"The starting bid for this item is 500 gold, with each subsequent bid needing to be at least 100 gold higher. Any interested parties?"
This time, Zeke waited for the others to move first. He wasn't sure how much interest there was in an item like that, and he didn't want to seem too eager. After all, if even the Varun family couldn't decipher its content, what chance did others have?
Aisha, seeing his intense stare, spoke up. "Are you interested in that tablet?"
Zeke nodded wordlessly, not taking his eyes off the item.
"Then, you might be able to get it cheap," she said.
Zeke glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "Why do you say that?"
"I remember that same stone tablet being offered last time," she explained. "However, the starting bid was twice as high. They must have lowered its price after not being able to sell it for such a long time."
Zeke smiled. That was valuable information. If nobody had wanted the tablet last time, and there were still no bids, he might get it without much of a fight. He could already see Priya starting to get impatient after nobody had shown interest for such a long time.
He waited. Then, just as she was about to order the item to be brought away, Zeke pressed the button.
"We have an offer of 600 gold from number 31," Priya announced, clearly surprised and overjoyed by his bid. "Does anyone bid more?"
Zeke held his breath, recognizing that often, interest in an item sparked only after others had shown interest. Nobody liked to miss out on a great deal, after all.
"Anyone?" Priya repeated hopefully. Yet, there was no reply. "3… 2… 1— sold for 600 gold to number 31!"
Despite the modest selling price, she seemed content with the outcome. It appeared the auction house had been eager to offload this particular piece. Nonetheless, for Zeke, it mattered little. He would have gladly paid ten times the amount. After all, this marked the first clue to unraveling the mystery of his holy relic.
Minutes later, he held the tablet in his hands, reverently tracing its etchings. With half an ear, he followed the next few items being brought in.
"What do you think, Akasha?"
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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)"> [Answer] </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)">Linguistic patterns suggest the probable origin of the language as Dwarven. Nevertheless, the encoded symbols do not align with any documented dialect. I will proceed to initiate a cross-referencing process with available sources. This procedure is anticipated to take a considerable amount of time. Any supplementary data provided would facilitate the analysis process.</span></p>
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Zeke nodded in understanding. He hadn't expected Akasha to decode the tablet right away. Nevertheless, progress was being made, and now that he knew where to search, he might uncover even more clues. The Dwarfen Kingdom had risen as a priority on his list.
After he was satisfied with his inspection, he wrapped the tablet into the folds of the Sandtrek robes and placed the bundle on the low table in front of the couch. This auction was turning out to be a gold mine. He returned his full attention to the auction, awaiting each new item with bated breath.
However, the next few items—mostly jewelry and decorative trinkets—held little interest for Zeke. It wasn't until much later that something caught his eye. It was an Essence Crystal, similar to the ones he regularly absorbed to strengthen his Core. However, this one was of significantly higher quality, discernible by its size and polished facets. Zeke leaned forward, intrigued.
Now, this was a proper treasure.
Zeke was mostly familiar with absorbing Essence Crystals to strengthen his Core. He had been doing this ever since his victory in the tournament; a practice that helped Mages advance, shortening the time it took to reach the next level.
However, the true purpose of Essence Crystals was an entirely different one. Any Essence Crystal of sufficient size and quality would instead be carved into a Gem. Gem—that was the proper name for Crystals that were cut and polished, turning them into something that could be socketed into a weapon, armor, or trinket. It was the most common way to power Enchantments of different affinities.
For example, the [Thunderbolt] staff that had been auctioned earlier used a Gem to turn raw Mana into Lightning-attuned Mana. This allowed any Mage, even those without the Lightning Affinity, to use the Magic simply by providing the Mana necessary to cast the spell.
Zeke wasn't an expert, but he was aware that they were grouped into different categories. The ones mages bought to strengthen their Core were referred to as Chips. That was because they were, more often than not, chipped off the Crystals while cutting them. They could almost be considered a by-product, in a sense.
The other categories were meant for actual Gems, ranked from diminutive to extraordinary. The one in the [Thunderbolt] staff had been diminutive. The one Priya was presenting right now, on the other hand, fit the latter classification. Even in Tradespire, he would be hard-pressed to get his hands on a Gem of that size. Not that he had any need for such a stone. For most enchantments, an average or even smaller Gem was wholly sufficient, while industrial enchantments, such as those used in Airships, employed an entirely different method.
