"One hundred."
One hundred gold.
That's how much Jin bid. For an ancient magic tome, the price wasn't too high or too low. However, the other guests thought Jin was crazy.
'He's paying a hundred for that?'
There were also magicians who were curious. After all, a guy who hasn't bought anything for the past week just bid for a magic tome.
"One-fifty."
"One hundred fifty on the table!"
Someone raised the bid, but it wasn't because they wanted the item. The bidder held in his laughter as he stared at Jin.
He was teasing him. He wanted to make a fool of Jin for trying to strike it rich or attain a higher level of magic by buying a mysterious tome, which was a common sight during the magic tome auctions in the auction house.
Jin just ignored him and called for the next bid.
"One-seventy."
If it were back in his first life, he would have called one or two thousand to flaunt his money and destroy the provoker's pride.
But Jin knew that this wasn't the time to attract attention.
"Any more bids? Going once. Going twice. Sold!"
Tzenmi's magic tome was delivered to Jin.
With a straight face, Murakan opened the ancient tome and gripped Jin's hand.
"Kid, this is an amazing acquisition."
This renowned shadow dragon was not an idiot obsessed with aura. He, like other dragons, could cast countless spells. And, back in his heyday, his magic skill level was at least 9-stars.
'An item that got Murakan all worked up? It must have spells incomparable to those of O'Hensirk's.'
Additionally, Jin's and his companions' luck was yet to be over.
"Uh, this is the 25th item of the auction. Previously owned by 'Schugiel Hister'. Let the auction begin!"
Hister.
The name that Jin had the bar owner look into when he first went to a bar in Mamit. As soon as he heard the name, he doubted his own ears.
Hister was the clan of Jin's master. But it was also a clan that officially dissolved hundreds of years ago.
"Two hundred."
Just as before, the crowd began to whisper after Jin called his first bid. They first thought he was somebody special, but now they thought of him as an idiot bidding for shit.
"Two hundred. Anyone else?"
Schugiel Hister's tome was immediately sold.
"Hey, kid. Why'd you buy that? Are you feelin' something again?"
"I thought it would be weird if I only bought one item, and I also have a good feeling about this one."
As soon as the tome arrived, Murakan cracked open the book. Not even one minute in, he shook his head. Unlike Murakan, Jin's heart pounded as he examined the tome.
"It's just a tome with weird and complicated ciphers. Nothing too special."
Murakan didn't seem to know.
This weird and complicated cipher system was only known by two people—Jin and his master. And since Jin learned it from his master, 'Schugiel Hister' must be his master's ancestor.
After seeing the complex text, sorrow struck Jin's heart. He watched the auction continue, barely concealing his emotions. In the end, he didn't find anything interesting to buy.
The night came to a close as the auction ended. Some guests stayed and enjoyed their time while others immediately left.
Jin usually joined the latter, but tonight, he had to stay in the auction house.
"Jet."
"Yes, sir."
"I want to meet Spiderhand Alu."
Usually, Jet would say that he understood. However, this time, his expression changed.
"Uh… sir. That will be difficult. Even though you are a guest, meeting Alu is impossible. The most I can do is introduce you to Salka. If you really need to meet him directly, then please give us a few days."
"Tell Alu that Beradin Zipfel wanted to see him."
It looked as if Jet's eyes would pop out as his face flushed red. He covered his mouth in shock.
'B-Beradin Zipfel?'
"Understood?"
Instead of answering, Jet simply blinked.
'Shit. These guys weren't part of Vermont's Special Forces… but were members of the Zipfel Clan?'
Cold sweat drenched his body. Even though Vermont's Special Forces were notorious, it wasn't comparable to the Lutero Magic Federation.
If anyone else introduced themselves as Beradin Zipfel, Jet would've scoffed and cussed at the sight. However, that was not the case. In Jet's eyes, Jin and his party were beyond comprehension.
Additionally, they have been part of the Lutero Magic Federation for quite some time, so there is no way they would be accused of impersonating the Zipfels.
Jet's brain was running at the speed of light.
'I was mistaken. Severely mistaken. They're not a part of Vermont's Special Forces, but are pureblood Zipfels! This is an encounter of a lifetime.'
Five minutes ago, Jet's main goal was to become an informant of the presumed Special Forces unit. Then, he could've saved his life and earned some reward greater than that of Tesing's.
But what about becoming a servant of a Zipfel?
To a member of the Lutero Magic Federation, there is no greater honor than serving a Zipfel. As Jin lifted his hand, Jet stood with stone-cold eyes.
