Ch-106
—
The following lines appeared in my mind as I looked at the child.
ăHidden race: âOne Who Sings the Song of Natureâ.ă
ăâNatureâs Songâ carries the power to warmly embrace the forest.ă
ăThey fundamentally accelerate the growth of âplantsâ and make them stronger. However, the âOne Who Sings the Song of Natureâ can live only within the bosom of a ânature-based raceâ.ă
ăAs they grow, they become able to sing other âSongs of Natureâ.ă
It was valuable information revealed thanks to the hidden trait *Great Sage*.
I signaled Hudson with our prearranged cue to place a bid.
*I can make the Verdant Forest even stronger.*
When the druids grow stronger, that equates to *me* growing stronger.
Besides, I had definitely seen a child who looked just like this one together with the elves.
*If I can establish ties with the elves through them, ten million gold is nothing.*
If that were possible, it would be worth bringing them over even for ten million gold.
Elves were a race that shunned humans even more than the White King and the Four Pillars.
Naturally, countless legends, myths, quests, and treasures related to them had never once been reached by players.
*Judging by their looks, theyâre all wondering why anyone would buy something like this.*
The gazes of the imperial nobles were laughably obvious.
Lady Dersianâs eyes in particular were openly mocking.
She was still poorly educated, it seemed.
Thanks to opinions like hers among the imperial nobles, bidders were slow to appear.
âIf we have no further bids, then this item will be sold to Customer 55 for one million gold!â
The hall remained silent.
Even outsiders who had overheard the noblesâ comments showed no intention of bidding.
âCustomer 55, sold! Congratulations!â
âŠHonestly, who here lacks discernment, I wonder.
I allowed myself a faint smile.
*
*
The auction continued afterward.
Lady Dersian clicked her tongue inwardly.
*To think someone could have such poor judgment in evaluating items.*
He seemed to have a lot of gold, but the early auction items were mostly âant-harvestingâ piecesâflashy things that lure in the gullible.
It was the time when those foolish ants would swarm in and waste their gold.
âCustomer 55, sold! Congratulations!â
âCustomer 55, sold! Congratulations!â
âCustomer 55, sold! Congratulations!â
One winning call after another.
Fifty-fiveâHudson, was it?
*Heâs sweeping up everything up to the fifth item?*
Hudson was devouring the auction items like a fish let loose into water.
Total spent so far: roughly ten million gold.
*Well, he should be nearing his limit soon.*
Ten million gold was indeed a considerable amount even for a monster-like bidder.
Not that he could ever be considered a real competitor.
And then the sixth item came upâone she, too, had her eyes on.
âThe next item is none other than the âBerserker Setâ! As all you noble guests have seen, itâs the item written on the invitationâthe authenticity is already proven. Personally guaranteed by Lord Darkan, master of this territory! A treasure among treasures that makes one tremble merely by beholding it!â
As the item was revealed, everyoneâs eyes glittered.
A full suit of crimson armor and a helmâthe Berserker Set!
And the one offering it was Lord Darkan himself.
Publicly naming the seller meant he was that confident in the item.
Greed flashed in everyoneâs eyes.
Lady Dersian clenched her fist particularly tightly.
*The Berserker Set. Just as I expectedâour family needs this.*
She had suspected so from the name alone, but seeing the actual item deepened her certainty.
An item that would benefit her entire household.
Her judgment and insight told her that she *must* acquire it. She could not allow anyone else to take it.
The appraiser she had brought along was nodding vigorously as well.
*Itâs mine.*
For the first time in this auction, Lady Dersianâs eyes burned fiercely.
âThe starting bid is ten million gold! Bidding increments are five million gold. Let us begin!â
*
*
At that momentâ
In the neutral city of Delphia, vast numbers of soldiers had gathered.
Nearly 3,000 troops dispatched from various cities.
Among them were many well-known figures.
All had gathered solely to prepare for the arrival of that âred warpâ.
KUUUUUUUUNG!
As the warp expanded as if to swallow the city and crackled ominously, a massive-bodied monster began to emerge from within.
âBaâal of the Four CalamitiesâŠ!â
âHold! Hold the line!â
âDo not falter! We will be victorious!â
They united to stop Baâal, who had crossed the warp to invade.
Defeat here meant the fall of countless citiesâof their very homes.
Thus began the subjugation of Baâal of the Four Calamities.
*Hold your positions.*
News of the Four Calamityâ subjugation being attempted in Delphia drew enormous interest from players.
Delphia was one of the five cities connected to the Mountain of the Trainee, and was famous as the âCity of Blacksmithsâ.
