Chapter 87 - - 87: Master Zendor

Chapter 87: Chapter - 87: Master Zendor

There would be little reason for the auction house to bring an item this specialized into a public auction if they already knew that a member of the royal family was interested in it, especially when the royal treasury itself was directly connected to the auction house.

Of course, I have no proof of that. But the circumstances make the possibility rather obvious.

Before anyone can dwell on the matter for too long, the auctioneer continues.

"However, the abilities of this robe are not the only reason it deserves your attention."

His voice becomes slightly more deliberate "This artifact possesses another distinction that makes it particularly valuable."

Then he looks around the entire hall "The person who created it."

The auctioneer waits just long enough to create the suspense he wants before finally revealing the name.

"This robe was crafted by one of the legendary ancient craftsmen of our Yona Kingdom." He places one hand toward the robe.

"Master Zendor."

The name alone nearly caused an uproar.

I find myself staring at the robe along with almost half of the people in the hall.

Master Zendor.

That is not merely the name of some famous craftsman.

He is regarded as the greatest craftsman in the recorded history of the Yona Kingdom, a figure whose creations are treated almost like historical treasures, and even centuries after his era, artifacts bearing his name remain extraordinarily valuable.

But that name means considerably more to me than simply a famous craftsman from history.

Because there is another reason I know it.

The most important loot in the game is said to have been crafted by Master Zendor.

And that particular loot is something I intend to obtain regardless of what it takes.

Even if getting it means eventually confronting Hina and letting my secret revealed to her.

The thought immediately reminds me of another problem.

’Treaticia’ The protection magic circle.

Someone probably possesses it already, although I still do not know exactly who.

If that person is the one who took it before the game’s main storyline began, then obtaining the item I need could become considerably more complicated than simply finding it.

My thoughts continue moving through the possibilities until the auctioneer’s voice finally pulls me back toward the present.

"The opening price for Light’s Bearer is twenty thousand gold."

I blink once and return my full attention to the stage.

The bidding begins almost immediately.

"Twenty-five thousand." The first bid comes from Balcony Number 6.

Before anyone else can respond, another voice comes from Balcony Number 1.

"Fifty thousand."

The entire hall becomes quiet but nobody looks particularly surprised by the amount.

In fact, several people seem to have expected it. I suppose they understood the situation as quickly as I did.

But then another voice breaks the silence.

"Fifty-five thousand."

The bid comes from Balcony Number 2.

This time, the reaction is completely different as people turn toward Balcony Number 2 almost simultaneously. Even I cannot help looking in that direction.

Someone has just raised the bid against Balcony Number 1 and not by some insignificant amount, either.

They have openly challenged a fifty-thousand-gold bid from the balcony that almost certainly belongs to the royal family.

I lean forward slightly, watching the masked figures inside Balcony Number 2.

*What kind of person has the guts to bid against the royal family?*

The person sitting in Balcony Number 1 does not immediately respond to the unexpected bid.

Instead, the masked figure turns their head slightly toward Balcony Number 2.

Even from this distance, the movement is easy enough to notice. The bidder from Balcony Number 2 seems to notice it as well.

Rather than appearing nervous or uncomfortable under that attention, the person simply raises one hand and gives a casual little wave.

It is almost as though they are greeting an old acquaintance rather than someone who has just challenged them over an artifact worth more than fifty thousand gold.

The person from Balcony Number 1 does not say anything.

They simply raise their bidding marker.

"Sixty thousand."

The auctioneer announces the new price clearly, and several people in the hall immediately turn their attention toward Balcony Number 2.

I expected another bid.

After all, whoever is sitting there has already demonstrated that they are willing to challenge a fifty-thousand-gold offer from Balcony Number 1, and considering how quickly they raised the price from fifty to fifty-five thousand, I initially assume the competition is about to continue.

Instead, the person in Balcony Number 2 merely leans back in their seat.

There is no visible frustration or hesitation nor any attempt to calculate another bid.

They look almost completely relaxed, as though the previous fifty five thousand gold bid had never been intended as the beginning of a serious competition in the first place.

That is strange.

If they genuinely wanted the robe, they could probably continue bidding, especially considering how casually they had challenged the royal family bidders moments earlier.

But they did not.

The auctioneer waits for a few moments, scanning the balconies and the normal seats for another bid.

None comes so he brings down his hand.

"Sixty thousand gold, once, sixty thousand gold, twice."

"Sold! Balcony Number 1 wins the Light’s Bearer Robe."

The auction staff immediately begin preparing to move the robe away from the stage.

The audience slowly returns to its previous conversations, although I can still hear people discussing the unexpectedly high price and, more importantly, the strange exchange between the two VIP balconies.

I remain focused on Balcony Number 2.

Something about that person bothers me, not because he challenged the royal family.

Quite the opposite.

He seemed far too comfortable doing it.

Most people would at least hesitate before openly competing against a member of the royal family, especially inside an auction house directly connected to the royal treasury.

Yet this person had raised the bid without any apparent concern and then, after receiving a response, had simply stopped as though the entire exchange had been nothing more than a casual game.

*Maybe they know each other personally.*

That seems like the most reasonable explanation.

I look between the two balconies again.

Their faces are completely hidden behind their masks, so there is no way for me to identify them from appearance alone, but their voices and body language give me a rough impression of their age.

Neither seems particularly old. If I had to guess, I would place both somewhere around their early twenties.

That makes the situation even more interesting.

I lean back and begin going through the people I know who might fit that description.

There are plenty of nobles in the kingdom, but very few young people would have enough wealth and authority to casually spend fifty or sixty thousand gold on a single artifact, especially one that is specifically suited to a light mage.

And then, while I am still thinking about it, two names come to mind.

*Could it really be them?*

The possibility is surprisingly convincing once I consider everything that has happened during today’s auction.

I cannot be completely certain.

The masks make it impossible to verify anything directly, but the circumstances fit well enough that I consider the possibility to be true.

Elena notices that I have stopped paying attention to the stage.

She turns toward me and quietly asks, "What are you thinking about?"

I glance at Maya and Dalas briefly before leaning closer to Elena. Rather than speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear, I lower my voice and whisper the two names into her ear.

Her expression changes almost immediately. Her eyes widen slightly before she looks toward the two balconies.

"Really?"

"I am not completely certain," I whisper back, "but I think there is a fairly high chance."

Elena continues looking toward Balcony Number 1 for a few seconds, apparently reconsidering everything that has happened during the auction.

Then she slowly nods "That actually makes sense considering the things they bought today."

I glance toward the stage again.

The Light’s Bearer has already been removed, while preparations for the next lot are underway.

Elena continues, "fortunately they were not interested in the Spirit Hawks otherwise we probably would not have been able to get them for just twenty eight thousand."

"Exactly."

That is the part that makes me feel particularly fortunate.

The Spirit Hawks had seemed expensive at the time, but compared with the amounts being thrown around by the major bidders today, our twenty eight thousand gold purchase suddenly feels considerably more reasonable.

If Balcony Number 2 had decided to compete for them, I doubt my aggressive bidding would have been enough.

And if Balcony Number 1 had wanted them, the situation would have been even worse.

I settle back into my seat and finally turn my attention toward the stage again.

The auction continues, but the atmosphere feels slightly different to me now because most bidders has lost interest in the remaining items after seeing such a high level artifact in the surprise lot. And there were no more beast cores to pull their interest back.

All the items after the robe were not able to cross 20,000 threshold except for the last lot which was some kind of a special sword was able to sold for 22,000.

And with that today’s auction is concluded.