Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Antique Collector
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"The first item is an Ego Sword discovered in the 'Desert Where the Giant Sleeps'! It's a relic unearthed from the Desert Where the Giant Sleeps for the first time in years. Starting bid is 10,000 gel. Bids will go up in 1,000 gel increments. Let the bidding begin."
The first item turned out to be a sword, surprisingly. An Ego Sword, no less.
I had no idea what the 'Desert Where the Giant Sleeps' was, but it seemed like a big deal anyway.
From what I'd gathered so far, a normal meal cost about 10 gel.
Compared to that, 10,000 gel was... 1,000 bowls of pork stir-fry.
I wasn't familiar with auction house prices yet, so I had no real sense of how expensive it was.
[Title: First Item Dropped]
Author: Kim Muggle
(Photo of the sandy Ego Sword mid-bid)
It's the first item, but something interesting came up, so here it is.
Ego Sword found in some desert—apparently the first relic discovered there in ages.
Started at 10,000 gel. Is this any good? Pretty sure this is the first sword I've seen since coming here.
Bid right now hoooooook! (con stabbing with sword)
Lmao knew this guy would show up the second I saw the pic lol
Sword addict enters the gallery lol
Hard to tell from a pic, but it looks pretty decent.
But you don't even have the cash to buy it anyway lol
Looks badass lol. But aren't early items usually nothing special? The real good stuff comes at the end, right?
Auctions often place mid-to-high-grade items early on to hype up the start. Even accounting for that, this is a very solid Ego Sword. For one to show up right at the beginning means even better stuff awaits later. You can look forward to today's auction.
Oh lol, guess I can get my hopes up then.
Even the first item seemed like solid bait to draw in the crowd.
As proof, the Ego Sword that started at 10,000 gel had already climbed to 100,000 gel.
A single sword with the color of sand, radiating some mysterious power.
It hummed faintly, like it was vibrating.
Ego Sword—definitely sounded cool.
I wanted it, but I had no use for a sword, and no money anyway. So I just watched.
Bet that sword hilt goes for 20k gel tops.
Lmao who'd pay that for a sword unless they're a sword freak lol
Hmm, still probably worth at least 80k gel.
Think it'll hit around 150k at least.
Obviously clearing 1 mil easy (con stabbing with sword)
Can't gauge your world's prices exactly, but I'd say this Ego Sword hammers down around 110k gel.
Lots of archmages in the gallery were predicting the final bid.
Most were joking around, but a few were serious.
The standout was, of course, Antique Collector's prediction.
It had shot up to 100k in no time, but he predicted 110k.
At this rate, it seemed like it'd blow past 110k easy.
This was suddenly tanking my trust in Antique Collector.
"Sold for 112,000 gel!"
Thud thud thud.
"?"
As if mocking my doubts, the bidding frenzy cooled off in an instant, and it sold for 112,000 gel.
What the hell? Just moments ago, everyone was swarming like moths to a flame.
Why stop right after passing 112k?
Wtf? Sold for 112k gel. Shot to 100k instantly but died at 110k. What happened? How'd Antique Grandpa nail it?
Damn he missed it lol
Hmm, anything but auctions—Grandpa's unbeatable there.
Damn, nailing that—auctions are Antique King's domain.
No beating the old man on auctions or relics.
Auctions aren't hard^^ But magic's even easier.
At our level we can guess pretty close most of the time, but never seen anyone as spot-on as the old man.
(con of grandpa stroking his beard and smiling) Being first, no one overbids too hard. No real competition, so it stays close to fair value.
How do you know the fair value tho?
Appraising relics takes heaps of experience. Can't pick it up overnight.
Whoa, what the. Anyway, this grandpa's impressive.
Trust in Antique Collector skyrocketed again.
Bidding continued after that.
Whenever I spotted something interesting, I'd post it to the gallery right away, and the archmages would chime in with their price predictions, each buzzing with interest.
Antique Collector nailed the closest bid every single time, without fail.
Beyond just valuing items,
he predicted auction dynamics and bidder behavior to hit the mark.
Guess I can just trust this grandpa today.
Right then, it was time for the bidding on my consigned 'Changelings' Spinal Fluid.
