บท 25: Auction? Abusing [Cosmic Void Gaze] for profit
Chapter 25
He followed the path all the way there and noticed a group of people.
Compared to others, they looked more refined and had better-looking clothes than the normal Joe.
They were surrounded by exorcists who were probably serving as bodyguards.
The exorcists were hired to be bodyguards because there would be times when intense fights would sometimes break out between fellow business owners.
The clan did not care about what happened inside the market area; if you die, then you die.
As long as the clan was not affected…
Of course, this also applied to all the official members of the clan. If you were going to enter the market and cause trouble and later get caught in trouble then…
Naturally, no one dared to try that; everyone knew that official clan members would be given immunity to such rules whatsoever so no one messed with them even in the market.
Oliver blended in with the crowd that was gathering around them and asked someone about the situation.
"Hey, what's going on here?"
"What!? You don't know? One of the biggest auctions of the year is going to take place soon. Those people over there are important guests invited by the clan."
Oliver was stunned.
Auction?
Indeed, there were auctions too that took place all around the year, at different scales in different places.
It would seem that there was going to be an auction soon in the market and these people in expensive clothing were probably traders or merchants invited by the clan to auction their items or buy items.
Receiving an invitation from one of the 5 clans was no joke; these people must be really influential to get invited to the auction.
Oliver's eyes shone with intensity as the world around him shifted.
From the special eyes, he was able to see that the important-looking person was not an exorcist but a normal human but…
His body was glowing in multiple auras, espera was flowing through vital parts of his body such as his chest, shoulders, abdominal area…
'There are probably multiple artifacts on his body…'
Oliver concluded quickly as there was no better explanation.
He shifted his focus to the exorcists around them and his eyes immediately narrowed.
They were… strong.
Their bodies were leaking abundant espera; it was flowing out continuously, he could feel tense just seeing that amount of espera through.
The vibrations in the air and the fluctuations around them were quite strong and erratic.
"Hmm…?"
One of the exorcists within the group suddenly looked around.
He felt like he was being watched by something… and it was giving him chills for some reason.
But upon looking around, all he could see were normal people.
'Imagination…?'
He decided to leave it at that and focus on his job.
In the distance, Oliver also left the crowd and went his own way.
He now wanted to participate in the auction; there were always great items listed in auctions.
He wanted to take part in the auction but he had no money; it would be useless to go there penniless.
'Is "penniless" the correct term even? Should I say "Neden-less" instead?'
He wondered as he could not think of any normal way to earn cash.
'Robbing strangers, robbing shops, threatening the weak with my superior strength, abusing my status, begging, blackmailing weak exorcists…?'
"Fuck! Why is my mind filled with such dark thoughts!? Could it be that I am a scumbag?"
Oliver seriously wondered this… apart from shady ways that would definitely land him in trouble sooner or later, he was not getting any ideas.
'If I must choose a shady method, then I should go with something that is the least shadiest… and won't land me into too much trouble.'
He thought, a variety of dangerous ideas going in and out of his mind.
"Ay, young man, how 'bout checking out some stuff? I got plenty of stuff over here for ya."
Oliver looked to his side and saw a man with a small wooden stall at the corner of the road, talking to a customer.
Although he barely had enough money left, he also went over to the shop.
He was now thinking about selling some low-price artifacts at a higher price to make some profits.
Auctions were rare and he didn't want to miss one now that he knew about it.
"Oh, hey there, another exorcist youngster! C'mon over, I've got loads of stuff you might dig!"
The stall owner looked to be in his middle age with a bald head and a few yellow teeth missing.
The stall owner did not care about Oliver's height and child-like appearance, there were many exorcists roaming around with stopped growth or cursed bodies so it was not a surprise to see one in flesh, although it was quite rare.
Ignoring him, Oliver looked at the items with his special eyes. He decided to start with this shop first and then move on to search more.
'All of them are fake and cheap replicas… hmm?'
Just as he was scanning the items on the counter, his eyes caught something shining.
It was a marble that was shining brightly; as he focused on the round marble, the colors became even more evident, a strong espera was flowing inside the ordinary-looking red marble.
The marble was not ordinary at all.
"How much for that sword?"
Oliver concealed his excitement and asked in a low voice pointing at a random old sword which was also a cheap replica.
"You got good eyes, young man. This sword used to be a possession of a great warrior in ancient times; I had to specially enter the ruins to get my hands on it. But for your cute face, I'll sell it for 2000 Neden, how abo—"
"Forget it."
Oliver cut him short and looked around pointing at a few more things but even before the stall owner could complete their prices, he directly cut him off.
The stall owner felt quite infuriated at this presumptuous nature.
Finally, he pointed at the red round marble and asked in a somewhat colder tone.
"How much for that marble?"
"700 Neden."
This time, the stall owner did not weave any bullshit story; he knew that Oliver was not a weak player, he seemed quite experienced in bargaining.
"50 Neden." He put up his own price.
"Impossible! Are you trying to rob me!?" The stall owner protested immediately.
"Then give a normal price, I know what you are doing here. Listen, I don't have time for these scam games; put a good price or I'll just leave."
Oliver said in a bored tone.
And as expected, the expression on the stall owner's face changed.
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