The dull sound of a hammer rising from the depths of the auction hall officially signaled the start of Plain City's ambitious atmosphere. The first items to appear on stage were quite appetizing for this elite society gathered from all over the Gold State. On the other hand, there seemed to be nothing of note for those in the cabins. A few Sage Realm level talismans, several hundred tons of high-quality raw ore extracted from local mines—which, while not drawing significant attention from others, caught Mais's interest to some extent. He could forge much higher quality weapons for the army. Unfortunately, he lacked the labor force required for such a task. If he held Yellow City, this wouldn't be a major problem. Then again, Red River City was even better than Yellow City at blacksmithing. Still, Mais did not control Red River City.
As a result, Mais decided not to be hasty. Such a purchase would be difficult to carry even with a normal spatial ring. He had made a mistake once before by drawing attention with his ring. He had no intention of repeating that mistake.
Later, an item was presented that opened Hideo Yun's eyes and even surprised Mais. An Origin Heart Pill. Even if it was only low-grade, its creation required at least a lower-level True Alchemist. It wouldn't be surprising if a True Alchemist had put it up for sale.
"This pill was actually not among our expectations either," the scrawny announcer began to explain. He had sensed the people's surprise. "Shortly before the auction began, Master Alchemist Simon gave us this pill to put up for sale. It appears Lord Atreus stopped by the city for a short time and decided to present this pill to liven up the auction. According to Master Simon, Lord Atreus hopes this pill finds the person it is destined for. Bidding will start at 10,000 gold and will increase by at least 500 gold."
'Destiny? Just call it money.'
Hideo sulked. He knew he didn't have the slightest chance of obtaining that pill.
Mais chuckled. While everyone was excited about the pill, Mais could clearly understand that Lord Atreus was messing with this noble crowd.
"Just a low-grade Origin Heart Pill."
It was something any True Alchemist could do. As long as a True Alchemist focused on making a single pill, the lowest grade they could produce would be a low-grade Origin Heart pill. This was the level of those who had only recently become True Alchemists.
For Lord Atreus, it was just an ordinary pill he had made.
Of course, Hideo did not agree with Mais's view, but Mais didn't care about him. He didn't care about the pill either, but he liked the move Lord Atreus used to inflate the pill market. Clearly, Mais made no attempt to buy the pill. Luka Navan had no need for such things and already had True Alchemists serving the Navan family. Auction Lord Regal didn't care either. This pill was only low-grade and would be of no use to him. City Lord Uzai was in the same position. Moreover, Lord Atreus was the Guild Lord of the Alchemist Guild in Plain City. Although Uzai couldn't often corner this man, he could sometimes ask him to do things—for a fee, of course.
Even as the Lord of a major city, he couldn't pressure a branch of the Alchemist Guild. The Alchemist Guild was at least as powerful as the nine great clans. They simply didn't interfere in kingdom affairs, but that didn't mean they wouldn't address the situation if other alchemists were bullied. Members of the Alchemist Guild could use their membership to summon force in internal matters, but they couldn't use the guild's power for their own selfish desires. This was why the Alchemist Guild stood apart from the nine great clans. This was also largely due to its origins being outside the Forgotten Kingdom. The World Bank was in the same situation. Therefore, the alchemists of the guild were quite free individuals. Power was used by them to secure that freedom.
There wasn't much interest in this pill in the other cabins either, in fact. Although Merchant Samuel was only a Sage, he had reached this realm through pills. He actually knew a few True Alchemists in other cities. He was an extremely wealthy merchant, and this pill wouldn't even help him secure an introduction to Lord Atreus. Thus, he showed no interest.
Among the five cabins, the only person interested in the pill was Bekko Bosua. By chance, the pill would be quite useful for him, and in Bekko's current situation, even reaching a True Alchemist was a luxury, let alone asking one to craft a pill.
In the end, Bekko managed to purchase the pill for around 70,000 gold. Considering this was an Origin Heart Pill, it was easy to see he bought it at a very reasonable price. It hadn't even cost a single low-grade Energy Crystal, which was a surprising bargain for an Origin Heart Pill.
Bekko also seemed satisfied with the result. His wealth generally came from selling the monsters he hunted as a Sage, and he wasn't like Kasuur. Though he hesitated to risk his life, doing nothing was already putting his life at risk. Moreover, he didn't damage the monsters much and could sell them at good prices. This had largely built his current fortune.
Meanwhile, in the fourth cabin, Mais and Hideo were quietly following the proceedings. While Hideo watched the floor below like a hawk through the wide glass of the cabin, Mais simply leaned back, listening to the hum of the hall and the descriptions given about the items.
