugh as the crowd grew noticeably rowdier. Even the high-end clientele had raised their heads, their eyes glimmering with interest.

“As you know, we rarely put artifacts up for sale, even in a city of symbologists. We sell a few at each auction, usually of the most common varieties. However, a new benefactor had graced this city. A symbologist named Master Grisham. Our information network states that this man sees minor artifacts as trinkets and has been selling them in the marketplace by the hundreds. Now, he has deemed this auction to be worthy of selling his finer works. The artifact he has graced us with is a single artifact split into four pieces, but I believe you will find it most interesting.”

Gravila snapped her fingers, and the guards lifted the cloth off the pedestal. Everyone leaned forward, excitement crossing their features as they saw what lay inside.

Two gloves. Two boots.

Each had symbols drawn on them. Together, all four pieces formed a single array.

Shoulders rose, backs straightened, and people leaned forward, examining the artifact with shining eyes. The two guards stepped forward, making sure that nobody tried to do anything foolish.

Gravila’s eyes swept over the crowd, a knowing smile gracing her lips.

“The uses of this artifact are twofold. Whoever wears the boots will find their footsteps falling silent. The effect lasts for an hour when activated and you can activate it every six hours. As for the second effect, well, whatever -or whomever- the gloves touch, they fall silent for five seconds. They cannot make sounds and they cannot speak. You can trigger this effect every thirty seconds. Sir Grisham calls his work The Magician’s Bane.”

Gravila’s voice boomed over a startled crowd.

“Not only that, but Master Grisham has also altered the materials he made the artifact from. Others may see ordinary gloves and boots, but iron blades will only chip them, and they will still be as flexible as their original materials. They won’t suffer wear and tear from regular use, and we can also tailor them to suit your proportions.”

I refused to use sound symbols for my mass-produced artifacts. But unique ones are fair game. Dollar smiled as he saw the crowd’s excitement. Hiding behind Grisham’s name is working wonders, too. This way, Mitsy doesn’t have to worry about dungeons.

Dollar had used sound and wood symbol arrays for this artifact, all carved into glossrock. First, he had created a variation of the sound symbol for the glove portion that silenced whatever it touched. A nominally useless effect for him, since he could negate the silencing effect either way, but a potentially life-changing impact in a fight. For the boots, he had added a variation to silence only the sounds they made. The wood symbol would make sure the artifacts didn’t crumble, tear, or explode during battle.

[Ength’s Touch] had enhanced every symbol he’d created.

Dollar even had two pieces of glossrock left over. The original chunk Mitsy had bought was simply that big.

However, the flimsy materials had forced him to limit the silencing effect. If the sound symbols were active the entire time, they would fight with the wood symbols strengthening the materials, and the clash of their existences would cause the array to implode. This was a common problem among most artifacts, unless they were incredibly low-ranked, or used high-tier materials that were above the rank of the symbols themselves.

The Magician’s Bane wouldn’t come close to a middle-ranked artifact, which required at least a middle-ranked symbol as the base of the array, but it was at the highest ranks of a minor or lower-ranked artifact.

“We will begin the bidding at three gold coins. Does anyone- Oh, number fifty-four is raising the bid to four gold? Going onc- booth two is bidding five and a half gold coins.”

Even though the gloves and shoes were common materials purchased in any shop, nobody hesitated. For artifacts, the ability he had endowed the artifact with eclipsed the value of the materials.

Dollar’s eyes flashed, but he kept his joy restrained.

He’d expected someone to hesitate because of the cooldown time and effect timer on the gloves, but a quick look below showed him a group of excited adventurers. In particular, a sleek young man in dark robes at the front of the team was buzzing with excitement.

“Can you make me one of those?” Mitsy asked, her eyes gleaming.

“They would explode with your first punch,” Dollar chuckled. “But I can think of something. Why? Do you want to fight a magician?”

“I was thinking more along the lines of what that guy is planning.” Mitsy pointed down at the seats.

Dollar followed her gaze and saw two other interested parties entering the bidding war. One was a person inside a booth. The final bidder was a man sitting in a common seat with an enormous sword strapped to his back.

The swordsman raised his number, his gaze calculating and eager.

“Fifteen gold,” his voice reverberated across the amphitheater.

“Sixteen gold,” the booth occupant immediately replied.

“Which one of them are you talking about?” Dollar asked Mitsy.

“The one with the sword. Look at the way he’s gripping it and shifting his feet. He’s trying to figure out the perfect way to walk silently and kill his enemies in a single swing,” Mitsy said.

Dollar shuddered at the gruesome mental image. “I guess he won’t need the gloves then.”

“No, they’re the most important part. He’s going to use the silencing effect on his sword, so it doesn’t make a sound when it swings.” Mitsy’s eyes shone. “All he’ll need is a single attack, and it won’t damage the gloves either.”

Huh. I never considered that. Dollar thought. I assumed the winning bidder would use the gloves to interrupt people trying to cast spells.

Dollar regretted calling the artifact Magician’s Bane. If he’d known the other applications, then he could have given the artifact a name that would have made their uses more obvious, and therefore more valuable.

“Twenty gold from number fifty-four,” Gravila said, pointing at the adventuring party.

“Thirty,” the bidder in the booth said.

The crowd murmured at the increase. The booth’s occupant was making their intentions known. Each was willing to pay extreme amounts of gold for the item.

