Book Eater

Chapter 130: Kargas’ Underground Auction (3)

“The current bid is eighty gold! A bid by guest No.107!”

The host might be keeping a calm facade, but he was completely bewildered. He had never experienced such a fight for an original book. Duplication magic had caused the value of original books to fall tremendously. Only the wealthy wanted original books to decorate their libraries. However, the novelty of an original book wasn’t enough for the bidding war between the two participants to become so fierce.

The agent of the Information Guild was also hesitating at the price of eighty gold, which was more expensive than most jewelry. However, a nod from Theo, gave him the confidence to raise his sign again. He was sure that his new employer had discarded the idea of profit and loss in his determination to acquire this item.

So Akan closed his eyes and spread out all ten fingers.

“Yes, a hundred gold! A hundred gold! Guest No. 381 has bid a hundred gold, and the countdown will start again! Ten seconds remaining!”

The host and the audience, who initially had no interest in original books, were now excited about the sudden excitement. To put it bluntly, the northern auction houses were smaller than the ones in the other areas. They often dealt with smaller bids, since miscellaneous items were less valuable than weapons. There might be the occasional rare artifact, but those were usually reserved for the last day. It had been a long time since this auction had seen bids exceeding a hundred gold.

Theo glanced at the old gentleman sitting far away.

Will you follow? It has already passed a hundred gold… Will you offer more than this just to read a book?

Theo was skeptical. If the old man just wanted to read the book, there were many copies on the market. It was strange that a scholar, not a magician, would spend eighty gold on this book. Theo didn’t know the old man’s purpose, but it seemed like the old man had a strange commitment to original books.

Unsurprisingly, the old man hesitated for a moment before lifting his sign. However, the bidding amount was different from before. It wasn’t twenty gold but ten gold, half his other bid amounts.

“No. 107! A hundred and ten gold, this time the bid has increased by 50%! I am really curious about this sale now that it has already exceeded today’s maximum bid price!”

The reactions of those watching the host were divided. There were those who were disappointed in seeing the 100% bidding trend breaking off, while the others were interested in Theo’s group. Theo’s eyebrows twitched faintly as eyes landed on him. However, the most piercing gaze belonged to Heinrich. His eyes seemed to be asking a question.

What would Theo do?

“Yes, No. 381!”

Theo spread ten fingers as Akan held up the sign.

The host was overflowing with excitement. “Once again, a 100% bid! It is now a hundred and thirty gold! An original book has never sold for this much before! At the very least, I can assure you that it hasn’t happened in the last ten years!”

A bid of a hundred and thirty gold was uncommon even in the eastern or southern auction houses. In fact, he was certain that they would fall short of this amount. The host looked at No. 107, Heinrich excitedly. Even if it stopped here, it had already exceeded his expectations. However, a person’s greed was endless.

Unfortunately, his overflowing greed was not fated to be rewarded. Heinrich bowed to Theo before placing the No. 107 sign on his lap indicating that he wouldn’t bid anymore. The host swallowed his regret and counted down. Understandably, there were no more participants.

“The winning bid! The original book, [Introduction to Elemental Magic II], written by Myrdal Herseim has been awarded to Guest No. 381 for a hundred and thirty gold!”

There was a small round of applause. The sound was partly out of gratitude for the entertainment provided, as well as mocking Theo for spending a hundred and thirty gold. However, Theo didn’t respond. No, it would be more accurate to say he couldn’t respond. The joy of obtaining the book he wanted crushed all of the weak vibes of unpleasantness.

[Introduction to Elemental Magic II] had finally entered his hands.

[Introduction to Elemental Magic II]

[This book describes the four elementals in more detail than any other book. It is a book written about the relationship between a magician and elemental, as well as how to manipulate the power of the elemental. The author, Myrdal, has been called the greatest elementalist of the century. He is the only one who has succeeded in calling an elemental ruler.

* Your understanding is high. (87.5%)

* This magic book is rated Precious.

* When consumed, the proficiency of ‘elemental magic’ will increase.

* This is the original copy which was personally written by the author. When consumed, the elemental affinity which suits you will be opened. There is a low chance that you may form a contract with an elemental.

