00836 The Town At Night. ————————————————– ———————-=
The inside of the building was definitely unique. No, I was right in thinking that it was not a building, but a camouflage structure. Inside, instead of a large space such as the lobby or lounge, all directions were covered with black cloth. All I could see was a straight, dark passageway.
The gatekeeper’s guidance did not last long. Just when I felt the road slowly sloping downward, a reception desk suddenly appeared in front of me. Standing there was a woman wearing a slightly revealing dress, with her shoulders clearly exposed.
“welcome. “I was waiting.”
The woman placed her right hand on her chest, bowed her waist, and smiled softly.
Anyway, I was waiting… .
“The auction is going to start soon, so I’d like to get straight to the point. Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
“First of all, today’s auction will be held in a blind format. “There are a total of ten auction items on the list.”
“yes.”
“Then I have to give you a seat… . We operate separate seats into VIP and regular seats. Oh, you know you have to pay a new seat price, right?”
“of course.”
I flipped out one of the jewels I had taken out earlier. The woman caught her with a deft hand, looked at her in every way, and smiled with satisfaction.
“Wow, that’s a pretty cat’s eye stone. “It’s too much for economy class seating, but it would be just right for VIP seating.”
“To the VIP section.”
“thank you! Then, I will give you the last seat on the left on this floor. “You can go in right now.”
“The farthest left… . All right.”
It was a subtle difference, but he cut himself off when he said ‘the end.’ I’m not so stupid that I don’t understand this.
Eventually, the reception desk split in half and the woman quietly stepped to the side. Behind it, there was a square hole about two meters in diameter in the floor of the passage, and a staircase could be seen going down. Oh, so they run an auction house underground?
“Thank you for attending, and I hope you have a great time.”
After hearing the formal greeting, I calmly entered the reception desk. Just before going down the stairs, a quiet voice suddenly reached my ears.
“… Please don’t forget. It is the last digit on the left. Well, you’ll know when you see it. Hehehe.”
I know, I understand.
I nodded my head and stepped down the stairs.
Of course, I was the only one entering the VIP section.
“huh? “Are you not going in?”
“Would you mind giving me economy class?”
“… yes?”
“I ask for economy class. As far away as possible. ah! And I think you just counted me and him together, and the cat’s eye stone is worth about 600 gold coins. Since you said it fits perfectly, the VIP seats are worth 300 gold coins each. “Then, out of the remaining 300 gold coins, I guess you’ll have to give me back what’s left after subtracting the cost of the economy seat?”
“So, sir?”
“sorry. I was just going to give him a tip if possible, but seeing him flirt with my man made me feel a little upset. “We’re both women, so you understand how I feel, right?”
I laughed to myself.
*
The underground auction house was decorated in an atmosphere similar to a theater. No, it should be called a modern movie theater.
On the first floor, there is an oval-shaped stage covered by a red curtain, and about 50 meters away, there are about a hundred general seats neatly arranged in ten rows. The auditorium was almost half filled.
I looked down for a moment and then walked to the last space on the left as I was told. The difference between VIP seats and regular seats is not that big. First of all, the floors are divided, and unlike the wide open auditorium, there are partitions on the left, right, and back.
Other conveniences were provided upon request, but in the grand scheme of things, this was all. If you think about it as an airplane, it’s like the difference between first class and economy class.
As expected, many convenient facilities were provided inside the partition. There was also a call seat that could be reached with just a stretch of the hand, as well as communication modifications required when bidding. The bed sofa looks a little high, but it means you can clearly see underneath.
But these things are not important.
Before sitting down on the sofa, I pretended to relax and looked around carefully. However, I looked in various places, including the ceiling, floor, and corners, but found nothing particularly strange. After all, if you participated in this place, you must have been a bit of a bitch, so you probably didn’t do anything wasted.
‘Hwajeong.’
– huh?
‘Don’t you feel a bit of a sense of strangeness around here?’
– Feeling different? What strange feeling?
‘For example, a subtle flow of magic power.’
– That’s a huge… .
‘Not below. ‘Within two meters in all directions based on the space I am in now.’
– Hmm~. Excluding you, I feel like there are about six? It is difficult to regard it as human magic… . Why are you suddenly asking that?
Why are you asking? Today’s success or failure is ‘how much you can avoid doubt.’ It depends. If I show myself looking around, it might not be good in many ways.
As I muttered to myself, Hwajeong said she didn’t know what I was talking about and nagged me to speak clearly.
Anyway, six.
‘There are more than I thought.’
It was then. The moment I naturally picked up the communication crystal, the lights in the room suddenly turned off. Suddenly my vision became dark.
But it got dark for a while. Soon, the sound of the curtain being quickly removed was heard, and the lights on the ceiling illuminated the stage intensively. Eventually, amidst the quiet silence, a loud noise suddenly scratched my ears.
Drurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr easily either!
A moment later, the sound of something rolling suddenly stopped, and the woman I had seen at the reception desk earlier appeared from the right side of the stage.
At first, her face was stiff, but she soon relaxed and smiled prettily. A small communication crystal was hung on her left ear like a headphone, and in her right hand she was pulling what looked like a manual cart covered with a pure white cloth.
Is this just the beginning?
“You’ve waited a long time. First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who visited this place today… .”
I relaxed my eyesight and lay down on the sofa bed. Then, I activated my third eye by repeatedly flipping and catching the gold coin.
