After hearing Softspark's explanation, the group stares at each other in agreement. Alex, Tereza, Benezia, and Menchi sit down in their places on the side of the hall, watching Softspark's podium from an angle. To their right, and also on the floor above them, are seating spaces for the players. Alex is filled with hope as more and more people enter, everyone looking excited.
The auction hall quickly fills up, and many guests are cheerfully chatting with each other, voices overlapping in a low, restless buzz.
Doing his best to count, Alex stops after reaching 200. Despite the many people entering, the hall doesn't fully fill up, with a few seats still remaining empty here and there.
Good enough... I guess?
"Do not worry," Benezia says, looking at Alex. "There are some players here representing entire guilds and groups. The amount does not matter—many of them are here only to spectate."
"Thanks for telling me, but I thought I told you not to read my thoughts without permission," Alex replies, smiling.
"... I am simply unable to comprehend this type of human humor," Benezia states, turning her attention back towards Softspark.
Meanwhile, Tereza grins, clearly satisfied with the turnout. "This is better than I thought," she says confidently, almost proud of it.
Alex and Menchi look excited as well, nodding along, but Benezia has a frown on her face, her mood noticeably more cautious.
"What's wrong?" Alex asks her, seeing that she is seemingly not satisfied at all. "Not satisfied? This looks quite good."
"You realize what we are selling here, right? You are too naive... children," Benezia questions, sounding serious.
"What? We are not selling items belonging to the Seekers. Most of this shit was looted fair and square. Those people at the docks of Nanohana were not Seeker members. I just looted a few items from them that they do not care about and can't even be traced back to them. Also, if they disrupt the event, they'll get kicked out," Alex argues, not appearing worried at all.
"I was not talking about the Seekers. This auction will increase our reputation, and a big change like that can lead to positive or negative results. In any case, I am worried," Benezia argues. "There are tremendous risks involved."
Now I'm getting worried as well....
However, left with no time to regret or question the situation, Softspark decides to start the auction. A few of her guards step onto the stage, and every guest immediately notices that the room is beginning to quiet down on its own, everyone staring forward in anticipation.
For the first time, Alex pays attention to her clothes. She is wearing a small traditional goblin suit, looking androgynous, but certainly high-class. Compared to the glamorous Snazzik, Softspark looks competent, trustworthy, and skilled, if also a little bit boring.
Softspark then steps forward and begins to speak:
"On behalf of the Goblin Union, I, Softspark, welcome you, respected players, to today's private auction. It won't be a long event, and these items were obtained by a pair of players through an immense use of resources and tremendous risks. The rules are simple: your system interfaces will activate should you decide to participate in the auction. I will name the starting prices and the minimum increments, and they will appear on your system screens as well."
"Most items were already advertised, but I will still briefly introduce each piece. With the exception of the Gold Quality Devil Fruit—whose information will only be partially available to view—everything else will be fully presented to you. I'd like to remind all players that we do not accept any sort of interruption. At the end, the clients responsible for the items in this auction are also willing to entertain offers, so if that is something that interests you, you may do so then."
Her gaze hardens, and the guards walk toward the front of the stage, successfully looking as intimidating as possible, quite the feat with their relatively small size.
"Please follow the rules, or we will immediately ban you from this event and from further interaction with the Union. Let me warn you, this ban may last for years or forever and will make you an enemy of the Union. This event is free to attend—we merely request that you show a basic amount of respect, decorum, and follow our rules. Let me quickly go over them, so there are no accidents."
She then explains various rules, such as only addressing Softspark and only placing their bids with the system or per voice, without saying anything else, to avoid influencing the other players.
Certainly a different style from Snazzik, huh? I like it. This is serious after all, I'm not in the mood to fuck around if money is involved.
Princess Jewel is not entertained. She would require a copious amount of chicken to enjoy this sort of boring show.
If I get rich, I can fucking sit on the ground in the rain for a day or so and still feel great without getting bored. Just watch... we can celebrate later.
With chicken?
Fine....
❤️
Glimmerwhisk finally begins her auction, four large screens floating over her, many players also viewing them through their own systems.
"We'll start with an opportunity to acquire a deadly combination of weapons. In a certain world native to pirates, a certain type of sword reigns supreme. You have the opportunity to not only obtain one, but three of them, along with a rare skillbook. Let me present to you: [Kakuzen], [Chimamire], [Keiren], and [Skillbook: Dual Sword Proficiency]."
Too bad I allied with the Straw Hats... Three Sword Proficiency would have been the perfect fit, hehe. That's probably a Gold Quality skill, though. Maybe... even higher. Equipping three swords alone will raise stats by a lot, I guess. That would be OP.
