Everyone clapped as the auctions started. This was as much of a social convention as it was a time of business. This meant that drinks and food were plentiful among the stands.
As the Tavera Family was paying for everything in the suite, I didn’t keep myself from grabbing anything that looked good. And as I found out, many of the candies were divine while the alcohol was rich.
I was one of the few who took a seat by the window. The rest were socializing, including Rayla who apparently had some friends within the Tavera Family. So I was by myself for a while as the introductory items were being shown off.
I could hear everything clearly through the glass, the noise being amplified by magic.
“A Colossal Goat Horn, enough to make a full set of armor or construct the chassis of a carriage. Starting price: 25 gold bullion.”
I saw a truly massive horn appear on stage. It was at least 10 feet tall and 40 feet long. It really could be used to build the chassis of a vehicle.
I wondered what kind of monstrosity the Colossal Goat was to have such huge horns.
“A container of 85 Bone Burrowing Beetles, for any of your alchemical needs. Starting price: 45 gold bullion.”
That box was worth the entirety of my savings at just the starting price.
“An air mask, constructed from the treated leather of a Fire Lamb and infused with a Grade 4 White Crystal. This device can not only filter all the air you breath, but even boost your stamina! Starting Price: 30 gold bullion.”
That was an interesting one that I might’ve considering trying to get if I could afford it. But unfortunately, it sold at about 75 gold bullion.
“The newest prototype of Sawn’s line of transmission devices, the Aerial 8! The details of this device have been purposefully omitted by request of the seller. Starting price: 70 gold bullion.”
The prices only continued to go up as each item went by. The average price quickly climbed past 100 gold bullion, and every single one was bought casually.
Millions of coin being thrown around just like that. And these were just the introductory items.
Eventually, the time for introductions were over. More expensive items starting at a minimum of 500 gold bullion started rolling out.
From entire sets of armor to crazy intricate weapons, these were high quality items that could be wielded by those with up to 7 Authorities.
But nobody seemed to care much. Nobody within my suite paid much mind to those things. And I suppose everyone at this auction was waiting for just one thing.
I continued to sit around, eating all the shockingly delicious food that was being handed out.
That was, until the door swung open again.
“Maxwell?”
“Hm?”
The sharp summoner came strolling back unannounced. He walked straight up to me.
In his hands were two items.
“Air mask and Aerial.”
“...”
These were two of the introductory items. I slowly grabbed them as he explained.
“The Trenches are filled with toxic fumes and drugged air. You’ll want the mask to keep you healthy. And use the Aerial to contact people. Also, they said something about Sawn personally wanting to do some stuff with you and the Aerial.”
“If you had let me finish, I would’ve told you what!”
Suddenly, another man came striding into the room. He was scrawny, like a scientist, and on his face was a pair of glasses that flashed with displays. They looked like futuristic holographic glasses.
He walked over to me, grabbing the Aerial, which I had surmised was a magic phone.
He spoke with haste, as if his mind were filled with a million thoughts.
“Sawn, pleased to meet you. This is a prototype model, okay? Prototype. That means it’s not perfect and still needs to be adjusted to suit you until I can create a standardized model. Now I can’t spill all the details, but this thing can basically connect to your mind, to some extent at least. This new feature is limited for now until I work out the kinks, but nonetheless, still extremely useful. Also, this thing can work independently, regardless of if there are repeater nodes around you. I believe the maximum pulse transmission is 40 miles in all directions, and standard transmission is 10 miles in all directions. Trust me, far more capable than whatever else those dogs at Hero Aerial Works are cooking up.”
The man, Sawn, went on a spiel about all the different things that this device could do.
In short, it was a phone. This world had phones apparently, although the ones cheap enough for the common man were limited in function. Still, they provided revolutionary communication abilities.
And this man, Sawn, was the owner of Sawn Industries. He created these phones, and this was his prototype model. Apparently, he decided to sell one in order to test it out in the field. And Maxwell bought it.
As I started to zone out from all his droning on, the man suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“Alright, this thing goes on your wrist right under your crest, which it binds to, like all the other models.”
*Snap!*
Touching the device to my wrist, it automatically unfurled and snapped around the joint, becoming a metal wristband that sat flush against my skin. It wasn’t uncomfortable, surprisingly.
