Chapter 192 Auction ( 2 )
Vincent couldn't help but express his admiration for the team of Archmages and Arch Knights who had taken the egg of the Runic Basilisk on its nest.
As someone who had attended the class of Arcane Mysteries over the past few weeks, Vincent learned many things about dungeons including their occupants.
Although most dungeons only have golems and spectral races living in them, there are still a few dungeons with 'living' creatures inside. One of them is the Dreaded Subterrane Dungeon which is found in the southern region of the Black Tower's territory.
Among the many dungeons in this land, this subterrane is one of the most profitable yet the most dangerous places you can explore.
The bidding immediately heated up as owning a hatchling of a Runic Basilisk isn't just a symbol of status but a great addition to your security as well.
Unlike Runic Badger which needs to evolve from a Psychic Badger, the Runic Basilisk inherits the power of its bloodline upon its birth making them intelligent and capable of using mana at a young age.
"12,500 Mana Crystals! Going once… going twice… sold!" Thorn announced with satisfaction. The price of the item exceeded his expectation.
After this, he announced that the auction will be continued by someone else. A beautiful and seductive lady in a red dress came up to the stage to replace the old man Thorn.
She has a pale complexion and is quite taller than average men. Anyway, she'd probably look a lot better if not for her blue ombre hair which is not a good contrast to her dress…
"Really?" Vincent asked after hearing Yasin's description and comment about her.
Without his vision, he can only listen to Yasin's description of her appearance. He asked him to do this since it would be a lot easier for him to differentiate the soul aura that he could sense from her.
The lady was introduced by Thorn as Velvet… It could be a stage name or her real name, nevertheless, she appears to be an expert in her job.
"The second item is a Skill Manual containing a rare Tier 4 Mana Art! It's called Demonic Right-Hand… Unlike the Tier 4 Death Hands which require a large supply of evil spirits to be refined in order to cultivate the art, this Demonic Right-Hand doesn't need the evil spirits' refinement and can easily be absorbed once you comprehended the first stage of the art! With this right hand, exploring places like Maidlet Cavern or Fallmond Chasm would be a lot easier… Aside from the boost of strength that it will provide you, any beasts that rely on their fear-inducing skills or even illusions will be nothing but cheap tricks with this hand."
Velvet introduced the second item as the attendants showed a rolled ancient parchment to everyone. Unlike the most recent skill manuals that are written in a book, this one appears to be very old.
Anyway, Vincent was still not interested in this item.
Of course, its value is higher than the Magic Beast's egg in his opinion but Tier 4 Mana Arts are something he could obtain as long as he has enough honor points within the academy. He can just visit the Mana Arts and Martial Techniques Hall once he gathers enough points and trades it with any Tier 4 Mana Arts within the tower that he could afford.
Well, that's one of the reasons why he's working in the Appraisal Master Hall anyway.
"Do you want me to bid, Sir Vincent?" Yasin asked. This is also one of his tasks here that's why Vincent invited him over. He didn't like calling his bid after all.
Although they only need to raise their number flag, it's better if someone else does it for him.
"No need. I have an easier method to obtain Tier 4 Mana Arts. Let's not waste our money on them… Perhaps if there's a Tier 5 Mana Art to be sold, we have to reconsider. I'm sure Yulia and the others will like that." Vincent said since he's not really aiming to use it for himself if he buys any Skill Manual above Tier 2 Mana Arts.
"I understand… There are 80 items on them and aside from the posted items, they also said that there will be surprises in this auction event… Maybe a Tier 5 Mana Art is one of them." Yasin answered.
They then listened to the bidding war as the price of the Tier 4 Mana Arts reached 7,800 Mana Crystals.
This is already a lot of money for a tier 4 Mana Arts but it doesn't seem to be ending just yet.
"7,900!"
"8,000! From number 231 again!"
"Tsk! 8,300! If you bid higher than this I'll give it to you… but I'll remember you, Sir." A man raising the number 192 flag said calmly. He doesn't sound threatening but his words are.
Nevertheless, the old man holding the Number 231 flag didn't seem to have noticed him and just continued his usual bid of increasing a hundred mana crystals.
"8,400 Mana Crystals!" Velvet said after seeing that the old man raised the flag and signaled the increment of a hundred again.
Just like what the other man said, he no longer competed with the old man and remained silent in his seat.
Threatening is the most he can do within the auction house because once he started using force, he would be the one in danger by the security forces of the Nexus Organization which is the owner of the Nexus Auction House.
Since they could mobilize a group of Archmage and Arch Knights to explore a dangerous dungeon, dealing with a lone Adept Mage inside their territory is certainly a lot easier.
"Going once… going twice… sold! Congratulations to Number 231! Again, I would just like to remind everyone that you can immediately take the item you've won. There is an attendant in every isle that you can ask to guide you and complete the transaction."
Velvet announced to remind everyone of the safety measures they are implementing to protect their buyers. Apparently, once you completed the transaction at the inner hall of the auction house, you can easily leave the place using one of their secret passages depending on the direction you wanted to arrive.
Of course, this is just an optional thing if the buyers felt threatened.
Velvet then continued with the third item. Many of the bidders didn't feel excited about it but Vincent was different.
A Soul Art meant for a 3-Star Aura Knight like him is being sold! There was no way he would let this opportunity pass!