Chapter 1132 Beat them with Brains
"Nimbosia is truly one of the most beautiful domains, with its endless rain and vibrant city. Many would give anything to experience the soothing rain and explore its wonders. And when this war finally comes to an end, Nimbosia will once again become an attractive destination. At that time, everyone will flock back to Nimbosia to witness its revival." Meenal's voice carried a note of nostalgia as she continued, However, a noble from the Kael family raised a question, "Why would we need another travel rune to Nimbosia and Thunderdale when all the divine portals in the Runemasters Guild already have them?"
Meenal chuckled in response.
"Not everyone can access the divine portals," she said, her eyes shifting toward the commoners. She knew that the underworld and the Thieves Guild had a vested interest in travel runes because they didn't have the luxury of using the divine portals in the Runemasters Guild to move between realms. "Once the war is over, you get to travel between Thunderdale and Nimbosia if you don't like the divine portals,"
With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Meenal continued to tease the crowd a bit longer before finally starting the bid.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, for these exquisite travel runes, I shall start the bidding at a mere two hundred thousand gold coins. A small price to pay for the convenience of traveling between domains without the need for divine portals," she announced, her voice filled with excitement as she awaited the bids to roll in.
Meenal and the nobles were well aware that for individuals of their stature, access to the divine portals within the Runemaster Guilds made traveling between domains a trivial matter. However, they also understood that the situation was vastly different for those in the criminal underworld and the Thieves Guild.
In the seedy underbelly of the realms, crude methods of inter-domain travel were common, and they paled in comparison to the efficient, safe, and reliable divine portals crafted by the skilled runemasters. The potential buyers for these travel runes were not among the nobility but rather hidden in the shadows, eagerly waiting for a chance to buy such a valuable tool for their illicit activities.
"Three hundred thousand," a voice called from the common area, confirming Meenal's expectations. Michael glanced out of the window and saw several individuals in disguise, concealing their identities with hoods and masks. The one who had just bid also wore a dark hood that obscured his face.
"Three hundred and fifty," Michael spoke up, participating in the auction for the first time.
Rurik, somewhat inebriated, couldn't help but laugh. He questioned Michael's motives, wondering if he had criminal intentions.
"Oh, he's much more," Raphael replied with a smile.
"Four hundred thousand," another hooded figure from the common area countered Michael's bid.
Raphael enjoyed hunting and was eager for the God of Darkness to buy the travel runes. He longed for a challenge and didn't like being stuck in his mountain with nothing to do. Nowadays, there were very few rogue gods left because most had joined the pantheon when they were offered a place there. This made Raphael's role as a hunter almost obsolete. So, he was looking forward to the excitement of hunting, especially when it involved chasing the God of Darkness.
"Four hundred and fifty," Michael calmly raised the bid once more.
Meenal was genuinely surprised to see someone from the VIP pavilion participating in the bidding for the travel runes.
The hooded figures in the common area continued to raise their bids, and Michael calmly countered each one.
"Five hundred thousand," one of the hooded figures called out.
"Five hundred and fifty," Michael replied without a hint of urgency.
"Six hundred thousand," another figure bid.
"Six hundred and fifty," Michael countered confidently.
The bidding war went on, with the hooded figures trying to outbid each other, but Michael remained composed and determined to secure the travel runes. Each time they raised the bid, he responded with a higher offer.
"Seven hundred thousand," a bidder declared.
"Seven hundred and fifty," Michael stated firmly.
The atmosphere in the auction hall grew tense as the bids escalated, but Michael was unshaken, ready to keep countering their offers.
As Michael continued to raise the bid by fifty thousand gold coins, the commoners and nobles in the hall began to enjoy the spectacle. They watched with amusement as the bidding war between the hooded figures and Michael unfolded.
Some of the nobles couldn't help but comment, their voices filled with a mix of amusement and slight irritation. "Who is this fellow in the blacksmith guild pavilion?" one noble whispered. "He's acting like a noble, but he's embarrassing us. Doesn't he know when to give a bid that others can't outbid?"
Others nodded in agreement, their attention divided between the ongoing bids and their murmured discussions about the mysterious bidder from the blacksmith guild pavilion.
"Lad, why are you even bidding for those runes? You can travel to Nimbosia using the divine portals in the Runemasters guild for way fewer coins," Rurik commented, sipping his ale.
"Let's just say I like how they are glowing," Michael replied with a mischievous smile, though Rurik could see through his obvious lie.
"One million," suddenly, someone in the Alistair family pavilion raised the bid.
"Two million," another person in the Kael family countered the bid.
"It seems like they want to seek revenge for that book you outbid them for," Raphael said with an amused tone. It had been a long time since he had witnessed the quarrels and pettiness of mortals.
"Fuck, why are they even bidding?" Ayag growled in frustration.
