As evening approaches, Sophia and I make our way to one last destination before heading home: the Enchantment Guild auction house. This time, we won't be selling our equipment directly to the guild like before. Instead, we are going to put some better items up for auction.
Of course, we are both wearing masks to hide our identities. Chameleon Earrings can only store one appearance per earring, so we couldn't change into another appearance. But if it's just for some quick paperwork, then just using masks is fine.
Upon entering, we are greeted by the auction clerk. He is a middle-aged man with gray hair, neatly combed, and wears a pair of glasses. His uniform is immaculate, but it's his quick, assessing smile that truly captures our attention.
"Hi, are you here to auction your enchanted equipment?" asks the auction clerk as we approach his desk. His name is Mathew, as written on his tag.
"Yes, we'd like to auction these items," Sophia says, laying out our enchanted weapons on the counter: five daggers, three swords, a spear, and a bow.
The clerk raises an eyebrow, surveying the array. "These are basic Guild weapons, aren't they? Are you sure they're worth auctioning? I get that they are the highest grade blanks that you can find at the Guild, but that doesn't mean they are up to our standard."
And he isn't wrong. Those B-tier blanks were all I could get my hands on. But here, at the auction house, only the highest quality items from renowned enchanters are being auctioned. That means the blanks must be at least A-tier to pass the auction house standard.
Well, that is only the case if they are enchanted by a normal enchanter.
Mathew is just a clerk. He is not an enchanter, so it's natural that he couldn't realize the abnormal power inside my enchanted gear at just a glance.
"Excuse me, but I don't see any rule written here that an enchanted item must come from A-tier blanks or higher," Sophia retorts. "In fact, there is no limitation on the quality of the item."
An unwritten law is not a law. So, theoretically speaking, I can still get my items into the auction.
"Alright, if you really want to," Mathew sighs deeply. "That will be two gold coins, or two thousand crowns handling fee for each item. And on top of that, there's a 30% seller commission on your items. Please let me know if you want to proceed."
Now I get it. That's an absurd handling fee and commission rate. On Earth, the highest should only be 20%. But here, it's a whopping 30%! So that's how the auction house maintains their high-quality items. There's no point selling a low-quality item if you have to pay that much in fees. Of course, it's possible to get a lower rate, but at the moment, there's no reason for them to offer that to us.
Sophia glances at me, silently asking for approval. Since I know the true quality of my work, I nod, giving her the go-ahead. She places twenty gold coins on the table to cover the auction fee.
Mathew accepts the gold and hands us some paperwork to sign. But everything changes when he sees my signature.
"WAIT! As- ASTERIA?" Mathew gasps, nearly falls off his chair. "You are Master Asteria? The one who has been selling those perfectly enchanted items at the Guild these past few days?"
"Oh? You know me?" I raise an eyebrow.
Because I want to hide my real identity, I couldn't use my real name, nor could I use the name Edward either. It's too easy to trace back to the businessman persona I registered at the Adventurer's Guild. Hence, I came up with the new name, Asteria.
"Of course, of course!!!" Mathew is now restless. "How can I not know you? Everyone is talking about you! Your works are truly amazing! One of a kind! Revolutionary even!"
Needless to say, his attitude has changed completely. He has become super friendly to us, like we are celebrities or VIP guests.
"Then, about my items for auction…"
"Ah! Of course! If it's you, then we will give you the lowest rate! No, we won't take any fee at all! You are free to auction your items here anytime!"
"Huh? Shouldn't you ask your supervisor first before making that decision?"
"Ah, don't worry, I've already received word from the higher-ups to give you the highest treatment if you come to us!"
Hearing that and seeing the nervousness in Mathew's face, Sophia chuckles. Mathew is literally sweating right now, his face so red and his calm, collected self just moments ago has already vanished. Even I am surprised by how much influence I have right now.
"Well, no need for that." I say. "Rules are rules, don't break them just for me if it will get you into trouble. You can take the handling fee, and regarding the seller commission, 10% is fine, which is your lowest rate. I don't have any problem with that."
"Are-are you sure about this?"
"Yes. And don't worry, it's not like my items are not going to sell, right?"
"Of course!" Mathew exclaims with a smile. "I believe they are going to be the most contested items tomorrow!"
The auction clerk then makes a new set of documents that include the new fee and commission rates for us to sign. Once the registration is complete, he even takes his time to see us off from the Enchantment Guild.
"Thank you very much, it's been an honor! Please come back tomorrow morning for the auction," Mathew says and waves goodbye.
"Sure, see you." I say.
We then go to the library to pick Yumi up.
It's already late. My clock hits 7 pm.
After such a long day, both me and Sophia are super hungry.