Black Onyx - Forgotten Magic

Chapter 166: The Auction, Part 4

"I need to get this potion for my son no matter what! I hope you can all leave me the first pick on the potions!" It was the rich merchant that shouted this time.

It was quite clear that he was determined to give his young son the best chance of making it big as a mage.

Becoming a proper Mage was the best way to become part of the nobility, and it would raise the status of your family at the same time.

You would get access to the higher ranks of society that way, and the merchant was counting on that exact thing to expand his influence.

Spending a few thousand gold coins to achieve that was nothing. A few years of hard work and he would make even more back.

He was willing to sacrifice so much for this chance! But of course, other people had similar ideas

"One hundred gold coins!" a well-dressed person shouted.

Sandor was stupefied, "Wait, I wasn't finished! Besides the starting price is fift-"

"One hundred and thirty! Nobody is getting these potions except me!" the merchant immediately roared. The auctioneer was completely disregarded.

"One-fifty!"

"Two hundred! Stop dreaming ladies, the goods will belong to this gentleman over here," A young noble loudly spoke, insulting the bidders and speaking of himself in a third person. It immediately enraged his opponents.

And so a bidding war ensued

"Two-twenty!"

"Two-fifty!"

"Two"

Those common merchants and small lords on the ground floors could only sigh as the prices immediately went way above their heads.

"Why did I even bother coming here today? I could have made at least ten gold by traveling through a few small villages and buying herbs from them" a lowly merchant complained.

"What can you do Look at the bright side, at least we got free drinks!" his friend across the table said.

"Five hundred! I'll be taking that!" A cold voice traveled across the hall, making people's hairs stand on end when they heard it.

The voice came from one of the most brilliant mages of the young generation: Riordian Northendark.

"It's Riordian Northendark! Damn, I guess I'll get the next batch" the merchant silently cursed after considering the latter's influence and background supremacy.

The few people that were still bidding also quieted down. They did not want to go on the bad side of the Phoenix Knights. Besides, the potion already reached a ludicrous price, only a few could afford it.

"Phew!" Sendor wiped his forehead. Finally, the order was restored in the auction hall. He was worried a fight would break out in this heated exchange. That would not be a good thing for their reputation.

"Does anyone else want to bid? No? Then it's sold to sir Riordian for five hundred shiny gold coins!" he announced with a smile.

The second pair of potions was sold for about the same price, and so did the rest.

Many people wanted to buy more than just two of them, but with the insanely high price, they just couldn't do it. There were more things to come, they couldn't waste all their wealth on some consumable items.

There were a few less expensive magic items sold next, such as jewelry and Ether Crystals, after which an interesting scroll came to light.

It was a Fire Rain spell scroll, made by the famous Fire Mage, Spark. It was an elite-rank spell that was made with the fresh blood of a Drake, a subspecies of a Dragon.

It was a single-use item, but its power was great enough to decimate armies. The price started at a dizzying one thousand gold!

It was now the time for the truly rich and influential people to bid. Those on the ground floor didn't have a chance against the likes of Magic Academy Elders or the leader of the Phoenix Knights. Even Bishop Argoch decided to only bid a few times.

The price quickly tripled and it still continued to rise.

The spell scroll was not something just anyone could buy. This one single spell could ruin a medium-sized city all by itself.

Although it was not that useful when fighting a single enemy, its power lay in the massive area of destruction. Many people just wanted to have it for emergencies, in case their land got invaded, be it by monsters or people.

"Three thousand five hundred!" Tabbris Northendark spoke calmly, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear him.

Frowning slightly, a well-dressed man hesitated for a while and then said, "Three thousand seven hundred and fifty!"

Many quiet gasps could be heard when he said the price, but the leader of the Phoenix Knights immediately outbid him with a price of four thousand.

That nobleman could only shake his head and sigh. Even if he wanted to get a powerful spell as his family treasure, the price was just too damn high.

The bidding did not stop there and it continued climbing, however, the final winner was still Tabbris Northendark with the price of more than five thousand gold coins!

"Being the son of the King's general sure brings many advantages" a merchant on the ground floor sighed.

"Don't forget he is also the leader of one of the strongest warrior groups in the kingdom!" his friend added.

The auction continued and there were a few commodities sold, such as expensive wines and aged monster meat, but then there came something Gerald was all too familiar with.

It was the Minecrawler King's head, heart, its core, as well as blood.

"Is that what the Bishop handed over before?" Gerald murmured to himself. He was surprised to see them selling this stuff at the Auction. If it was him, he would keep it all for himself.

"I'm sure you have all heard the news, gentlemen! These are the genuine body parts of the Minecrawler King! It was confirmed that the beast was just below the Gold Rank. Each of these items will be sold separately, so please be patient!"

Auctioneer Sandor's words ignited the excitement in the hall once again and many could barely hold themselves back.

The first on the sale was the head. Apart from using it as a decoration piece, it was not worth much. The price started at one hundred gold coins and someone immediately doubled that price. It was Lord Tullius Woodsen, the small lord that was obsessed with animal trophies.

There were a few dissatisfied grumbles and someone soon lifted the price. Tullius Woodsen didn't seem willing to let this beauty go and bid again, raising the price to three hundred.

Those average lords and merchants didn't even dream of squandering that much money on a monster head, and those nobles that could didn't seem too interested in it. They had to save money for better stuff.

After a few minutes of bid raises, the head was sold for the final price of three hundred and fifty gold to the man. Although he had a pained expression on his face, Tullius Woodsen still happily paid the price after imagining how good the trophy would look on his wall.

It was all different when the Minecrawler King's heart came to the front. It was big and heavy, and coming from a strong beast, I could raise the strength of a person by approximately 50 kilograms if eaten. Of course many people would want to get their hands on it.

'It's only half as good as the Queen's hear that I ate I wonder how much it will sell for?' Gerald mused.

"Five hundred gold coins!" Tabbris Northendark shouted before the price was even announced.

Many people gasped. The son of a general was just too brazen. He wasn't even giving any face to the Auction House.

"Seven hundred and fifty!" The voice came from the Dark Knight. Although it wasn't loud, it was still clear enough for everyone to hear in the silent hall.

Tabbris Northendark frowned slightly and cast a side-eye on the Dark Knight. He did not expect that someone would dare to bid against him so openly, but then again, it was the Dark Knight.

The man was known as one of the strongest warriors of the kingdom, it was only logical for him to be so bold.

Tabris simply waved his hand casually and raised the price by another hundred gold coins.

"Damn it, just because he is the son of a general he thinks he can be so arrogant?" a young nobleman hissed. "My father is the minister at the court! I'll be taking that heart, it will help me to strengthen my body greatly!"

Then he shouted, "One thousand!"

His words triggered a landslide. Those of a higher status broke through the last concerns about going against the son of a general and raised their bid.

Gerald stood near the balcony of his observing room and gave a slight chuckle. He could feel the tension in the air. The nobles clearly didn't see eye-to-eye with each other. They only acted friendly on the surface, but when showing off or profits were involved, they would turn to aggressive wolves.

The bidding slowed down and eventually ended at almost two thousand gold coins.

Auctioneer Sandor made a light smirk. The price was supposed to start at two hundred, but the impatient and competitive nobles decided to disregard him and push the price sky-high. 'Heh, fine by me! I can swallow my pride for now I'll get compensated greatly anyway.'