* You are immature as an elementalist. It is recommended that you increase your capabilities before consuming it.]

Theo was delighted as he checked the information window. He had obtained a way to contact Myrdal in a place he’d never thought of. It might take a while until he could consume it, but it was only a matter of time. The mysterious magician, Myrdal, who had contracted with an elemental ruler, was literally a living legend. A hundred and thirty gold for an opportunity to contact him was a complete steal.

After putting it into his inventory, Theo turned to look at his opponent and bow respectfully.

Thank you very much.

According to Gibra’s information, Heinrich’s assets slightly surpassed Theo’s. A few generations ago, Heinrich’s family had been a noble family in Kargas who built up their assets, unlike others who squandered it.

Nevertheless, the old man had given up on this book. Had he seen something in Theo’s eyes, or did he not think it was worth two hundred gold? Theo didn’t know, but it was clear that Theo had won [Introduction to Elemental Magic II] thanks to Heinrich taking a step back.

“Heh.” Heinrich grinned and nodded.

Theo felt like he wanted to be like that old man when he was older. As he gazed at the image of the undaunted elderly man, the auction continued.

Was he imagining it? The atmosphere of the auction house seemed lighter.

***

After obtaining [Introduction to Elemental Magic II] on the first day, Theo moved steadily through the auction houses.

The agents employed by the Information Guild could buy the books, but there was no guarantee there wouldn’t be a special book like [Introduction to Elemental Magic II]. The auction experience was also more interesting than he’d thought it would be.

Of course, the profit from the first day didn’t come again. Yet, it was mostly smooth. The number of original books being sold was fewer than anticipated, but he still collected over 20 books from the three auction houses. ｎｏｖ𝚕．𝚌ｏｍ

The vast majority of them were ‘Common’, but there were two Rare ranked original books mixed in. It was a big jackpot considering it hadn’t even been a month since he’d left Meltor.

Well, I didn’t buy all of them.

The two competitors Theo met on the first day, Coulson and Heinrich, competed with him several more times at other auction houses. Although he conceded several unnecessary books to Heinrich, who had given him [Introduction to Elemental Magic II] on the first day, he always competed in a bidding war with the sleazy Coulson. It was money Theo had brought to use anyway, so he didn’t hesitate to bid.

He walked away from the auction with twenty-three original books in his inventory.

“Kuooh… Employer, what are you thinking about doing with them? It’s generally my principle not to ask about the purpose of the commission, but I am curious.”

“It is a secret.”

“Uhh, I guess I’ll have to do a follow up later…”

There were pros and cons of having Gibra and Akan watch him closely. Theo had calmly spent a few hundred gold at the auction houses. He had given up on a few items and suffered enormous damages on others. So, it was bound to make anyone who knew money curious. The people of Meltor knew this clearly, but a magician’s sense of money was different in many ways. Theo couldn’t free himself from this aspect of a traditional magician.

In the end, Gibra folded his arms and grumbled, “Nevermind, I don’t know what else to say. Anyway, it looks like our request is roughly finished, so what do you think?”

“Isn’t there still one day remaining?”

“I told you. The last day of the underground auction is for the highlights. There won’t be any small sales of things like original books. Why bother attracting the eyes of the whales?”

If someone who knew the situation heard this, they would nod in agreement. The information of the Information Guild’s branch director was always accurate. The people participating in the big auction were the heavyweights of Sipoto, no, Kargas. They had the power to break someone if they were offended, and Theo shouldn’t attract their attention since he was concealing his identity.

Thus, it was the right choice to skip it. However, Theo hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. He couldn’t explain it logically, but his instincts were telling him that he shouldn’t miss this auction.

“No, I will participate.”

It was a type of sixth sense. After obtaining Umbra and the Ring of Muspelheim, Theo’s senses had already reached a high level. He had Alfred’s perception and an amplified sensitivity. So, his intuition was already like taking one step into the future. If his intuition said it was correct to do this, then it was most likely right.

Theo asserted firmly to the still concerned Gibra, “You don’t have to worry. There isn’t anything I would buy from the big auction, and it is dangerous to attract the attention of any bigwigs.”

***

The very next day, Theo collided with the Orcus Company.