The Auction, Part 1

Gerald observed the people coming in and soon noticed a few familiar faces.

Dark Knight, together with a few of his warriors, entered the auction hall and sat around the table, waiting.

Soon after, he saw Bishop Argoch enter the hall, followed by his disciples Rayner, Trevor, and Renna. They didn't sit down, instead, they went to the stairs leading to the first floor and left his field of vision.

The old alchemist noticed his look and went on to explain, "That's the Bishop of the Church of Innos, Bishop Argoch. Those three youngsters behind him are his apprentices of more than ten years, they are amongst the most talented mages that came from a common background."

"Is that so…" Gerald quietly answered, his mind's eyes still following them through the walls until they reached a special guest room and sat down inside. He then focused his attention back on the new arrivals.

Many more people came, and most were unfamiliar to him. Luckily the old alchemist was kind enough to swiftly introduce a few more prominent figures.

"Oh, would you look at that! Even the headmaster of the Magic Academy is here!"

Pointing at the man in luxurious robes, Edon Ashbrew explained, "His name is Errgan Glacis, a respected Ice Mage that brought the academy to greater heights during his lifetime. He is responsible for nurturing many great talents of the young generation."

"Oh, and that man conversing with him, I believe he is referred to as Elder Balin. He's one of the professors in the Academy."

Gerald nodded and made sure to remember the faces in case they came in hand later. Like the Bishop and his apprentices before, these two also came to the first floor and were led to their own room by servants of the Auction House.

Suddenly he noticed a familiar figure walking through the hallway behind them. it was the owner of the place himself, Arthur Rosecloud.

It appeared he was notified of the guest's arrival and directly entered one of the special guest rooms. It was Bishop Argoch's room.

The two men seemed to be conversing for a few minutes and then the Bishop handed over a few things. Arthur left the room shortly after and went to say a few words with the headmaster of the Academy, before leaving to his private quarters.

Before doing that though, he handed something to a servant who then disappeared somewhere in the back.

As Gerald was paying attention to this happening, the hall below was filling up with more people. He figured the place could probably hold a few thousand people, with a few hundred of them being seated on higher floors.

Soon a group of people entered the hall and attracted everyone's attention.

"The Phoenix Knights are here!"

Some of the lower merchants and small Lords of the surrounding cities gasped with hushed voices. Members of the Phoenix Knights were among the best warriors in the kingdom if we disregard the Royal Guard.

Every one of them had more influence than those small city Lords.

Needless to say that they were also led up the stairs to their own private room.

"Oh, is that Tullius Woodsen?" Gerald noticed another familiar face down below. The man was sitting at a table and chatting with the people around.

"Who?" the old alchemist asked and followed Gerald's gaze.

"Oh, it's just a small Lord, I had business with him once…" Gerald casually explained.

Nodding his head absentmindedly, Edon Ashbrew didn't pay any attention to the people below and instead made himself comfortable in his fancy chair and poured himself a cup of tea that was on the table.

Gerald did the same.

As the two men sipped tea, the curtains on the stage parted, and barely audible music started playing in the background.

It gave Gerald a feeling as if he was in a theater, waiting to watch a good show.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" a man on the stage shouted. "Welcome to this month's grand auction here at the Golden Pouch Auction House! My name is Sandor Rosecloud and I'll be your auctioneer for today!"

The audience quieted down and short applause welcomed the auctioneer.

Gerald leaned forward in his seat, excited to see what treasures are going to be sold.

"We will start this auction with something new!" Auctioneer Sandor made a short pause for suspense and then gestured backstage. An assistant pushed an armor stand on wheels on the stage.

People quietly gasped as the armor on display came to light. It was grayish-brown full-body plate armor, with an unmistakably organic look. It had light-brown gems on the pauldrons and vambraces, with dangerous-looking spikes coming out of the shoulders and arms.

"We are happy to present to you: The Minecrawler Plate Armor!" the man introduced. "It was sent to us by one of the master armor-makers and it is a one-of-a-kind prototype for a new class of personal armor!"

"As I'm sure you all already heard, recently a nest of Minecrawlers was discovered and also cleared out with the help of brave warriors! This armor is made in its entirety of the armor plates of those beasts! The toughness of the plates is comparable to iron and even steel, all the while being much lighter!"

The auctioneer spoke with a loud voice, introducing the product and praising it to the high heavens. His words of course triggered a heated discussion.

"Amazing! The craftsmanship mastery required for making a product like this must be extremely high! No wonder the master chose to remain anonymous!"

"Indeed, just look at that shape! It looks so menacing but comforting at the same time!"

The common folk down below discussed the first item on the auction loudly, and even a few people higher up showed some interest.

Sandor Rosecloud almost lost the grip on the presentation and had to shout to get everyone's attention back.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen! Calm down, what you have just heard is merely the beginning! The main effect of this armor is something else entirely! How could it stand in a new category all on its own otherwise!?"

He took a deep breath and puffed out his chest, "This beauty, unlike common iron armor, is completely capable of conducting Mana! In other words, this armor is specially made for mages who, until now, lacked proper protection! It is the beginning of a new era!"

"Armor for mages?!"

As soon as his words left his mouth, the hall erupted into chaos. Everybody understood what it meant.

No longer would the mages have to hide far away from the fight in their robes or leather armor. No longer would they only be used as a last resort in battles!

With their powerful defensive and offensive spells, and now with a new type of armor, they could be a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield!

"What's the price? I'm buying it! It's mine!" a wealthy noble shouted from down below.

"Yours, my ass! I have a son that just joined the Magic Academy, I'm buying this for his next birthday!"

The first shout was immediately followed by a second, and third, and forth…

It was soon impossible to make out what anyone was saying.

Fiiiiiiiiiii~

A high-pitched whistle cut through the turmoil and focused the attention of everyone back on the stage.

Sandor calmly cleared his throat and spoke, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is an auction where money talks! Let's do this like civilized people and keep the insults and arguing at a minimum!"

As he finished his righteous speech, his face turned serious and he said, "The starting price is a hundred gold coins, and the minimum bid must be at least ten higher! Let's begin!"

"One hundred and twenty!" someone immediately shouted.

"One hundred and thirty!"

"One hundred and fifty!"

"Two hundred!"