Chapter 150: The Ashway Bazaar (4)
The door to the private lounge opened by itself. The room was not as big as he expected, but it looked very luxurious. The first thing Ruvian noticed was how quiet it was.
The lounge had the shape of a half-moon, facing the grand amphitheater through a slanted dark glass window. At the center was a crescent-shaped sofa made of dark velvet. On both sides, there were low tables holding floating trays with fruit, wine, and thin crystal glasses.
It was a quiet kind of luxury.
Silvena walked in calmly. She moved her cloak aside and sat on the sofa with confidence. Irene followed behind her and sat next to her.
Meanwhile, Ruvian walked closer to the viewing glass without speaking. His reflection was faint on the enchanted surface. Below them, the hall looked wide and magnificent, like a stage prepared for a grand performance.
Silvena had already started pouring a drink into her glass.
"You are not going to sit?" she asked lightly before lifting the glass.
"In a moment," Ruvian replied softly, still observing the hall.
"Also Irene, I think you can activate the spell now."
Without any hesitation, Irene nodded and cast [Silencing Barrier].
"Done," she said shortly after.
Silvena leaned back against the soft armrest, crossing one leg over the other.
"So, what is next?"
Ruvian placed his hand behind his back before he spoke calmly.
"First, we follow the flow of today’s auction. Our main goal is to obtain the scroll — so we must be ready to fight fiercely in the bidding. We must push the price if needed. No matter what happens, we cannot let the scroll fall into their hands."
Silvena gently swirled the wine in her glass before taking a sip.
"You do not need to worry about the price. The D’Elvoire Merchant House will never lose in a bidding war." she said with a faint smile.
Ruvian smiled slightly.
"I know. I never worry about that."
He paused, then looked down at the hall below through the dark glass.
"What concerns me is what happens after. Once the scroll is in our hands, we better be prepared. The demons will likely try to intrude into this lounge. Most of them should already be down there, after all."
His gaze moved slowly across the amphitheater, observing the nobles, merchants, and masked guests gathering below.
From what he remembered in the novel, a certain noble had once succeeded in winning the scroll through bidding.
However, the moment the auction ended, everything turned chaotic. The hall fell into disorder, and violence broke out everywhere.
Blood was spilled across the marble floor.
In the end, the scroll still fell into the demons’ hands.
However, the number of casualties was unexpectedly low for their desperation.
After thinking carefully about it, Ruvian concluded that the demons present at the time were not high-ranking ones.
They most likely discovered the scroll by chance during the auction. Then, greedy for merit, these low-rank demons probably believed that obtaining the scroll would grant them promotion or rewards.
There were reasons for this assumption.
First, the demons had failed to win the scroll through bidding. If a high-ranking demon had been sent, they would have easily secured enough wealth to obtain the scroll quietly, without causing trouble.
Second, the casualties were too few. If they lacked the means to win through money, a higher-ranking demon would have simply silenced everyone present to erase witnesses.
Yet that did not happen.
Because of that failure, news of the incident at the Ashway Bazaar still spread beyond the scene. That was why the event even reached the ears of Zian Herga and several other figures in the story.
However, Ruvian shouldn’t be too confident.
After all, there is still a chance, at least one or two high ranking demons present in here. Normally, to guide the low ranking demons.
’Either Greater Demons or High Demons.’
’But weird... I felt something was wrong somehow, did I forget something?’
Then, Ruvian turned to look at them sitting on the sofa.
"Anyway, once they come for us... we will kill every single one of them. Don’t even let any of them escape."
His voice was calm, but the meaning was cold.
After saying that, he walked toward them and sat down beside Silvena, who was seated in the middle of the crescent sofa.
Silvena gave a sly smile, slowly placing her glass on the table. "Alright, sure... but once again, you give us such a heavy task," she said softly.
"But it should be possible."
Ruvian let out a teasing smile.
"I also need your help to obtain a few items from today’s auction."
"Yes, yes~ you don’t have to remind me of that. I already have all the money prepared for it." Silvena replied.
’Good, as long as there’s money, everything is fine.’
Ruvian remembered that several valuable items would appear in this event. And thanks to Silvena, who had paid the required price to gain access to the auction catalog, he had already reviewed the list in advance.
Because of that, Ruvian had already chosen a few artifacts that caught his interest.
Which will be useful for the future.
Now, all that remained was to secure them before anyone else did.
*****
After a while, the curtains finally rose.
"It’s starting now." Silvena said.
A figure stepped onto the central stage — tall, resplendent, and dressed in robes that gleamed like countless sparkles.
His mask was an elaborate half-face design sculpted in the likeness of a smiling jester, yet the glint in his eyes hinted at a sharper intellect than the outfit suggested.
"Ladies, and gentlemen~"
The announcer began, voice smooth and amplified by some enchantment.
"It warms my heart to see so many familiar masks tonight. Even if half of you have changed your mask since the last gathering."
A chuckle rippled through the hall.
"Anyway, as always, our auction exists to provide opportunities... opportunities that cannot be found in the world above."
"Treasure long lost, rare artifacts, contract-bound servants and perhaps some forbidden knowledge. And maybe, for some of you, today will be the chance to change your dearly fate."
The man paced with easy showmanship, arms extended like a conductor preparing an orchestra.
"Now, before we begin, a few reminders. Please, no violence and no spell casting in the middle of bidding. Unless you’re prepared to pay the clean-up fee. And lastly, we would also like to remind our esteemed guests that all transactions are final."
Then, he placed one hand over his chest with exaggerated sincerity.
"Now, hold tight to your coin, and hold tighter to your self-control even more, dear respectable guests. Because tonight’s collection is going to be very, very interesting~"
He spread his arms widely.
"That said..."
His grin widened like the madness of a jester.
"Let the auction begin."
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[Chapter 150: The Ashway Bazaar (4)]
Plot Points= 9,050
