The auction went off without a hitch, with the host on stage starting with perfunctory greetings and listing the rules of the auction, all of which were stereotypical. The first three items were nothing special, and were sold without much conflict, but Endyr paid close attention when the fourth item came on stage. The host didn't treat it any differently, pulling back the cover to reveal an old leatherback journal, made of supple black leather with nothing written on the outside.
"This here is a journal captured from a believer of Seraphic. Its' origins have been traced back to the middle of the Fourth Era, during the height of the Yareli Empire. It contains a small amount of mystical knowledge, but is primarily composed of historical knowledge. The original owner seems to have been a relatively powerful noble of at least Legendary status, and he wrote about the relations between factions and Empires quite extensively. For anyone interested in history or the Yareli Empire, this will certainly be of value."
Endyr narrowed her eyes as she scanned the journal before her. She couldn't detect any Mana coming from it, or any uniqueness at all. Why the System would specifically instruct her to acquire this item left her apprehensive, but she was disappointed. Still, she intended to complete the Quest, any so she obediently placed a bid.
She wasn't the only one either, as just under a dozen people competed against her and each other. The price rose to twenty gold coins, not an insignificant amount by any means, but Endyr managed to win it. Of course, she had no intention of actually paying for anything she bid for: when the Devils attacked, she would take the chance to loot the three items she needed. Since one of the Devils was an Epic Ascender, security would have to direct the majority of their attention to dealing with him/her, the perfect opportunity to do some quick looting.
The next object Endyr needed was seventeenth of the list, so she got comfortable and lazily watched the auction proceed, keeping one eye on the Devils the whole time. They hadn't made any movements yet, seemingly waiting for a specific bid to happen first. Endyr was slightly interested in some items presented but refrained from betting on everything but No. 10: a Skill Orb that allowed Gravity Manipulation. It went to a someone in a VIP box for fifty gold coins, beating the previous bid by ten gold. Considering the Skill seemed to be D Tier, it was slightly above market value.
'Gravity, Time and Space are the rarest of the pure Elements, so the price isn't too surprising.'
The following items were of little interest to Endyr, though the rest of the audience fought amongst themselves for them. After twenty minutes, the next item Endyr needed appeared on stage: a large scroll that emitted a nauseating aura, like an incessant buzzing directly in your ears. The scroll was placed behind a thick glass case that was covered in Mana, which Endyr assumed blocked the worst of the sensation. No one she could see reacted anyways, making Endyr believe only senses of her caliber could break the protection. The host allowed the audience to observe the scroll in silence for several seconds before speaking with a smile.
"This here is an ancient parchment that has been traced all the way back to the Third Era. It was written by what seems to have been an artist, and it depicts several Deities by the Almighty's side. Due to this, the parchment suffers a certain degree of corruption and should not be studied by anyone under Epic, and those below Mythic should only observe it for no more than ten minutes a day. It is written in a language we hadn't fully translated yet, but several of the Deities have been recognized: Sol, Gaia, Xerxes and...Aenrys and Navruavati."
There was a bigger stir when the two Evil Gods were mentioned compared to the Orthodox ones, and Endyr saw the Devils shuffle in the corner of her eye. 'Is this what they're after?' she thought to herself. Endyr could guess that the System wanted her to know something related to the Almighty or the Third Era, and that the "untranslated language" was probably Aesir. She partook in the bid, but competition was the fiercest so far and the scroll went to a VIP for eighty gold coins, way beyond Endyr's paygrade.
With both previous objects being historical documents, Endyr felt confidant the third would be no different. The journal was related to Seraphic, Fallacy and Jester; all three of which were closely connected to the Almighty. The scroll's contents were likely to be similar, and Endyr had no issue expanding her understanding of Orvonia's history. Abominations seemed more prevalent in the previous Era's, and she needed to know more about that Grey Mass she saw in the History Instance.
The next item was a sword that could channel lightning and a crystal chunk with high Mana conductivity, both of which went to a woman with metallic grey hair sitting in the front row. She was the strongest person Endyr could see at first place (so excluding the VIP boxes) and was around the middle of Epic Tier.
