Chapter 448: The First Grand Auction

Several days after the completion of the Kingdom Guild Headquarters, Sage had finally decided to hold its first auction.

The decision had been inevitable after seeing the response to the Guild Shop.

Skill Stones had disappeared almost as quickly as they were displayed, selected weapons from the Vault had attracted Warriors who normally wouldn’t have bothered entering the Guild, and the Mana Liquid recovered from that first dungeon in Evergreen had caused people to line up before sunrise.

Yet Sage had deliberately kept the truly valuable items away from the Shop.

Some treasures simply shouldn’t be placed behind a counter with a fixed price, especially when the Capital contained enough wealthy Warriors and merchants to determine their value through competition.

Inside a secure chamber beneath the Grand Auction House, Irene stood before a long table covered with weapons, sealed potion cases and Skill Stones while reading through the final auction catalogue.

Boren stood beside her in complete silence, which Sage found considerably more worrying than if he had been shouting.

Boren eventually lifted his head and stared at Sage. "You’re selling these?"

"Some of them," Sage replied as he closed another treasure case. "Don’t look at me like I’ve emptied the Vault. Everything in this room represents a tiny fraction of what we recovered."

Boren looked down at the dark sword resting inside the largest case before turning toward several Skill Stones secured individually beside it.

His expression became increasingly painful. "That’s exactly why I’m worried. If these are the things you’re willing to sell, what are you keeping?"

Sage smiled. "Things I’m not willing to sell."

Boren’s eyes narrowed. "That answer makes me want to see them even more."

Irene lowered her catalogue and warned him, "You’re not opening anything."

"I didn’t touch anything," Boren protested, immediately moving both hands behind his back.

"You were thinking about it."

Boren looked offended. "Since when is thinking against Guild rules?"

"Since I met you," Irene replied.

Sage ignored their argument and examined the catalogue himself. The early lots were deliberately modest: several White-Rank weapons, a handful of Blue-Rank equipment, monster materials, and a few Silver-Rank pieces that would already be considered valuable by ordinary Warriors.

Those items would allow Master Orwin to warm the audience before moving toward the treasures Sage actually expected people to remember.

None of the weapons had been forged by the Guild.

That distinction mattered.

If anyone asked, Sage had no intention of inventing some mysterious master smith hiding beneath the Headquarters. The treasures had been recovered during an expedition into ancient ruins.

That explanation was true enough without mentioning every detail concerning the Vault, its location, or how many treasures had actually been recovered.

Irene tapped the catalogue with one finger. "If anyone asks whether more treasures of this quality exist, our employees have been instructed to say that the Guild doesn’t reveal everything recovered during expeditions."

"Good," Sage replied. "And nobody promises that another Gold-Rank weapon will appear in the next auction."

Boren stared at him. "After today, they’re going to ask."

"Then let them ask."

Several hours later, the Grand Auction House began receiving its guests.

It wasn’t the gathering of the Royal Capital’s greatest powers that Boren had half expected when preparations began.

The Capital was simply too enormous for that. Hundreds of districts spread across the city, each containing its own merchants, nobles, Warriors, markets and organizations. To the Great Noble Houses and ancient powers occupying the highest levels of the Kingdom, the Adventurer Guild was still a strange new organization growing rapidly in a distant part of the Capital.

Most hadn’t bothered coming.

Several third-rate noble Houses from nearby districts had sent representatives rather than appearing personally. Local merchant houses occupied much of the central seating, joined by independent Warriors, smaller Knight groups, wealthy craftsmen and several mercenary officers who had heard rumors concerning the Guild’s treasures.

There were, however, exceptions.

Lucan Auremont arrived because Lucan rarely needed a sensible reason to attend anything interesting.

As a member of House Auremont, he could have occupied almost any seat he wanted, but he naturally chose one of the private boxes overlooking the stage and arrived wearing a black coat embroidered with golden thread, a ruby clasp at his throat and enough jewelry to make Boren stare at him for several seconds.

Boren finally pointed toward Lucan’s box and asked Sage, "Does that man own anything cheap?"

Sage watched Lucan hand his gloves to a servant. "Probably not."

Lucan somehow heard them from above. Leaning over the railing with an offended expression, he called, "Guildmaster, I hope you’re not discussing my clothes without including me."

Boren looked up at him. "I was wondering whether you’ve ever worn something that costs less than a house."

Lucan glanced down at his coat as though genuinely considering the question. "Perhaps when I was a child."

Boren’s face tightened. "I regret asking."

Leon Drakar arrived with only two Ardent Sun Knights and refused the private seating offered to him, choosing an ordinary section where he could inspect the auctioned weapons properly.

Garen Holtweiss arrived shortly afterward wearing so much purple silk and gold that Sage briefly wondered whether the merchant had deliberately dressed to resemble a treasure chest.

Iris came with three notebooks after hearing that a high-rank treasure would eventually appear, although Sage suspected she intended to study every treasure whether she could afford it or not.

Edmund Krail attended personally.

That didn’t surprise Sage.

Krail Trading House dealt heavily in weapons, monster materials and magical ingredients, and an auction selling rare treasures directly through the Guild was precisely the sort of development Edmund couldn’t afford to ignore. The merchant took a seat with two assistants and offered Sage nothing more than a courteous nod.

Iron Fang and Black Banner also sent representatives. Neither Gideon Marholt nor Roderick Halbrecht appeared personally, but both clearly wanted to know what the Guild was selling.

The seats gradually filled as the whole area was was packed.

Then the bell sounded.

CLANG!