Chapter 213 Testing the Waters
"Everyone, are you ready to kick off this year's annual auction?"
A wave of applause and cheers filled the room. The crowd on the first floor shouted, trying to get them to hurry the auction along and get started.
"Since you're all so excited, we'll now officially start the annual auction!" yelled the beautiful woman. "It's day one, so remember that everything under lv. 50 will be sold today. If you're only interested in things more valuable than that, you'll only need to wait one more day, so please be patient."
"Now, our first item!" She stepped aside and let a group of men push out a trolly.
Atop the trolly was a sword. It didn't look very extravagant, but its aura was fiery and fierce. The crowd saw it and instantly understood what it was.
"This sword may only be lv. 25, but it is still a holy weapon that would be perfect for those young masters in search of a weapon to help them stand out from the crowd," shouted the woman, making sure to grab the interest of the young nobles and royals. "This item will start at eight thousand gold, so who wants to make the first bid of the day?"
"Eight thousand gold!"
"Nine thousand gold!"
"Ten thousand gold!"
In less than a second, the first three bids were made and the auction was already heating up.
Argyle glance at Jack, noticing how calm and unaffected he was. With a snicker, he thought to himself, 'I guess he really is above lv. 30 now. To think he got everyone over lv. 30 so quickly… How did he do it?'
While Argyle passed the time imagining how strong Jack was and the capabilities of the former-ancient hero, the first item was sold off for a total of nineteen thousand gold.
To help the auction houses spread out their time and reach three days, there was always at least a fifteen-minute wait between items. Sometimes, it was an hour's wait, depending on the item.
This was because they would exchange the goods immediately after each purchase. If they had to exchange three days' worth of items at once, the royals and nobles wouldn't want to wait so long in a line. It was best for everyone doing things this way, and since it was only once a year, the royals and nobles didn't mind the slower-paced auction.
Soon, the next lv. 25 holy item arrived on the stage. It was a shield blessed by Torian, the Lightning God. It had a passive paralyzing effect that would slow any enemy that came in contact with the shield.
Again, it started at eight thousand and sold for around twenty thousand gold. This was a trend for all the following lv. 25 holy items as well.
Eventually, they finished the lv. 25 items and brought out their first lv. 30 item.
The staff was also a holy item, and greatly boosted a mage's mana supply. Everyone's eyes were getting greedier with every item that reached the stage.
"This staff has been blessed and allows the spell caster to greatly increase their mana supply. It's compatible with all types of mages, so it will start at twelve thousand gold!" yelled the auctioneer.
"Twelve thousand gold!"
"Thirteen thousand gold!"
"Fifteen thousand gold!"
Bids came from everyone, quickly raising the price to more than twenty thousand gold. But still, Jack didn't react to the item, surprising Argyle.
Argyle wondered if Jack might have already passed lv. 35 as well. It sounded impossible, but Jack had already down what he thought was impossible, so Argyle assumed it Jack might have pulled it off.
"Twenty-four thousand gold!"
The buds were finally slowed down, giving the auctioneer time to speak. "Twenty-four thousand gold going once! Going twice--"
"Twenty-five thousand gold!"
A shout came from Jack's private room, startling some people. For those that frequented the Fat Goose, they knew that the last time that room was occupied was when a mysterious young man had arrived and stolen the show and most of the best goods. Though the voice sounded different, some wondered if that was the same wealthy young man. Because it if was, then even the royals would have some stiff competition for the best items.
"Twenty-five thousand gold going once! Going--
"Twenty-six thousand gold!" shouted the same man who almost won the bet. But he was startled when that voice bid him up again without any wait.
"Twenty-eight thousand gold!"
"Twenty-eight thousand gold going once! Going twice… Sold!"
"Gong!"
Since Jack had jumped two thousand gold in an instant, the other bidder knew that Jack was willing to spend more than him, who was at his limit already.
Ten minutes passed until a knock was heard at Jack's door. Jack then stood up and walked not to the door, but to the side of the door. He planned to use another of Argyle's latest features of the room.
There, Jack found a small door in the wall and place a ring inside before he closed the small door and knocked.
After another few seconds, Jack heard a knock from the other side. He opened the small door again and found the same ring inside.
Jack quickly inspected the ring and smiled. Then, he went back to his seat and sat between his two wives. Holding out the ring, Jack stated, "Eliza, this is for you, but I still need the ring to keep bidding."
With eyes aglow, Eliza retrieved the staff from the ring and showed it to everyone. She then jumped at Jack, wrapping her arms around him. "Thanks, Jack! I'll treasure it."
"Just make sure you use it to take care of the party," replied Jack. "And please stop whining about me not treating you like a wife."
"That's easy, of course I'll take good care of the party with such a great weapon. As for being treated like a wife, the least you could do is kiss me. Then maybe I'll stop complaining, for now…"
"Shhh, the auction is starting again," interrupted Jack, who kept Eliza from getting touchy in front of everyone.
Everyone in the room got a chuckle from the newlyweds, not sure what to think of them.
Back on stage, the auctioneer had the next item come out, another lv. 30 holy weapon. This time it was a pair of iron gauntlets.
Jack didn't bid on this item, which saddened some of the crowd members. They were hoping that the same wealthy youth was back. His style of bidding a moment ago was very similar to the first time, so it got their hopes up.
Another holy item came and went after that one as well, but still, there was no bid from Jack. The next item, however, grabbed everyone's attention.
The beautiful woman explained, "This holy amulet is also lv. 30 and greatly boosts holy type magic's effects. If you're a cleric and you want to be more effective as a party member, then you'll want this item, which starts at thirteen thousand gold!"
"Thirteen thousand--"
"Twenty-five thousand gold!"
That sudden shout from the third floor startled everyone, including the auctioneer. The first bid hadn't even been finished and someone instance raised the price by twelve thousand gold. They were making a statement that they clearly wanted that amulet.
"Twenty-five thousand going once! Going twice--"
"Twenty-six thousand gold!"
"Twenty-eight thousand gold!"
Even when someone threatened to steal the item, Jack continued to raise the price without pause. He wanted everyone to know that if he was after an item, that he would get it.
"Twenty-eight thousand gold going once! Going twice… Sold!"
"Gong!"
The crowd was riled up, trying to figure out who that was on the third floor. Pretty soon, the rumor spread about the mysterious young man from a few months ago using that same room. Everyone started to wonder if the same aggressive, wealthy young man had returned to steal the show once again.
The royals all stared at Jack's room. They weren't too happy about the added competition and wanted nothing more than to know who was inside.
On the second floor, the man who had been outbid for the amulet frowned. He glared at Jack's room.
It was the Pon Family Head. Even though he could use lv. 35 items, a lv. 30 holy amulet would've still been perfect for him since he could wear it while still using a lv. 35 staff. But someone beat him and showed no mercy in doing so.
Inside Jack's room, another exchange had been made and Keela, the escaped heir of the Pon Family, was gifted the same amulet that her father had lost.
She thanked Jack but refused to take it unless Jack helped her put it on.
After a few moments of bickering, Jack placed it around Keela's neck and returned to his seat. "Everyone, one of my goals is for us each to have at least one holy item. We'll need all the strength we can get, and buying holy items are a great solution until we can craft our own."
All the party members smiled, excited to know part of Jack's betting strategy and to get their own holy items. For the party members, unlike most royals, the first day was the most exciting.