Chapter 85 - - 85: Spirit Hawk

Chapter 85: Chapter - 85: Spirit Hawk

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the second surprise lot of today’s Grand Auction."

The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere inside the auction hall changed.

People who had been sitting casually immediately straightened in their seats, while several masked bidders turned their attention toward the stage.

The auctioneer’s announcement leaves the hall in a state of anticipation, but unlike the previous surprise lot, the item being brought toward the stage this time is not particularly large.

It is certainly not as imposing as the Rain Feather Pegasus had been but it is not small either.

A group of auction staff carefully pushes a trolley toward the center of the stage, carrying something covered entirely by a thick red cloth. From where I am sitting in, I can make out the general shape beneath it, and after watching it for a few seconds, I notice that the object appears cylindrical, with a rounded dome-shaped top.

That shape immediately makes me think that whatever is underneath is probably some kind of container rather than the actual auction item. The cloth hides too much for me to identify anything with certainty.

I continue watching as the staff position the trolley properly before stepping away.

The auctioneer walks toward it, and judging from the way he deliberately allows the audience to stare at the covered object for several moments, he clearly intends to build some anticipation before revealing what is underneath.

Then the auctioneer finally reaches for the edge of the red cloth and pulls it away.

My guess turns out to be correct.

The cylindrical shape is merely the upper structure of a bird cage, and the actual cage underneath is somewhat shorter than five feet in height.

The moment I see what is inside, however, my attention becomes considerably more focused.

There are two birds both with almost identical features, but their sizes are completely different.

The larger one is roughly two and a half feet tall, while the smaller one is only around one foot in height.

Their bodies are covered in beautiful cyan-blue feathers, and a faint glow surrounds both of them, making their bodies appear slightly unreal compared with ordinary birds.

The larger bird immediately gives a much stronger impression.

Its claws are long and sharp enough to be dangerous, while its eyes possess a piercing sharpness that makes it difficult to mistake the creature for an ordinary animal. There is also a long mark running along one side of its chest, resembling a deep cut that could have been caused by a blade.

The smaller bird looks almost like a younger version of the same creature.

Its claws have not developed nearly as much, and although its eyes still possess some sharpness, they lack the intimidating quality of the larger one’s gaze. Compared with the strong and almost razor-like appearance of its larger counterpart, the smaller bird looks considerably more delicate.

"Wow, that little one is so cute."

Elena’s voice reaches me from beside me, and judging by the voices coming from some of the other seats, she is certainly not the only person who has reached that conclusion.

Several female bidders and their companions are talking about the smaller bird with obvious interest, while some people are apparently more interested in the larger one because of its strength and appearance.

I look at the little bird again before glancing toward Elena.

*Girls really like small animals.*

I cannot help feeling slightly amused by the observation.

The auctioneer does not interrupt the discussion immediately.

Instead, he allows everyone several moments to properly examine the two birds, apparently understanding that the appearance of the creatures itself is part of what makes a lot attractive.

Only after the murmuring begins to settle does he finally step forward.

"I believe everyone has had enough time to appreciate today’s second surprise lot, so allow me to properly introduce what you are looking at."

He gestures toward the cage "These two creatures are Spirit Hawks."

The announcement produces a noticeable change in the atmosphere. I already know from their appearance that they are not ordinary magic beasts, but hearing the actual classification still draws my attention more firmly toward them.

"Yes, ladies and gentlemen, these are not ordinary magic beasts, but spirit beasts."

The auctioneer pauses briefly before continuing, apparently making sure everyone is listening.

"Spirit beasts are somewhat different from ordinary magic beasts because their bodies are not completely materialistic. Their physical forms are partially composed of the elemental energy corresponding to their attributes, which gives them an ethereal nature that ordinary magic beasts do not possess."

He then explains that this difference comes with both advantages and disadvantages.

"Because their bodies are formed partly from elemental energy, spirit beasts generally possess lower physical strength than a normal magic beast of the same rank. However, that same nature grants them elemental affinities that surpass those of ordinary magic beasts."

