B2 - CHAPTER 25

“—last call and sold! To the young woman with great taste!” The auctioneer closed the bidding on the tenth item for over three guildmarks. The couple, dressed in finery, had bought every item, consistently overbidding to nonsensical amounts.

Cal grumbled along with the crowd, but nobody could stop the overbids. They had the right to spew their coin.

“Apprentice Cal, should we leave?” Bran leaned in and asked.

I want to, but…

Cal scanned the crowd, and none had left despite their clear dissatisfaction. He gave a slight shake of the head to Bran before glancing at the woman seated on his other side. She was red-faced, and got progressively redder with every item sold, but hadn’t spoken a word so far.

He debated with himself for a few seconds before clearing his throat. “Excuse me, is there a reason nobody has left? It seems they’ll sell every item for the same exorbitant price.”

She looked at him from the corner of her eye, but ignored him. He thought that was the end of it when he heard her sigh.

“This happens every time the Harvest Union adds a draw at the end of an auction, though this year they went above and beyond with the deed. There are some items coming that only Harvest Union residents can bid on, though I imagine there will be a fight for that too, even if it won’t be as intense.” She gave him a pitying look. “You look like an outsider. I’m afraid that won’t be of any help to you.”

“Ah, I see,” Cal smiled. “Thank you for answering… but why is this deed in such demand?”

“I imagine outsiders like you want it to get residency rates for the crops. It would make you quite wealthy. For us? Harvest’s End is the home to some legendary Masters. It’s an honor to call this place home.” The auctioneer drew her attention when he called for the next item up for bid—a frail donkey that would no doubt sell for several guildmarks.

Cal turned to Bran and saw that he had been paying attention to what the woman revealed. “Do you know how many items are up for sale?”

“It’s in the hundreds.”

The response made Cal grimace. This would take all day, and he would waste that time if he knew there was something worthwhile in the end, but he knew how unlikely this was. As for the deed, he wasn’t willing to fight for it, since it didn’t appeal to him. He could only buy two items if he lost his mind and emptied his coin, and that would give him the slimmest of chances to win a deed. It wasn’t worth it.

“Forget it,” Cal said to Bran. “We might as well leave—” He paused as he narrowed his eyes. Most of the crowd looked at the platform, but a sizable portion focused on the couple. “We stay, Bran.”

Bran looked confused, though he still he nodded.

Cal pursed his lips and leaned to the woman who almost tricked him. “Was it really necessary to get rid of me? I’m just a single person with limited means.”

“And?” She shrugged, not bothering to hide what she tried to do. “Who knows how it might work out? I don’t know you, and if words can get rid of you, that’s not my fault.”

Cal let out a shocked laugh, almost impressed at the shamelessness.

He looked at the couple once again running up the bid and waited eagerly for the oxen to cross the platform. The auction wasn’t the main attraction to the regular people. It was what came after that was important. It looked like the couple dressed in finery might sell off the items they won. Going purely by appearances, they had no use for everything they won. They were only interested in the chance to win the draw.

I might get the oxen at a discount after all.

***

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“Sold to the young man at the back!” The auctioneer sold three oxen for six guildmarks. The ‘young man at the back’ was still part of the same couple that had been buying everything.

“I’m sorry, Apprentice Cal,” Bran mumbled beside him as the auction fell into a brief lull. The auctioneer stepped off the platform for the first time. “This has been a waste of a trip, but I’ll try my best to find oxen elsewhere. It’s a shame, though. The Harvest Union has the best draft beasts out of everyone.”

Cal was about to reassure him that the trip was worthwhile even without the oxen—meeting Arhan was priceless—when an assistant drew the crowd’s attention to the platform.

“There will be a brief break in the auction as we prepare the rest of the items up for bid. Please return to your seats in twenty minutes.”

