As they entered the Blue Wing auction house, there were already a handful of people waiting in the lobby. Thane's eyes roamed over them. Leaning down to speak in Sonya's ear, he whispered, "I'm going to play the role of your bodyguard in case anyone asks."
The only response he received was a slight dip of Sonya's head before they moved forward to speak to the attendant.
The man turned to greet them and bowed, "Welcome to the Blue Wing Auction House, are you here to attend the auction, or would you like to sell merchandise?"
Sonya presented her ring to the attendant making his eyes go wide, "I would like a private booth. I also want to be seated as soon as possible. The journey here has taken quite the toll on my feet."
"O-of course, my Lady, let me speak to my manager to make sure everything is to the highest standard." The man bowed before making a hasty retreat, speeding off.
Thane smirked, "I didn't think you could be any more of a pain in the ass."
"You haven't seen anything yet," Sonya murmured under her breath before she schooled her gaze as a man wearing a blue coat inlaid with gold walked towards them.
Like the attendant, the man bowed, "It is a pleasure to have Lady Sonya attending today's auction. I assure you the organization has not forgotten the favor you did us all those years ago. My name is Manager Yu, and it would be an honor for me to escort you to your booth."
Sonya smiled, "Thank you, Manager Yu."
Yu bowed again before taking them up a set of stairs to an upper level of the building. As the trio exited the lobby, a young man entered the door, causing the conversation in the room to fall to hush as everyone stared at him.
Accompanying the man were two guards, proudly displaying the image of a white lotus embroidered on their armor.
The same attendant that moved over to the young man in a blink, "Young Master Xu, how may this one serve you today?"
Xu Feng looked around the lobby for a long moment before turning to the attendant, "I would like your most expensive booth. I want a good look at any items I will be purchasing."
"I am sorry Young Master Xu, but at the moment, our most expensive booth is occupied. But I can offer the second-best."
Xu Feng's eyes furrowed, "Second best, are you implying that the heir to the Xu Clan is second best."
The attendant bowed, "Of course not. I did not mean to offend the Xu clan or the Young Master." Xu Feng's chest heaved as if he wanted to criticize the man, but one of his guards spoke up, "Young Master, it would be best to maintain the relationship between the Blue Wing Auction House and the Xu clan."
Xu Feng glared at the guard, who did not waiver under his gaze, "Fine, I will overlook this slight on my honor." The Blue Wing attendant bowed again, "Thank you, Young Master Xu, if you would follow me."
Xu Feng huffed and stormed out of the lobby, his guards in tow.
---
Thane looked down at the theater in their booth, which was slowly beginning to fill with people. When they first arrived, Sonya had informed him that the glass was one way but could be lowered at will.
Sitting back in his chair, Thane took out his alchemy book and started to read. Sonya looked over curiously, "Are you trying to learn alchemy?"
Thane nodded stiffly, "Helga said she wouldn't teach me unless I memorized the first five thousand plants. It's a pain in the ass, but I'm slowly making headway."
"You got that old bat to accept you as an apprentice?" Thane smiled as he recalled the memory, "I tricked her into a vow. What's her deal anyway?" Sonya crossed her legs, "Helga was the Knight before me. One day she quit focusing on becoming an Alchemist. You wouldn't believe how many times I've had to use her poisons to deal with more challenging opponents."
"Poisons are useful for leveling the playing field. But you have to apply them ahead of time or risk giving your opponent a moment where they could exploit you." Thane muttered as he flipped to the next page.
Every now and then, a voice in the back of his head tried to convince him that learning Alchemy wouldn't help him in the long run. But every time, Thane was able to shake the voice with the indisputable feeling that he was moving in the right direction.
And as he read, Thane couldn't help but think about what Sonya had told him about mana taking on specific qualities. Before he could pursue the thought more, a loud gong sounded through the air, making Thane's eyes snap towards the stage.
A beautiful woman stood next to the gong holding a mallet in her hands, "The auction will begin shortly. I must remind all our guests that all prices are final and must be paid for with currency or an item of equal value which is determined by the manager. Bids must also increase by a minimum of five."
The woman then bowed before leaving and taking the gong with her. Putting his book away, Thane leaned against his chair and glanced at Sonya, "So is there anything I should keep an eye out for besides the mana crystal and Cultivation Technique?"
Sonya shook her head, "Not, in particular, most of the items will be leftovers from higher realms that get sent down from other branches."
"Does everything in the Realms operate in branches?" Thane asked while switching his gaze between the stage and Sonya.
"It's hard to make it on your own. Most default to climbing the ranks before they are strong enough to stand on their own. What, is group life not your style, or do you want to be the leader who everyone depends on?"
Thane grinned, "People I've called friends have tried to kill me, so you can say I'm a bit cautious. But I don't think I could ever see myself as the leader type."