Let’s see, I thought there were a total of ten coming out today. I don’t think there is a lack of funds, but… .
“… “Kick.”
Well, there’s no need to write it all down.
So, where should we start?
I slightly wet my mouth with saliva.
*
“… The greeting was long. “We offer our sincere apologies, and now we will begin the auction!”
At the same time as he shouted, the white cloth covering the manual cart was opened wide. Dozens of pairs of eyes were immediately focused on her, but the woman never lost her smile the entire time. Because I know that these gazes are not directed at me.
Anyway, the first item that was finally shown was a beautiful cross-shaped souvenir that looked about fifteen centimeters tall and had a large jewel in the center. It seemed as if it had been made quite a long time ago and had a translucent color overall, but it had an old-fashioned feel, perhaps because the craftsman had carefully crafted it.
“Wow, this is a pretty cross, isn’t it?”
The woman opened her eyes and pretended to be exaggeratedly surprised.
“Hmm~. It looks pretty on the outside, but substance is still important, right? The efficacy is… . Oh, I almost said it. … in fact! This is top secret. “I don’t know the detailed benefits of the auction items, do I?”
The woman who spoke teasingly closed one eye.
But no matter how much you try to cheer it up, the response is very, very cold. Sometimes, ‘Hmm. Is the host here only picking crazy bitches?’ or ‘Why? It’s kind of cute.’ Words like this came and went, but the majority of users who participated in the auction only focused on the items, as if they were not at all interested.
Of course, there is a reason why we focus so intently.
Originally, the format in which all bidders revealed their prices at the same time and the person who offered the highest price won the item was called a blind auction.
However, blind auctions held on the streets at night are conducted according to a total of four principles.
1. The price is disclosed, but not simultaneously, and follows the existing auction method.
2. Do not set a starting price for any product.
3. The goods can be checked with the naked eye.
4. However, Goose Appreasel (including related magic) will not be revealed and cannot be used until the auction ends.
Even though it is like this, it still cannot be seen as luck or failure. This is because, in blind auctions, things that are guaranteed to perform to some extent are posted. So, should we say it is a kind of safety device?
In other words, if you are lucky, you can buy good items at a relatively low price. Conversely, when competition heats up, there are cases where prices are dozens of times higher. In the end, one way or another, the only thing to trust was the user’s personal insight.
It was then. The woman who was looking at her audience quietly placed her hand on her communication crystal and suddenly smiled.
“yes~. “You start with five hundred gold coins.”
“Oh, it just went up to 1,000 gold coins? Five hundred gold coins! Aren’t you upset? Are you going to lose like this?”
“Huh~. As soon as I could speak, 1,500 gold coins came out. But which sister are you just now? “Your voice is so good that I’m jealous.”
“Oh, three thousand gold coins? really? Really? i love you!”
Three thousand gold coins. It is definitely not a small amount. However, considering that the customer base for this auction is not just individuals who participated out of curiosity, but at least mid-sized clans, it is not incomprehensible.
The amount gradually increased and soon exceeded 6,000 gold coins. As prices rose, the underground auction house began to heat up little by little. Most of the participants analyzed the items with their eyesight maximised.
Of course, that didn’t mean everyone was focused on the auction. Meanwhile, about six or seven people were focusing their attention on something other than the auction. At first glance, it looks like it is pretending to be watching an auction, but its eyes are glancing downward.
To be precise, he was secretly looking into the crystal that was emitting a soft light inside his chest.
Meanwhile, the first item had already reached 6,200 gold coins and was sold.
“Six thousand two hundred gold coins! “Isn’t it a joke today?”
“… yes? I beg your pardon? The first shot is a dog shot? “Who are you just now?”
“Just kidding~. “Sorry for the informal language.”
“Okay then, let’s use this momentum to show you the second item right away!”
The beginning of the blind auction went smoothly. The second purple potion was sold for 4,500 gold coins, but the third item, 100 arrows flashing dark red light, was sold for a whopping 12,000 gold coins.
The woman who was making a fuss about how good the market was today showed service by taking off her outer dress (although still no one showed interest), then ran as if she was flying and pulled the fourth manual cart.
“Sisters and brothers~.”
The woman who spoke with a lot of charm,
“Yah!”
With a cute spirit, he vigorously pulled back the cloth.
“this time… . oh?”
It seemed like he was about to continue speaking, but suddenly he let out an exclamation and blinked his eyes. A strong look passed through the woman’s eyes as she opened her mouth in a daze.
“uh… … … … . This?”
The woman who was slowly reaching out her hand suddenly stopped in shock. This is because she is prohibited from touching the items arbitrarily unless there is a special request from the contestant.
At that time, subtle flinching began to appear throughout the audience.
Several users who were busy looking back and forth between the stage and below suddenly fixed their gaze downwards.
In the slightly lifted arms, a communication crystal ball is emitting a soft light. In the scene seen inside, her man, who had been lying still until now, was leisurely getting up. She then brings the crystal ball held in her right hand to her mouth.
It was that moment.
“ah… !”
—————————= Review of the work ——————– ——-=
Halloween / I wanted to see mermaids eat.
ah… . I tried to write that down, but I didn’t. A mermaid was found alive on the street right before the auction house… . hmm. Anyway, I was going to write something like that, but after thinking about it, I thought it would be an overly cruel description. Still, thank you for remembering something that wasn’t even mentioned in a few lines, and it’s a bit surprising that you had similar thoughts as me. lol
fantasy,
