The VIP Special Auction’s Surprise Invitation! (2)
“It’s definitely Ogre intestines… but the weight is… 223 kilograms… and 240 kilograms each….”
He looked at me with a serious face and said.
“This is… definitely authentic… but I find it hard to believe it came from China. Chinese people wouldn’t export something like this.”
Damn it.
I had nothing to say, so I stayed silent. He continued.
“…It must have come from the north.”
When he said “It must have come from the north,” his voice was low and hushed.
Ever since the day the Tower rose, the news had spread that a Tower had appeared even in Pyongyang, North Korea.
The System itself acknowledged the division between North and South, and rumors flew about it.
But for the surrounding wealthy nations, it was a great piece of news.
Because North Korea was a poorest country and a smuggling paradise, the many materials that came out of the Tower were basically the same as those from neighboring countries.
“I’m just a delivery person. I don’t know the details.”
Ji Yosin asked again.
“Did you really buy the double-eight-legged Ogre? According to records, even the largest four-legged Ogre’s kidneys were around 140 kilograms. This one is over 200….”
At that moment Ji Yosin held my hand with a sly expression and said.
“Deputy Choi, if you can arrange a place for Deputy Master just once… my only condition is this. Please let us list these intestines under the name of Red Tower.”
“If I win the bid, how does the distribution work?”
“I won’t take any commission. I’ll hand over the entire winning bid to the guild.”
Ji Yosin had an earnest and sincere expression.
He seemed to have bet everything on submitting something plausible to the world’s high society under the name Red Tower.
“I understand. I’ll report this to Guild Master and give you an answer immediately.”
* * *
I immediately started searching with the keyword “Han Won-tae Chairman’s Birthday Special Auction.”
But no matter how much I searched, only articles about the “Han Won-tae Chairman’s Birthday Party” appeared. There were no results for “Special Auction.”
This was an inner event within an already secret event being held among the upper classes of society.
It seemed to have the nature of a clandestine gathering whose very existence was blocked even from the media.
What to do?
Without any prior information, should I just believe Ji Yosin and hand over all the double-eight-legged spoils?
Since he said he wouldn’t take any distribution, it felt even more suspicious.
I couldn’t attend the VIP event directly.
Moreover, it was a secret event attended by only a few VIPs.
To put it bluntly, even if Ji Yosin lied and said he won the bid for 100 million and actually won for 50 million, I would have no choice but to believe the story.
On top of that, there was a more serious issue.
If the giant Ogre intestines became a topic, there was no guarantee the VIPs wouldn’t dig into their source.
If even a trace of my identity were revealed through Ji Yosin to the world, the Tower’s basement secrets would eventually be exposed to the public.
After thinking it over, I decided to meet Jang Hancheol and vent my concerns.
It was also convenient since we were soon to conclude the contract with Jeguk Medipharm.
“The guild received final approval yesterday. The production line is already 80% complete. By the beginning of next month, we should be able to start large-scale production as planned.”
We signed the formal entrusted production contract with “Under 1st Floor is Trash Guild” and Jeguk Medipharm as agreed.
Development and raw material provision were our guild’s responsibility. Quality testing, licensing support, large-scale production, storage, shipping, sales, overseas sales, and promotion were all handled by Jeguk Medipharm.
After the contract signing, warm congratulatory words were exchanged. Then I casually brought up my real interest.
“I heard there’s a 90th birthday party for the Korean Group’s Chairman Han Won-tae this time. Have you heard of it?”
Jang Hancheol nodded slightly and said.
“Of course. It’s a major business event. I heard about it.”
“Ah, you don’t seem to be attending directly?”
“Haha. I did receive an invitation, but I don’t really like those kinds of events… and facing the members of our group would be a burden too.”
“I see.”
It was already widely known to the public that Jang Hancheol had lost a power struggle within the Jeguk Group and was now estranged from his siblings.
“By the way, Representative, do you know about the VIP Special Auction that will take place that day?”
“Haha. In my younger days I went to a few just for fun. I didn’t participate directly. What do you want to know?”
“Ah, I recently obtained a rare item by chance through smuggling… Someone suggested I submit it under my own name at the auction.”
