[Raul PoV]
Several days have passed since my journey to Drimgot, the city of the Montana Mountain Dwarves.
The Dwarves and I reached two pivotal agreements after I successfully synthesized the Adamantite metal and provided them with its chemical composition recipe.
First, my followers and I are permitted to enter the city and access their labyrinth. This means I can execute my plans in the future when the forces of the Republic of Venetia decide to launch an invasion through this specific route.
Second, I requested that they dispatch several Dwarves to work alongside Olen Musk in developing artifacts. With Olen Musk's creativity and the Dwarves' technical mastery, I believe the development of magical technology within the organization I lead will progress much faster.
However, Thorim requires time to train the chosen Dwarves in the human language so that they can communicate and cooperate effectively once they arrive at my location.
Additionally, I brought back several artifacts gifted to me by Zephyr—the spectacled Chairman of the Dwarven Council who tested me—as a token of his gratitude for discovering the metal recipe that will allow the Dwarves to return to their golden age of creating magical tools.
The first is a magical signal artifact named Light Bulb. This is a paired set of artifacts capable of sending and receiving magical signals in the form of light flashes, with a maximum range of 3,000 km. I find this excellent; I can use Morse code to issue commands to my members if they are on missions far from me.
The second is Morning Call; when activated, this artifact can record a voice that can be stored for up to three months.
The last is a rain-cloud-producing artifact named Hocus Pocus. However, this artifact can only be utilized once per month.
With these achievements, the visit to the city of the Dwarves was truly profitable. Not only did I succeed in reaching my goals there, but I also acquired several highly useful artifacts.
Currently, I am heading toward the main gate of this city's fortress. my members have already gathered there, preparing to return to the academy as our field study period has concluded.
Upon reaching the main gate, I saw several horse-drawn carriages lined up. All my members had gathered, except for Ariel, who had been taken by Holy Knight Lunaria to the Holy City of Notredame.
"Captain, everything is ready," Eric said to me.
"Very well, everyone board the carriages. We are returning to the academy now."
After stowing our belongings in the back, I climbed onto the driver's seat alongside Scarlett. Seeing that all members had boarded and were ready for departure, I snapped the reins of the two horses in front to begin the journey.
We began to leave this territory, but I knew that before long, we would be reassigned here. War between the Empire and the Republic of Venetia is unavoidable; both desire to be the most dominant nation on the continent.
Currently, the Republic of Venetia holds an official military alliance with the Greco Republic after assisting that nation's government in overthrowing the Agonid Dynasty—the monarchs who previously ruled that land.
However, an alliance with the Greco Republic alone is not enough for the Republic of Venetia to balance the military strength of the Empire. I suspect they will seek another nation to cooperate with in the upcoming war.
There are currently two greatest possibilities for nations that might collaborate with the Republic of Venetia in a war against the Empire.
The first is the Kingdom of Weimar.
Twenty years ago, the Empire was involved in a proxy war with the Kingdom of Weimar during a civil war in the Country of Kuwalid. The Empire supported the rebels, while the Kingdom of Weimar supported the ruling El-Arami dynasty at the time.
Ultimately, the rebels won the war, and the Empire secured territory in the south of Kuwalid as a reward for assisting them. As a result of this conflict, relations between the Empire and the Kingdom of Weimar soured. Emperor Philip attempted to mend his nation's relationship with Weimar, one way being through the marriage of several Imperial nobles to Weimar nobles to bind the two nations closer, but this has not entirely erased the negative opinions the Kingdom of Weimar holds toward the Aragon Empire.
The second is the Kingdom of Draconia.
Truthfully, the relationship between the Kingdom of Draconia and the Aragon Empire is quite good, and both frequently cooperate. However, this relationship is not one of equals. The Empire always feels their nation is superior to the Kingdom of Draconia. For that reason, although they often work together, it is usually the Empire that gains more benefit from the bilateral cooperation.
The Kingdom of Draconia is too afraid to be on the Empire's bad side, especially since they currently have no alliances with other nations. It is not impossible that the Kingdom of Draconia harbors a desire to break free from the shackles of the Aragon Empire's strong influence.
After several hours of travel, we finally arrived in the territory of the Duchy of Salamanca—specifically in the City of Seragosa, led by Countess Bellerin de Nunoville.
"Captain, aren't you coming with us to the academy?" asked Scarlett, who suddenly saw me dismounting from the driver's seat.
"You lot go on ahead, I have some business to attend to around here," I told her.
