Chapter 226: Masterclass Marketing
"45,000,000."
Cassandra countered quickly.
"50,000,000."
The cold voice said after a pause.
Then, one of those cliche scenarios happened, though not in the way I expected.
"Lady at booth fourteen," the cold voice resonated, clearer and more direct than before, "I want you to reconsider. For the sake of the kingdom’s peace, I ask that you yield this item."
Cassandra’s reply was immediate and sharp. "And who are you to make such demands? What does this item have to do with the kingdom’s peace?"
The cold male voice went silent.
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"...Very well. I will explain then."
"..."
?
Why isn’t he speaking? I frowned, confused. Why the sudden silence? Was he actually considering his words? Wasn’t he supposed to arrogantly demand that she give up the item by revealing his background or position?
But then, a jolt of realization hit me. He wasn’t silent at all.
The man was communicating with Cassandra directly, through telepathy. Yeah, that made sense.
Only someone with a highly developed mental aura, perhaps even a Resonator specializing in thought-transfer or an artifact that granted such power, could pull that off in the midst of a public auction. Or it was a technique everyone could learn once reaching a certain rank.
The cold voice’s earlier demands were merely for show, a public declaration before the true, private negotiation began.
But was it truly alright? I mean, shouldn’t there be an auction rule that doesn’t allow the bidders to negotiate? But then again, if the man was someone powerful, they couldn’t afford to offend him.
50,000,000 was a good price for the relic too. It was just a fragment after all. And it wasn’t even an S rank item.
"...Continue."
After a while, the cold voice spoke again, with a hint of relief this time. Cassandra must have agreed then, but probably not for free.
"Y-Yes," the auctioneer nodded apologetically while facing the crowd again. "We have 50,000,000 Aura Coins from booth three! Do I hear fifty-five million for this extraordinary fragment?"
He glanced towards Cassandra’s booth, perhaps hoping for a chance she refused. After a brief moment, a subtle shake of her head confirmed her withdrawal from the bidding.
The crowd, realizing the main event was over, focused their attention on the auctioneer, silently urging him to conclude quickly. I was one of them.
"Going once, at fifty million! Going twice!" The auctioneer’s hammer hovered, the tension in the room thick enough to cut with a knife. "And sold! To the distinguished guest in booth three for 50,000,000 Aura Coins!"
A smattering of polite applause followed, which I found vaguely humorous.
"And with that, ladies and gentlemen, our spectacular evening of acquisitions draws to a close! Thank you all for your esteemed presence, your discerning bids, and for making this another truly memorable Golden Scale Auction!"
The acutionner bowed before straighetning his figure.
"To those fortunate enough to have made a purchase tonight, congratulations! And to those who perhaps didn’t find exactly what they sought, fear not! Our next grand auction is already in the planning, promising even more unique treasures."
His voice then took on a more casual, yet enticing, tone. "As a final gesture of our gratitude for your valuable time and attendance tonight, the Golden Scale Merchant Guild is offering an exclusive opportunity: For the remainder of today, you may purchase any item from our general inventory at a special discount, ranging from 10% to a staggering 50% off the listed price! Consider it our personal thanks to each and every one of you for gracing our house this night!"
Woah, they are going all out.
I couldn’t help but be in awe of their marketing strategy.
They were making it look like the people here were special, offering a thank-you gift, but I knew the game.
They were running the classic "Noble’s Delight" scheme - a tactic as old as commerce itself.
The Guild would slap astronomical price tags on common inventory, then "generously" offer 50% discounts to make attendees feel privileged. Never mind that the "discounted" price was still twice the item’s actual worth.
They would probably offer larger discounts on the less popular items, those that weren’t selling well. As for the truly good items, they would likely put the smallest 10% tags.
But the real genius was in the psychology.
The attendees who’d just watched million-coin bids would suddenly find a "50,000 coin ’cool title’ sword at 50% off" laughably affordable.
They would forget the fact that the same sword would cost 15,000 at any decent blacksmith.
"..."
I caught Cassandra rolling her eyes - she’d clearly seen through the ruse too. The only people who fell for this were either nobles with more money than common sense or commoners trying to impress said nobles or strike a good deal.
And judging by the sudden rush toward the display halls, there were plenty of both here tonight.
The Golden Scale Guild had played this perfectly - they’d not only secured a massive payout from the auction itself, but now they were about to offload all their stagnant inventory at still-inflated prices.
It was a masterclass in mercantile manipulation.
The real kicker? Even after the "generous" discounts, they’d still walk away with triple the profits they would’ve made on a normal day.
And the best part? The buyers would leave thanking them for the privilege.
And that was how you won at commerce.
...They are gonna be swimming in Aura Coins today.
But, I would leave the guild with a thank you as well. After all, they created a perfect situation for me to disappear without anyone noticing.
{Shall we go then?}
I glanced at the weaver before opening the door.
{Yes.}
The hall was already emptying, a tide of eager customers flowing towards the general inventory displays.
In the commotion, no one gave a second glance to a lone half-elf and his invisible companion slipping out a side exit.
My objective was complete, and the stage was set for whatever came next.