In these early stages of the auction, only two voices had risen from the upper-floor boxes. Merchant Samuel, in an effort to expand his trade network, let no one else take a few rare raw materials, while Bekko in the third cabin, in a rush to secure his own future, bid on several defensive pieces. Apparently, he was more afraid of his brother than he appeared. Not a single stir came from the cabins of Luka Navan or City Lord Uzai. This silence created a kind of pressure for the crowd crushing each other below, a reminder that the main storm had yet to break.
Just then, there was a soft but authoritative knock on the door of the room where Mais and Hideo were. Auction Lord Regal entered, wearing a magnificent robe tailored from heavy fabrics, his presence immediately making the air in the room heavy even if his steps did not shake the floor. The guide in the room, seeing the deep gaze of the old man, bowed with great respect and quietly exited. Regal stood in the center of the room for a while without saying anything; his gaze caught on the mask on Mais's face for a moment. He looked at that face for a while. Even though Mais was certain the old man could see nothing, the man's gaze made him uncomfortable.
"I hope you have found our city to your liking, Sage..." the old man began, his voice soft but wise in tone. He paused, as he didn't know Mais's name. Mais noticed the situation. "Prince," he said. The old man Regal was surprised for a moment and then nodded with a slight smile on his face. They chatted briefly about unimportant matters, such as the state of their accommodation and whether they were comfortable. Hideo occasionally joined the conversation, but seeing that Regal paid him little attention, he focused back on the auction and did not interrupt their talk.
'Hmph, arrogant Lords.'
Regal was measuring the calm Sage aura Mais emitted while speaking with a courtesy hidden behind ordinary words. Just before leaving, as if merely discussing the weather, he mentioned the identities and positions within the state of those sitting in the other cabins. He spoke of Luka's ambition, Uzai's unyielding pride, and Bekko's cornered state; without revealing why he shared this information or what Mais was supposed to make of it, he left the room with the same quiet steps.
"What was that all about?" Hideo asked suddenly. He didn't know much about this old man and doubted the old man knew anything about them. So where had this sudden benevolent attitude come from?
"Just a man who can benefit from chaos." Mais could guess the old man had plans of his own but unfortunately lacked the ability to foresee them.
Honestly, neither of them knew why Regal had suddenly appeared and assisted Mais. Had the man just wanted to try and guess the identity of this masked sage? Learning where they came from wasn't actually that impossible. After all, Hideo wasn't wearing a mask. Moreover, Mais's identity was unimportant at the moment. Just a masked Sage. What of it? There were even a few such people in the crowd below. Therefore, neither could make sense of the situation. Just a few small guesses.
Shortly after Regal's departure, the hum coming from below died down as if cut with a knife. A two-meter silver box, covered with a silk cloth and sealed with several formations, was brought to the stage. When the official lifted the cloth, the air in the hall was suddenly shaken by a sharp energy. The item inside... was a sword.
"A high-grade sage weapon."
Bekko stood still in surprise. There weren't many weapons of this style, and the weapon itself was certainly much more valuable than the pill. After all, a pill was just an aid. A sword directly increased combat power by several levels, even if it was only in the Sage Realm.
This was a high-level Sage Weapon, an impressive sword that dazzled the eyes of the entire hall under its light, embodying mastery and power in every curve. The presence of the sword captured the attention of all the boxes.
Even though Luka and Uzai were Lords, they still had Sages around them. They didn't necessarily have to buy it for themselves, did they?
Hideo turned to Mais with excitement when he saw this glittering sword on the stage. "There are reports of a new Sage being born in Yellow City. Besides my father. I know you don't have another Sage Weapon in your possession. That is why—"
"You don't need to try and convince me."
Mais locked onto the sword's aura from behind the mask. It looked like a suitable gift for a new alliance.
"Our opening bid will start at 20,000 gold—"
"50,000 gold."
For the first time, a voice rose from the fourth cabin, which had been as silent as a statue until that moment. Without setting aside the staff in his hand, Mais silenced the entire hall with just a few words from where he sat. Hideo was also surprised, but at this point, he wasn't entirely sure of the extent of Mais's wealth. The 20,000 gold opening bid turned into a challenge with Mais's voice. The sudden jump to 50,000 caused the eyes in the rooms to turn toward Mais. Merchant Samuel, Bekko, City Lord Uzai, and Luka Navan. They were all looking at the fourth box. Even most of the thousands of people below were overcome with curiosity about the individual in this cabin. Despite all the stares, Mais maintained his unshakable posture next to the nervous Hideo.
Bekko grit his teeth. He had to obtain this Sage Weapon.
"60,000 gold."
And so, the bidding for the high-level Sage sword began.