Chapter 60: Tessing Underground Auction (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 60: Tessing Underground Auction (3)
“One hundred.”
One hundred gold coins.
That was the price Jin bid. For an ancient magic tome, it was an amount neither too high nor too low for an opening bid. Nevertheless, the other mages at the auction inwardly wrote Jin off as a madman.
He’s paying a hundred for that?
Some mages were purely curious. After all, this was the first purchase made by the man who hadn’t placed a single bid for the entire past week.
“One hundred and fifty.”
“One hundred and fifty has been called!”
Someone raised the price. His tone was anything but serious; he was looking toward Jin with a wide, mocking smirk on his face.
He was teasing him—mocking the foolish hope of striking it rich or achieving some grand breakthrough by purchasing an unidentified magic tome. It was a common sight at auctions for such items.
Jin simply ignored the man and called the next price.
“One hundred and seventy.”
Had this been his first life, he might have flaunted his wealth by calling out a thousand or two, just to crush the pride of the man provoking him.
But now, he was a shrewd veteran who knew all too well that drawing unnecessary attention in a place like this served no purpose.
“Any further bids? Five, four, three, two, one… Sold.”
Chenmi’s Magic Tome was delivered to Jin.
Murakan flipped through the tome once with a stoic expression, then firmly squeezed Jin’s hand under the chair.
Kid, this is a historic discovery.
The great Black Dragon was no fool who only knew of spirit energy. Like other dragons, he could wield countless spells, and his magical prowess during his prime had surpassed the 9-star level.
For such a being to be this excited meant the magic within was undoubtedly a legacy that could rival that of Oh Henserck.
And the party’s luck didn’t end there.
“Next, the twenty-fifth item. It was left behind by a mage named ‘Shuziel Hister.’ Let the bidding begin!”
Hister.
It was the name Jin had inquired about with the tavern owner when he first arrived in Mamit. The moment he heard that surname, Jin doubted his own ears.
Hister was his magic teacher’s family name—though officially, the family had been completely wiped out hundreds of years ago.
“Two hundred.”
When Jin called out a price again, the mages began to buzz. They had all assumed Jin was someone of significance, but now they were convinced he was just a fool who only picked trash.
“Two hundred. Are there no other bids?”
Shuziel Hister’s magic tome was sold without any further contest.
“Why that one? Kid, is it your intuition again?”
“Just in case someone thinks it’s strange that I only bought one book. Besides, I have a good feeling about it.”
Murakan, who checked the tome as soon as it was in their hands, shook his head within a minute. However, Jin, who was looking at it beside him, could hardly calm his racing heart.
“This looks like a worthless tome written in some strange, crude cipher.”
It was only natural that Murakan didn’t recognize it.
As far as Jin knew, there were only two people in the world who understood that strange and crude cipher: himself and his teacher. Since Jin had learned it from his teacher, this person named ‘Shuziel Hister’ must be his teacher’s ancestor.
Facing the familiar symbols, his chest tightened with nostalgia. Managing to keep his expression neutral, Jin patiently watched the rest of the auction. No other items worth buying appeared.
The night at Tessing came to an end. Once an auction concludes, participants usually split into two groups: those who stay behind to enjoy the festivities and those who leave immediately.
Jin was always in the latter group, but today, he needed to stay.
“Jet.”
“Yes, milord.”
“I need to meet Spider-Hand Alu.”
Jet, who usually complied without question, immediately looked troubled.
“Ah… milord. That’s difficult. Even if you’re my guest, Alu is out of reach. Introducing you to Salka is my limit. If you absolutely must meet him, I’ll need a few days to arrange it.”
“Tell Alu that Veradin Zipple wants to see him.”
Jet’s eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out of his skull.
“V-Veradin Zipple, you say?”
Jin clapped a hand over Jet’s mouth just as he was about to shout.
“Do you understand?”
Jet blinked rapidly in place of an answer.
Oh, holy hell! These people aren't the Viment Special Task Force… they’re from the Zipple family?!
A cold sweat instantly drenched his entire body. No matter how notorious the Viment Special Task Force was, they were nothing compared to the Zipple family within the Lutero Magic Federation.
If anyone else had introduced themselves as Veradin Zipple, Jet would have scoffed and cursed them out.
But the person before him was different. In Jet’s eyes, Jin’s party was extraordinary beyond measure.
Furthermore, anyone who had lived in the Lutero Magic Federation for long wouldn’t even dream of impersonating a Zipple.
Jet’s mind began to race.
I was wrong. I was dead wrong. To think they weren't Viment, but pure-blooded Zipples! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Until five minutes ago, when he assumed the three were from the Special Task Force, Jet’s ultimate goal was merely to become their informant. That way, he could save his life and, if he continued to show loyalty, earn more scraps than he did from Tessing.
But that was nothing compared to the chance of becoming a Zipple’s man.
For a commoner in the Lutero Magic Federation, there was no greater success than becoming a servant of the Zipples. As Jin let go, Jet scurried away with a determined look in his eyes.
Passing through several executives in an instant, Jet disappeared through a door on one side of the auction house.
