It had been four days since the three settled down in Fuhren, three more days until the workshop had been promised to be completed. Currently, Yue and Tio went out looking for food and other things they'll need to equip the workshop, most likely garnering even furniture and other decorative items. As for Ivan, well being in the city of business he saw no harm in increasing his assets.
These past few days he went from merchant to merchant, selling valuable mana crystals and monster pelts he had no use with. Though the money was a rather big plus, what he sought was the opportunity to gain something useful for himself. The opportunity to find something that wouldn't be found in a normal market. Whether it be rare minerals or ancient text the more valuable they were the harder they were to find, which was why it was easier to steal from people you know are in possession of them.
At the end of the fourth day, that opportunity finally showed itself after a few hours spent in the traders' quarter. During his leisurely walk, Ivan noticed a man clad in dark robes approach him from the opposite direction. The two were set on course for a collision, neither making any move to avoid the other. For Ivan, it was a matter of curiosity, as the figure approaching him had many opportunities to move out of the way and yet they seemed insistent on colliding with him.
So he allowed the meeting to happen. A slight bump was all that happened. Ivan kept his hand above his satchel as he was ready to down an antidote the moment he felt the slightest invasion in his body. But none of the sorts occurred. Instead, he felt something light fall into his pocket, whoever this figure was seemed quite adept at pickpocketing. Though not so adept at leaving stuff in other peoples' pockets.
The figure continued the path Ivan came from as Ivan made sure there was no pause in his steps either as he continued forth. As if this were truly the opportunity he sought then he'd take careful steps to make sure it happened. It wasn't until he found an unoccupied alley that he finally slipped his hand into his pocket. Ivan fiddled around in his pocket before pulling out the item, a small heavily folded sheet of paper.
He carefully unfolded it before sighing as the text was too tiny to read, his ring glowed as something resembling a magnifying glass appeared in his hand. He examined the lettering before nodding. Then his right hand glowed as the paper disintegrated into unintelligible scraps. Without another word, Ivan headed towards the inn he and the other two were staying at as night was approaching. The note read as such:
[Art, Mask, Cemetery– Money 17:00]
Ivan assumed the order as; the place of meeting, apparel, and condition of entry. As for the 'Money', it was likely another word for business. 'Cemetery' being the codeword and 'Art' being some art museum. The time was rather self-explanatory, seeing as how it was too late in this day to meet at that time he assumed it was tomorrow.
His current objective was to inform Tio and Yue of the encounter and ask Tio to use that map knowledge of hers to point him in the direction of the art museum. For the rest of the night, he'd need to make a new mask and apparel for the event, as he didn't want to get recognized as a visitor of some illegal dealing and potentially compromise his above-ground identity as Paracelsus.
Tio and Yue would have to stay behind as neither of them were invited guests and them being there would only mean trouble for him. He didn't want to get kicked out before examining the value of the products being sold. Sure he could just invade the auction and take what he wanted but rather than stir that pot of trouble for both him and the city it was better to do things formally for now. If there was something he wanted then he'd have no problem stealing it from criminals.
The night turned to day as the auction event soon approached. Yue and Tio would be standing around the area in case anything happened. Ivan stared at the mask he held in his hand before adorning it on his head. Pitch black horns sprouted from its head, translucent but glowing red orbs replaced the spot where eye holes should have been, dark fur covered its entirety as it drooped down to form what could be called a beard.
This was Ivan's Behemoth-style mask, endowed with the same adjustments made to his white mask. That being, enabling the wearer to see through it entirely along with regenerative and insulation properties. The red glowing eyes were just there as decoration, something Ivan insisted on adding. As for his new mantle they held the same properties as well besides the whole 'wearer can see through it thing,' other than that it was a dark gray with accented gold linings that went well with his mask.
Ivan nodded at the two from afar before entering the museum. From there he was met by a beautiful attendant garbed in a professional business suit. The woman approached him with a smile before bowing.
"Excuse me, sir, we do not allow masks to be worn in this facility. May I please ask you to remove the mask for your duration here?" She spoke in a rather respectful yet curt tone, Ivan could only imagine bad things would happen to those who didn't have a good reason for refusing.
"....Cemetery." He said softly, that's all it took for the woman's demeanor to take a complete turn. She got down on one knee as the professional smile was replaced with a stoic expression. She held her right hand over her left breast before speaking once more.
"I apologize for my rudeness, esteemed guest. The auction will be starting soon. Please allow me to lead you to the hall." It was a good thing the museum was empty as her actions and words would have surely attracted a lot of stares. Ivan followed the woman as she led him to a door in the corner of the art museum marked 'staff only.'