"Next up is a truly rare item we haven't seen in ages: 'Changelings' Spinal Fluid.' Starting bid 100,000 gel. Increments of 10,000 gel."
"110,000 gel."
"200,000 gel!"
"300,000 gel!"
The price started rocketing up.
I hadn't expected this level of hype.
I hurriedly posted to the gallery.
In the meantime, it had already hit 500,000 gel.
[Title: Mooning?]
Author: Kim Muggle
(Photo of the auction house ablaze with bidding competition)
Wtf, my spinal fluid started at 100k gel and it's already 500k.
Is this normal? How high's it gonna go?
Tons of people go nuts for elixirs.
Changeling spinal fluid gives a sense of your prices.
Jealous, wanna auction stuff and live easy too.
Could top 1 mil?
Kim Muggle's rich now.
Looks like they haven't had any 'Changelings' Spinal Fluid there in a while. Probably some folks had it, but no sellers. In cases like that, prices skyrocket. People wait years for this stuff.
In the interim, the spinal fluid had surpassed 800,000 gel.
Just like Antique Collector said, lots of people in this world wanted Changelings' Spinal Fluid.
Apparently mages flocked to it since it boosted magic skills big time.
As it neared 900,000 gel,
the winner started coming into focus.
With prices soaring to the heavens, only three bidders remained.
"910,000 gel."
One was a middle-aged man without a mask.
His attire screamed noble mage.
Seemed like he wanted it for personal use.
"920,000 gel."
"930,000 gel!"
The other two were masked nobles.
The one who just bid 930k was a fat noble with a huge gut.
Shouldn't judge by looks, but he gave off shady vibes.
Why? 'Cause the fat guy had two skimpy maids flanking him.
Felt like he had weird tastes.
If the spinal fluid went to that guy... I didn't wanna imagine.
The last bidder was the pair right in front of me.
Middle-aged woman and a refined-looking man.
The man stayed quiet; the woman was bidding aggressively.
"1,000,000 gel!"
In the heated back-and-forth, the fat guy boldly shouted 1 mil.
The mage uncle groaned and dropped out.
One mage's dream of powering up with an elixir ended here.
Down to the middle-aged noblewoman and the gut guy.
Oh lol just hit 1 mil. But the guy who bid it seems sus—got maids with him, total perv vibes.
Don't judge people by appearances.
World's full of all kinds of tastes...
Just take the money lol
True. Invading privacy is bad.
The noblewoman followed right up.
"1.1 million gel."
"1.1 million gel! 1.1 million! No more bids? Counting down!"
"1.2 million gel!"
Thought it'd end at 1.1 mil, but Gut Guy bid 1.2.
The auction house murmured at today's highest bid so far.
She probably couldn't top this.
Winner seemed decided.
Just as I thought it'd close at 1.2 mil,
"...Hmph. 2 million gel."
"...!! 2 million, 2 million gel!! Today's record high!"
The noblewoman shut it down with 2 mil.
She dropped the massive sum without flinching, posture regal.
Like saying, "Know your place."
"Wh-what?"
"No more bids? One, two, three."
Thud thud thud.
Gut Guy flailed in panic as it sold for 2 mil.
He fumed, but the noblewoman calmly took the spinal fluid.
[Title: Two Mil Millionaire Hits Gallery Lol]
Author: Kim Muggle
Gut Guy lost, middle-aged noblewoman took it for 2 mil gel.
Is 2 mil good?
That's 200k bowls of pork stir-fry lol
This guy's calculations are all in pork stir-fry.
He just loves pork stir-fry lol
Nice haul.
Hawawawa that's a jackpot!
...Ho? 2 mil is way better than expected. Must've been competition.
Lol ok so now I can shop?
Even Antique Collector said it sold way higher than expected.
Looked like I hit the jackpot.
No clue why that noblewoman paid so much, but good for me.
And now, finally, I could start shopping.
After the 10% house cut, I had up to 1.8 mil gel to spend.
Perfect timing—the next item looked decent, so I posted it right away.
[Title: Now I'm Bidding, Call It Perfect]
Author: Kim Muggle
Now I'm jumping in, call it lol.
Next item's this—what do you think?
(Photo of some iridescent staff)
Says it cuts mana cost by 7% when casting. OP?
Starts at 10k gel.
