Chapter 124: Rich (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 124: Rich (3)
Pertinax X was still half-doubtful.
It was an enticing proposal, so he had jumped on it without hesitation, but...
Now that he had time to think it over, what if he had been tricked by that rabbit mask woman?
What if she had used the old code of the Pertinax Auction House just to build rapport and then rip him off?!
...As it turned out, those worries were entirely unfounded.
"You doubted me, didn't you?"
The woman was eerily perceptive. As a villain, Choi Seol-ah couldn't feel emotions, but she was a master at reading them—a skill honed from being relentlessly tormented by Kang Geomma. For her, being slow on the uptake meant an instant stab wound.
"Besides, Boss, even if I set out to bleed this auction house completely dry, I wouldn't pull out this much."
"..."
Pertinax X swallowed hard.
His eyes automatically drifted to the metal briefcase Choi Seol-ah had brought.
Inside was a mountain of money—or rather, something far more valuable than cash.
'Daixo Sashimi knives personally used by the Heavenly Sword!'
Scrawled across the 30% discount tags was the Heavenly Sword's genuine signature. Even his handwriting looked bold and refreshing. Although he would need to call in an official appraiser, just a glance confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt that these were the real deal.
The Daixo Sashimi knives used by Heavenly Sword Kang Geomma were usually disposable. He typically threw them using Sword Control and discarded them, and coating them in Aura usually crumbled them into dust. As a result, finding intact ones was surprisingly difficult.
"...A-Are you putting all of these up for auction at our house?"
"Yep, every single one. Once these are all sold, I'll give you more."
Gulp.
"You're saying you'll supply them exclusively to our Pertinax Auction House?"
"Yes, exactly. Only here."
"M-May I ask just one thing?"
"Ask as many as you like."
"...What is your relationship with the Heavenly Sword, Rabbit Princess? Just what kind of connection do you two have to enjoy such luxury..."
She snorted softly, as if the question were utterly ridiculous.
"Is that even a question? His lover, obviously."
"...L-Lover?!"
"Yes. His lov-er."
Behind her rabbit mask, Choi Seol-ah winked, playfully crooking her pinky finger.
*
Kang Geomma's strategy hit the mark.
"Ladieeees and gentlemeeeen—!"
The Pertinax Auction House, which used to do little more than hand out flyers on the street, was now swarming with an endless stream of visitors.
They put up fresh Daixo Sashimi knives as bait products. People flocked to the Pertinax Auction House as if spellbound. Personal dislikes toward the Heavenly Sword aside, a 'Daixo Sashimi knife used by the Heavenly Sword' was a genuine treasure.
The floor creaked continuously under the weight of the crowd, old wood groaning beneath their feet. But the frenzied customers didn't care about such trivial flaws.
"Welcome, honored guests! Thank you all for visiting our Pertinax Auction House again today!"
"Hey, Boss! These are really authentic, right?!"
"Oh, of course! We brought in the finest appraiser in the area and completed a full evaluation! The result?!"
"The result?!"
"Naturally! Every single one was certified authentic!"
"WOOOOOOOOO!"
Amidst the roaring cheers, Pertinax X laid on the theatrical fluff thick.
Pressing his lips right against the microphone, he lowered his voice to a whisper, as if confiding in a lover.
"This is a top-secret story I'm only sharing with our night-one patrons... Truth be told, these were brought to us in the dead of night, packed up in bundles by the Heavenly Sword's lover."
"Hey, man! The Heavenly Sword already has two wives! And they're the Immortal Archer and the Sword Princess, no less! How could a guy like that have a lover?! Especially a guy who looks like he'd bleed blades instead of blood if you stabbed him!"
Pertinax X wagged his index finger back and forth like a pendulum.
"Just because there's a goalkeeper doesn't mean you can't score, does it?"
"Haha! True enough!"
"His lover seemed desperate to conceal the fact that she was the Heavenly Sword's lover. I couldn't press for details, but surely there must be a story behind it."
"A story...?"
"As a gentleman, I couldn't pry any further. However, the Heavenly Sword handed over these Daixo Sashimi knives to take care of her—telling her to use them for living expenses."
It was all a complete work of fiction concocted by that bastard—er, Pertinax X.