âIf you join the Four Calamities Subjugation, you get epic-grade gear depending on your level? Anyone participating?
Player chat was noisy with related chatter.
Delphia had promised to equip all participants. Delphian gear fetched whatever price one wantedâan enticing offer.
âEpic from level 10, and transcendents get legendary gear.
âI heard the legendary piece is literally the city lord taking off his own gear and giving it.
âThen if Gracia participates, do they give mythic gear?
âProbably no players participating anyway.
âThere *have* to be some. Seems like a lot of other cities also joined.
âIf they gathered 3,000 people, maybe itâs doable?
Three thousand warriors gathered from the five neutral cities and nearby territories.
Since the Great Expedition, no army of this scale had gathered.
âHmm. Might actually be doable?
âBaâal being strong is old news. Itâs not like heâs stronger than White King-tier monsters.
âI mean, those on the Mountain of the Trainee are all mid- or low-level anyway. They wouldnât know how strong the Four Calamities really are.
âStill, multiple regular cities uniting means the outcomeâs uncertain.
âDarkstar officially announced theyâre joining.
âDarkstar? LOL arenât they the ones who ran away from the Death King in the Abyssal Labyrinth?
âIf they run again, weâre officially naming them Runstar.
âHeard a bunch of top rankers joined too. Over 3,000 total, and morale is surprisingly good.
âWait, players actually joined?
âYeah, tons. Youâll be shocked when you hear who was appointed commander.
âDarkstar or city lords?
âNope. Imperials.
âImperials? Youâre lyingâno way the Empire joined.
But someone who brought up the Imperials followed up with specifics.
âFive swordsmen wearing bronze fox masks.
âWait⊠bronze masks? Like the younger version of that silver fox-mask guy from the Abyssal Labyrinth?
âHoly⊠the nightmare returns.
âAre they all Transcendent-tier?
âIf there are bronze ones and silver ones, is there a gold one too?
âNo gold, but all five are Transcendent-tier. Theyâre from some âDersian family,â and one of them is currently the commander.
âIf the Empire sent nobles, they must be confident.
âIf thatâs true, thatâs insane. A single noble house has five Transcendent swordsmen?
âDid they feed them stars? Or raise inhuman races to level them up? How?
âWowâŠ
âThis raid is done for. Easy win.
*
*
âTen million gold! Our noble Customer No. 3 opens the bidding!â
Number 3.
As Lady Dersian unfurled her fan, the auctioneer announced her bid.
She had not participated in a single bid until now.
Her bidding on the Berserker Set was a declaration that she *must* have it.
And a challengeâ*bid, if you think you can.*
Flaaash!
âCustomer 91! Fifteen million gold!â
Ninety-oneâthe Masterâhad joined.
Unlike imperial nobles, he didnât have to mind appearances.
*The lower your number, the more important you are in this auction.*
Number 2 was Lord Darkan, number 3 was Lady Dersian.
Both hosts of the auction.
There was clearly a hierarchy of importance based on the participant numbers.
Whoever number 1 was, he remained unknown.
But with Lord Darkan presenting the item and Lady Dersian bidding, this item was unquestionably exceptional.
And it was a perfect chance to draw their attention.
âOh! Our noble Customer No. 6 joins! Twenty million gold!â
âUnyielding! Our treasured Customer No. 3 raises to twenty-five million!â
âA new bidder appears! Customer 78 at thirty million!â
Four bidders now.
Prices vaulted past thirty million, soon reaching fifty million gold.
*âŠTheyâre still unfazed. Just how rich are imperial nobles?*
The Master grimaced.
He had prepared roughly two hundred million gold total.
All hard-earnedâreclaimed from Blackflame, and from force-selling every relic he had.
Fifty million for a single auction item, even a set, was painful.
But the other bidders still seemed relaxed.
âBidding for the Berserker Set has reached fifty million gold. We will now raise the bid increments to ten million. Sixty million goldâanyone?â
Flaaash!
âOur illustrious Customer No. 3! The auction is on fire!â
âCustomer 91! We pass seventy million!â
âAnd immediately, Customer No. 3âŠâ
âCustomer 91 bids *ninety million gold*!â
The Master placed his final bid.
Ninety million was his limit.
He couldnât blow a hundred million on the first day.
*I have nothing left to sell. Not unless I auction off my own gear.*
Even for imperial nobles, spending one hundred million gold would not be easy.
The remaining competitor was only No. 3âLady Dersian.
The Master glanced toward her.
âCustomer No. 3 raises to one hundred million gold! Astounding! But I dare say it is worth every coin!â
The Master sighed inwardly.
All auction participants were pre-registered and could only use the gold they physically held.