The group continued their journey while I remained here to find an inn.
I am staying here temporarily to carry out the mission given to me by the Keeper early last month, which is to recruit a Cursed Child located at a black market auction. Additionally, if I am lucky, I will find an Elf for my future plans to gain significant influence in the Tsardom of Slavia.
Upon reaching the inn, I rented a room and rested, as I will be visiting the black market auction site later tonight.
. . . . .
In the evening, I woke up and prepared a large sum of money to attend the auction, specifically around 1,000 Gulden to purchase the Cursed Child. If I recall correctly, a Cursed Child is considered an S-class slave with a price range of approximately 500 to 1,000 Gulden.
After bringing a sack full of gold coins, I went out toward the auction site. The location was a large tent situated in a forest not far from the city. The organizers bribed Countess Bellerin so that no authorities would disrupt their business in her territory.
After traveling for about half an hour, I finally arrived in the forest where the auction was being held. I saw several horse-drawn carriages transporting cages filled with humans and rare animals toward the back of the large tent.
I walked casually toward the entrance, but I was suddenly stopped by a man and a woman wearing animal masks.
"Pardon me, Sir, do you wish to participate in the auction here?" asked the man wearing a fox mask.
"Of course, what is the procedure?" I asked him.
"Sir can purchase a number for 100 Gulden," the woman wearing a rabbit mask answered my question. "This number can be used whenever you wish to return to an auction at this location."
After hearing their explanation, I opened the sack I was carrying and gave them one hundred Gulden. The man then counted it first before giving me a number paddle labeled with the number 77.
"Here, Sir. Everyone participating in this auction has their identity kept secret," the woman said while giving me an owl mask.
I put on the mask and entered the large tent. A guard then directed me up a set of stairs. There, I began to see several people who were about to participate in the auction. Currently, I am in a grandstand. This place is like a tent found at a typical circus performance.
Almost all the stands were already filled with participants joining the auction.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! We return tonight to the place where you can easily find special goods and slaves!"
Suddenly, a promoter with a cat mask emerged from a smaller tent, welcoming everyone present.
"Tonight, we have prepared something special that you rarely encounter in auctions like this!" the promoter exclaimed. "However, we will reveal that special something at the end of the event! For the opening, we will offer an artifact for you."
After the promoter said that, two people with mouse masks came out while pushing a wheeled table. On top of the table, a necklace with a sun-shaped pendant was visible.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! This is an A-Class Artifact named Mana Recharge!"
The participants' gazes focused on the artifact displayed by the organizers.
"This artifact is capable of fully recharging the owner's Mana three times a day," the promoter revealed. "I will start the bidding at 100 Gulden. Are there any interested parties for this artifact?"
After he said that, a woman with a dog mask stood up and raised her number paddle.
"Yes, number 41! Is there anyone who wants to bid higher?" the promoter asked.
This time, a man with a lion mask stood up and raised his participant number paddle.
"One hundred and ten!" the lion-masked man shouted.
"Is there a higher bid than Gentleman number 21?" the promoter asked again.
"One hundred and twenty!" "One hundred and fifty!" "One hundred and seven—No, two hundred Gulden!"
Several participants began raising their bids, competing for the artifact. A Mana recharge artifact is indeed very useful in battles that consume time, such as those lasting 20 minutes or more. Usually, if a battle has lasted that long, stamina or Mana becomes the deciding factor.
"270 Gulden!"
Silence followed after someone shouted that figure. A-class artifacts on average have a value ranging from 100 Gulden to 500 Gulden. Normally, 270 Gulden wouldn't make the participants back down. However, it seemed they were letting the first item go in order to obtain something better according to their targets.
"If there are no further bids, then the Mana Recharge artifact is successfully sold to participant number 52 for the price of 270 Gulden!" the promoter said.
After that, the auction continued. There were many goods, humans, and even Demihumans. However, after several hours of waiting, the organizers did not display a single small child for auction. This made me wonder, did I enter the correct auction?
Indeed, black market auctions are not only held in this region. However, the closest one to my location is only in the Duchy of Salamanca. The other two are in the southern and northwestern regions of the Empire.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! We have finally reached the end of the event!" the promoter shouted. "The last is a special item for tonight. Bring the three of them out, children!"
After the promoter said that, a large wheeled cage emerged from the small tent. The participants began whispering to each other; some of them seemed to be seeing this creature for the first time.
"Isn't that an Elf?" "The rumors were true! They are mesmerizing!"