7% is big, but gimme pls?
7% is nothing meditation can't fix. Don't rely on that crap—meditate.
Big for us, not so much for low-tiers.
Tempting. I'd snag it if I could. I have a 10% mana reducer myself, of course.
Sudden flex lol
;;
Bit iffy. Effect's good, but useless for you now. Only feels big at high tiers or mana-hog spells like explosions. For you, grinding practice is better efficiency. I optimize so hard I skip mana reducers entirely. Pass imo.
Agreed. Kim Muggle's affinity is high, so practice efficiency is better.
No reason to spend on this.
Seemed like a pass.
Antique Collector's final word sealed it—no buy.
Items flew by after that.
Definitely better stuff toward the end.
I posted eye-catchers to the gallery, and the archmages reacted.
Staff boosts output 30%—thoughts?
Output boost good, but before basics are solid, it messes control. Don't use boosters till you know your output.
No reason to spend.
Some workshop's insane magitech? Total new tech packed in.
Magitech advancing?
Auction stuff is either top-tier or early-stage. Worth if cheap.
Better to make your own. Just pay materials.
(con of grandpa shaking head)
Super cute familiar popped up—thoughts?
Hawawa so cute!
Definitely cute.
Lol can't resist cute familiars.
(con of grandpa shaking head)
Clothes that auto-defend spells?
(shakes head)
(shakes head)
(shakes head)
"Almost over now?"
Despite all the back-and-forth, I'd passed on everything right up to the end.
Especially since Grandpa Antique kept saying no to every item.
Midway, he just spammed head-shake cons.
You said you'd pick something good! Why block everything?!
"Now for the final item. This one..."
Last one already?
Kept passing, and boom—final item.
Shouldn't the auctioneer warn you like four items ahead?
Not spring "last one" outta nowhere! No mental prep!
I frantically posted about the final item to the gallery.
Fittingly final, great effects.
A breed of familiar that, well-trained, aids magic calculations later.
Train it to handle formulas, offload high-tier math.
In simple terms: familiar lets you cast 9th-circle spells with 8-formula setups.
Other gallery mages said just buy it—even blowing all cash was fine.
Worries it might be too pricey for my budget.
But,
(con of grandpa shaking head)
This crazy grandpa just head-shook even at the last one.
Wtf's with grandpa today?
What if you don't buy now? It's the last one lol
Can even afford it tho?
Hmm, probably has a reason. Bid anyway. Last one and worth it. Might stretch budget tho.
Shoulda bought earlier, now last suddenly;
Old man's senile.
You're older than him.
(elf con swinging branch in rage)
No need to buy. Just watch.
Gallery agreed with me.
Trusted grandpa—why tho?
No choice. Had to bid, win or lose.
Or end up with nothing.
"1.1 million gel."
Bids had passed 1 mil already.
Spending earnings at once stung,
but stipend tomorrow, and solid familiar anyway.
I upped the bid.
"1.2 million gel."
"1.3 million gel."
"1.35 million gel."
Too many followers.
Last item frenzy.
Max budget: 1.8 mil.
But,
"5.91 million gel! 5.91 million—no more? Counting down."
Thud thud thud.
Forget 1.8 mil—sold way beyond my reach.
Makes sense: well-bred, boosts a whole tier.
No way TS potion cash buys that.
"Why'd grandpa say no...!"
Left empty-handed.
If not for him blocking, I'd grabbed something earlier.
Frustrated, I vented in comments.
Sold for 5.91 mil fml. Shoulda bought earlier! Grandpa!!!!
Lol no way 1.8 mil gets that familiar.
Knew you couldn't afford lol
Sucks ; But why'd Antique block everything? Senile fr?
Fr why? Plenty good earlier, he blocked and now nothing.
Shoulda bought earlier
I said get that defense armor earlier.
That rare magestone earlier was insane value.
Hooks and hate raining on Antique Collector.
I, who'd trusted only him, was the maddest.
"Hoo... Whatever, it's done. Made bank anyway."
I forced calm.
Can't change the past.
Made good money. Started to stand,
"Ah, sorry folks. Emergency—new item just came in."
"...?!"
Auctioneer rushed back shouting.
Simultaneously, Antique Collector posted.
Now's the time. Bid.