章 35: Naelon Hall I
"I am going to announce these additional artifact placements to the attendees," Ms. Bunny hastily said as she wanted to get this over with.
Looking at the time, it was already 10:53 pm. Any more hold up and they wouldn't be able to make it to the Naeleon Hall in time as it took almost 6 minutes to reach there.
Ms. Bunny did not want to delay the time of the first batch even by a second as it would make her the target of their wrath. And only God knows what they might do to her when they learn about the artifacts in the Hall.
"Wait! We have just received a call from that man again and the manager is talking with him right now. There might be some new changes. We shouldn't make haste lest we get in trouble," The other announcer could foresee the situation and weighed the pros and cons of not acting now.
If they didn't give people a satisfactory reasoning, they might beat them up but if they acted on their own and did something opposite to what that man had instructed then even their bones wouldn't be found.
Ms. Bunny looked at her fellow announcer and also felt that they should not act on their own. The shrieks of the person who disobeyed that man were still fresh in her mind.
She nodded and patiently waited for their manager to come over and explain the situation to them so that they could think about the next strategy.
In the front Hall, the people with yellow bands were feeling restless and anxious as they stared at the huge digital wall clock hung across the podium which showed 10:57 pm.
They were told that the auction started at 11 pm and only three minutes were remaining but no signs of the Bunny girl who went backstage.
A mutual discomfort was spreading among the yellow group. At the same time, the other three groups watched in glee as the digital clock struck another minute. They wanted the yellow group to reach the auction Hall so late that they couldn't bid until all of them were present.
Emma oversaw the whole scenario and felt confused. 'Didn't the organizer want to sow discord among the attendees to maximize casualties? Why were they not taking them to the auction Hall now? If they delayed their time like this, wouldn't this grouping be meaningless as they all will get somewhat similar time to bid? What did that person actually want?'
Emma could not see through the thoughts of the organizer ever since she knew about this auction. Their actions were strange and bizarre and also bewildering and flummoxing.
Emma looked into her glass as she thought about the intentions of the auction house. However, she couldn't put a finger on the things he might want to achieve by doing this.
At this point, she felt that the organizer was playing mind games with them. Whenever she felt that she knew how this auction proceeded, she was slapped with another faux which disrupted her train of thought.
While Emma was contemplating the auction itself, Ms. Bunny was sweating buckets backstage as she saw the clock struck 11 pm and her heart dropped.
Her manager had still not come back from the call and they had not done anything to pacify the people outside.
A tiny part of her was relieved as the people were still confused about the situation and didn't voice out their opinions as they had witnessed a group of people being kicked out just a moment ago but it couldn't hold them for an extended period.
To her relief, her manager came after 5 minutes. She looked like someone had revived her from the verge of death. Instantly, she went toward the manager and asked, "Sir, Do I tell the people that more artifacts were placed in the Hall and since it took time to adjust them there it caused a delay?"
This was what she wanted to tell the attendees as it would increase their spirit and take their minds off of the mishap caused by mismanagement by the auction house.
How could they have known that the organizer would call to change some rules at the last minute and prepare in advance?
Only God knows what goes through the mind of that person as he randomly decides to make the life of people working below him a living hell.
"No, The organizer wants us to proceed as decided. No need to tell them about the new items. Go out and get the first group to the auction Hall. It would be ready by the time you reach there," the manager dismissively said as he didn't realize her dilemma.
Ms. Bunny went pale at this. If she did step outside like this, those people would skin her alive. Mustering up her courage, she said, "Sir, it has been 15 minutes since the auction was said to start. If we don't give them a plausible reason, people might act outrageously."
"Does it look like we care about their actions? Just throw the person out who causes trouble! And what are you still dwindling here for? Get your *ss back to work!" The manager roared furiously. The last thing he cared about was the people's actions. He had just gotten scolded by that man for being slow-witted. He was in no mood to care about some random stranger's feelings.
"Y-yes, sir," Ms. Bunny said and went out. As soon as she stepped out, she felt all unkind and glaring eyes directed toward her.
"Thank you for your patience! We had a small delay but now we can proceed normally. I would like to ask for your kind cooperation and follow me to the Naelon Hall!" She acted cheerfully and said in an optimistic tone as if it wasn't her whose legs were shaking before coming out.
Although many people were dying to slather her body in their spit by cursing her insides out for delaying them, they put a hold on their tongues as they still wanted to attend the auction and not get thrown out.
Emma was also among those who didn't know what had caused this hold-up. She also couldn't find a feasible reason for this interlude no matter how much she thought.
She got ready to follow this blondie to the auction Hall.
Their group soon left the room and under the guidance of the blondie arrived at a huge space after 5 minutes.
The corridor was decorated in a luxurious way with golden carpets covering the floors and bright yellow lights illuminating the doorway.
The door to the room itself was huge and looked different than all the doors they had come across while coming here.
"Ahem, I know that you guys are blown away by the beauty of this place but let me explain a bit about this Hall," Ms. Bunny saw how she had gained everyone's attention and continued, "This is one of the two largest Halls on the Royal Caribbean. It is used to host Balls on board but now we have rented it out to organize the auction here."
She took a breath and said, "As you will enter the Hall, you'll notice the auctioned items placed across the walls in glass cases with writing pads below them. You will each be given pens which you can use to write your names and bids on the items. You are free to explore but are not allowed to take any of the items out of their cases no matter the reason."
"There are security cameras everywhere as well as microphones. If anyone is caught taking out any object, that will be considered as damage to the object and he/she will have to pay for the item fully at its market value."
"Moreover, you are not allowed to disturb a person as he is writing his/ her name on the notepad. It means no pushing or pulling or using any means to disrupt him/ her from writing. If caught doing so, you will be politely asked to step out of the Hall."
"The rest of the time, you can do anything to ensure a person never gets the chance even to hold a pen. I hope this is clearly understood?" Ms. Bunny explained the bidding rules and asked for their understanding, to which most of the people nodded.
"All right. Now, I hope you guys will have a fantastic time bidding and win exciting prizes to take with you. We will inform the winners later on how to pay for their items and where to pick them up from. If any of you has a question, please feel free to ask me as I will not be available after this." Ms. Bunny gave final instructions and prepared to go back to the room where the rest of the groups were waiting.
Just as she was about to turn, a man raised his hand and said, "You caused a delay in our allocated time and we have lost 25 minutes because of it. Would we be recompensed in any way?"
Emma knew where he was coming from. This man had a very calculative gaze as he asked. He wanted the auction to compensate their group in some way.
Ms. Bunny smiled and said, "I'll relay your question to the higher-ups and give you a satisfactory answer."
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