Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: A Hotel Holiday is Best (7)
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A subtle chill that grated on the nerves permeated the dark auction house.
Of course, considering the season was winter, it was much warmer here than outside.
But for a hotel where you could normally walk around lightly dressed and stay warm, the temperature was unusually low.
‘Are they intentionally keeping the heating low? I think I've heard that malls and casinos deliberately lower the temperature to encourage people to make faster decisions.’
When you feel cold, your emotional state becomes more sensitive, and your psychological tension naturally rises.
If this was part of the organizer's design… it certainly made sense.
Anyway. I came dressed lightly because it would have been too hot with a coat.
If I'd known, I would've brought something light to wear.
I discreetly tucked my hands under my arms, trying to endure the shivering cold.
“Yuria, are you cold?”
“…”
“Here, wear this. I'm fine.”
But I guess such movements are obvious to the person right next to me.
The masked Alice chuckled softly, then took off the thin cardigan she was wearing and handed it to me.
She was now in a sleeveless dress that revealed a lot of skin.
Still, perhaps because she naturally ran warm, she didn't seem cold at all.
I didn't refuse the kindness she offered.
It would be my loss if I caught a cold from being needlessly stubborn. Besides, I wanted to put on anything at this point.
As I took the cardigan and secretly basked in Alice's warmth,
the auctioneer on stage cleared his throat and raised the microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, a heartfelt welcome to the Enigma Auction, hosted by St. Maria!”
*Clap, clap, clap!*
The moment the eagle-masked auctioneer finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
As the sound slowly subsided, the auctioneer, who had paused for a moment, continued smoothly.
“Here today, legendary treasures, the only ones of their kind in the world, will be revealed! Who will seize this opportunity and gain the honor of acquiring these great heirlooms! There's no need to wait any longer, is there? We shall begin immediately with the first item!”
So they're starting right away, without any boring speeches.
I had to admit, I liked the pace.
But legendary treasures?
What kind of items could they possibly have to speak with such confidence?
They'd better not be bluffing. I'll secretly mess with the St. Maria Hotel's website if they are.
My rebellious streak piqued, I thought to myself as I watched the staff member carrying the auction item.
The item brought onto the stage was wrapped in a thin, silk-like cloth.
Judging by the way the cloth fell in sharp angles, it seemed to be covering a square case.
After the staff member who brought the item on stage departed, the auctioneer strode across the stage and whisked the cloth off the case.
“Ooh, it's beautiful!”
“Is that…?”
As the first item was revealed, surprised reactions rippled through the audience.
And even I, who hadn't been expecting much, couldn't help but widen my eyes in surprise.
What was revealed when the cloth was removed was a wooden necklace, inlaid with a gem that shimmered with natural colors.
No matter how I looked at it… it was an item that seemed to be related to elves.
And as if confirming my suspicion, the auctioneer placed a hand on the case.
A wide grin spread across the lips visible beneath his mask as he spoke with confidence.
“It seems many of you have already recognized the value of this item! That's right. This is an artifact from another world in the form of a pendant, Silvarien's Moonlight! Our appraisers have confirmed that it was actually used by a high elf… It is, without a doubt, a genuine article!”
What, it's not just a necklace, but an elven artifact imbued with magic?
I gasped at the auctioneer's unbelievable words.
I wonder if the others felt something similar.
A murmur of commotion began to spread through the audience.
“An artifact of a high elf?”
“No way!”
“Absurd. If it's true, it's no exaggeration to call it a treasure.”
The reactions continued, as if no one had expected this.
They had only announced an auction for rare items, not what would be sold. Honestly, who could have predicted this?
However, the price of an artifact varies wildly depending on its function.
I watched the auctioneer quietly, my eyes filled with anticipation for what secrets the pendant held.
“This Silvarien's Moonlight has the incredible function of clearing the wearer's skin! It can even restore scars or indelible tattoos to their original, pristine state… For those who need it, this is a function you simply cannot pass up!”
Eh, the effect itself is just so-so.
A skincare effect… Well, I don't need it.
But the fact that it was used by a high elf and could magically clear the wearer's skin…
…seemed to be incredibly appealing to some of the women, and the atmosphere was already heating up.
The reaction became even more explosive when the auctioneer called a woman with a scar on her skin to the stage, had her use the pendant for a moment, and showed the scar instantly fading.
“Then let's begin the bidding! The minimum bid is 10,000 credits. Anyone can participate by touching their authentication bracelet to their seat!”
*Ding. Ding. Ding…!*
I guess most of the people who come to such an expensive hotel are wealthy.
Once its effect was proven, the price skyrocketed with a flurry of notifications.
10,000… 100,000… and in an instant, 1,000,000!
The bidding finally slowed down when it reached 1.77 million credits, enough to buy a decent sports car.
A pendant that just helps with skincare costs that much… It's truly unbelievable.
I wore a dumbfounded expression, dizzy from the sheer scale of the money being thrown around.
But the amazing thing was that the auction had only just begun.
After the first item found its owner and left the stage, new items were continuously revealed.
The second item was a rope that forced the bound person to only speak lies. An artifact, of course.
The third item was a glowing doll that looked quite ancient. An artifact, of course.
The fourth item was an old sword, so dull it couldn't cut a cake, but sturdy enough to withstand an elephant's weight. An artifact, of course.
And naturally, by this point, I could figure out the main concept of this auction.
‘So it's an auction centered around artifacts… I see now why a Fixer of Victor's caliber was guarding the items.’
Artifacts were magical items from another world, one that had since been destroyed.
Depending on how they were used, they could be life-altering items.
So there were likely more people who'd rather just take the items by force than participate in the auction.
No matter how tight the security, it couldn't compare to a Fixer, a walking bioweapon.
Hiring Victor, a top-tier Fixer among the best, was clearly an expense well worth the money.
But as the items kept coming, and it was already the seventh item's turn,
from my perspective, nothing truly amazing had appeared yet.
They were artifacts, yes… but if I had to be picky, they were closer to trinkets.
They weren't extraordinary artifacts like Greg's appraisal glasses or Lexi's flesh-tearing snake.
‘Well, it's only natural to save the main event for later… Besides, I heard it runs for a second and third day. It makes sense they'd hold back a bit on the first day.’
Still, at this rate, there probably won't be any major commotion for now.
The moment I thought that and let my guard down, I suddenly felt an ominous sensation from the cloth covering the eighth item.
It was a feeling like a faint voice whispering something unintelligible in my ear.
A sensation similar to when I saw a Tesseract or an Echo instantly sharpened my senses.
“Now then, we will reveal the eighth auction item!”
*Flap!*
The auctioneer, without a moment's hesitation, forcefully ripped the cloth off the case.
Revealed beneath it was a round glass sphere, half-cracked, with a piece of metal embedded in it.
Just by looking, it was impossible to tell its purpose.
As the audience members and potential bidders stared at the stage with puzzled expressions, the auctioneer cleared his throat and began his explanation.
“This is a mana amplification device, commonly known as an orb, said to have been used by a certain archmage. It is said to facilitate mana circulation and help the user cast magic with greater precision… Unfortunately, it is in a very unstable state due to this metal fragment embedded in it. Please take this into consideration when bidding!”
A damaged archmage's orb.
Its value would naturally be much lower compared to its original state.
But since it was still intact, albeit unstable, it could likely be used in some way.
Therefore, this item would surely see fierce competition like the previous ones, but…
the part I was focused on wasn't that it was an orb used by an archmage.
It was the fact that the object embedded in the orb was not a simple metal fragment, but something clearly related to the Invaders.
My expression hardened as I stared at the stage.
It looked like something troublesome was about to happen.