“Ah, that’s why. The person who made that suggestion seems to be a VIP.”
“That’s right. But he says he’ll submit it under his own name, and if he wins the bid, he won’t take any distribution.”
“Ah, that’s possible.”
“Why?”
“The Special Auction is a strictly secret event where VIPs buy and sell goods among themselves. The more rare items are submitted, the more honor the submitter gains in international high society. It’s because the exchange with high-level hunters becomes much larger.”
“I see. But… I have another uneasy point.”
“What is it?”
“What if the item becomes a topic and people start investigating its origin?”
“Why would you think that? What exactly is this item?”
After a moment of thought, I concluded that Jang Hancheol was the most trustworthy person at this point.
He was known for his integrity, and he needed stable raw material supply from me. The probability of him betraying me was virtually zero.
I took him to my spacious warehouse and pulled out Ogre leather from my inventory.
“This is leather from an Ogre monster.”
Jang Hancheol showed a surprised expression and said.
“I enjoy leisure hunting in the Tower from time to time for exercise, so I know a bit about monsters.”
Jang Hancheol carefully examined the part where the back leather connected to the arm.
It clearly showed undeniable proof that the owner of this leather had lived and swung eight arms in his lifetime.
“Double eight-legged, huh. Hehe.”
“How is it? Does it look fake?”
He pondered for a moment and said.
“I’m not a leatherworking expert, but this looks far too natural at first glance. Moreover, the tanning itself is very thick and firm, so it doesn’t look like something a human did.”
“Is that a problem?”
“No. On the contrary, if it was tanned by Ogre kin, the probability of it being real would be even higher. Collectors seem to like it. Ogres are ferocious but innocent; they don’t cheat.”
Jang Hancheol, excited, rested his chin on his hand and walked back and forth while thinking.
“If this monster really has eight arms, it would definitely sell at the Special Auction. It could become a topic in front of billionaires from around the world, royalty, and distinguished guests. So… it would be better to be cautious.”
“What kind of caution?”
“Risks need to be diversified.”
* * *
That evening I immediately called Ji Yosin.
“Hello, Deputy Choi?”
“Ah, I reported to the Guild Master just now. Guild Master seems mostly positive about listing the double-eight-legged Ogre intestines under your company’s name. However….”
“However?”
“There’s a slight concern that none of our guild members will be able to attend the auction itself.”
The moment I finished speaking, Ji Yosin answered as if he had been waiting.
“Ah! That’s completely understandable. Since the auction results aren’t reported at all, you can’t check. I’ll handle that cleanly.”
“How?”
“I’m sorry, but if Deputy Choi could impersonate a hall staff and attend the event that day….”
Hmm. Everything is going exactly as planned.
* * *
A few days later, the grand birthday party of Chairman Han Won-tae was held.
The main dish of the dinner, the giant underground centipede, brought enormous praise from domestic and international VIPs.
The ingredients were already excellent, but the result was also thanks to Red Tower’s years of accumulated Tower food expertise.
I wandered around the hall dressed as a waiter. Because I was the representative of Red Tower, no staff gave me instructions.
Whenever VIPs spoke to me, I handled simple matters myself and passed difficult ones to other waiters.
After the dinner ended, the Special VIP Auction finally began.
The auction hall was lined with various rare items.
There were paintings, ceramics, sculptures, etc., but 70% or more were Tower items, as befitted the Tower era.
And finally, the item I had been waiting for was revealed.
“The next item is… the double-eight-legged Ogre skeleton submitted by Chinese Xin Yuzhong Industry Chairman Zhao Wuxing.”
Clap clap clap clap—
With a thunderous applause, the enormous object was placed on a huge roller and revealed.
The double-eight-legged Ogre skeleton that had been processed by experts over the past few days was as majestic and huge as a natural history museum’s T-rex fossil.
Moreover, with the help of a huge iron structure, it was displayed dynamically as if the arms were fully extended and roaring, giving viewers an instinctive sense of oppression.
“Oh my god!”
“Amazing!”
“Absolutely stunning!”