“Now, you can only send information from your mind to the device. The device can’t send things to your mind, at least not yet. It is built for it though. So, in order to read things you still have to manually activate the device and read them with your two eyeballs, yes? But, you can now write messages and send them with your mind. You just have to speak them in that empty head of yours and they’ll appear on the screen. Now, I’ll also be monitoring this device and its functionality to collect operating data so I can perfect it. This is what you have signed up for by buying it.”
“But I didn’t…”
“Of course, I won’t see nor will I care about the messages you send or receive. I know you elites care about secrecy and all that shnazzle. So just use it as normal and pretend that I’m not connected to the thing. I only need data. Data, okay?!”
“Y-yes?”
“Good.”
He nodded before standing and walking away.
“Oh! One more thing.”
He stopped and turned back around.
“You’re a summoner? Yes, you are. So, you use Psyka, which is the more elusive of the three. If things go well, I might be able to activate the function so you can also receive data in your mind, since summoners are like that. Only if it goes well! Now, I will be in contact. And please, use the Aerial as much as you can. I need data!”
With that, Sawn finally walked out, leaving me in a small daze.
Everyone was staring at me, prompting me to hide my wrist and mask behind my body.
“Mine.”
“Hahaha! I can’t believe that was Sawn! He’s filthy rich too.”
Patriarch Tavera laughed before going back to his business.
Maxwell then walked up to me, showing his wrist which also had one of these devices on it.
“Touch.”
*Tap*
He touched the device to mine, and a screen appeared above my wrist.
Add Maxwell Albarain as a contact?
“Yes.”
I confirmed in my mind, and sure enough, he was added to my contact list.
I could send and receive messages from him. We could even exchange pictures and videos. Real time calls were also possible.
It was a full fledged telephone.
“Wow…”
“Pay me back by hurrying up and getting your next Authority.”
With those words, he left once again.
Perhaps all those payments every week was worth it.
As I admired the Aerial and mask, Rayla came up to me with a smile.
Extending her wrist, she tapped my Aerial, exchanging contact info.
“I naturally have one too. So does everyone else in the company. Get their contact info when you can.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
We smiled at each other.
After that, there were no more surprises as the auction continued on.
There were dozens of items that got introduced and sold off after the course of several hours. Many of them sold for beyond a thousand gold bullion.
The total monetary exchange in just 5 hours was at least 80 million coin.
It was a baffling number, but none of it could compare to what was to come.
……
…
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the final item of the auction. This is what you all have been waiting for.”
It was after several hundred more people had flooded into the auction house. The auctioneer had a broad smile on his face as a small cart was rolled out.
On top of it was a single box, one that I recognized.
“The notorious Apocryon has spread the news far and wide. He has concocted a revolutionary item he calls the Overkill Pills. These pills are capable of increasing a person’s combat power by several times, even on the verge of death. The duration of this increase depends on the user and how long their body can survive the rampaging power. However, despite the amazing effects, taking one of these pills almost certainly ensures your demise. They should only be taken in the direst of circumstances!
“Apocryon has dictated one condition for the selling of this product. Not only is he selling a small batch of pills here today, but he is selling an exclusivity contract! The contract will last 2 years, and for that duration, only the buyer can receive these pills to do whatever they wish with them!”
“Holy shit…”
The auction house was uproarious at the news. Even Patriarch Tavera couldn’t help but curse.
An exclusivity contract was huge. Because not only would the buyer become the sole owner of any and all pills that were produced, but they could sell them as they wished. It was a monopoly of the product.
This was much bigger than simply selling a batch of pills in an auction house.
“Hah! Truly a madman. I can’t imagine how much money he’s going to make tonight.”
Plex was laughing with a drink in his hand.
As for me, I was just enjoying the show. I was happy enough with my new magic phone.
“There are more details that Apocryon will personally discuss with the buyer, but that will come later! Ladies and Gentlemen, I officially open the bidding starting at 20 thousand gold bullion!”
“20 million coin…”
I was baffled at the starting price. Even more so at the subsequent shouts.
There were only three big names that sounded out.
“50 thousand.”
“80 thousand.”
“120 thousand.”
“200 thousand.”
The price quickly rose beyond anything I could comprehend.
And from beside me, Plex pointed at three other suites that stood suspended above the stands.
“I’m telling you right now, the only three bidders for this stuff are the Polaris Family, the Church, and the fucking Dragon Military. A black market behemoth, a religious order, and the damn kingdom itself are fighting for this stuff with money we could never touch in our lives. With a single fucking pill, Apocryon got the big names to move! Haha!”
Plex started laughing, half because of the absurdity, half because of how drunk he was.
