Bluff

Elish maintained his calm demeanor as he looked at the receptionist's expectant smile.

50 million was a little over his budget, or rather it was ridiculously unachievable compared to the Coins he currently possessed.

'3,000 years ago things were not as expensive as this. It seems the value of currency has fallen, considering the quality I sense from the coins in my possession are slightly different from what I remember.'

His mind began calculating; if this was just the money for membership, how much would the actual goods being auctioned cost?

He looked at Astra, who was beside him. She had a subservient expression, almost as though she was suggesting that they could just give up on obtaining her wings.

'Without those wings, you're useless to me…' Unless he was to change her very biology, she couldn't be able to provide any military advantage.

'I don't really need her for that, but it's pathetic to have a weak subordinate.'

Still, in this kind of situation, what could he do?

In the past, as one of the 9 Monarchs, he had an unlimited supply of things, and his treasures were limitless; money, weapons, books, everything.

His collection far exceeded those of the others, even Enuma. Many wondered why, but if he was to give an answer it would be this:

As the Monarch of the Void Authority, he was usually associated with nothingness. Having an endless void, which was just empty, he satiated them with things of intrigue such as research and collections.

It was due to this that he developed Hex and created countless objects, including the body he possessed now.

'Even now, I keep picking up strays…'

In hindsight, he was grateful for those times now.

'A lot of my treasures would have been long lost and dispersed, and if humans found a way to access Hex, they'd have found some of my other possessions.'

But, it wasn't like they could find all of them.

'The food to be eaten on the table are not the same as crumbs meant for dogs.'

Not only had he kept some treasures hidden in key locations, but it was impossible for anyone to access them.

'It seems I'll be requiring one if those items now, considering the current situation.'

This was an item that would serve his ends now that he was in a financial crisis.

'It won't be long now…' Elish smiled slightly and returned his attention to the receptionist before him.

"This information has been helpful. However, as we are now, we do not have enough cash at hand. It would be tedious carrying such a large amount around anyway."

This way, he could get out of this without any hassle or reputational backlash.

But as soon as he uttered those words, he regretted them.

"Oh, sir, do you not have a Coin Card?" The receptionist asked him with a confused and surprised expression.

'Damnit, to think I made such a fundamental error in judgment.'

He indeed knew of Coin Cards, but since the imbecile whose memory he was leeching off of was a mere middle class personality, his knowledge on the concept was incomplete

However, now that he had been confronted with the same concept, Elish pieced everything together.

A Coin Card, in simple terms, was an item that contained the wealth of a person, or rather, a vast amount of money.

It was connected to the treasury of the owner. Since it was mostly used for very advanced and expensive transactions, it was a must-have for the rich.

This was to ensure that the wealthy didn't carry truckloads of coins just to buy expensive things.

'It's a more efficient system than Pledges or Seals.'

The reason being that Coin Cards could be used for immediate transactions without any kind of risk.

Unfortunately, due to its immense advantages, it was also incredibly expensive, and so only affluent people used them.

There are also different qualities of Cards, depending on how much could be connected to a Card at a time. For example, some cards may be able to transact 5 million coins, while others could go as far as hundreds of millions.

Since this particular Auction House dealt with the best even amongst the rich, a Coin Card was a given in its transaction, and to be without it was even unthinkable.

They called it a 'Cashless Transaction.' This was why the receptionist was surprised by him not having one.

He processed all these in a few seconds and smiled.

'I made a mistake.'

It seemed his ignorance had finally caught up to him.

Elish couldn't embarrass himself further than that, especially after being treated so courteously by the receptionist whose net worth was most likely higher than his.

[Side Note]

Elish and Astra's Combined Net Worth - 3,000 Coins

Receptionist Net Worth - 2,390,450 Coins

[….]

"Of course I do, what an insulting thing to say to someone of my standing. Do you know who I am?" Elish finally used the strategy had been saving for last.

Intimidation Bluff!

"Eeek," Was how he expected the receptionist to react.

However, to his surprise, she didn't seem too dazed by his reaction.

In fact, he could sense the reverence in her eyes dying out.

"Know your place," He furthered, only to see it fizzle out even more.

'Ah, I made another error…' Elish's thoughts trailed as he stared at the woman.

"I'm sorry for misunderstanding, sir. Please forgive my ignorance," she bowed slowly, but her voice rang hollow.

He could also see her line of sight shifting to the corners of the large hall, where some security officers were on standby.

'I underestimated her experience.' This woman had most likely dealt with frauds in the past, and considering the size of this establishment, it wasn't rare to find people who pretended to be affluent in order to gain unearned benefits.

In essence, she had met people who had used the same tactics he just tried to use on her.

'I mistook her courteous behavior for naïveté, but it seems like the opposite.'

Every worker had to treat a customer well and give them the benefit of the doubt.

Someone like her couldn't afford to offend someone of high standing, so she had to be as nice and respectful as possible.

However, if she was able to confirm that the person she was speaking to was simply a fraud, she wouldn't hesitate to take immediate action.

'Humans have really evolved over the years, huh?'

Their intelligence had advanced even further than in the past, and for that Elish chastised himself for lowering his guard.

'At this moment, she's probably in the middle of deciding what to do with me. If I make any more bluffs, it could end badly for me.'

Something like: "As long as you know," or "You better treat me right," would only end in his humiliation.

'I could just as well get what I want by force and eliminate the people in my way, but that would be unwise in the long run.'

After considering all his options, Elish realized he had one effective method.

A card up his sleeve.

'Hex…'

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[A/N]

What do you think of Elish's adventures thus far?

I hope you're enjoying the story.