Inside the cage, there were three elf children hugging each other, looking terrified. It seemed they were uncomfortable being watched by the hundreds of people present.
"I present to you, three charming elf children!" the promoter said. "It took extra hard effort for us to obtain these rare specimens! For that, we will start the bidding at 500 Gulden!"
Everyone seemed to stand up, wanting to bid a high price for the three elves.
"Whatever the price, I will get these three elves!" "Hey, quickly call my family! We need more money to get them!"
The place became very noisy. If I indeed couldn't find the Cursed Child here, then at the very least I would bring something from this place.
"900 Gulden!"
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere that was initially very noisy suddenly became silent. All the participants who were standing earlier looked at me with annoyance. However, no one countered my bid.
"Damn, I only brought 800 Gulden here!" "Ugghh... now I regret buying too early, now my money only has 700 Gulden left."
Several people were heard regretting their previous purchases. On average, the participants here were wealthy businesspeople, officials, and noble families from various countries. 900 Gulden is not a small amount of money; this much money is the average annual income of a Count.
"Are there no other bidders?" the promoter asked. However, everyone remained silent, only able to stare at me with jealousy. "In that case, these three Elves are sold to participant number 77!"
Finally, I obtained the three Elves. Although I didn't get the primary target, which was a Cursed Child, at least I was bringing home a Secondary Target.
"Alright, that is all we can offer you for tonight! See you next month! We promise to bring something even more interesting than tonight!" said the promoter, ending the event.
After the event finished, I then went to the payment area and handed over the sack containing 900 Gold Coins to the organizers. They then directed me to the room where the three Elves were located.
"Thank you, you can leave now," I said to the man who escorted me. "I want to be alone with these three elves first."
"Very well, Sir. Just call us if you need anything," he said, then left the room and closed the door.
I turned around; in front of me now were three female elf children sitting on a sofa with blank stares. One elf had red hair, one elf had green hair, and the last was a dark elf with silver hair.
"Hey..." I called them.
Hearing me speak, the three of them turned their attention to me. Reaching into the pocket of the suit I was wearing, I pulled out three chocolates I had previously bought in the city. I then offered them to the three elf children, but they only stared at the three chocolates in silence.
I then opened the chocolate wrapper; the three of them watched what I was doing. Biting the chocolate, I showed them a satisfied expression, much like a character from a cooking anime I once watched.
As a result, the three elf children looked curious. I then opened the remaining two chocolate wrappers and offered them again to the three elves in front of me. This time, they took them and bit the chocolate just as I had done before. They chewed before swallowing the chocolate they ate.
"Waaaahh..." One of the Elves smiled. "Νόστιμο!" "Τόσο γλυκό!"
Okay... I didn't understand what they were saying, but it seemed they liked the chocolate I gave them. Children everywhere and in any world surely love sweet foods.
"Hey." I called them again.
The three elves then looked at me while nibbling the chocolate in their hands.
"Raul!" I pointed my index finger at myself. "Maul?" murmured the green-haired elf while tilting her head.
"No, no, no." I made a gesture with my hand signaling that she had pronounced it wrong. "Ra-ul, Raul!" I said, teaching them again.
"Raul?" murmured the red-haired elf. "Raul?" This time she said it while pointing her index finger at me. "Right, right, right!" I nodded my head quickly.
"Egwyn!" the red-haired elf exclaimed while pointing to herself. "Airyn!" This time the green-haired elf spoke. "Ca-ca-caitlin," the dark elf said, appearing shy.
It seemed they had just introduced themselves. I then mentioned each of their names while stroking the hair of the three elves. They seemed comfortable, like a pet cat being scratched. They were all very cute... Liana would surely like it if she saw them.
After making the three elves feel comfortable, I then left the room to find a carriage courier so they could take me and the three elves to the place of Joff Bozes—one of my subordinates who manages our merchant guild.
I paced around behind the large auction tent; I saw many animals and humans caged here. Actually, participants could come here to buy items directly. However, the price would be much more expensive than doing it at the auction.
Not long after walking in this area, my gaze saw something unusual. I saw a cage containing a young boy being surrounded by several people. Unlike the other cages, which were ordinary and nothing special, the cage the boy occupied looked large and luxurious.
Inside, several foods like steak, roast chicken, and drinks only found in cities were visible. The expressions of the people around the cage looked happy and joyful; their faces were flushed as if they were looking at someone they dearly loved.
"It seems I have found the Cursed Child I was looking for in this place."