I leaned over toward Rayla.
“I know the Kingdom and Polaris Family are big, but the Church?”
“Yes, the Church is a behemoth on equal grounds. That’s because they invented the crystal purification system.”
“And that is?”
“The most important technique ever created in the history of mankind.”
Rayla looked down at the bidding ground with a neutral face.
“The Scourge is a threat that grows by the year. Monstrosities raid our borders every day, armies of mutant humanoids that seek to kill us all. And they all carry crystals, the incarnation of their power. However, their power is tainted, poisonous. Consume that power, and you would turn into a monstrosity yourself. But the Church created a way to purify the crystal, turning it into a magic engine that pulls in and stores a universal power called Magika. This Magika can turn into any of the three energies that Knights, Warlocks, and Summoners can use to advance their Authorities. The crystals can also be used to create enchanted items, like your new mask.”
She pointed at the air mask on my lap.
“Since the crystal is an engine that constantly pulls in energy, simply tapping into that flow can power objects. It revolutionized the world as we know it.”
“And the Church has sole control over that method?”
“Well, they have sole control over the best method. Others have been created, but they don’t have the results that the Church does. So naturally, the Church is a behemoth that sits at the top of the world.”
“Wow. And now they’re all fighting for this.”
“1 million!”
Another call sounded out. By this point, the entire auction house was silent.
Only, after the price reached a whopping 1 billion coin, nothing else was heard.
The auctioneer, who hadn’t spoken in several minutes, suddenly raised his hand.
“1 million gold bullion, going once!
“Going twice!”
“Sold!”
The hammer slammed down, yet unlike all the other times, no name was announced.
In fact, it all seemed suspicious.
“They’ll probably negotiate in private. There’s no way you can simply buy something this important. Plus, they’re not going to dump more than that into a single man, let alone a madman like Apocryon.”
Plex scoffed while taking another swig of what I could only assume was pure ethanol by the smell.
And with that, the auction officially ended.
We stood with Patriarch Tavera, everybody funneling out of the room.
It was surprising that I actually came out of this with two new toys, but regardless of that, I had witnessed something rather amazing here.
And to think that I had been a part of the delivery team that transported this billion coin item.
Even if everything that happened was just for show.
Everyone clapped as the auctions started. This was as much of a social convention as it was a time of business. This meant that drinks and food were plentiful among the stands.
As the Tavera Family was paying for everything in the suite, I didn’t keep myself from grabbing anything that looked good. And as I found out, many of the candies were divine while the alcohol was rich.
I was one of the few who took a seat by the window. The rest were socializing, including Rayla who apparently had some friends within the Tavera Family. So I was by myself for a while as the introductory items were being shown off.
I could hear everything clearly through the glass, the noise being amplified by magic.
“A Colossal Goat Horn, enough to make a full set of armor or construct the chassis of a carriage. Starting price: 25 gold bullion.”
I saw a truly massive horn appear on stage. It was at least 10 feet tall and 40 feet long. It really could be used to build the chassis of a vehicle.
I wondered what kind of monstrosity the Colossal Goat was to have such huge horns.
“A container of 85 Bone Burrowing Beetles, for any of your alchemical needs. Starting price: 45 gold bullion.”
That box was worth the entirety of my savings at just the starting price.
“An air mask, constructed from the treated leather of a Fire Lamb and infused with a Grade 4 White Crystal. This device can not only filter all the air you breath, but even boost your stamina! Starting Price: 30 gold bullion.”
That was an interesting one that I might’ve considering trying to get if I could afford it. But unfortunately, it sold at about 75 gold bullion.
“The newest prototype of Sawn’s line of transmission devices, the Aerial 8! The details of this device have been purposefully omitted by request of the seller. Starting price: 70 gold bullion.”
The prices only continued to go up as each item went by. The average price quickly climbed past 100 gold bullion, and every single one was bought casually.
Millions of coin being thrown around just like that. And these were just the introductory items.
Eventually, the time for introductions were over. More expensive items starting at a minimum of 500 gold bullion started rolling out.
From entire sets of armor to crazy intricate weapons, these were high quality items that could be wielded by those with up to 7 Authorities.
But nobody seemed to care much. Nobody within my suite paid much mind to those things. And I suppose everyone at this auction was waiting for just one thing.
I continued to sit around, eating all the shockingly delicious food that was being handed out.
That was, until the door swung open again.
“Maxwell?”
“Hm?”