When the two entered the room she knocked a few times on the wall in a rhythmic pattern before something happened, the sound of locking mechanisms became clear in Ivan's ears before a hole opened up before them revealing a staircase down into the earth. She bowed before Ivan again and asked that he travel down it.
"Take the staircase down and it won't be long before you reach the hall. It will be a straight path lit by lanterns, at the end will be a grand set of wooden doors, knock like I did before and you'll be granted entry." After those words, she left the staff room to attend back to her post in the front of the museum.
Seeing no other option, Ivan took careful steps down. Tracing his hand against the walls as he descended, though he seriously doubted the walls of some criminal syndicate would be nearly as powerful as the ones lining the grand labyrinths. Just like the woman said a straight path was presented before him in no time. He transcended through it until he saw the wooden doors she spoke of earlier.
It was a good thing he had memorized the knocks she made in the staffroom without her asking as he thought they would be important to remember anyways. He copied the knocks perfectly as seconds of silence descended in the hall. Not too long the sounds of mechanisms locking rang again, except this time it seemed to be that same staircase. Ivan assumed he'd have to await these other auction guests before being allowed entry.
Footsteps echoed throughout the hall as the figures approaching became clear to him. However, what held his interest more is what the four men donning black suits were carrying on their shoulders. 'A palanquin,' he muttered in his mind. What the four men were holding was a box large enough for two grown men, lined with gold and other expensive jewelry. Its white curtains were drawn as it revealed two people inside of it.
A pretty girl adorned with revealing green translucent clothing that showed off her midriff, silky black hair that stopped right above her butt, and fair dark skin. Her emerald pupils stared at him without any luster as she made arm movements to the figure sitting in front of her. The fact that she wore nothing on her feet and the sound of chains clinking as every movement she made to massage the man only proved to serve her identity.
The man that sat along with her in the palanquin accepted the girl's shoulder massage without any reservations. Leaking out disgusting groaning noises that were muffled by his aptly appropriate boar mask. The tusks protruded from its face shivering ever so slightly along with the rolls of fat that made up his pale skin. This round man had neglected to wear any top to cover his upper body, only wearing silky shorts that look as though to be made of gold. Bracelets and necklaces littered his body flashing gaudy jewels. His pig feet curled as he drowned in pleasure.
Without a word one of the men donned in black that stood in the front led the others to the door, he performed the knock sequence as the area erupted in silence. What was one man standing alone had become seven. This awkward silence continued as either party refused to make any talk with each other. Though Ivan could feel the stare that bore into the back of his head, he turned his head. Instead of locking eyes with the man in the palanquin like he thought he would, or the men clad in black, his eyes connected with the girl sitting there listlessly.
For a brief second, he felt as though he saw some sort of light in her eyes, and yet even that was snuffed out almost instantaneously. The man ordered her to continue her job as she focused on the task at hand. Ivan turned back forward as their contact was broken. Seconds turned into minutes before something finally happened.
KACHA
The large double doors opened very slowly, Ivan held a hand up to his face as the light that poured out blinded him for a second. And without a moment to gauge the situation, he was shoved out of the way. The men carrying the palanquin brushed by his shoulders as they made their way to what seemed to be the VIP area. As compared to the rest of the scenery the VIP area featured private rooms with large glass panels that divided them from the rest of the crowd as they overlooked the auction hall.
He turned his eyes back to the normal seating as descending rows of comfortable red chairs were brought to his vision. Hundreds and hundreds of guests each occupying a seat, no matter where he looked everyone in this room had adorned a mask. At least everyone that didn't seem like an attendant or slave. Seeing as there were no seating arrangements that seemed needed to be followed Ivan picked a seat close to the exit, not too far a distance from the VIP rooms.
Contrary to what he thought, instead of some loud boisterous gathering of rich and snobby people the room was completely silent, leaving only those who couldn't resist coughing or shifting in their seats. However, even these instances of noise were looked down upon as everyone else in the room sent a glare towards the offenders. The event hadn't even started and tensions were already high. Ivan reclined in his seat as he brought a thumb up to his chin.
He had zero idea what would be auctioned here today or how long the event would even go on for. Hell, he only assumed he received an invitation because he's been spotted making a lot of deals with traders and vendors over these past few days, making him a fat sheep with some expendable cash. His only hopes were that there was some ore or text that would be of some value.