However, the disappointing part was that the right side of the skull and shoulders were damaged.
After tens of experts had been glued to it for a long time, they had tried with all their might to restore it by fitting the crushed skull and shoulder bones broken by the Wrecking Ball as perfectly as possible.
But the lost bones were too many, so perfect restoration had its limits.
At that moment, an elderly white man in a tuxedo opened his mouth widely.
“This is upside down…!”
The interpreter immediately translated it into Korean and the hall broadcast began to echo.
“That can’t be! Ogres only have six arms as a limit! I’ve never heard of an eight-armed monster!”
Wooong wooong—
Then the hall announcer said.
“The submitter, Xin Yuzhong Industry Chairman Zhao Wuxing, will you raise an objection to the opinion of Michael Sandman, Managing Director of C&A Group in America?”
Then Zhao Wuxing stood up and spoke quietly in Chinese.
The interpreter immediately translated and it echoed in the hall.
“I’m curious too. I obtained this through a route that can’t be made public… after consulting with monster bone processing experts, they confirmed it’s authentic. Still, I can’t believe it, so I submitted it today to hear your opinions.”
Then, quietly listening, Yamashita Shigeo, successor of Japanese Sendai Motors, spoke in broken Japanese-accented English.
“I also… obtained the recently confirmed eight-armed Ogre leather through a route that can’t be made public. My item’s turn is a little later, but if you allow it, I’d like to submit it right now.”
The hall immediately buzzed.
“Ah, count me in!”
“Good!”
“Hurry up and bring it out!”
Soon Yamashita’s former executive’s Ogre leather was revealed.
“Oh oh oh!”
“Superb!”
“My goodness!”
It was large and of quality enough to make everyone exclaim, and the edges of the leather were pulled taut with eight long strands stretched by strings.
Just by looking, it was obvious the front bones and back leather came from the same body.
Yamashita executive continued.
“I asked seven different experts in Japan, and they all agreed it’s authentic Ogre tanned leather.”
Then an elderly man opened his mouth. And when he did, the previously noisy hall instantly fell silent.
The one who opened his mouth was George A. Smith, former President of the United States.
“Very interesting. And I’d like to believe this eight-armed monster actually exists. We have always had a yearning for the unknown. However….”
As a famous orator, he paused, stimulating everyone’s curiosity, and said.
“…Before confirming biological evidence, we cannot be certain. Those who forge are one step ahead of experts.”
“Absolutely!”
“Correct. If someone hunted this monster… why didn’t they show themselves?”
At that moment, suddenly, the party’s representative Ji Yosin stepped forward, slightly bowed his head, and began speaking in fluent English.
“Respected President Smith, I think I can roughly guess.”
“What do you guess?”
“Why the hero who caught this didn’t show himself.”
“Why?”
“The reason is….”
For some reason, whether by coincidence or intention, Ji Yosin and my eyes met for a moment.
“The hero… is not a hunter belonging to the Free World.”
Wooong wooong—
“Not the Free World?”
“Yes. The hero is estimated to be in North Korea or another dictatorship country now. And he did not report catching this monster to his country… but immediately dismantled the monster’s body and distributed the parts to different countries for smuggling.”
Everyone in the hall let out a small gasp and nodded.
It was a story that could easily happen.
Ji Yosin continued.
“Our Red Tower restaurant has also recently obtained an enormous ingredient and is still on the waiting list for submission. President, please take a look and judge.”
Soon, the massive Ogre intestines were revealed in a transparent refrigerator.
The experts approached and checked the condition of the intestines with their own hands, and soon a conclusion was reached.
This was almost a 100% game changer.
Even if the bones and leather could be perfectly forged 100 times, creating complex monster tissue from scratch was almost impossible.
Former President Smith nodded and opened his mouth.
“That’s enough… I really can’t disbelieve it.”
And then…
Soon the auction for the triple of double-eight-legged Ogres began.
“First, let’s start the auction with the world’s first confirmed double-eight-legged Ogre skeleton. This item starts at 300,000 gold! Yes, immediately 1,000,000 gold! Yes, immediately 1,500,000! Yes… sir over there, 1,800,000!”