Val de Vaz District, an area rich in business nature in the Fars Empire, would be considered the CBD (Central Business District) on Earth, and is undeniably the core area of a city. However, in the Fars Empire, Val de Vaz District is the cultural and administrative center.
After disembarking from the carriage, Anne handed over an invitation, and the elderly butler at the gate politely welcomed them inside.
Charles had no doubt that he would have been denied entry had he not been accompanied by Anne.
The ancient residence covered an area of roughly five acres. Upon entering, they could see a variety of guests coming and going, making the place very lively.
Charles asked with some curiosity, "How does one sell one's own magic items at the magic item auction?"
Before Anne had the chance to reply, a hearty voice said, "May I ask what magic item the gentleman wishes to sell?"
Charles looked up slightly and saw a neatly dressed elderly gentleman smiling faintly at him. He politely returned the smile and said, "It's a multi-headed flail." He opened the parcel in his hand, revealing the handle of the multi-headed flail.
The elderly gentleman said, "May I take a closer look?"
Charles passed the parcel over to him.
The gentleman received the parcel steadily, looked at it for a while, then smiled and said, "Allow me to introduce myself. I own a magic item store called Louis's Store. My name is Louis Simi."
Charles gave a slight smile and said, "Mr. Simi, I hope to have the opportunity to frequent your store."
Louis Simi handed over a card that bore his name, the name of the shop, and the address.
Charles took the card with interest. When he had crossed over, business cards had already been phased out. People would only exchange phone numbers and WeChat contacts.
Louis Simi said, "I don't wish to purchase the multi-headed flail, but I can refer a good buyer to you."
Charles was very pleased and said, "Thank you, Mr. Simi."
Louis Simi smiled and said, "You may call me Louis, but I have not yet asked for your name?"
Charles answered, "Charles Meklen. You can just call me Charles; my friends do."
He gave Anne a querying glance, and she followed them with composure.
Charles intended to first complete his small business transaction before accompanying Anne to deal with Yang Miers. However, since Anne was willing to accompany him, he had no reason to refuse.
Louis subtly complimented Anne's beauty, and Anne accepted politely. The demeanor of both revealed the false and polished nature of high society.
Charles also knew this skill but did not want to partake in such insincere social interaction, silently following Louis Simi into a room.
Louis spoke loudly, "Mr. Lucas, the multi-headed flail you're looking for—I've collected one for you."
A burly man who had been chatting with friends looked over.
The fellow was in military uniform, and judging by the epaulets, his rank seemed quite high. Charles was not very good at reading these insignia, only able to make a rough guess based on their complexity.
When Lucas saw the multi-headed flail that Louis Simi brought out, his eyes immediately brightened. He stepped forward, gently picked it up, gave it a shake, and asked, "The enchantment is completely broken. Can you repair it?"
Louis Simi replied with a smile, "Master Aegeus is here, so restoring the enchantment is no problem at all."
Lucas nodded and said, "I'll take the item. How much?"
Louis said, "We're old friends. I'll only charge you one hundred and forty Aegeus."
Lucas nodded and said, "Repair the enchantment and send it to my residence."
Louis responded with a smile, and Lucas said nothing more, returning to chat with his friends.
Louis took Charles to a quiet corner and said in a low voice, "This multi-headed chain yoke needs to be re-enchanted, and the repair costs will be about fifty Aegeus. I am willing to pay seventy-five Aegeus to purchase it, what do you think?"
Charles smiled slightly and said, "No problem."
The price was already higher than he had anticipated.
Louis took out his wallet, swiftly counted out fifteen fifty-denomination Fu Er banknotes, and handed them to Charles, saying, "Pleasure doing business with you."
To be honest, Charles had never dealt with banknotes of such a high denomination; not even the twenty Fu Er bills, let alone the fifties—the largest denomination he had ever handled was a ten Fu Er bill.
Charles took the banknotes and used the verification methods he had learned at school. After confirming their authenticity, he placed the banknotes into his wallet and smiled, saying, "Louis, I'm lucky to have run into you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known what to do."
"This is my first time doing business."
Louis laughed heartily and said, "In the future, please patronize my little shop for such transactions."
After some small talk, Louis Simi said, "With Miss Annie accompanying you, it would be quite indiscreet of me to linger. I'll leave you two be. Next time, I'll specially explain to you some business tips and little secrets about auctions."
He handed the package he was carrying to a servant who had been following him and left with a cheerful smile.
Anne whispered, "Louis is a very shrewd businessman, so you must be careful when dealing with him."
Charles nodded; he really didn't think he would have many opportunities to do business with Mr. Louis Simi.
Where would he get a supply of magical items from?
The other party was engaged in high-end business.
Charles discreetly placed his wallet into the inner pocket of his coat, pressing down on it. The stack of thick banknotes inside gave him a sense of security.
Even in his previous life, he had never held such a large sum of money.
Seventy-five Aegeus was approximately equivalent to two to two point two million yuan.
Even in his last life, it would have been enough for him to buy a house, or at the very least, make a down payment.
Charles and Anne walked around the antique residence, thus getting a rough idea of what an auction looked like in this era.
Before the start of the official auction, guests were allowed to conduct private transactions. Those who couldn't complete a deal or weren't satisfied with the price would submit their magical items to the auction.
The Fars Empire did not have an official auction organization, and its commerce was not very developed, so such auctions relied heavily on the reputation of the organizers.
Charles and Anne had not been browsing for long when Anne whispered, "I've seen him. For now, let's not interact and pretend we don't know each other."
With a slight smile, Charles followed Anne's lead and also spotted Mr. Yang Miers, with whom he had quite a history.
Yang Miers was a tall and sombre man, probably in his forties or fifties, with excellent taste in clothing. Every piece he wore was meticulously detailed and stylishly matched. He held a cane inlaid with gold thread and a gemstone in one hand, which looked exceedingly expensive and starkly different from military-issue items, and clenched a fist with the other, reflecting a fraction of his agitated emotions.
Keeping his eyes on Yang Miers, Charles walked briskly past him.