Sonya opened her mouth to respond when she caught the rising curtains revealing Manager Yu standing behind a podium with a gavel in his hands. Once the noise in the room came to a quiet hush, Yu bowed, "Thank you for attending today's event, and it is with great pleasure that I announce the start of the Annual Blue Wing auction."
There was a smattering of applause, Yu smiled, and he gestured to his side, signaling the beauty from before to wheel on a cart carrying a large spool of silk that reflected the light as if it was metallic.
"For our first item, we start with a spool of silk from an Araneadaeon, a Tier 3 Warrior Grade beast from native to the Warrior Realm. This fabric is resistant to all forms of damage and will make a perfect material for any kind of light armor. The starting price is 10 gold. Do I hear 15 gold?"
Thane choked on his own spit when he heard the starting price, "That's the starting price?! How much money do these guys have?! Can we even afford to buy a mana stone?"
He looked over at Sonya to see her expression unchanged, "I brought about three hundred gold, some of it came from my savings, but my last job paid a decent rate."
"What the hell was your last job?" Sonya shivered, "I don't want to talk about it. The entire thing was unpleasant. All that matters is that I have the money."
Rolling his eyes, Thane heard the smack of the gavel, "Sold for 45 gold, now for a next piece we have ten health potions of the uncommon quality. The starting price is 20 gold."
As more and more items passed, Thane eventually started to study again, not interested in any of the items, and most of them he couldn't afford.
"The next item on the agenda is a Cultivation Technique found right here in the Mortal Realm." There was a stir in the crowd as the item was wheeled out, a weathered scroll bound by a worn leather strap.
"There is also a great deal of evidence that this Cultivation Technique belongs to Zhou Feng, a prominent sage who is famous for scattering various treasures around the Mortal Realm. At this moment, I may remind those new to our event that the Blue Wing Auction House is offering a high mark-up for any of his pieces. Especially his famous Talisman Creation technique which is rumored to be hidden with his body."
Thane's eyes went wide, and he turned to Sonya, "This one, we need to but it. Even if you have to spend 200 gold, I can't let that item escape. I can't tell you why right now, but trust me."
Not knowing what to say, Sonya only sighed, "Fine, but you should know without a compatible technique, the cultivation method is useless."
Thane didn't respond as he was too busy thinking of the technique he had found inside his storage ring. 'It has to be the same. If Annabelle can learn how to use her technique, how powerful will she be?'
"For such an illustrious item, the starting price will be 50 gold." Some people in the crowd slumped as such a price was far outside their price range.
Immediately Sonya pressed a stone on the arm of her chair, which lit up reacting to her touch. Manager Yu looked towards the booth directly in the middle of the room, "Our esteemed guest has placed a bid of 60 gold for the first time today. Do I have 65?"
Everyone's attention turned toward the large middle booth. Word had spread that someone had taken the best seat in the house, apparently even outranking Xu Feng, the heir to the Xu clan.
Glaring at the booth from his seat Xu Feng turned to one of his guards, "I want to know who is in that booth. The fact that no one from the Xien or the Huan clan is here is suspicious. It might be nothing, but if our enemies are planning something, my father needs to know."
The guard bowed before swiftly departing, glaring at the box. A silent rage built behind Xu Feng's calm expression, "Let's see just how much you are willing to expend for this piece."
Pressing the button on his armchair Xu Feng put in a bid. Manager Yu smiled as one of the stones in his podium glowed, signaling that Young Master Xu was interested.
"Also, for the first time tonight, the Young Master Xu has bid on the Cultivation Technique for 70 gold. Is our guest willing to invest more?"
Thane chuckled, "This guy is a pro, egging on the entire audience, assuming that we wouldn't want to lose face."
Sonya didn't indulge Thane, only pressing the stone to bid again, "In a bold move our guest has raised the price to 90 gold. If no one bids in the next ten seconds, I will begin the countdown."
Xu Feng huffed and waved his hand, causing the screen blocking his booth to lower. Everyone turned to look at him as Xu Feng stood and turned to address the booth Thane and Sonya occupied.
"My name is Xu Feng, heir to the Xu Clan. Allow me to formally invite the guest of the Blue Wing Auction House to the Xu Clan's main compound." Everyone in the room stirred as it was a bold move. If the guest accepted, it could allow the Xu Clan to gain a patron and become the dominant clan in Heartwood.
After a pause, a masculine voice came from the box, "I do not associate with the weak."
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I'd like to thank my patrons for supporting my dream:
Derrick, Matt Ryan, Osmund Okorie, Joseph Suh, Zack Munson, Siddhartha Steakley, FlameFTW, Judd, kool_aid756, ryofu, Matt Campbell, Vampwalker709, and Hades.