Anyone attempting to bid beyond that would be automatically disqualified.
Meaning Lady Dersian carried *hundreds of millions* in physical gold.
*Still, I achieved my goal.*
To stand out.
That was the entire purpose.
If he pushed any further and somehow ended up winning, it would be troublesome, but he had shown he could spend nearly a hundred million without hesitation.
As proof, he could feel several noblesâ eyes turning toward him.
âIf there are no further bids, the Berserker Set goes to our noble Customer No. 3. I will count to three. Three⊠twoâŠâ
There was no one here who could contend with that bottomless fountain.
It was only the first day of the auction.
No matter how incredible the Berserker Set was, the auction still had far to go.
Flaaaash!
At that moment, a fan snapped open wide.
âBidder number 55! A new contender rises! One hundred and ten million gold!â
Every gaze swung toward number 55.
A bidder who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
And number 55 was the very person who had already caused a commotion in the city once.
The same person who had clashed with bidder number 3, Lady Dersian.
*A monster like that has over a hundred million gold�*
Lady Dersian frowned.
From the way the host was proceeding without issue, it meant the funds had already been verified in full.
Though she and her family co-hosted the event, the *auction itself* technically fell under the jurisdiction of the Darkan lord. The banquet that would follow afterwardâthat was her domain.
Lady Dersian opened her fan again.
A silent confidence: *If you insist on keeping up, then by all meansâtry.*
âThe honorable bidder number 3 raises her bid once more! One hundred and twenty million gold!â
The host shook his shoulders as he shouted.
âBidder fifty-five follows again!â
âOhh, he refuses to let it go! Bidder number 3 raises to one hundred and forty million gold! Will it go up to one hundred and fifty million!?â
â…It has! Bidder number 55 bids one hundred and fifty million gold!â
But when the price broke past one hundred and fifty million, even she could no longer force herself forward.
*What?*
Did he have money rotting somewhere?
A hundred and fifty million gold was an amount even high nobles would hesitate to spend recklessly.
And wasnât the auction only just beginning?
She even doubted whether the Berserker Set was worth more than a hundred and fifty million in the first place.
âMy lady⊠any further would beâŠâ
The appraiser she brought along whispered quietly.
He had been shaking his head ever since the bidding surpassed one hundred and ten million.
*What is with him! Who does he think he is, getting in my way over and over!*
Her body trembled.
She didnât want to lose.
But she had to think long term.
She truly wanted the itemâbut anything past this was pure waste.
If, by chance, number 55 stopped bidding afterward, her loss would be enormous.
*Calm down. Raising the bid any further would be idiotic. Thereâs so much more left in this auction.*
She had already spent one hundred and fifty million. She probably had little gold remaining.
âFor one hundred and fifty million gold, bidder number 55 wins the Berserker Set! Wohoho!! Splendid!â
âŠShe had grabbed attention for a moment, but would it last?
This spotlight would quickly fade. By the end of the night, *she* would be the star of the banquet.
Lady Dersian forced herself to regain composure.
*
*
*Not bad.*
After the first day of the auction ended, all participants were guided to the banquet hall prepared in advance.
While drinking the lavish wine served there, I reconsidered the items I had won.
The âSinger of Natureâ set and the Berserker Set were the main prizes, but I had also bought several other items chosen for their value relative to their price.
I could use them as materials for the Throne of Light, or use them to strengthen my companionsânone of them were bad choices.
*The Eye of Greed. With this, I can evaluate the true worth of any auction item.*
Everyone participating in the auction had brought some sort of âobservationâ-type skill or toolâor even hired a professional appraiser outright.
It was the only way to accurately assess the value of an item and secure profit.
But all I needed was this.
The Eye of Greed!
A âreplicated artificial eyeâ I had received from Greed, the Golden Goblin King.
Apparently, heâd created it himself to speed up labyrinth exploration.
Greed had gathered the remaining golden goblins still lingering in the Abyssal Labyrinth and was diligently collecting the hidden relics of the old empire.
I dare say, the best workforce in the world was out there mining resources.
And among the artificial eyes Greed had distributed to the golden goblins, I had claimed one.
A tiny golden eye the size of a cherry tomatoâbut since it was a replica of Greedâs Eye, there was nothing else here that could reveal value more reliably.
A master appraiser? A high-grade observation skill?
Could they truly compare to Greed, who had spent eons gathering treasure in the abyss?
*The Singer of Nature has a true value of one hundred million gold, and the Berserker Set is worth two hundred million. Theyâre the real deal.*
The auction prices had gone highâbut thanks to that, I didnât take a loss.