The sharp summoner came strolling back unannounced. He walked straight up to me.
In his hands were two items.
“Air mask and Aerial.”
“...”
These were two of the introductory items. I slowly grabbed them as he explained.
“The Trenches are filled with toxic fumes and drugged air. You’ll want the mask to keep you healthy. And use the Aerial to contact people. Also, they said something about Sawn personally wanting to do some stuff with you and the Aerial.”
“If you had let me finish, I would’ve told you what!”
Suddenly, another man came striding into the room. He was scrawny, like a scientist, and on his face was a pair of glasses that flashed with displays. They looked like futuristic holographic glasses.
He walked over to me, grabbing the Aerial, which I had surmised was a magic phone.
He spoke with haste, as if his mind were filled with a million thoughts.
“Sawn, pleased to meet you. This is a prototype model, okay? Prototype. That means it’s not perfect and still needs to be adjusted to suit you until I can create a standardized model. Now I can’t spill all the details, but this thing can basically connect to your mind, to some extent at least. This new feature is limited for now until I work out the kinks, but nonetheless, still extremely useful. Also, this thing can work independently, regardless of if there are repeater nodes around you. I believe the maximum pulse transmission is 40 miles in all directions, and standard transmission is 10 miles in all directions. Trust me, far more capable than whatever else those dogs at Hero Aerial Works are cooking up.”
The man, Sawn, went on a spiel about all the different things that this device could do.
In short, it was a phone. This world had phones apparently, although the ones cheap enough for the common man were limited in function. Still, they provided revolutionary communication abilities.
And this man, Sawn, was the owner of Sawn Industries. He created these phones, and this was his prototype model. Apparently, he decided to sell one in order to test it out in the field. And Maxwell bought it.
As I started to zone out from all his droning on, the man suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“Alright, this thing goes on your wrist right under your crest, which it binds to, like all the other models.”
*Snap!*
Touching the device to my wrist, it automatically unfurled and snapped around the joint, becoming a metal wristband that sat flush against my skin. It wasn’t uncomfortable, surprisingly.
“Now, you can only send information from your mind to the device. The device can’t send things to your mind, at least not yet. It is built for it though. So, in order to read things you still have to manually activate the device and read them with your two eyeballs, yes? But, you can now write messages and send them with your mind. You just have to speak them in that empty head of yours and they’ll appear on the screen. Now, I’ll also be monitoring this device and its functionality to collect operating data so I can perfect it. This is what you have signed up for by buying it.”
“But I didn’t…”
“Of course, I won’t see nor will I care about the messages you send or receive. I know you elites care about secrecy and all that shnazzle. So just use it as normal and pretend that I’m not connected to the thing. I only need data. Data, okay?!”
“Y-yes?”
“Good.”
He nodded before standing and walking away.
“Oh! One more thing.”
He stopped and turned back around.
“You’re a summoner? Yes, you are. So, you use Psyka, which is the more elusive of the three. If things go well, I might be able to activate the function so you can also receive data in your mind, since summoners are like that. Only if it goes well! Now, I will be in contact. And please, use the Aerial as much as you can. I need data!”
With that, Sawn finally walked out, leaving me in a small daze.
Everyone was staring at me, prompting me to hide my wrist and mask behind my body.
“Mine.”
“Hahaha! I can’t believe that was Sawn! He’s filthy rich too.”
Patriarch Tavera laughed before going back to his business.
Maxwell then walked up to me, showing his wrist which also had one of these devices on it.
“Touch.”
*Tap*
He touched the device to mine, and a screen appeared above my wrist.
Add Maxwell Albarain as a contact?
“Yes.”
I confirmed in my mind, and sure enough, he was added to my contact list.
I could send and receive messages from him. We could even exchange pictures and videos. Real time calls were also possible.
It was a full fledged telephone.
“Wow…”
“Pay me back by hurrying up and getting your next Authority.”
With those words, he left once again.
Perhaps all those payments every week was worth it.
As I admired the Aerial and mask, Rayla came up to me with a smile.
Extending her wrist, she tapped my Aerial, exchanging contact info.
“I naturally have one too. So does everyone else in the company. Get their contact info when you can.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
We smiled at each other.
After that, there were no more surprises as the auction continued on.
There were dozens of items that got introduced and sold off after the course of several hours. Many of them sold for beyond a thousand gold bullion.
The total monetary exchange in just 5 hours was at least 80 million coin.
It was a baffling number, but none of it could compare to what was to come.