Even Michael frowned as the nobles entered the bidding war. But he wasn't going to let go of the travel runes.
"So they want to play dirty, huh..." Michael thought with a devilish gleam in his eye as he casually put one leg over the other and leaned back on the sofa.
"Two million and fifty thousand," Michael declared. Meenal was nearly taken aback; no one had ever consistently raised the bid by fifty thousand in this manner. Even as the bid reached millions, which was quite a hefty sum for travel runes, she was astonished to see the young man persistently raising the bid by just fifty thousand each time.
"Three million," a noble from the Alistair VIP pavilion raised the bid, accompanied by laughter.
"For those of you who are listening," Michael announced with a sly grin, "let me have that travel rune, and I'll offer you the book we acquired in the Blacksmith Guild."
"What are you doing?" Sarba looked thoroughly puzzled, and even Raphael shared the same confusion.
"Lad," Rurik growled, fully aware of Michael's intentions.
When Michael offered the book that had caused such a frenzy in bidding, the nobles fell silent.
"That's a deal the Alistair family can accept in exchange for backing off from this bidding," one noble declared.
"Kael family agrees too," another chimed in.
It was a rare occurrence for these two prominent rival families to agree on anything. However, they both chose to back down this time, bewildered by the seemingly stupid decision of the young man. After all, the book had fetched more than twenty million in bids, yet he was willing to trade it for a set of travel runes.
"Let this young man have that rune, people. Alistair family will appreciate that," a noble from the Alistair family declared, though Michael couldn't see his face under the hood.
With the Alistair family backing him, Michael felt a sense of satisfaction. The hooded figures, who were likely criminals, thieves, or figures from the underworld, decided to back off from further bidding. While the travel runes would have been useful to them, it simply wasn't worth making enemies out of the prominent noble families.
Moreover, anything more than one point five million was far too much for those runes.
"Three million and one coin," Michael calmly announced, causing the crowd to fall into a stunned silence. Meenal's eyes widened in disbelief, and she felt the urge to curse that young man under her breath.
"Did he just...?" one of the nobles began, trailing off in disbelief.
The auction hall buzzed with a mixture of laughter, gasps, and shocked murmurs as Michael raised the bid by just one coin. Some in the audience couldn't help but chuckle at the audacity of his bid, while others were simply baffled by his actions.
"Did he just bid one coin more?" a commoner whispered to their neighbor.
"He did! Is he serious?" the neighbor replied with disbelief.
"Lad, you've got some nerve!" Rurik burst into a hearty laugh, unable to contain his amusement. "I can't believe he just did that." Sarba chuckled softly, shaking her head in disbelief.
Even Raphael cracked a rare smile, clearly entertained by Michael's audacity.
Meenal, on the other hand, was torn between frustration and amusement. She couldn't help but shake her head, her lips curving into an exasperated smile. "Well, I've seen it all now."
"Well, that's certainly a unique bid! But let's keep it going. Do I hear anything higher than... one extra coin?" Meenal couldn't help but chuckle nervously. The room erupted into a mix of laughter, chatter, and a few frustrated grumbles. Michael had managed to inject a sense of levity into the otherwise tense bidding war, leaving everyone wondering what he would do next.
Three million and one coin once..." Maria's voice held a hint of amusement as she continued the chant.
"Three million and one coin twice..." She couldn't help but smile as she repeated the phrase.
The crowd erupted in laughter, appreciating the humorous turn of events. It was an auction they would remember. "Sold!" Finally, Maria declared, and the auction hammer came down. The travel runes had found their new owner, thanks to Michael's unconventional bidding strategy.
"So where do you want to exchange the book?" A noble from the Alistair family inquired through the tinted glass, his curiosity piqued by Michael's unexpected offer.
Michael's face broke into a devilish grin as he contemplated the situation. Inside the VIP pavilion, Meenal paused the auction, her interest now focused on the unfolding events outside.
"Why should I choose the Alistair family over the others?" Michael replied with an amused tone. "Wouldn't that make the other noble families upset? It wouldn't be fair to them, now would it?"
As Michael's words hung in the air, the nobles from different families inside the VIP pavilions began to bicker among themselves. The Alistair and Kael families found themselves in a heated argument over who rightfully deserved the book Michael was offering in exchange for the travel runes.
"It's only fair that we should get the book," a member of the Alistair family declared, their tone filled with indignation.
The Kael family responded immediately, their voices dripping with sarcasm, "Oh, of course, you think you're entitled to everything, don't you?"
The other noble families joined in, each advocating for their own claim to the book. It quickly became a chaotic debate, with accusations and arguments flying back and forth.
Meanwhile, Michael sat back, wearing a sly smile. His plan had worked perfectly. The nobles were too busy squabbling among themselves to realize that they had fallen into his trap, leaving the book in his possession without having to give up the travel runes.
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