Chapter 153: The Ashway Bazaar (7)
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Silvena leaned back and smiled slowly, looking very pleased with herself. Then, she turned to Ruvian and crossed her legs in a graceful way.
"There. I bought your little toys. Now, let’s talk about what I get in return."
Ruvian looked at her from the side.
"What? I thought it was a gift," he said with a smile.
Silvena smiled wider, but her eyes were serious.
"Oh, please~ You should know that nothing in this world is truly free. I also want something in return. It wouldn’t be fair if only you gain from our deal."
"And don’t worry, I will not ask for anything unreasonable. If possible, what I want is some information that may help me earn more money. That alone is enough."
’Haa... this woman. She makes it sound like it is a small favor.’
"Alright, alright. You don’t have to worry about that. I have some more information regarding them. Just remind me again after this is over."
Ruvian lightly shook his head with a quiet laugh before returning his focus to the auction stage.
The announcer gave a polite bow, then slowly moved to prepare the next item.
Normally, when someone wins an item in the auction, the item will only be delivered after the whole event is finished. This was to protect the identity of the buyer and to keep the process organized.
However, Silvena had purchased the VIP private privilege, which allowed any item she bought to be sent immediately into a dimensional storage item she had chosen beforehand.
And for tonight, the designated item was the silver ring on her finger.
Silvena lowered her eyes to the ring and moved her fingers slightly, activating the storage space within it.
"Anyway, the transaction is complete. I have the sword with me now." she said softly.
A faint ripple appeared in the air in front of her hand, like the space in front of her was gently distorted.
Slowly, the katana emerged from the distortion, its sheath reflecting the lounge’s light as it settled smoothly into her grasp.
She held the handle naturally.
Then, quietly, she used [Identify] to inspect the blade, but no clear description of its enchantment appeared before her.
"Honestly, I still don’t understand," she said softly, looking closely at the weapon. "You insisted on getting this sword, but it doesn’t look special at all to me. Is there really something hidden about it?"
Ruvian stood up from his seat.
"Give me the sword. I’ll tell you."
She looked at him for a moment, then calmly handed him the blade.
Ruvian accepted it with a playful smile. He slowly pulled the blade from its sheath and began to explain.
"First, you should know that this sword is not a Grade B. In fact, it is a Grade S."
Hearing that, Silvena frowned a little in confusion, while Irene tilted her head, not understanding how that could be.
’Huh? Grade S? But how?’ they thought.
However, instead of asking more questions at Ruvian, they chose to wait for his explanation.
"Well, it’s quite simple," Ruvian said. "The reason the announcer said the expert could not appraise this sword’s enchantment, and why they labelled it as Grade B instead of Grade S... is because of the enchantment itself."
"Huh?" they said at the same time.
Ruvian gave a small sigh.
"Sorry, let me say it clearly. This sword has an enchantment that hides its real ability. The owner can also choose what grade the sword shows to other people."
Silvena and Irene’s eyes widened in surprise.
Honestly, that was a ridiculous enchantment. Because an enchantment that concealed its own ability from people was very rare.
Ruvian continued.
"However, the previous owner of this blade died after setting the enchantment to hide all of its abilities and show it as Grade B. Even though the ability is no longer being controlled, the sword still follows the last setting left by its owner."
"And since no one became the new owner after that... the sword has remained like this until now."
Silvena rested her chin lightly on her fingers, her expression calm as she quietly thought about it.
"I see... so if we want to reveal its true ability, you need to make the sword accept you as its owner?" she asked, slowly adjusting her sitting posture on the sofa.
Ruvian simply nodded.
"Yes."
"I see. But how though?"
"Well, to do that... I need to kill a few first."
He paused for a moment, then gave a small smile as he placed the sword back into its sheath.
"And by ’a few,’ I mean those demons."
*****
At last, the announcer’s voice shifted.
"And now, distinguished guests, we arrive at our thirtieth and final offering for tonight."
Behind him, a velvet-curtained platform rolled forward, revealing a long, slender case of blackened glass.
Within it lay a scroll, worn, cryptic, and untouched by time.
A murmur of interest swept through the hall.
Some nobles leaned forward. Even a few collectors narrowed their eyes. But only one person in the room sat completely still.
Ruvian’s gaze locked on the scroll with clear recognition.
’Now, it’s time for the scroll...’
Silvena’s eyes moved from the stage to Ruvian’s face, studying the subtle change in his expression.
"Is that the scroll you’d mentioned?" she asked quietly.
Ruvian leaned slightly forward in his seat, his elbows resting against the armrest. The relaxed air he had carried earlier faded, replaced by a calm seriousness that sharpened his gaze.
"Yes."
Silvena’s lips curved into an amused smile, her fingers lightly tapping the edge of the chair.
"Hmm~ I thought tonight would drain half of my reserves. But it seems our real interest was never in most of these items. Well, not really a shame though. There was nothing much worth the price other than that sword."
Ruvian did not respond to her remarks.
His eyes remained fixed on the scroll, his hand tightened, knuckles paling as tension gathered beneath the calm surface.
"Irene," he said quietly, without looking away from the stage.
"Yes?"
"You can proceed with it now."
Irene inclined her head in acknowledgment, her expression composed as always. No questions followed. She simply accepted the instruction and vanished entirely from the room using her [Shadow Fold] spell.
On the stage, the announcer stepped forward once more. He allowed the murmur of conversation to linger for a moment.
Then he lifted one hand, and the hall gradually fell silent.
"Esteemed guests," he began, his voice calm.
"For this final lot... we present not merely an object preserved by time, but a fragment that may have once belonged to something far greater."
"Some among our scholars have suggested... that the material bears resemblance to relics believed to originate from the era of the Golden City."
A faint stir passed through the audience.
"A civilization spoken of only in fragments of surviving texts. A place where knowledge was said to surpass imagination. A city so great that vanished, leaving behind questions that have never truly been answered."
His fingers came to rest lightly upon the glass case, almost reverent, almost theatrical.
"If this scroll is indeed connected to that forgotten age... then what rests before you may not simply be a relic to admire."
His eyes swept slowly across the hall.
"It may be a key to something the world has long believed lost."
"And tonight... one of you will decide its fate."
The announcer smiled darkly as he lifted both of his hands.
And at last, the quiet tension in the hall finally became something everyone could feel.
But they did not know was that the fight for the scroll was about to begin.
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[Chapter 153: The Ashway Bazaar (7)]
Plot Points= 9,550