……
…
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the final item of the auction. This is what you all have been waiting for.”
It was after several hundred more people had flooded into the auction house. The auctioneer had a broad smile on his face as a small cart was rolled out.
On top of it was a single box, one that I recognized.
“The notorious Apocryon has spread the news far and wide. He has concocted a revolutionary item he calls the Overkill Pills. These pills are capable of increasing a person’s combat power by several times, even on the verge of death. The duration of this increase depends on the user and how long their body can survive the rampaging power. However, despite the amazing effects, taking one of these pills almost certainly ensures your demise. They should only be taken in the direst of circumstances!
“Apocryon has dictated one condition for the selling of this product. Not only is he selling a small batch of pills here today, but he is selling an exclusivity contract! The contract will last 2 years, and for that duration, only the buyer can receive these pills to do whatever they wish with them!”
“Holy shit…”
The auction house was uproarious at the news. Even Patriarch Tavera couldn’t help but curse.
An exclusivity contract was huge. Because not only would the buyer become the sole owner of any and all pills that were produced, but they could sell them as they wished. It was a monopoly of the product.
This was much bigger than simply selling a batch of pills in an auction house.
“Hah! Truly a madman. I can’t imagine how much money he’s going to make tonight.”
Plex was laughing with a drink in his hand.
As for me, I was just enjoying the show. I was happy enough with my new magic phone.
“There are more details that Apocryon will personally discuss with the buyer, but that will come later! Ladies and Gentlemen, I officially open the bidding starting at 20 thousand gold bullion!”
“20 million coin…”
I was baffled at the starting price. Even more so at the subsequent shouts.
There were only three big names that sounded out.
“50 thousand.”
“80 thousand.”
“120 thousand.”
“200 thousand.”
The price quickly rose beyond anything I could comprehend.
And from beside me, Plex pointed at three other suites that stood suspended above the stands.
“I’m telling you right now, the only three bidders for this stuff are the Polaris Family, the Church, and the fucking Dragon Military. A black market behemoth, a religious order, and the damn kingdom itself are fighting for this stuff with money we could never touch in our lives. With a single fucking pill, Apocryon got the big names to move! Haha!”
Plex started laughing, half because of the absurdity, half because of how drunk he was.
I leaned over toward Rayla.
“I know the Kingdom and Polaris Family are big, but the Church?”
“Yes, the Church is a behemoth on equal grounds. That’s because they invented the crystal purification system.”
“And that is?”
“The most important technique ever created in the history of mankind.”
Rayla looked down at the bidding ground with a neutral face.
“The Scourge is a threat that grows by the year. Monstrosities raid our borders every day, armies of mutant humanoids that seek to kill us all. And they all carry crystals, the incarnation of their power. However, their power is tainted, poisonous. Consume that power, and you would turn into a monstrosity yourself. But the Church created a way to purify the crystal, turning it into a magic engine that pulls in and stores a universal power called Magika. This Magika can turn into any of the three energies that Knights, Warlocks, and Summoners can use to advance their Authorities. The crystals can also be used to create enchanted items, like your new mask.”
She pointed at the air mask on my lap.
“Since the crystal is an engine that constantly pulls in energy, simply tapping into that flow can power objects. It revolutionized the world as we know it.”
“And the Church has sole control over that method?”
“Well, they have sole control over the best method. Others have been created, but they don’t have the results that the Church does. So naturally, the Church is a behemoth that sits at the top of the world.”
“Wow. And now they’re all fighting for this.”
“1 million!”
Another call sounded out. By this point, the entire auction house was silent.
Only, after the price reached a whopping 1 billion coin, nothing else was heard.
The auctioneer, who hadn’t spoken in several minutes, suddenly raised his hand.
“1 million gold bullion, going once!
“Going twice!”
“Sold!”
The hammer slammed down, yet unlike all the other times, no name was announced.
In fact, it all seemed suspicious.
“They’ll probably negotiate in private. There’s no way you can simply buy something this important. Plus, they’re not going to dump more than that into a single man, let alone a madman like Apocryon.”
Plex scoffed while taking another swig of what I could only assume was pure ethanol by the smell.
And with that, the auction officially ended.
We stood with Patriarch Tavera, everybody funneling out of the room.
It was surprising that I actually came out of this with two new toys, but regardless of that, I had witnessed something rather amazing here.
And to think that I had been a part of the delivery team that transported this billion coin item.
Even if everything that happened was just for show.
