-Skeeeeee...
[ "Oho! What do we have here~? A gorgeous gemstone? It looks nice~. Even more from up close~! So let's-" ]
But before she could even finish speaking, there was a bid of 800 good on the blue screen before her eye, as well as the big water screen.
[ "O...k? We have our very first bid but everyone can take their time-" ]
Again, before she could even finish her sentence, there was a second bid, and this was directly 2 platinum 500 gold...
And it wasn't the end either.
By the time the first ten seconds of observation finished, there were five bids already placed, and the price was already 7 platinum pieces.
It was just the second item of this auction, but the cheerful atmosphere from just a moment ago had cooled down by a considerable amount.
Most people in mage clothing, lavish aristocratic clothing, simple clothing, and even good armor were looking at the diamond-shaped gemstone with wide-open eyes.
It was just a transparent crystal, but those who had good appraisal skills knew the real identity of this gem from just a glance.
[Frost diamond]
A very rare gemstone that contained the properties of ice attribute Mana.
Something that mages and alchemists used in their experiments. Something that nobles collected as a treasure, and knights as material to enhance their armor.
It was something rare, something they would never slide away from their hands, and also something that many of them coveted.
So... after ten seconds, there was a fierce fight.
"7 platinum 500 gold! That gem is mine! Go away, you idiots!"
"7 platinum 800 gold! Fuck off, bastards! You don't even know the true value of that amazing piece!"
"What does a jeweler know about magic crystals?! 9 platinum!"
"A jeweler knows the best! 10 platinum!"
Then the value on the big screen suddenly jumped from 10 to 20 platinum. A whopping 10,000 gold increase... something that made many people shut their mouths.
"A jeweler knows the best. Of course, you have to say a real jeweler. Not just any uncle from the street-side shop."
Maybe this was the person who placed the shocking bid but, it stayed there just for a moment and then become 23 platinum. Someone was willing to pay that absurd price for a gem...
It wasn't like this one was as great as the perfectly crafted ones that were only produced in the old times. This was a good item, but not of the best quality.
But it had the power of an elemental attribute. So, it was reasonable.
And that wasn't the end of the second item, anyway.
[ "Ahem. Wow. That was a rare sight... well, we have the last bid with 35 platinum and 340 gold. Anyone willing to bid a bit more for this amazing piece?" ]
There was something in the auctioneer's voice...
But it was definitely effective as the price slightly increased for a bit more time and finally stopped again at 38 platinum and 100 gold.
[ "It definitely is a good deal to get this beautiful~ piece at that price. And no one's willing to give more either, so...
38,100 going for once. 38,100 going twice..." ]
Nope. She had already done this twice, so no one was willing to give more than that.
The price had already reached the market price, so it was just a loss for them.
-Thump. Thump. Thump.
[ "Beautiful gemstone sold to the number 143~!" ]
Usually, there should be clapping sounds, but there were none this time. No one even knew who this number 143 even was. But they definitely got something from this auction...
[ "Okay~! Going forward..." ]
And the auction continued like that.
As the setting of every year, the auction was divided into three sections.
The start usually had good quality items, every other one is better or similar to the previous one.
The middle part happened after the break. Which 'mostly' contained items from the people attending the auction.
And the sweet of the day, the closing part that contained some of the best items that one could ever find.
And this year's first part contained some of the most amazing items ever!
They started with a vampire flower, then the gemstone, the gorgeous-looking artifact weapons, artifacts that had functions that were unbelievable even though multiple skills confirmed that, and even more rare herbs, flowers, and fruits.
Yes... well, there were fruits and people fought crazily for each one of them.
They were all natural treasures and some of the most amazing known delicacies, after all.
[Pink ruby bananas], [Rainbow fruits], [Golden apple]. No one had thought that they would see such treasures today. And all in one place too...
It was chaos among the bidders and aside from the ones without hoods and ones who hadn't covered their numbers, no one actually knew who was buying what... aside from the ones who fought like crazy over some specific kind of items, of course.
Numbers 33,34, and 35, were fighting over all the fruits and herbs. Number 540 was trying their best to get the 'swords' and number 369 was just trying to hinder all the people who wanted something desperately.
They were angering many people with how they increased the price at the last moment just for the people to pay more than necessary.
It was an obvious act of picking bad blood and there would definitely be a fight if their identity was known.
But it would actually be better if they forget the matter altogether if they wanted to attend this auction in the future.
Anyway... the first half of the auction was going smoothly.
So smoothly that there was no problem, no hindering, not even a slight thing that was out of place.
The employees were doing the work as normally as they did while following the small instructions given to them by the operators.
Though some instructions sounded weird, like going and gathering around the ground floor plaza to stop a fight that happened as soon as they reached there.
Like clearing the parking spots for the nobles, which visually canceled all the problems that used to happen.
Using good-looking employees to manage the stairs and elevators.
Even how accurately they gave orders to the people working inside the ongoing auctions was remarkable.
They knew the current highest authority operating the things behind the scenes wasn't their auction master, but the two new persons.
But from the point of view of the employees, they were actually as amazing as her... some even dared to think they were better.
Some were afraid to have such blasphemous thoughts about their master, but... their master who got the chance to play with her dear daughter during an auction for the first time would actually agree with their thoughts.
The two amazing people working, bidding, and playing with their family at the same time were definitely something else~!
And Operator B, the one who was helping the two of them, would actually agree with her even with their utter shock and disbelief.
The atmosphere in the operating room was already far different from what it used to be.
Their work was to assist their master, but today, the two new people, the two children that only they knew about, were doing most of the things on their own...
Today, they genuinely remembered that their division actually was (First assistant team) instead of (Operator team B).
They just assisted the two that did everything on their own... from analyzing new data, monitoring the whole Hiraani, handling the event-related personnel, and even keeping the resources in check.
They took turns doing some things, so the operators knew that the number 369 that hindered the nobles was their operators themselves.
And they knew the consequences of leaking this information so they just forgot the thing altogether and did their work.
An interesting item was on the way anyway, so even they all, who looked at the whole of the Hiraani in real time, were looking forward to seeing the fun that would unfold there.
And they didn't have to wait much longer as after a (Blue) skill stone of [Inferno] was sold for 120 platinum, a single artifact that even they knew a little about rose up on the big table.
It was an artifact, but not many would call it an artifact. It was just a glass slab with a strange yellow thunderbolt mark inside it.
Most people seeing it with their low-level appraisal skills wouldn't even know what that actually is and even with a (Blue) rank appraisal skill, it would just show that it was an EFMW or formless artifact.
Well, just that much would make its price astronomical even though it was just a (level-11) artifact, many of them would most certainly do their best to obtain such a treasure.
The price can very well go as high as 300 platinum, which is 300,000 gold... an unimaginable amount for a (level-11) artifact, but it was quite certainly possible if the three mysterious ones fought for it.
It was good for all the employees anyway. However high their profits from this event, the higher their winter bonuses.
So, in a way, they were thankful for the wreath-inducing actions of their A2.
Anyway... they were going to be even more thankful for him after this one-item bidding.
The item that had caught the eyes of numbers 3, and 12, had also attracted the newly infamous number 369, after all.
This time, he wanted not only the ire of other opponents but also the item itself...
The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on fre(e)webno(v)el.𝒸𝑜𝘮