There were only thirty pieces being sold in this auction, and soon the twenty-fourth came one stage. The items had gotten either more expensive or esoteric as the auction went on, with the last one being a Fiend that looked like a mix between a crocodile and wolf. Its' appearance had caused quite a stir, and the metallic-haired woman competed against the VIP's for it. The beast went to the VIP in Box 4 in the end for seventy-four gold coins. Now though, it was time for Endyr's last item.
The man clasped both hands, a business smile on his face as he observed the crowd. Most had bought themselves out by now, meaning the real customers were the VIP's and a few people like that woman. Endyr herself had only bet on a few things, and she didn't appear in anyone's view. Once everyone was looking at the stage, the host revealed the next item.
"Ladies and gentlemen, here we have the twenty-fourth item for today: a true rarity that was discovered only a few weeks ago in Tartarus! Here it is: a Five Star Artefact that was once held by none other than the ancient Vampire Queen, Volanna!"
The crowd erupted into a clamor at the reveal, whispering amongst each other. The Devils also reacted rather strongly, even more than when the scroll was revealed. 'Hmm, the current Vampire Deity is Navruavati, who is a close ally of Aenrys and the Devils. Could they be here to acquire that Artefact for "Him"? But its only comparable to Legendary, far below the status of a God...or does it hold symbolic meaning?'
Of course, while Endyr casually dismissed a Legendary Artefact, the other buyers did not. Almost immediately, bids arrived from the VIP boxes and the woman in the front row, rapidly reaching a hundred gold coins and soon going past it. The host watched with a pleased expression as the bidders kept raising the price, making Endyr almost feel guilty about the fact she was going to rob him soon
Almost.
The bidding war drew to a close with the metallic woman winning, paying just under 150 gold coins. It could have potentially gone higher due to its relation to an Ancient Goddess, but people were getting weary of spending more money at this stage, and so the host sealed the sale. The Artefact was a gold and silver chalice that was under nearly a dozen restrictions and protections, and Endyr could faintly smell the scent of blood coming from it. According to the host, it could fill with a blood-like liquid once every 72 hours at will, and drinking the liquid had three effects: for the owner, it would provide a fifty percent boost to their strength, while to an enemy it was a poison that stripped fifty percent of their power. The third effect was only on Vampires: it would double their strength for six hours after use, but could not be used to poison them.
The negative effect was somewhat complex; To use it, the owner had to fill the chalice with a liter of their own blood. While under the boosting effects, the owner would suffer a blood haze and be at risk of attacking their own allies. Finally, every use would gradually give the owner negative Vampiric characteristics, such as a weakness to Light, Fire and Ether.
The risks were significant, but the fifty percent boost would work on anyone below Sovereign, and was capable of turning certain defeat into at least survival. For some Ascenders, the trade-off was worth it. As for why the System wanted her to have it?
[Host can ignore the negative effects of that Artefact, as its level is too low to change Host's biology or mental state. It is essentially a free power-up once every three days.]
Endyr was certainly pleased to hear that, as it confirmed what she believed anyways. Besides that however, Endyr was most interested in the third ability the chalice had, the one for Vampires. 'Can it upgrade my Bloodline?'
[If it is taken for over a year, Host can gain the Vampiric Bloodline equivalent to a Mythic Vampire. For Host, that chalice is an undeniably source of strength and must be obtained.]
While Endyr imagined the benefits of such a Bloodline, the auction went on. Finally, the last item was pulled on stage, and Endyr snapped back to reality just in time for the host to announce it. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am both happy and sad to announce the end of our auction. I hope you were pleased with what we displayed here today, and invite you to return in three months time for the next. And now, without further ado, I reveal to you the last item on today's list..."
The host pulled back a large curtain, revealing an iron cage beneath it. Gasps rose up from the crowd, and Endyr raised an eyebrow in surprise. Kneeling huddled in the cage was two figures with what appeared to be wolf ears and tails, silver in color to match their hair. This was the first time people had been brought on stage, making Endyr observe them with interest.
"These two are brother and sister from the Borealis Continent, two Ice Wolf Beastmen with excellent qualification. The elder sister is a Grandmaster at only sixteen, while the younger brother has C Rank Core at only twelve!"
Hearing this, Endyr narrowed her eyes and activated the Abomination's Eye