The building itself, was as magnificent, as the Grand Palace I saw before. It looked luxurious, with white marble like material used to build it. It also had two high towers, with metal spikes on them. I already knew the purpose for those spikes, they collected the electric energy for the building. The Vatras Auction Hall also floated prominently over the horizon, and added even more mysticism to the city. There were many different races, walking to and fro the Auction Hall.
Shak said "If you want, I can help you with the registration process. The medicine will need to be tested by them first, and then it can be placed on the auction". I nodded my head, and replied "Sure. You know how all of that works, so your help will be appreciated". We then entered the Auction Hall, which had the same electric energy path, as the inn had. Although the Auction Hall's path, was much more grand, and spectacular.
Inside, loads of different races either placed their items up for an auction, or were retrieving the bough items. We walked over to one of the counters, and Shak began the conversation. "My friend here, would like to sell his medicine. Can you test it, and give a fair estimate for it?". The Voltar behind the counter seemed a bit shocked, but I was not sure why. He quickly nodded his head, and said "Of course my...". But the old Voltar stopped him, and said "Great, we will await the results in the waiting area".
I took out a bottle of my Arran Liquid, and passed it to the Voltar. He took it, and quickly ran off somewhere, probably to get it tested. I followed Shak to the waiting area, and asked him "Are you some sort of important figure?". Shak just laughed, and replied "Nah, I'm not that important. People just know me around here". I didn't probe any further, but I already knew, that Shak was not just any Voltar.
A while later, the same clerk that I passed my medicine to, returned and brought back the results with him. He said "This medicine is very strong, and it's pure. We estimate, that the price it would sell for, is around 30 Black Hals. I don't know if our guest here knows this, but we take a 10% provision, for placing the items on our auction. Would you still like to place this item, on the auction?".
I nodded my head, and said "Yes, I will place it on the auction. I have more of them, so I plan to auction 15 of such bottles. Is that alright?". The Voltar nodded with a smile, and replied "Of course. We will place your items, amongst the rarer products. This way, we can make a bigger profit. If everything goes well, we may even get 40 Black Hals per bottle". I thought about something, and replied "Can you place them in sets?".
The Voltar was a bit stunned, and replied "I see what you want to achieve. Yes, it is possible to do that. If you want to limit the availability, then this is a great way to do it. What type of sets do you propose?". I replied "Let's do three sets. Each will contain five bottles. I'm aiming at the wealthy individuals or groups, if they bid against each other, the profits will be even greater. Don't you think?". The Voltar nodded, and said "Certainly. In that case, let us advertise your product a bit. The auction with rare items, will start tomorrow. This is where we can place your product. Because this may bring much more profit to us, we can stay at 10% provision. We would usually take 15% provision for the advertisement, and better placement. But because this is quite rare, and...". He looked at Shak, then continued "We will take the standard 10% provision".
I agreed to his proposal, and gave him the other 14 bottles. We then left the Action Hall. As we walked through the streets, Shak said "You are quite smart. Limiting the availability, will bring you much more profits. There is also a risk involved, but you should be able to sell these things, at a high price". I smiled, and said "I kinda need the money, so the more I can get, the better". Shak asked "Is there anything else, that may interest you here? I showed you the main buildings, but there is more stuff to do inside the city". I shook my head, and said "I'm fine. If you want to, you can meet me tomorrow at the Auction Hall". Shak nodded, and replied "Sure, I want to see how your medicine sells as well. Then we will meet tomorrow". We then went our own separate ways.
After separating from Shak, I went straight to the inn. I wanted to rest properly, and eat some local food. When I entered, I was stunned by what I saw. 'Lizards are even here? Harlin's network, is not bad at all' I thought. Behind the counter, was a Lizard. Of course, due to the size of the building, there were other employees too. Some Voltars worked there as well. I walked over to the Lizard behind the counter, and asked "How much do you charge for a room?".
The Lizard was a female, she replied "We charge 2 Red Hals per normal room, and 20 Red Hals for a luxurious room. These prices are for one day of course. Which one would you like?". I replied "I will take the normal room", and passed her the 2 Red Hals. Besides giving her the money, I also passed her the scale, that Harlin gave me. She was surprised, when she saw the scale, and passed it back to me saying "This is too much, here is your change".
I asked "What sort of dishes, would you recommend?". She replied "We have a wide variety of dishes, from different parts of the North. Here is the menu. I would recommend Ognar Goulash, and Ognar Steak. As for the drink, if you want something mild, Shock Water is great. While Lightning Wolf is very strong". I nodded my head, and said "I will take the Ognar Goulash, and Shock Water". She nodded her head, and said "Have a sit, I will bring it to you soon".
I sat down at one of the empty tables, and waited. My food arrived soon after that. She smiled, and said "Enjoy they food", then left. I could see a piece of paper stuck underneath the plate. I took it, and read the contents "We can talk freely later. I will visit your room, after I finish my work". I placed the note into my right hand, and used my ice powers to freeze it. Even though my arm was covered in bandages, the ice power still worked.
With the note destroyed, I enjoyed my meal. I had Ognar's meat before, it was something I pretty much lived on. But the goulash was something else. It was delicious to the point, I could get addicted. The Shock Water, was not bad either. It had a tingling taste, and was a bit sweet too. With my meal done, I went upstairs to my room.
The room was ordinary, but the bed looked comfortable. I laid down, and rested. 'Now, I just need to wait for her, and find out some stuff about this place' I thought.
2nd chapter of the week.