Cal burst into action and disappeared from his seat. He made a direct line to the couple, who hoarded all the items, and appeared before them. He gave them a pleasant smile as most of the surrounding people gasped in fear when a sudden gust of wind nearly blew them away. It might have looked like a quick run from his point of view, but to others in the crowd, it looked as if he was a blur. He had no intention of allowing anyone else to speak to the couple before him.

“Y—You can’t attack us here!” The girl said with a pale face.

Cal had spread his mana tendrils to get an accounting of the surrounding reactions, particularly of the Masters watching over the auction. There was no sudden action towards him, so he felt comfortable continuing.

“Attack?” Cal asked with a confused expression. “I was just wondering if you would sell two oxen to me.”

The couple stared at him incredulously. The girl asked, “That’s it? Why were you so aggressive, then?”

Because I wanted to be first, and hopefully give you an strong impression.

“You know why, Julie,” the boy laughed nervously as he answered his partner’s question. “I like your initiative, young man. The oxen are one gold each, right? Give me two gold and we’ll call it a deal.”

Cal felt he was older than the boy, but appearances could be deceiving. Though, with the stupidly low price price quoted, he doubted that was the case. Still, he wondered if he could go lower. “I can give you one gold for both and take it off your hands.”

A few people knowledgeable close by murmured. Cal flared his mana through the mana tendrils, ensuring the couple were unaffected. The murmurs quieted down.

“Sure,” Julie shrugged. “Ken was complaining about having to deal with all the animals, anyway.”

Your skill [Master Negotiator] has increased by 2 levels.

[Master Negotiator: Apprentice 3]—[Master Negotiator: Apprentice 5]

Cal almost felt cheated, and would have felt worse if he hadn’t upgraded [Master Negotiator]. He now knew they would have agreed to any pittance he offered. Still, he got the deal he wished for. He handed over a gold coin and said, “I’ll stop by after the auction to pick up the oxen. I wish you luck in the drawing.”

The couple beamed at the well-wishes as the deal released a crowd charging the couple for the other items they purchased.

Cal returned to a wide-eyed Bran and smiled. “We got the oxen at a discount. You did the right thing, telling me about the auction.”

Bran slowly returned the smile and was in much better spirits as the auction continued.

***

“—the last item of the auction, the Rare-ranked Sickle!” The auctioneer raised the sickle like it was the most precious thing in existence. With the way the crowd reacted—spellbound and captivated—others felt the same way.

“I can’t believe I’m seeing this with my own eyes,” Bran said with awe.

Cal glanced at him. If his plans worked as he intended, all of his hires would have Rare-ranked equipment.

“Let’s start the bidding at ten guildmarks!” The auctioneer announced, followed by a cacophony of voices.

Cal followed the bidding with wide eyes as the number quickly reached the ridiculous.

“Seventy guildmarks!” The bidder wasn’t someone in finery, but something that resemble a sack with holes cut out for limbs.

The sky-high bid didn’t even last a second. It wasn’t even a minute that passed when the couple raised the stakes to another level. “One hundred and twenty guildmarks!”

Cal watched the frantic bidding until it slowly reached the conclusion to a first-time bidder. His fingers trembled at the final bid.

“And sold! To our own Master Arhan for one hundred and fifty-three guildmarks!” The auctioneer said with a wide smile directed at Arhan.

He barely cared about Arhan bidding on the Rare Sickle. He didn’t care that the Harvest Union’s own Master had to bid in an auction to get a Rare tool—which could allude to the [Rare Sickle] being sold by a third-party, or some guild politics that he had no business thinking of.

Cal was trying to comprehend the sheer wealth creation he possessed. He could make Rare equipment without much issue, and eventually sit of so much wealth that he could do whatever he wanted. Then, he saw the looks of greed in the crowds’ expression, which only subsided when the sickle was in Arhan’s hands.

That brought Cal back to reality. No, it’s not wealth creation. It’s a disaster as long as I’m this weak.

“Let’s get our oxen and return to our territory.” He stood from his seat. Tavia should have returned by now. No need to antagonize her by dawdling here any longer.