"Before we start, I'd like to introduce them one by one, and give you the information on the average weapon of the same Quality, so you can assess their worth."
Softspark proceeds to explain every sword in detail, providing information that even Alex didn't know. She not only talks about durability, damage, special effects, but also the overall effect and value. More importantly, she states random numbers, to make comparisons, Alex does not even know if they are lies, manipulated, or actually accurate.
One by one, starting with the swords, she skillfully presents each item as neutrally as possible, making her appear extremely convincing. However, Alex notes that she is clearly overstating the positives, and only briefly mentioning any perceived downside, such as the comparatively low durability, with other types of weapons.
"Now, the starting bid is 20,000 FC. Bidding proceeds in increments of 1,000 FC."
The three weapons quickly sell one after another for a total of 93,000 FC, a respectable, but not outrageous amount. The skillbook sells for 45,000 FC. A seemingly rowdy and average group of players sitting at the back yell loudly, despite their system's ability to place silent bids, and still end up winning, somehow, fistbumping after winning the item.
They look like newbies to me... well, congratulations and thanks for the FC!
Not minding the chaos, Softspark quickly auctions item after item, keeping the pace steady and trying to entertain the audience enough to place bids.
[Three Pronged Claw] and [Skillbook: Claw Proficiency] sell for another 27,000 FC and 19,000 FC. She quickly auctions off the [Skillbook: Axe Proficiency], which doesn't have any suitable item to pair with, earning just 20,000 FC—the minimum offer, and the first perceived disappointment of the day.
"Axes are rather unpopular," Benezia quickly explains, whispering towards Alex. "This is still acceptable. I've seen these sell for around 15,000 FC. In a sense, this is slightly above market rate, which is still acceptable, even if you deduct the fee of 10%."
Hearing her calm voice enter his ear, Alex can't help but tense up for a second, before he quickly regains his focus and keeps his face neutral.
"Now, for another valuable collection of items," Softspark continues, and Tereza tenses up as she recognizes her own items immediately.
She then auctions off a couple of Tereza's items, finally presenting her [Thrice Reckless Mad Saber's First Saber].
"A unique weapon, with an effect not inferior to Gold Quality items. Highly specialised and situational, this weapon has incredible potential. A starting bid of 125,000 FC. We will not sell this item under value. Our clients are more than fine taking their time, even if they have to wait for the next auction. Skilled players will see the value this weapon offers."
Surprisingly, only two players are interested in the weapon, along with someone Alex strongly suspects to be a plant for Softspark, driving up the price without shame. Finally, the saber manages to sell for an absurd amount of 182,000 FC—far more than Tereza herself expected—leaving her quite satisfied.
Altogether, Tereza earns 320,000 FC, which leaves her with 288,000 FC profit, making her look a little dazed, seemingly overwhelmed by such a large number.
"I've noticed that a few of you esteemed guests are losing interest. How about we sell our first Devil Fruit of the event?" Softspark says, her voice calm and professional, the timing sharp enough to feel deliberate. "I'm pleased to present to you the extremely valuable and useful [Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Falcon]."
"Inexperienced players might not be aware, but items granting innate skills are extremely costly. An item such as this can't be compared to weapons of the same rarity," she continues, not bothering to soften the statement. "While this Devil Fruit is only Light Purple, we are refusing to sell it for anything below 500,000 FC."
"Now, new players might question this amount, but let me ask you, dear players. How much would you pay for the ability to fly? The ability to fly for days, gliding through the wind? To travel all across whatever world you're being sent to?
"Not only that, this powerful Zoan fruit increases your stats by an astonishing amount. In a fully transformed state, this item grants 10 stats per level with an additional 5 per level increase. This amount of stats is simply incomparable to any regular skill. Even in its hybrid form, does this item raise your stats while still allowing you to use weapons without a problem. It's a uniquely useful fruit, suitable for combat, exploration, travel, and most importantly, to flee."
"If you refuse to pay not even a measly sum of 500,000 FC, our clients will simply keep this treasure for themselves. Frankly speaking, esteemed players, if you think that this is too much, then I am wasting my breath convincing you. We are bidding in increments of 10,000 FC."
She almost sold me... that's what I said! Flying around is just insane.
Now, with the first real treasure being sold, the hall comes to life.
"500,000!" someone yells without hesitation.
Ten people shout over each other, while others can't help but react loudly, the price shocking them all at once.
Alex hears the bids climb up to 550,000 FC, then 600,000 FC, smiling already.
However, the bidding stops as the doors to the hall open and an elderly woman walks forward, stopping only when standing in front of the stage.
What the fuck is that?! Or... more precisely, who the fuck is that? A heckler?
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