Even after the item following the starflash ore was sold, it remained on Shui's mind. One of the main reasons was because it was one of the few things that could make his soul strength feel insufficient. When he reached the space that Alia described as the end of the starry sky, he felt overwhelmed by hopelessness. He couldn't drag out the will to resist the force wearing down at him, and he wasn't even sure what would have happened to him if he stayed in that state for much longer, but he still wanted to experience it again.
'I should ask. But what should I give in return? Even if he doesn't know its true value, I don't want to be too shameless.'
Shui stopped paying attention to the auction and instead pondered on how he would borrow the ore from Alex, until a certain item was brought on stage. This item didn't entice him, but there was a different reason why he was concerned about it. It was a dull silver pike with thick red lines resembling thorny vines wrapped around its shaft. Perhaps some in the audience found it familiar, but its current aura was just too different to make a proper comparison.
"The next item is something I'm sure will please collectors and honed warriors alike. Behold, the 'Avenger's Pike'. Now don't be fooled by its dignified aura, we have tested it and confirmed that this pike can extend and intensify the pain of any injury it causes while also hampering recovery. When a small scratch was made on the skin of a murderous madmen kept locked up by the city, he screamed more than any of his victims. And there was no getting used to the pain either, as it would leave a mental scar that tormented the victim even if they went unconscious."
The auctioneer described the pike's fearsome ability like it was a horror story. Some actually began to look at it in fear, but there were those foolhardy enough to question her claims.
"That sounds interesting. Let me try."
Many raised their hands and volunteered to test the ability of the pike themselves. Naturally, some wanted to show off, but potential bidders were also interested in seeing if the pike was truly as terrifying as the auctioneer had described it.
"I would advise against it, but if you insist, I won't stop you. But be warned, the auction house will not take any responsibility for the suffering you will face."
All who volunteered had to sign a contract similar to what the auctioneer said, that they would take responsibility for their own reckless behaviour.
"This was definitely planned."
"Without a doubt."
Considering how quickly everything was sorted out, Alicia and Alex were sure that the auction house had predicted that this would happen, or perhaps they guaranteed it. Shui didn't care if they employed some tricks to create this scene since it would benefit him, and the siblings wanted to see the power of the pike so they were also fine with it. However, Emily had some reservations.
"Is this okay?"
"Don't worry about it. This is their own choice. Besides, it's not like they'll die."
'Not from the pike at least.'
As Shui patted her head, they watched the stage to see how the volunteers would react. The first volunteer was a bulky man in a no-sleeve jacket. His face was imposing enough to scare children, and his forged muscles were stronger than iron. He was confident in his strength, so even though he knew that the pike was a supreme tesora-rank artifact, he jokingly wondered if it could even pierce his skin.
"Are you ready?"
"Hmph."
He didn't answer the auctioneer before he placed a finger on the pike's tip. It cut his skin from just that light contact, but before he could be surprised, an explosion of pain shook his body. One second, that was the time it took for him to start screaming.
"Ahhh!!!!!!"
He dropped to the floor and rolled back and forth as he held his bleeding finger. Normally a wound like this would naturally heal in a few moments, but his blood drained quickly and formed a pool beneath his finger. Any bit of reason that he might have retained in the beginning was replaced by an overwhelming urge to cry. He couldn't even take a moment to beg for the pain to stop.
'It's stronger than I thought it would be.'
Shui nodded his head in approval, but Emily expressed her fear.
"For it to turn that man into such a sad state, I'm surprised it's not a sinister artifact. What sort of monster forged something like that? He must be a despicable villain, right Shui?"
"Uh, well, I understand your perspective, but I don't think it's right to assume the forge master's personality based on the artifact's ability."
Emily didn't oppose Shui's response so he began to feel relieved, but then Alex joined the conversation.
"No, I agree that the creator can't be blamed for the sins committed by the weapon, but an expert capable of forging that must have known how it would turn out, but he still completed it. I bet he's a massive sadist."
"A sadist? Isn't that a-"
"You're probably right. It's been refined well enough to prevent the artifact from being sinister, but I can tell that there's an enormous amount of resentment sealed in that pike. It must have needed some deplorable forging method, only someone demented could make something like that," Alicia added.
"..."
Alicia could actually sense a connection between the pike and Shui, as well as the fact that the pike used to be a sinister artifact, so she guessed that he was involved in refining it into its current state, but the awkward expression he had was just too adorable.
As the man continued to scream with no end in sight, the beautiful auctioneer sighed and used a silence spell on him. He still squirmed, but now she could continue her job.
With a pleasant smile, she said, "Next person, please. Oh, I should also mention that this artifact has the bloodthirst attribute, so it gets stronger every time it draws blood. A small cut will only have a minimal effect, but I just thought you should know."
She waited eagerly for the next volunteer, but even her cute face wasn't appealing enough for the line of people to ignore the pathetic state of the first volunteer. They nervously stayed quiet as they tried to think of an excuse, but eventually, one of them was brave enough to take a step forward.
"I'm giving up."
Normally, a cowardly statement like this would earn him universal scorn, but in this scenario some felt like praising him. However, the auctioneer kept her pleasant smile as she informed him of something the volunteers had conveniently forgotten.
"That's fine, just please pay the cancellation fee of ten high quality spirit gems."
The volunteers were surprised by this, some more than others. As one of the poorer volunteers, the man who wished to forfeit was especially uncomfortable with this sudden cost.
"Ten?! Wait, cancellation fee?"
"That's right, it was in your contracts. Anyone can volunteer, and since your help will legitimize the artifact's abilities, we haven't charged you for it. However, to waste the audience's time by volunteering and then forfeiting early, how could that be allowed to happen without consequence? You understand, don't you, Sir?"
Her smile never changed, and yet it seemed like the volunteers were looking at a devil instead of a goddess.