That much is already familiar to me.

Spirit beasts are not exactly an unknown concept among magic users, although they are considerably rarer than ordinary magical beasts.

The auctioneer continues, "As you can see, both of these Spirit Hawks possess the Wind attribute, which means that a magic user with the Wind attribute can potentially form a contract with them."

A wave of murmurs immediately spreads through the hall.

I can understand the reaction. The ability to form contracts with spirit beasts is common knowledge among magic users, but the actual method of forming such contracts is much less straightforward.

As far as I know, there are two major categories.

The first depends on elemental compatibility.

If a magic user possesses sufficiently high affinity with the element corresponding to the spirit beast, then there is a possibility of forming a contract with it.

The second involves unique attributes that specifically allow someone to establish contracts with spirits.

Teacher Albert is the most obvious example I know.

His Spirit Taming talent allows him to interact with and control spirits through methods that ordinary magic users cannot reproduce, and from everything I have heard, that kind of attribute is extraordinarily rare.

In fact, despite knowing quite a few powerful magic users and having access to information from the game world, I have never heard of another person besides Albert possessing an ability like that.

Which makes these two Spirit Hawks rather interesting for me.

The auctioneer waits for the discussion to settle before revealing another important detail.

"The larger Spirit Hawk is the mother, while the smaller one is her child."

Elena’s attention immediately returns to the cage.

I can already tell from her expression that she likes the smaller one considerably more than she did the previous auction items.

The auctioneer then raises one hand toward the larger hawk.

"There is one more detail that prospective buyers should know."

His finger points toward the long wound running along the mother’s chest.

"As you can see, the mother Spirit Hawk has suffered an injury. This wound was caused by a special type of weapon, and although it may require some time to heal completely, it is not a permanent injury."

That information causes another round of discussion.

The auctioneer is about to continue toward the bidding when a voice suddenly comes from Balcony Number 4.

"Does every Wind attribute user have the ability to contract with these Spirit Hawks, or is there also a minimum requirement regarding mental strength?"

The question is a reasonable one.

Apparently, the auctioneer has already expected it because his expression does not change at all.

Instead, he gives a knowing smile. "Of course, there is a minimum requirement for mental strength when forming a contract with any spirit beast. A contract is not something that can simply be established because the attributes happen to be compatible."

He turns toward the cage again "For the younger Spirit Hawk, a magic user with mental strength around the Mid-Stage Spirit Lake level should be capable of forming a contract without significant difficulty."

Then he points toward the larger bird "The mother is considerably stronger. For her, I recommend that the prospective contractor possess Peak-Stage Spirit Lake level mental strength or higher."

He pauses before adding the important warning "Attempting to force a contract without sufficient mental strength could result in backlash if the Spirit Hawk resists."

The reaction is immediate. The hall becomes noticeably louder as people begin discussing the requirements among themselves.

I remain quiet while considering what I have just heard. This information will certainly affect the final price.

It limits the number of people capable of purchasing the larger hawk, although the smaller one remains accessible to a much wider range of Wind attribute users but its strength is also very limited.

Personally, I consider that limitation a good thing.

I turn toward Elena and asked "Do you want the baby hawk?"

She looks at me with slight surprise, as though she had not expected me to ask her that directly.

After a brief moment, however, she nods.

"If possible, yes," she says, her eyes returning to the smaller Spirit Hawk. "But after what happened with the Pegasus, I don’t think we can actually get it."

I smile slightly "You still don’t understand how Grand Mages think."

Elena blinks and looks at me as though she is trying to figure out exactly what I mean.

I decided to explain her later, for now I turn my attention back toward the stage.

The auctioneer has finally finished explaining the important details "With that, we can begin the bidding."

He raises one hand "The opening price for this pair of Spirit Hawks is ten thousand gold."

The moment he finishes speaking, I raise my bidding marker "Fifteen thousand gold!"

...........

Spirit Hawk.