He quickly passed a few employees and opened a door.
"Shit. Whatever. Whatever happens, happens."
Murakan shrugged. Unlike his careless words, he was definitely itching for a fight. Gilly put her hand on her forehead as she heaved a heavy sigh.
A Runcandel impersonated a Zipfel.
Other than getting the message to Alu, Gilly thought of a different, more important problem.
'If this information ever reaches the ears of future clan members or the patriarch, then the Young Master will be executed.'
It would be the first time in the clan's thousand-year history.
Not only that, but the Zipfels were also surely going to get worked up to catch the impersonator. Lies are always meant to be uncovered.
'On the contrary, it's surprising how the Young Master committed these devious acts without remorse.'
The awkward melody of a violin filled the room. As time felt like it was slowing down, a different agent came to greet the three.
"You… are Beradin?"
SLAP!
In a split second, Jin slapped the life out of the agent and caught the attention of the entire room.
"Are you Alu?"
He wasn't. Jin still asked despite knowing Alu's face. The agent looked confused, but he couldn't fight back or anything.
'If this insolent kid is indeed Beradin Zipfel, the entirety of Tesing could disappear overnight.'
"N-No, sir! The boss ordered me to escort you to him."
SLAP!
Jin slapped the agent once more. The agent quickly straightened his back and bowed as an apology for his ineptitude.
Up until this moment, the plan went perfectly.
"Make Alu bring his ass here. I already revealed my name, and yet he sends over an underling?"
Fwooooosh!
On his right hand, Jin conjured a crimson sphere made of flames. Jin's mask flickered.
With one look, one could tell that it was, at the very least, a 5-star skill.
Anyone can claim to be a Zipfel. However, a young boy invoking high-level magic and calling himself Zipfel seemed more convincing.
"I apologize. I will report this to the boss."
The agents quickly led the other customers out of the auction house. The agent who got slapped was scrambling away, but Jin wasn't satisfied.
"Tell your stupid boss to crawl to my feet. Since he mistreated his guests, he must be punished."
Jin discontinued the spell and scanned his surroundings. The rest of the guests had left, and the agents were startled.
His words were loud and clear. If the boss actually appeared crawling on the floor, then the agents would have to do so as well.
Five minutes passed.
Spiderhand Alu crawled into Jin's presence. A fairly large middle-aged man crawling on the floor wasn't the most pleasurable sight. As for Alu, there were a million thoughts passing his mind.
With him was a herd of his underlings, and among them was Jet who had bruises all over his face.
It seemed that the others beat him up for saying bullshit about Beradin Zipfel being present.
The other agents, who were awkwardly standing, quickly lowered their bodies to the ground.
'I guess "Zipfel" is a very scary name to hear. I'm sure the detected aura would be around 7-star, but they came crawling without even checking?'
If the situation proceeded as is, the rest of the job would be a piece of cake. After scaring Alu, they could examine the storage and take the helm artifact.
However, Alu wasn't just any easy human. If he ever saw an opportunity after conversing for a while, he would let loose and kill all three of them.
Jin did not say anything while Alu crawled to his feet. Jin stood as if he was used to acting like a superior. Frankly speaking, he acted the same way back home.
"Rise."
"I am Alu… the man who runs the Tesing Clan. I failed to recognize Your Excellency, and for that, I beg for mercy."
With the other man towering over two meters, meeting Alu felt like facing a wall. However, he was permanently looking downwards, eyes never meeting Jin's.
It was an obvious reaction after meeting an assumed pureblood Zipfel.
"Shut up. Look at these."
Jin tossed Tzenmi's and Schugiel's tomes to Alu.
"What do these look like?"
Opening the tomes, Alu's face drained of color.
"They're magic tomes. I apologize. We sold ancient magic tomes without the Zipfels' permission."
"These two tomes that I purchased today are greatly valued—even by my clan. I can't imagine the number of magicians who left to search for these…"
"Beradin, sir. This may sound like an excuse, but I am unrelated to that. My stupidity couldn't realize the tomes' worth and troubled you. I will try my best to recollect the other auctioned tomes. Please give me a chance."
"Would you be faster at gathering them, or would we magicians be faster? Quit the bullshit and bring an accountant and customer registry. Starting tomorrow, my clan will investigate your mischief."
As Jin skillfully lied, Alu realized that he had nothing to say. If the Zipfels started the investigation, then the Tesings would be destroyed.
Alu reconsidered his options.
'Beradin Zipfel… Does his clan know that he's here?'
If they didn't…
Maybe getting rid of him would be better.
—————