The Great Sage of the Mountain

If there was something that caught Haldor's attention, it would be things that theoretically shouldn't exist in the medieval age. The sage of the Dark Tower, mentioned by Agror, sold items to him infrequently, but these articles were highly valued.

One such item was oil lamps, which Haldor was manufacturing for his city—something not even seen in the capital.

"The next item is a box with thirty-five fruits, not only delicious but also filled with abundant energy!"

"100 gold coins!"

"250 gold coins!"

"350 gold coins!"

Haldor's cold eyes appraised the fruits, considering them at least good enough to try something new in the future. He waited for the weaker participants to bid before joining in.

At that moment, the price had stalled at 450 gold coins.

"One of the participants in a private room offered 500 gold coins. Does anyone want to offer more?"

"500 once!"

"500 twice!"

The auctioneer was about to award the item to the private room bidder when suddenly, a crystal lit up in the special room, where only the auction house owner could be.

Without any preparation, a cold, deep voice was heard: "I'll pay 700 coins for those fruits!"

Everyone turned towards the voice, looking at a private room on the left, a place where no participant had ever shown interest or spoken before.

"Is the auction house owner competing with us?"

"That makes no sense; it clearly sounded like a young man's voice!"

"That must be the future consort; I saw him enter that room!"

"For those curious, I am Haldor. There's no need for further introductions. Since I don't want to waste time, I hope no one minds if I take those items. If I don't like them, I'll feed them to the ducks in my lake. If anyone has an issue, they know where to find me."

Haldor's words were arrogant, but no one dared to say anything. They knew the fearsome reputation of this man, who was protected by armored bears. No one was foolish enough to oppose a young man capable of killing without hesitation and engaged to a princess who recently gained power in the royal struggle.

"Sold for 700 gold coins!"

Agror looked at Haldor with shining eyes. His arrogance and confidence were intriguing, but something inside him told him he was in the presence of someone potentially great. Never before had he met a man willing to challenge both new and old gods; never before had he seen a human with such unparalleled character.

"Can you tell me where that sage lives?" Haldor was interested in the man with knowledge beyond his time.

Agror nodded and said, "Of course, I'll provide the exact location."

"And I'll be grateful for it."

"Then tell me, when will you get married?" Agror asked Haldor naturally.

The question was so natural that even Haldor, standing next to him, answered it naturally: "Maybe in a few months, after the queen stabilizes, which will take some time. After that, there will be the oath of loyalty to the heir to the Iron Throne, so the meeting will be later, and my marriage even later."

"Things to come will shake the seven kingdoms."

"That's nothing compared to what we expect; it'll be much worse."

"Of course, it's never good to get ahead of events," Agror said with a subtle smile.

After twenty minutes, many more items were announced, including beast parts, blood, magical objects, and many other rare things.

"The next item is the rainbow diamond I mentioned earlier. Due to everyone recognizing the magical qualities of this item, you can start bidding for this valuable article." The auctioneer announced it excitedly.

"3,000 gold coins!"

"4,000 gold coins!"

"5,000 gold coins!"

In no time, everyone was frozen by the powerful increases in bidding. In truth, no one thought it was an item worth that much. After all, it was just a good-looking crystal.

However, for the knowledgeable, that rainbow diamond was a significant item that could be used to create a key leading them to the woman of their dreams.

"That's really interesting. I didn't think that Crystal would be of interest to these people. If I hadn't considered it, a fight would break out here for that diamond." Haldor mocked the gains he had just made; for him, it was very easy to make money.

"Nobles are like that; they spend their money to demonstrate their status in the nobility. This way, they make it clear to everyone that they are much more influential," Agror thought about how he became the owner of this place.

During that time, he could save the few slaves who would be helpful. He couldn't save them all since he didn't have the power or time to dedicate to raising them. That's why everyone in the auction house were children he once bought and taught everything to, so they could take care of the place when he wasn't there.

"7,000 gold coins!"

"8,000 gold coins!"

"Congratulations! It seems this item will soon reach ten thousand coins—an enviable amount," Agror said, after seeing how Haldor had earned a fortune by selling items he considered common.

The armored bears deserved the credit; after all, they were the best blacksmiths in the world.