Once the auction was over and he had to pay up for what he wanted then that's when he'd commence his robbery. With Tio and Yue on standby, he'd leave this place with only profits. The lights in the auction hall dimmed as a spotlight shone on the stage at the end of the room. Red curtains reeled in as the sight of a man in a tuxedo with a black and white mask was revealed to the crowd.
The man eyed the crowd for a second before bringing up what seemed to be like a microphone to his mouth. The hundreds of eager buyers perked their ears in preparation for his words. And as expected the black boxes lining the hall vibrated as his voice reverberated throughout the room.
"Gooooood evening, ladies and gentlemen of the underworld~! Thank you all for attending tonight's auction, and may I assure you that it is a worthwhile one. Hahaha, I'm sure that today we will unveil some merchandise that will surely wow everyone in the room! In fact, my boss as the head of the Freidhof said himself that he feels pity for those who will miss tonight's opportunity as it may be the last our community will ever see~" The checkered mask man spoke energetically as he waved his arms about to enunciate every other word in hopes of garnering the crowd's favor and attention.
'But the Freidhof huh…..' Ivan had only heard that name only once in his few days here. And the one who uttered that name accidentally even covered his own mouth as his eyes darted nervously through the streets. The man who resisted Ivan's prying questions ran away in the sea of people before disappearing completely.
Coincidentally, that same man would show up in the papers as dead only two days later. That's when Ivan knew there was something up about that name. After inquiring with Ilwa he found out that the name belonged to one of the few major crime syndicates in the city, a syndicate that specialized in slave trade.
'So this is a Freidhof auction… If I knew that beforehand I wouldn't have even bothered showing up..' Ivan sighed depressedly as he slumped further into his seat. Here he was excited to hopefully find some new resources and now it's likely that he'll only find slaves here. With Tio joining the group along with some 'assistance' he was planning on making in the workshop he had zero interest in a slave.
Not to mention the moral dilemma that someone from a world like him was presented with concerning the topic. Holding onto his last embers of hope Ivan stared at the stage listless as he hoped he was wrong about his assumptions. Unfortunately, his hopes were crushed as what he had expected went exactly as foreseen, hours passed as slaves were hurled onto the stage like cattle while the calm audience erupted into murmuring and number raising.
And while Ivan didn't care much for the lives of others, seeing this despicable stuff in practice was quite unsettling to him. That's when the children were brought on stage. There were few instances where the Holy Church didn't prohibit slavery, and that's when it is the slavery of a criminal or beastmen. These children were obviously neither. And yet that didn't stop the audience from putting a number on their lives.
"This little brown-haired kid is going once! Going twice! And— Oh! What an upset! A new contender has entered the ring~ The man in the bull mask now holds ownership, anyone willing to outbid this man?"
The crowd turned to stare at Ivan's raised hand, none willing to raise as they didn't see this child worth more than Ivan was willing to pay. However, their indifference turned to frustration as Ivan went on to outbid others for the sale of other children as well. Murmuring erupted as those sitting near him distanced themselves.
Ivan sweated internally as his funds dropped drastically, consoling himself as he promised to rob this place for everything it took and some. The speaker attracted everyone's attention from Ivan as he enticed them back to the stage. As far as he was concerned Ivan was just a wealthy guest that flaunted his wealth out of the VIP area. What Ivan did with the children after their sale was none of his concern.
"Please settle down everyone, we're not done yet~ We still have the grand reveal to make! Now this will be the last showcase for the night before we wrap things up, a spectacle that may never be seen again in this underground market. A prize so valuable that even my boss doubted putting it on sale! He went through many lengths to procure it and keep it away from the eyes of the world, so give it up for our grandest slave~"
The crowd held their breath as the lights in the hall completely vanished, leaving only the spotlight directed at the stage. Sounds of whirring and mechanisms locking permeated the air as the floor of the stage separated. Slowly, something rose from the hole that had opened up. Cries of surprise erupted as a two-meter long water tank holding a young girl appeared. However, it was the features of the young girl that had caught everyone's attention
Fastened in tight shackles was a young girl with long, wavy blue hair. Her most striking feature were the two fan-shaped fins sprouting from the sides of her head in place of human ears. Thin webbing on her tiny hands that she held up to her chest in fear. From her features, Ivan assumed she couldn't be more than three or four years old.
And a second later, the bidding began.
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This one was quite weird to write. Once again it was an instance of doing one half early in the day and the other late. Which really saddened me as I was very happy with the first half, then got done with what I was doing and had a rough time with the second half. Despite that I hope this entertained you for at least a few minutes.
In which case, thank you very much for taking the time to read this. Have a great evening and stay safe! See you guys next time~!
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