“Ah, I don’t know anymore. Whatever happens, happens,” Murakan said with a shrug. But contrary to his words, he seemed to be secretly looking forward to a fight.
Gilly let out a deep sigh, pressing a hand to her forehead.
A Runcandel impersonating a Zipple.
Whether it worked on Spider-Hand Alu or not, Gilly believed there was a more significant problem.
If this ever reaches the ears of the family… especially the Patriarch… the Young Master will never survive.
It would be a first in the clan’s thousand-year history.
Not only that, but the Zipples would surely be desperate to catch the impersonator. A lie was bound to be discovered eventually. Needless to say, what would happen after he was caught was unthinkable.
On the other hand, she found it remarkable that her young master could pull off such a daring stunt so nonchalantly.
The idle melody of a violin, completely at odds with the atmosphere, drifted through the air. Just as time seemed to slow to a crawl, a different member of the organization approached the three instead of Jet.
“You’re the one claiming to be Veradin?”
Slap!
Before anyone could stop him, Jin struck the man across the cheek without hesitation. The attention of everyone remaining in the hall instantly snapped to them.
“Are you Alu?”
He wasn’t Alu. Jin knew what the boss looked like but asked anyway. The slapped man looked flustered, but he didn’t dare fight back.
If this arrogant brat really was Veradin Zipple, an organization like Tessing could vanish without a trace overnight.
“No, I am not. The boss asked me to bring you to him.”
Slap!
Jin struck his other cheek. The man, who had been maintaining an ambiguous attitude just a moment ago, immediately bowed low at the waist.
So far, everything was going according to plan.
“Tell that fellow to come here himself. I revealed my name, yet he dares to send a messenger?”
Fwoosh!
A crimson sphere of fire formed in Jin’s right hand. His mask shimmered darkly, reflecting the light of the flame.
At a glance, it was mana of at least the 5-star level.
Anyone could shout, “I am a Zipple.” But for a boy who still looked so young to wield such magic while claiming to be a Zipple… that was a bluff that was hard to make unless it was true.
“I am sorry. I will inform the boss immediately.”
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, other members quickly began ushering out the remaining guests. The man who had been slapped turned to run, but Jin wasn’t finished.
“Tell your arrogant boss to make sure he comes crawling. He missed the first chance I gave him, so he deserves at least that much punishment.”
Extinguishing the mana, Jin looked around. The guests had already been cleared out, and the remaining members simply stood there, looking troubled.
They had all clearly heard what Jin said. If the boss really appeared on his hands and knees, they would have to do the same.
About five minutes passed.
Spider-Hand Alu was indeed approaching Jin on all fours. The sight of a heavy-set, middle-aged man crawling across the floor was not a pleasant one. A whirlwind of emotions churned in Alu’s eyes.
A group of subordinates followed him, and Jet was among them.
Jet’s face was bruised and battered in several places, as if he had been beaten for being treated as a liar when he first mentioned the name ‘Veradin Zipple.’
The other members who had been standing awkwardly also hurried to press their bodies to the floor.
The name Zipple really is terrifying. His aura feels like it’s around 7-star, yet he actually came crawling without even verifying my identity?
If things continued like this, the rest would be a piece of cake. He could just berate Alu for a bit, then claim he was going to inspect the warehouse and slip the helmet away.
However, Alu was not a man to be taken lightly. If he saw even a sliver of an opening during their conversation, he would instantly turn into a killing machine and strike them down.
Jin said nothing until Alu reached his feet. He acted as if this overbearing attitude was second nature to him—and in fact, it was something that had been ingrained in him during his time at the Garden of Swords.
“Stand up.”
“I am… Alu, the one who runs Tessing. I failed to recognize someone who resides in the heavens of this land. Please forgive me.”
As Alu stood, he towered over two meters, making it feel like facing a wall. However, he kept his gaze fixed firmly on the ground, not even daring to meet Jin’s eyes.
It was a natural reaction for someone who thought he was meeting a pure-blood Zipple after only ever dealing with their underlings.
“Cut the useless chatter and look at this.”
Jin threw the magic tomes of Chenmi and Shuziel at Alu.
“What do those look like to you?”
Alu’s face turned pale as soon as he opened the tomes.
“They are magic tomes. I am sorry. I traded ancient magic tomes without the Zipples’ permission.”
“These two tomes I purchased here today are treated as extremely precious items, even within our family. I can’t even imagine how many of our tomes have been lost this way.”
“Lord Veradin. This is an excuse, but I am a warrior. Being ignorant of such things, I failed to recognize the value of the magic tomes and caused trouble for the Zipple family. From now on, I will do my best to recover the tomes that have already been traded. Please, give me a chance.”
“Will it be faster for your people to recover them, or for our mages to take over? Stop talking nonsense and bring the ledgers and customer lists immediately. Starting tomorrow, the family will conduct the search directly.”
While Jin skillfully wove his lies, Alu realized there was no way out. If the Zipples began a direct search, Tessing would be dismantled that very day.
And so, a thought crossed Alu’s mind.
Veradin Zipple… does the main house even know that he is here?
But what if they didn’t?
If that were the case… it might be better to simply eliminate him.