Chapter 389: Highlights
Like most auctions, the Imperial Pearl Auction began with items that had the lowest starting bids and gradually progressed to those with higher values.
Sein also realized that the yellow-robed mage was great at stirring the emotions of all participants.
Initially, Sein perceived an auction item as just that, but the mage was able to turn it into something extraordinary through his spirited introduction.
If not for Sein’s ingrained rationality and calm, he might have been swept away by the mage’s persuasive skills.
After using his mental focus to scan the auction house, Sein was further astonished to discover the absence of magic fluctuations.
This showed that the mage had relied solely on his eloquence without employing any magic spells or external tools.
It made sense, as any deceptive practices would have compromised the integrity and success of the Imperial Pearl Auction.
During the early and middle stages of the auction, Sein made only a few bids, given the limited number of items that caught his eye.
On the first day, he bid on three items and successfully purchased two.
One was a silver lotus from the snowy mountains in the north, which went for six magicoins, and the other, an elemental magnetic bomb from Steel City, sold for four magicoins.
While not particularly difficult to grow, the silver lotus was quite rare and seldom encountered by Sein.
He had only learned of its existence from a magic notebook Marie gave him during their discussion on her bed at the Divine Tower of Dawn.
The plant was an important supplementary ingredient in crafting the refreshing potion, beneficial to Rank One mages.
As for the Elemental Magnetic Bomb, which was only powerful enough to threaten Quasi Mages, Sein’s interest was purely academic. He had acquired it to dismantle it for research.
Sein believed it could offer valuable insights as the mechanic profession was closely linked to the alchemist.
As a mage following in Morsidor’s footsteps, Sein was keen on learning from all available sources to advance his skills in alchemy.
***
As the Imperial Pearl Auction moved into its second day, the segment that had piqued Sein’s interest finally arrived.
Nearly forty magic initiates and squires from Blackhaven were presented as merchandise on the stage.
Just a day and a half ago, various magic materials, alchemy tools, otherworldly slaves, and rare magic tomes were auctioned on the same stage.
This showed that the value of these initiates and squires was equivalent to that of otherworldly slaves.
This auction starkly exposed the dark underbelly of the Magus World, a stark contrast to its outwardly bright facade.
Sein, however, harbored little sympathy for these magic initiates or squires. He was not a saint like Master Medich.
In fact, Sein could be viewed as cold and heartless from certain perspectives.
When the fourth magic initiate—a middle-aged senior initiate with a starting bid of 5 magicoins—was introduced, Sein made his bid.
He chose this initiate because his age suggested a deeper knowledge of Blackhaven, and his modest strength likely held little appeal to others.
Sein’s strategy was validated as very few bid against him for the black magic initiate, allowing him to secure ownership for just six magicoins.
Over the next day, Sein continued to bid purposefully, acquiring another female black magic initiate and a black squire with decent strength.
Sein was not sure if he had drawn undue attention to himself, but he could not afford to care too much at this point. He was determined to glean firsthand information about Blackhaven from these individuals.
In addition to acquiring three human slaves, Sein also made additional purchases of resources.
The Imperial Pearl Auction was a veritable gold mine. Before Sein had shopped to his heart’s content, he realized that the two hundred magicoins in his account were dwindling quickly.
He took a deep breath to calm himself down, reminding himself to be mindful of exposing his wealth in a place like Monique Black Market.
As the auction progressed, Sein remained disciplined, only making occasional bids despite his interest in many items.
On the third day, a particularly sensational item was brought to the auction table—a female elf slave.
Although her life level was below Rank One, the longevity typical of elves meant she could potentially live for another hundreds of years.
With their extended lifespans and resilience, female elves were highly sought after by certain knights and mages harboring nefarious intentions.
Sein knew that the Elven World was an important member of the Magus Alliance, holding a status comparable to that of the Titan World in the Magus Civilization.
It was a powerful major world, loyal to the Magus Civilization and instrumental in the development of the Magus Alliance.
In recognition of their contributions, the capture and enslavement of elves were strictly prohibited by the major divine towers and the orders of the knights.
Elven World was a wonderful world where dark things like slavery or coercion did not exist.
Therefore, capturing elves and transforming them into slaves was likely the work of black mages or black knights.
The female elf was presented in a cage on all fours, appearing to have lost her ability to walk.
Since she was well-trained and had a rather beautiful face, the female elf was eventually sold for 2,374 magicoins.
Sein was not sure who the buyer was, but the high price was well beyond the financial reach of an average Rank One mage
The female elf slave was definitely one of the highlights of the auction.
As the auction moved into its fourth day, another peak moment arrived with the introduction of a pink-tailed mermaid.
The starting bid of three thousand magicoins showed that her value exceeded that of the previously auctioned female elf.
Mermaids were more challenging to capture than elves, and their rarity was further accentuated by the “Blessing of the Sea”—a special ability possessed by their kind.
Both the "Blessing of the Sea" and the "Curse of the Sea" had long been recognized by the mages of the Magus World as forms of occult art in essence.
The auctioneer also assured potential buyers that during the sale of the mermaid, a solution would be provided to ensure that any influence the mermaid exerted on her mate would manifest solely as the “Blessing of the Sea”.
Through this auctioneer, Sein also learned another intriguing detail about the mermaids— they form a lifelong bond with a single partner and remain faithful to them forever.
The pink-tailed mermaid presented at the auction possessed a strength nearly on par with a Rank One being, adding to her considerable value.
This combination of unique traits and abilities led to the high starting bid of three thousand magicoins, positioning her well beyond the reach of ordinary Rank One mages.