"We are now heading to the Black Pearls Auction House. It holds the greatest influence when it comes to auctioning items of extreme quality, no matter what they may be. Their items are exclusive to people of power and those who have enough money to bid on the items they sell. They hold an auction every three months, and what they sell is the result of purchases they make externally in other continents."
"Do you think it's reliable to sell my products there?" Gilgamesh raised his gaze and asked.
There were very few people who could accurately evaluate his most valuable items, but even within his vault in Babylon, he had tons of the purest quality gold, exotic armors, magical and non-magical crystals, weapons, potions, and anything else that a human could imagine.
"My lord, if they cannot evaluate your items correctly, you have every right to refuse to sell to them. Moreover, they would be delighted to do business with someone like you."
Gilgamesh fell into silence. He seemed to be contemplating the idea of selling an item from his possessions, as evidently, all the items he possessed were of great value and importance. If he decided to sell a powerful item, it could generate chaos, so he had to make a wise choice before arriving at that place.
Gold might not be of much importance in this world; he wasn't sure if diamonds held any value either, but what he was sure of was that the weapons and magical objects in his possession could offer him enough money for the beginnings of his plan.
Before arriving, he had selected some lower-quality items and chosen some precious gemstones that he was sure nobles would like to flaunt as a symbol of their wealth when buying a precious jewel. Besides that, if gold didn't hold high value, he would sell some magical stones and low-level potions he had in his possession.
He wasn't certain if there were potions in this world, but since he needed money, he wanted to improvise, and there was no better way to do it than this.
Simon didn't know what Gilgamesh had in his possession to sell, but considering his new behavior, it wouldn't be something small.
When they got out of the carriage, the gazes of everyone had already fallen on the carriage's markings, and it was known in advance that it belonged to one of the princes. To come to a place like this with such class, only nobles or royalty would make such an entrance.
Gilgamesh took a few steps forward, and immediately an older man had appeared at the door and bowed slightly in a show of respect. "Prince Gilgamesh, welcome to the Black Pearls Auction House. What brings you here?"
"I've come to buy some things and do business..." Gilgamesh walked into the building without caring about etiquette, and immediately, transparent glass display cases appeared before his eyes, showcasing a variety of weapons and gleaming armors.
There were very few people around, demonstrating the exclusivity of this place in selecting its clientele. As was well-known, this place mainly benefited from the auction and sale of high-quality items that mostly nobles purchased.
"Prince Gilgamesh, I am Raffaele, the manager of this auction house. I recently heard that you had become one of the youngest Sword Kings in the history of our kingdom and possibly the world, so it is an honor to have you in this place." Raffaele's eyes sparkled at the sight of someone as reserved as Prince Gilgamesh deciding to visit his shop, so he did his best to please him and find out what he wanted.
"Before we move to a more private area, is there anything in our presentations that interests you? These are the newest items, so I'm sure something will catch your eye."
Raffaele's shrewd eyes observed Gilgamesh and noticed his interest in an innovative set of clothing displayed in a separate showcase from the weapons area, so he performed his professional duties as best as he could.
"Other than that set of clothing, there is nothing in this place that catches my attention, so let's proceed to the negotiations." Gilgamesh shook his head and pointed to the clothing set, which perfectly combined comfort and elegance.
Click!
"Then it shall be yours!" Raffaele snapped his fingers, and a pair of young women began to remove the clothing from the showcase while he led the young prince to a secluded room.
As Gilgamesh and Raffaele climbed the stairs of the building, other people and workers who had heard rumors of the cruel prince felt a chill just from being in his presence. Even if others had no direct relationship with him, they felt the need to bow and greet.
"So, Prince Gilgamesh has finally deigned to leave his mansion. He's still so young; I doubt he's truly a Sword King."
Another onlooker commented after seeing Gilgamesh, "Still, he's frightening. Being in the presence of this prince is truly intimidating."
...
The Black Pearls Auction House contained anything one might be looking for as long as one had enough wealth. However, in both the past and the present, not everyone was privileged enough to access all the privileges this place could offer.
Gilgamesh looked coldly at all the people surrounding him on his way to the private room where he would discuss the things he needed with this man named Raffaele, who was the manager of this place. Simon, right by his side, was deeply concerned that things might spiral out of control.
Others might not know, but it was clear to him that Gilgamesh was an executioner who could kill with such ease that it didn't even make him flinch. Even the prime minister and highly formidable guards had died at his hands without receiving a single scratch.
A young woman with good intentions said, "Prince Gilgamesh, what would you like to drink?"
"If you have a fine wine that can impress me, I'll accept it with gratitude. If not, simply a lemonade or something refreshing." Gilgamesh replied to the woman who was attending to him.
"Then, Prince Gilgamesh, what matters would you like to discuss now that we are in a more private setting?" Raffaele asked without rushing, finding the exact moment to pose this question.
He had been in the presence of the most influential people in this kingdom, and none of them had given him the sense of oppression that Gilgamesh did. As a merchant, he traveled frequently, so he had a lot of experience in getting to know people and could sense what they were thinking with just a few sentences exchanged. However, the prince Gilgamesh, about whom everyone knew so little, gave him an entirely new sensation.
Most nobles came to this place for magical accessories, high-quality swords, and, in rare cases, armor. Therefore, he had some anticipation of what the prince Gilgamesh might want before he spoke with him, but now there was nothing but mystery in his words.
"Um... Prince Gilgamesh?" Raffaele saw the bottle of wine being brought by one of the servants of this place and personally opened the bottle, took a crystal glass, and poured a glass for Gilgamesh.
"Do you think you can auction off some magical items in the upcoming auction to be held here?" Gilgamesh swirled the wine glass in his hand and looked at Raffaele, whose expression momentarily went blank.
"You're planning to auction something?"
Gilgamesh nodded and said, "Before I show you the items I want to auction, I'd like to know the commission for any items you wish to auction. If the deal is fair, I'll require a lot of what you have in your store, and we could potentially establish a good relationship in the future."
Raffaele was no fool; he knew exactly about business and what Gilgamesh meant. He must be looking for more than just selling; he might also be interested in buying. In normal situations, the auction house takes a 30% commission on the value of the auctioned item, but for prestigious members, the auction house only takes 15% of the final bid value in an auction.
In this situation, it wouldn't hurt to suggest that they could take 15% of the profits from the items prestigious members might auction. However, he was dealing with the prince Gilgamesh, so Raffaele adjusted his collar and said, "If it's for the prince Gilgamesh, as long as the deal is intriguing, we could come to an agreement of 90% for you and 10% for the auction house, which is us."
"You're no fool, but my deal is much larger, so I'll be keeping 95% of the profits." Gilgamesh, who was sipping the medium-quality wine they offered, smiled and proposed his terms.