Copper Rose Street, Wate Auction House.
The auction was nearing its end.
"1.2 million Magic Stones once!" the white-robed auctioneer shouted, "1.2 million Magic Stones twice, three times!"
Dang!
The auction gavel struck down heavily.
"Congratulations to the esteemed bidder who successfully won the Turbulent Flow Crystal for 1.2 million Magic Stones."
The white-robed auctioneer continued with a smile, "The Turbulent Flow Crystal is the last auction item, and with this, our auction comes to an end. I kindly ask all wizards to exit the hall in an orderly manner."
Colin sighed softly and stood up from an inconspicuous corner of the hall, following the crowd out of the auction room.
'I didn't expect this auction to be without any Frost treasures.'
On average, the Wate Auction House holds two to three large auctions and seven regular auctions per week.
The regular auctions are scheduled for every afternoon in a small hall next door, while the timing of the large auctions is not fixed, typically occurring on Sundays and one or two other unspecified days depending on the items being auctioned.
Today happened to be Sunday, and since it was only morning when he left Isidore, Colin had a meal and then hurried to the Wate Auction House, hoping to acquire a Frost treasure to enhance his Frost Talent.
Unfortunately, the auction did not have the Frost treasure he desired.
Generally speaking, to maintain a sense of mystery, only up to eighty percent of the auction items are announced before the auction begins.
The remaining twenty percent remains unknown.
Colin had come for that unknown twenty percent, but alas, he did not get what he wished for.
Fortunately, thanks to the Tin Saint School Badge, he received a ten percent discount on the admission fee, spending only ten Magic Stones, so it wasn't a total loss.
Leaving the hall, Colin didn't depart but instead approached a counter at the auction house for information.
"Is the auction list for next week available?"
"May I ask if you are inquiring about the large auctions or the regular ones?" the receptionist, a witch, asked with a sweet smile.
"Both."
"The regular ones are only from Monday to Friday, here you go," the witch efficiently pulled out a stack of brown flyers,
"The large auction dates have been announced for two days now, one on Friday, another on Sunday.
Friday's auction has fifty percent of the items listed, and the other has thirty percent published, with more expected to follow."
"If you wish, sir, you can come and collect a more complete flyer in a few days, which we update every two days. On the day before the auction, we publish an additional update with the latest version."
Colin nodded in understanding, took the flyers.
The Wate Auction House, a prime auction house on Copper Rose Street, provides quality services in all aspects. It was here where he last sold his Extreme Cold Crystal.
And since it is backed by the Yista School, possessing a Tin Saint School Badge affords him many discounts here… It's just unfortunate that luck wasn't on his side this time, and he had to return empty-handed.
As Colin walked towards the exit of the auction house, he examined the flyers in his hand.
He had not gone far when he paused slightly, his eyes brightening as he looked at the flyer for the second large auction.
"Coldthorn Flower, a second-rank Frost material that grows in the cold caves of the Extreme North..."
While he had not heard of the Coldthorn Flower before, the annotations suggested that it was at least a Frost material and came from the Extreme North... Perhaps, it was exactly what he needed.
Colin shifted his gaze to the top of the flyer, where this second auction with thirty percent published items was listed, including the detailed time at the top of the flyer—
"May 7, Yanan Calendar, Sunday, 2 PM."
Seven days left… Colin smiled and quickly flipped through the remaining flyers before hailing a carriage to return home.
...
Yanan Calendar, May 1, Morning.
A street corner.
Colin, wearing a gray Wizard Robe, hid in the shadows, his brow furrowed.
A short distance in front of him, at the mouth of an alley, two first-rank wizards from the Law Enforcement Team guarded the entrance, their figures shadowing the view into the alley where more members of the Law Enforcement Team were bustling in and out of a plain residential house.
Colin recognized this house; he had visited countless times over the past two months.
—This was Isidore's residence.
He had intended to visit today to inquire if Isidore had successfully reformed the Miracle yesterday, but unexpectedly, he witnessed this scene instead.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a figure in Law Enforcement Team attire soared above him in the sky, its aura indicating at least a Third Rank.
Colin was slightly startled.
The figure landed at the alley's entrance, and the guarding wizards greeted respectfully, "Lord Faber."
Colin looked around and moved closer to a small crowd nearby.
Using his First Rank Knight's keen hearing, he could faintly hear the conversation taking place in the alley.
"Explain the situation here, Yureya," a somewhat gruff voice, that of the newly arrived Wizard Faber.
"Of course, my lord." Yureya, the person in charge here, organized his words before explaining, "Simply put, it involves a mad Second Rank Wizard named Isidore, who furiously attacked his neighbors."
"A Second Rank Wizard, living in such a place?" Faber wondered.
"Yes," Yureya nodded, conjecturing, "In the basement, we discovered a damaged Witch Array with expensive materials, which perhaps explains why he lived in such a place."