Human nature is a funny thing.
When it's just a piece of metal, no one glances twice. But add a narrative to it, and suddenly everyone wants to buy it. Everyone wants to feel connected to the protagonist of a story. And if that story belongs to the Heavenly Sword? It went without saying.
"We will start the bidding at 50 million won per knife! I wished to set a higher base price, but the supplier was reluctant to have the Heavenly Sword's affection measured purely by money, so I kept it low!!"
"100 million!"
"150 million!"
"Dammit, 200 million!"
Bidders raised their paddles, competing frantically to shout out higher offers. They didn't even bother increasing by tens of millions; they jumped straight by fifties.
Pertinax X expertly threw cold water on the overheating atmosphere at just the right moments. If things blew out of control on the very first day, participation in future auctions would dwindle.
The blood of an auctioneer ran through his veins. Even if he denied it, it was his true nature. He was a born storyteller, and the auction participants willingly let themselves be entranced.
"Hooh."
Kang Geomma crossed his arms and pursed his lips. However, despite the faint sound of admiration, his expression was completely dry.
Choi Seol-ah kept her head buried low. She was sitting right beside him, watching the auction live. Kang Geomma interrogated her.
"So, I have a lover?"
"...I'm sorry."
"What's there to be sorry about? Why, is this about you, Seol-ah?"
"...Please just treat me like you normally do, My Lord. Call me 'Choi Seol-ah' or 'mutt' or whatever."
"Aw, how could I do that between us, Seol-ah?"
A gaze raspy as sandpaper scraped across Choi Seol-ah's skin. Feeling her very soul wearing away, she reached a dramatic resolution.
"I-I'll just take a nice, refreshing stab wound for this! So please, have mercy...!"
"Really?"
"J-Just one...!"
"Okay, noted. You're taking a stab."
...She was so screwed.
As Choi Seol-ah clawed at her purple hair until it became a messy nest, Kang Geomma remarked:
"Anyway, that bastard... er, Pertinax X is pretty good at sales, isn't he? Yesterday this auction house was completely dead."
"Right? He's way better than Pertinax IX."
"Honestly, when I saw him from afar crying his eyes out, he didn't seem reliable at all."
At this rate, everything would be sold out in no time.
"My Lord, but wait. At this rate, shouldn't we just sell Daixo Sashimi knives to raise funds?? Selling about a thousand should do the trick."
"Dumbass."
"D-Dumbass?"
"The reason these people are going crazy over a 2,000-won Daixo knife is that it's a limited-edition item."
"...Ah!"
"As the auctions keep going, the value of those knives will plummet. So it's strictly a bait product."
"Tsk. Still a shame, though."
Kang Geomma stood up. Taken aback, Choi Seol-ah scrambled to her feet after him.
"Leaving them wanting more is ideal. If even you feel that regret, then our plan is already half a success."
"My Lord, a sudden thought crossed my mind."
"What is it?"
"Why did you suddenly get so smart?"
"..."
Leaving the warm, bustling auction house behind, the two decided to step back and watch how things unfolded.
The first day concluded in resounding success. The three Daixo Sashimi knives sold for an average of 1 billion won each—a revenue that far exceeded all expectations. Pertinax X stood slack-jawed, completely forgetting to hold his jaw up.
However.
The second day was even more prosperous. As word spread, crowds swarmed like a swarm of rats. With more competitors, the bidding frequency skyrocketed. The same happened on the third day, the fourth, and the fifth...
Far from cooling off, the feverish excitement of the bidding only boiled over. Packed with people attracted by rumors from goodness-knows-where, traffic bottlenecks frequently paralyzed the streets outside.
By the third day, even the suppliers, Choi Seol-ah and Kang Geomma, couldn't get anywhere near the auction house.
A week passed like this.
"...M-My Lord?"
Choi Seol-ah looked back and forth between the thick bundles of cash brought back as commission fees and Kang Geomma.
"At this rate, aren't we going to become seriously rich?"
"..."
He didn't answer.
A sudden existential reality check washed over him. In his past life, no matter how relentlessly he slaved away, making over 5 million won after taxes had been nearly impossible.
'They do say "Get famous first," but still...'
