Chapter 471: Jimmy’s news
Michael immediately transferred himself back to Metropolis using the shadow he left on Jimmy.
As he opened his eyes, he saw that he was standing in the middle of the street looking up at a large building made out of stone bricks. And at the very top of the building was the name; DAILY METRO.
He looked around and saw people coming in and out of the building holding newspapers in their hands. Many of them were small kids the same age as him, probably working as newspaper boys that shouted Extra! Extra! in their usual route.
He even saw a glimpse of the front page title, which said; {Boy with Quad-elemental Mastery?!}
"Michael, you’re here!"
Jimmy approached Michael and led him out of the sidewalk and near the walls of the Daily Metro.
"What is it?"
"I finally found something about that thing you wanted to know."
"That thing?"
"Yeah, the auction!"
Michael remembered that he asked Jimmy to keep his ears out for any talk about the auction in Metropolis.
Back in Batchrock Town, when he first met the Legacies, he distinctly remembered them talking about an auction that was about to occur in Metropolis.
He wanted to participate in this auction because it had the potential to have one important item that he desperately needed:
The Spirit of Old.
According to Alaric and the others, the auction this time around is rumored to have Soo as one of their premier items to be sold off.
Back then, he wasn’t that interested in participating in this auction. Now, he considered it as a necessity.
He needed that Soo. Even if it was just one drop, he would spend an enormous amount of money to buy it.
"Did you really? When and where’s the auction taking place?!" he asked with a lot of enthusiasm. Jimmy was even taken aback, never realizing that this auction meant so much to Michael.
"There’s this large auction house in the middle of Metropolis. They’re called Barnaby’s Vault. The items that they sell are so valuable that they only do an auction once a year. And still, they are able to become the biggest auction house in Metropolis!
Almost everyone in Metropolis wants to participate in the auction. The Legacies, for sure, will have a spot. It’s probable that the Duchess and her family would also attend the auction."
The people Jimmy mentioned were considered high ranking in the Metropolis social ladder. He had no doubt that they, especially the Legacies, had extremely deep pockets that rivaled or even exceeded his own. Of course, he wouldn’t back down from a show of wealth. That was the one thing he had a lot of.
"Do you know what kind of items they’re auctioning off?"
"I’m not sure. The list of items is kept a secret by the auction house until the night itself. However, there have been some rumors that it will include an extremely priceless liquid that the Legacies are keeping their eyes on."
That’s gotta be Soo, Michael thought. His excitement for the auction was growing by the second.
"How can I participate in that auction?" he asked, visibly excited.
Seeing his expression, Jimmy couldn’t help but purse his lips. He looked hesitant to ruin Michael’s mood.
"Unfortunately, Michael...the auction is only reserved for those that have a high enough ranking in the Golden 500. They want to make sure that the people participating in their auction have enough money to bid on their items. The Golden 500 is their way of ensuring that."
That definitely put a hamper in Michael’s excitement. The Reborn company was in the 450th spot in the rankings, which wasn’t bad by any means. However, he wasn’t sure if it qualified for such a classy event.
"What’s the minimum ranking needed?"
Jimmy sighed. "It’s reserved for those ranking 400 and below."
"Oh...that’s not bad," Michael muttered.
Their 450th rank was given to them a long time ago. They have improved and expanded their business multiple times since then. By all means, Reborn should be much higher on the rankings by now.
"I told you before that Angora City doesn’t have the right authorization to increase your ranking, right? That’s the reason why I even went to Metropolis in the first place. The Daily Metro is authorized to increase a company’s ranking up to the 200th rank.
So, I thought that if I presented them with all the articles I wrote about Reborn, they would recognize your company’s success and increase your rank by at least fifty spots."
Michael didn’t like the look on Jimmy’s face.
"Yeah..."
"Well...I failed. As it turns out, they don’t accept my evidence as something true. They think I’m lying, those skeptics! Anyway, they won’t increase your ranking in the Golden 500 unless you prove those claims here in Metropolis.
They want hard evidence. They want you to show that you’re worthy of a better rank by accomplishing that in the Metropolis market."
Michael used to not care much about the rankings since it never affected his business. For all he knew, it was just a nice title that people recognized.
But now, it was what separated him from his beloved Soo.
It was unfortunate that he had to ’prove’ that he deserved a higher rank. Unfortunately, he had only officially sold 7000 sales in the Metropolis market. Those people that gathered at the festival didn’t count because it didn’t amount to any sales.
Still, he didn’t get discouraged. He was going to prove Reborn in Metropolis anyways with or without the need for a better rank.
Once he established his business in Main Street, his rank would naturally increase.
"I’m sorry. I failed as a journalist!" Jimmy cried out.
Michael had to console him. "It’s fine. By the time we finish construction on Main Street, we’ll get that rank in no time."
Jimmy slapped his own chest, showing a look of determination on his face. "I shall make sure to document each and every achievement that Reborn can do, I promise you that!"
"Good! I’ll look forward to it," Michael said.
And just as he was about to leave, Jimmy suddenly remembered something.
"Wait, Michael. When I was in the Daily Metro headquarters, I was able to have a glimpse of one piece of news they’d been working on.
They are doing a piece on a particular family in Metropolis. The article talked about their downfall, and their failure to keep up with the other Legacies in Metropolis. Despite their name, they were unable to live up to expectations."
Michael was intrigued. "There’s another company in the Legacies? Who are they?"
Jimmy looked at Michael, confused. "You don’t know them?"
He looked back at Jimmy and mirrored his confusion. "Why would I know them?"
Jimmy gestured for Michael to come closer, before looking around warily, as if not wanting others to hear their conversation.
"It’s because they’re Vanderbilts!" Jimmy revealed.
Michael’s eyes widened. "Vanderbilt?"
This was the first time he had ever heard that name aside from his parents.
He should have known. Metropolis was the gathering of inheritors from all major conglomerates in the world. Of course, there was going to be someone from the most successful conglomerate in the world!
He had just separated from that name for so long that he almost forgot about it.
But as he thought about it now, he realized it was common sense. The Legacies used to be Alaric, Aerith, Bobby, Flarexis, and the unknown Vanderbilt—mirroring the five biggest conglomerates in the world.