The Gem on sale today was about half the size of Zeke's fist, making it one of the largest he had ever seen. Its polished, multifaceted surface reflected the light, bathing its surroundings in a rainbow of hues. Meanwhile, a miniature lighting storm seemed to brew in its center, indicating its affinity.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to the 37th item of the day. This particular piece is one of our latest acquisitions, discovered by one of our esteemed Stormchasers in the northeast of the capital. Crafted by our very own Grandmaster, this Gem stands as one of the most exquisite stones ever to grace our Treasure Pavilion. We'll commence bidding at 10,000 gold, with each subsequent bid requiring a minimum increase of 1,000 gold. Let the bidding begin!"
Zeke wasn't surprised by the astronomical starting price or the ensuing bidding war. The true value of such an item was at least twice as high, if not more, to the right buyer. While he wouldn't have minded reselling such a treasure, that possibility seemed less appealing as the price quickly explosively rose.
"20,000 gold from number 22—"
"21,000 gold from number 52—"
"22,000 gold from number 37—"
"Ladies and Gentleman, we just received a bid of 30,000 gold from Lounge number 1."
Zeke was slightly surprised by this announcement. For one, he wasn't even aware that it was possible to bid more than just the next interval. But even more baffling was the fact that there were no more bids. He had been certain that the price was going to rise even higher, but after this most recent bid, nobody called out a price anymore.
It seemed like somebody was using their influence to pressure the competition. However, judging by the fact that Priya didn't seem bothered, it must have meant that the occupants of Lounge 1 were somebody even the Varun family dared not offend. That didn't leave many suspects.
"What does the Raja family need such a high-quality Gem for?" Zeke asked. "Aren't they Lightning Mages to begin with?"
Aisha just shrugged. "Who can say? The King is notoriously private, but it isn't a rare sight for their family to be interested in Lightning-attributed materials."
Zeke nodded. However, inwardly, he was still pondering this purchase. If they were willing to spend such a fortune on a single gem, they surely had a purpose for it. Yet, the longer he thought about it, the more puzzled he became. Didn't Lightning Mages have the least reason to buy such a gem? After all, they wouldn't need help attuning their mana to that element. The answer came from an unexpected source.
"They are most likely trying to build a Focus," the deep voice of the Dragon said.
"A Focus? What's that?" Zeke replied in his mind.
"It's an item that enhances spells of a particular affinity."
"Why do you think that's what they are making?"
"It's the only explanation that makes sense. Besides, such high-quality Gems aren't used for many other things," the Dragon explained.
"Did Maximilian have such a Focus?"
"Most likely not," the Dragon said after a while. "However, your mentor was a special case."
Zeke didn't need to ask what the Dragon meant. Maximilian was one of only a few Mages who had reached the Archmage level despite awakening multiple affinities. He was not using pure Fire or Earth Magic but a combination of the two. There was likely no Gem that would support his particular brand of Magic.
"I've never even heard of such a thing," Zeke said.
The Dragon scoffed. "Of course, you haven't. What would someone of your level even want with something like that? It would be a complete waste."
Zeke wasn't at all put off by the Dragon's mocking words. It was rare for the ancient reptile to be this talkative, and he would take advantage while he could. "What does a Focus even look like?"
"I am no expert myself," the Dragon admitted, "but I was once challenged by an Elven Mage who used a Focus shaped like a sunflower."
"What happened to that Mage?" Zeke asked.
The Dragon remained silent for a moment, and Zeke got the distinct feeling that it was smiling. "She was delicious," the Dragon eventually said, its voice turning oddly reminiscent.
"You ate her?"
The Dragon stayed silent. It was either lost in thought or simply unwilling to delve further into the subject. It didn't really matter, as Zeke didn't have the opportunity to pursue his query anyway. The changes occurring on stage demanded his full attention. With all the material treasures auctioned off, a procession of Chimeroi flooded the stage. About two dozen of them were lined up for display.
When Zeke had been in the warehouse, he had not gotten a good look at them. Now that they were displayed on the brightly lit stage, he saw that these Chimeroi looked markedly different from any others he had ever seen. In fact, they didn't look like Chimeroi at all. They looked completely human, without a single bestial feature.
He scanned the row of individuals from left to right until his gaze settled on a girl with pure white hair at the far end. She appeared to be younger than the rest, barely reaching the chest of the woman beside her, and she looked lost and forlorn. Like a lamb that had wandered into the middle of a pack of wolves, Zeke thought. The girl's gaze darted around the room with apprehension. It was such a pitiful sight that Zeke felt a surge of compassion, wanting to reassure her that everything would be okay. Yet, he quashed the impulse swiftly. He would need to keep his cool.
Soon enough, he'd be able to free her from this place, and whatever fate would have been hers.