Chapter 521: Auction rules
Barnaby happily led Michael to his own personal suite in the auction. He looked at the spacious room and saw a bunch of sofa chairs pointed right at the glass wall on the opposite side of the door.
"Look," said Barnaby as he looked down at the glass wall. "You can see everything here. It’s impressive, is it not?"
Michael looked down and was surprised to see that there was a large open room right on the other side of the glass wall.
His room was located at the top, just like the suites and private rooms that you would see in a concert or a stadium.
Although the auction venue wasn’t as big as football fields, it was large enough for Michael to realize that this venue didn’t look like it could fit inside the Barnaby’s Vault building. It looked far too spacious, meaning that the structure itself would have to be twice as big as it was currently seen outside.
Michael used his Supreme Skill to see the mana disturbance in the air. He realized that the structure of the mana looked extremely similar to the Pocket Dimensions that he’d been on before.
"Wait...is this?"
Barnaby smiled. "Oh, have you noticed it? My whole building is connected to a whole lot of Pocket Dimensions. This is just the first one. After all, I pride myself in being a fine collector of Pocket Dimensions from all over the Royal Continent. If there’s anything up for sale, no matter how big or small it is, I always make sure to buy it from anyone no matter the price.
If I wasn’t going to be an auctioneer, then my company would dabble in the discovery and trading of Pocket Dimensions."
Michael didn’t even know that Pocket Dimensions could be sold or constructed like this. He always thought that they were just pockets of spaces that were fixed to a spot and couldn’t be moved.
But as it turned out, there was a bustling trade of Pocket Dimensions happening all over the continent, and Barnaby just so happened to be the biggest buyer of them all.
"It must have cost a fortune. How did you even put them here like this?"
Barnaby laughed and wagged his finger. "Oh, hoho, you won’t get the secret formula from me so easily Michael. Unless you want to exchange secrets, of course."
Michael definitely considered the offer.
"Anyways, as you can see, there’s a lot of other VIP rooms around you," Barnaby said as he pointed to the tinted windows that were located in a circle above the venue.
"This is usually just reserved for the Major Factions, but I had to pull some strings. Haha, it’s my auction, after all.
Below your room are the Minor Factions. The more successful they are, the more the further up they are located. If I may recall, the company below yours is the Pyramidic Cuisine."
Michael looked down and saw multiple other floors with tinted glasses. There must have been about ten rooms in a circle, going down five floors totalling 50 Minor Faction companies in total.
"And below them is the ground floor. This is for normal people who have the honor to witness the auction without having to participate in it. That’s why they’re located right next to the stage, right where all the action will occur."
There was a white rectangular stage in the middle of the venue, surrounded by what must have been hundreds of seats in total, all occupied by men and women wearing fancy suits and dresses fit only for the high-class.
"Isn’t the stage a little too big? That’s just where the items are going to be displayed, right?" Michael asked. It was strange because it looked about as large as a basketball court.
"Hohoho, that’s not all. Like I told you, that’s where all the action will occur!
To explain it simply, money isn’t the only thing you’ll be bidding in the auction. It’s also some action!"
"What do you mean?"
Barnaby then pointed at the stage. "You see, in a normal auction, one would have to bid an amount of money that is bigger than anyone could afford, right? Now ask yourself this question. Why?"
Michael thought of the only answer he could think of. "Because many people want the item for themselves, so they spend a lot of money on it."
Barnaby shook his head. "That is wrong. The reason why people do that is because the seller wants their item to be appraised at the highest level possible. If they just wanted to sell it, they could have sold it in any other store. Why an auction?
The seller wants the best money for their item, and that’s enough for them.
But for me, that’s just half of what’s necessary. Normal auctions miss something completely: Power.
In my auction, one would have to not only prove themselves that they have the money to properly value the item, but they have the strength and power to keep it to themselves!"
Michael was surprised at the boldness of Barnaby’s thinking. Upon first glance, it sounded excessive. Why fight if money could solve the problem.
But then he remembered that in this world, strength mattered just as much as money. If you had enough strength, you could duel someone and obtain what you need without buying it.
This auction had the same principle as that.
"So then how does the auction work? Do you bid money or do you fight someone to prove you’re worthy of it?"
Barnaby smiled. "Both. During the auction, I will pose two questions. How much do you want to pay, and who do you want to play?
Your bid into the auction has to come in two answers.
One is your bid.
And two is the name or names of the people who will fight for possession of the item."
Michael knew what Barnaby was saying, but he couldn’t understand it fully. Bidding the money was easy, but the second part was hard to comprehend without seeing it for himself.
"Just follow the lead of others," Barnaby suggested, seeing him slightly confused. "And don’t worry. I’ll tell everyone what they need to bid in order to participate in the auction.
If you want to participate in the bidding, and you think that you can accept the conditions of the bid, then you can tap on the glass and I’ll know that you’re in."
Michael nodded. That sounded easy enough.
He was only planning on bidding for the Spirit of the Old, which would only appear at the very end of the auction so he had the whole duration of the auction to figure out its rules.
"Anyways, I have to go. Everyone awaits for the auction! Goodluck, Michael! I’ll be rooting for ya!" Barnaby said, before rushing out the door with the speed of an olympic runner.
Michael was left all alone in his VIP suite, looking over all the other tinted rooms beside him.
From what he recalled, there were only six companies or organizations in the Major Factions. The three Legacies, the Magic Tower, the Knightly Court, and the Royal Family.
And including him, there were seven VIP suits in total.
But as he counted them, he realized that there were actually seven of them all in all.