The value of his name was priced thousands of times higher than the value of actual labor. Suppressing the odd sense of absurdity swirling inside him, he decided to move ahead with the main plan.
"...This should be enough. Call the kids."
* * *
In the building directly across from the Pertinax Auction House.
A woman wearing a monocle hooked her index finger through the double-pane window blinds. Behind her back as she peeked outside through the gap, a subordinate delivered a report.
"Master, we only had twenty customers today."
"..."
"At this rate, our auction house might go under! We haven't even broken even on our initial investment yet...!"
"Shut up."
Snap.
The gap closed, casting the inner chamber into darkness.
Only her monocle glinted menacingly in the dark.
The woman spoke.
"Does worrying make us money?"
"N-No, ma'am."
"The Pertinax Auction House is doing well because they secured good items. Procurement is a core skill for an auctioneer, too. We were simply lacking in that area this past week."
"...I know. I know, but Pertinax X was just a greenhorn wearing a mascot costume until recently! How on earth did he source Daixo Sashimi knives signed by the Heavenly Sword himself...?"
Even the speaker was drooling at the thought of those items. Merch that men lusted after out of envy, and women craved out of fandom!
"Did you dig into how he secured that supply route?"
"Word on the street is that a woman wearing a rabbit mask is the Heavenly Sword's lover, and she's the one procuring the goods. The patrons call her 'Rabbit Princess.'"
"Run a background check on her. Whatever you find, report it to me the moment it comes in."
"Yes, ma'am. As you command."
The woman laced her fingers together. She tapped her thumbs together in deep thought.
"Still, at this rate, our auction house's survival is on the line. We'll have to pull out our trump card sooner than expected."
"Are you referring to that item we received from 'Number One'?"
The woman gave a quiet nod.
"How are the newly hired bodyguards?"
"They are extraordinary. I have no idea where such a crowd of experts came from. I doubted them at first, but they completely wiped out my doubts in just one week. I decided to trust them completely, fearing they might leave if I suspected them."
"Understood."
She looked down through the blinds at the Pertinax Auction House once more. The owner of the Kaiten Auction House muttered under her breath.
"Let's see this through to the end, Pertinax X."
It was the fuse that lit a war of auction bidding with the auction houses themselves on the line.
* * *
"Giggle-giggle-giggle!"
Choi Seol-ah was swimming in a sea of cash, showered in a drizzle of 50,000-won bills!
She was thrilled. No matter how many times she smelled it, the scent of money never got old.
"Ehehe."
"Having fun?"
"Heck yeah I am!"
Choi Seol-ah whipped her head around. Looking at her, I frowned.
'She's completely lost it.'
Won signs (₩) were reflected in both of her eyes. The quintessential look of a money-grubber.
My sighs only grew.
I slung the Heavenly Sword coat given to me by Abel over my shoulders. Choi Seol-ah poked her head out from her makeshift pool overflowing with crisp yellow bills.
"Where are you going?"
"The other side will be moving soon. We need to execute our main operation too."
"Right now?!"
I snapped back sharply.
"We aren't doing this to make money. We're doing this to save Chloe."
"...Ah, I'm sorry."
"Though I'm the one who made you like this, so who am I to blame? Anyway, brush off the cash and come out. The others are here."
"The others?"
My former classmates, that is.
Taking Choi Seol-ah, who quickly readied herself, I headed toward the usual realtor's office.
When I spoke the same code word as before, the secret agents playing flick-marbles guided us to the inner room once again.
There were people waiting for me inside.
"Geomma."
"Ryozo."
"I missed you."
She wrapped her arms tightly around me in a hug.
Haha, me too.
The words caught in my throat. I had to squeeze my core as hard as I could because Ryozo was squeezing the life out of me with her hug.
"...I really missed you."
"R-Ryozo...!"
"And here I hear rumors that you've gone and made yourself a lover in the meantime."
I felt like I was going to die.
I barely managed to pry Ryozo off me. Coughing and wheezing, my voice barely came out.
"B-By the way."
My eyes shifted toward the hooded woman standing nearby.
"I see you brought our key player safely?"
"Yeah. She was kind enough to make the trip despite her busy schedule."
The 'key player' pulled back her hood.
Hair that looked as if dusted with golden powder spilled down.