“Thirty-one gold.”

The newest bid came from the lone swordsman, and he glanced up at the booth with a smirk. In response, the occupant of the booth released the window tint, revealing a noblewoman in a fine silken shirt, wearing a silver belt along her pants that had an expensive rapier tucked into it. The noble stared at the swordsman, trying to intimidate him. It didn’t matter to the swordsman. He just waved with one hand and gestured rudely with the other.

“Hmm,” the noble’s voice resonated out of the booth, her displeasure clear for all to see.

The curves of Dollar’s lips rose as he spotted the exchange. Before, the two had been bidding against each other for the artifact.

Now, it was personal.

“Thirty-five.” “Forty.” “Forty-two and a half.” “Forty-five.”

The two parties launched into a tirade of bids, each higher than the last. Eventually, even the noblewoman was frowning. Reluctance and hope adorned her features as she threw out her final bid.

“Fifty-six gold,” the swordsman replied without hesitation. “And I’ll throw in a smile.”

This time no bids rose against him, though I could see that the winner had made a few enemies along the way. The adventuring team was eyeing him curiously, a glint of greed within the eyes of their robed member who wanted the artifact the most.

The noblewoman didn’t hide her displeasure, and she turned around as an elderly man appeared in her booth and whispered into his ear. He nodded and disappeared.

“Sold, for fifty-six gold to bidder number fifty-four. The highest bid of this auction so far,” Gravila beamed. “We’ll take the smile to go. But I hope you enjoy your item. And remember, we guarantee your safety.”

There was a hint of steel to her tone and the guards on the stage straightened, their eyes roaming over the crowd. Any greedy eyes quailed at their stoic gazes, most planted firmly onto their silver badges.

“It’s appreciated,” the swordsman said.

A couple of minutes later, two men appeared outside of Dollar’s booth. One was an employee of the fisherman’s guild, carrying the gold from the auction sale. He walked in instantly, but stepped to the side as the other visitor waited patiently by the door.

The other was the elderly gentleman the noblewoman had spoken to after she’d lost the bid for Dollar’s artifact. He bowed low as the symbols in the booth’s entrance activated, covering the features of the occupants inside and preventing entry.

“I apologize for the interruption. May I know if I am speaking to Master Grisham?” he said.

“I’m his associate,” Dollar said. “How may I help you?”

“Master Grisham’s creation has snatched young mistress Olivia’s attention. She wishes to know if he can craft one personally for her. She will provide the measurements and cover half of the material costs. Mistress Olivia also asks if better materials will allow for greater effects. If so, she will pay full cost for the materials, guaranteed by a contract with The System.”

“Master Grisham made the artifact on a whim,” Dollar said. “But he may be willing to make one again. He is busy for the next few days, but I manage his schedule. If you gather the materials, I will guarantee an artifact creation slot goes to your benefactor. Prepare a single core material broken into four pieces, one for each article of clothing. Do not bring Master Grisham four different core materials of the same type. Their origin must be the same for the artifact’s symbol array to link. The casing materials can be whatever Mistress Olivia likes. I heard Master Grisham say that if they are durable enough, then he can forgo the hardening effect to provide a wider variety of silencing abilities.”

The elderly man’s eyes lit up at Dollar’s words, and he bowed low. “It will be done. May I know how to contact you, and how to address you?”

“You may call me Ength,” Dollar smiled. “Come to our booth when we set up to maintain contact.”

“I will update you when Mistress Olivia has obtained the necessary materials,” the elderly man bowed. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for your patronage,” Dollar stood steady. “I will let Master Grisham know about his newest project. He’ll be delighted, I’m sure. He wanted to further perfect the designs. Perhaps he’ll even agree to add in a little extra. Though I cannot make any promises.”

Pleasure flickered through the elderly man’s features, and he left with a spring in his step.

Now that’s a benefit I love to see. Dollar returned to the booth with a smile. And here’s another.

Waiting patiently inside was the guild employee who had brought the coins with him. They jingled atop a plump red cushion that was covered in a layer of sapphire silk.

“Master Grisham’s earnings,” the employee unveiled the pile, and the gleam of more gold coins than he’d ever seen in his life hit Dollar’s eyes. “Please confirm through The System that you are the recipient.”

Dollar didn’t hesitate. A moment later, he was sitting in his chair, buzzing with excitement as the auction continued below. Mitsy started dividing the coins, her eyes widening as she did so. She’d been stoic against the temptations of money, but holding so much was a novel experience for her as well.

Several blue messages appeared in his vision, and he checked them immediately.

[You have reached level 50.]

[You have reached level 51.]

[You have gained a level: +10 free stat points.]

[You have gained a level: +10 free stat points.]

Even though Mitsy gets half the coins, and I already got the experience from the determined worth of owning the artifact, I still gained two levels. Dollar celebrated in his mind. I love auctions.

This time, there was a new type of message. One he had been expecting but was no less excited about.

[You have gained 1 [skill] core point.]

[Class bonus: You have gained 1 extra [skill] core point.]

[Core points: You may use your core points to upgrade a [skill] from rank 1 to rank 2. The [skill] being upgraded must first have reached its level cap. Upgrading [skills] with core points will unlock additional abilities. Core points are difficult to obtain, and most people never possess more than two during their lifetimes.]

[Use them wisely.]