Otherworldly Warriors Preface, Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - An Auction

"Oh, no, I'm adventurers, but I came to ask about the auction."

　I answer the two soldiers.

"Then let's me see your adventurer card."

　The security check is very strict. It's safer that way.

"Here."

"Mmm. Don't do anything crazy in there, okay?

"I know. I just want to hear what they have to say."

"Okay, you can come in now."

　I entered the building. There were staff members sitting at even intervals at the counter, talking to a merchant who seemed to have come for advice. There didn't seem to be any empty counters. I should wait for my turn.

　There was a round table with chairs where tea was served. In the back, there's a luxurious leather sofa. They must have spent a lot of money on the interior. I didn't have the courage to go to the VIP seats in the back, so I decided to sit at an empty table, but before I could, a female staff member started talking to me.

"Sir, Do you have business with the Merchant's Guild?"

"Yes. I'm here to ask for more information about some items I want to sell at auction."

"Oh, I see... By the way, what are you selling?"

　She took a quick look at me from head to toe and apparently thought I was a nasty misunderstood customer. For a moment, the female employee's expression darkened. Hmm, look at this.

"This is the jewel."

"Oh! I beg your pardon. Now, please go to the back. I'll show you."

　Well, it looks like they're treating me like a VIP. No, I'm flabbergasted.

　I noticed some of the merchants glancing at me, which was a little creepy.

"Please sit here and wait. A representative will be with you shortly."

"Oh, yeah."

　I sat down on a sofa in the back and waited. There was a staircase to the right, and a man who looked like an aristocrat came down with a staff member, but it seemed that more VIPs used the upper floor.

　It was a good thing I hadn't flinched.

"Thank you for your patience. Sir, I understand you wish to sell the jewel at auction."

　The merchant, a man with a turban on his head, came in with a smile.

"Yeah, this is it."

"Hohou~, sure. In that case, the minimum amount is five thousand gold, and the commission is ten percent of the sales amount."

"Hmm? Didn't the Adventurer's Guild ask for ten thousand to buy it?"

"Yeah, yes, please don't worry. The minimum price is just a formality that is set so that the price will not fall below that, so it is only very unpopular products that will be sold outright. The jewel is so popular that high-level adventurers reserve it, and noblemen collect it for its beauty and as an ornamental object, so I'm guessing it will cost at least 10,000."

　Is it true? There's still the possibility that the merchant guild and the bidders are in cahoots, and they're trying to get a discount.

"Can't you change the minimum amount?"

"We could, but then the fee would double. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes. 12,000 gold, please."

"I understand. I'm sure you'll be fine, but if you set a minimum amount, we'll have to charge you 10% of the commission even if it doesn't sell."

"Mmm. Upfront payment?"

"No, you can pay later. And please trust me. It's probably a solid 15,000. It'll sell."

"All right. But if it doesn't sell, you'll lose the commission."

"I understand. Then, if the price falls below 15,000, I'll bear the entire commission."

　It seems to be okay then.

　I asked him to give me a parchment deposit slip and deposit the jewel.

"When the bell rings at sundown tomorrow, please come to the building behind here. That's where the auction will be held. If you have the certificate of deposit, you will be admitted free of charge."

　Apparently, there is a fee to participate in the event to prevent price gouging and cold feet.

　Now, I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

　I wonder how much I can get for it.

　The next day, I woke up early, so I washed my face in the well behind the inn.

　I'd like to buy some new clothes, but I don't think it's worth going into debt to look good.

　After filling my stomach with the tasteless bread and soup for breakfast at the inn, I decided to kill time by hunting rabbits, although it was a little early.

　On the way, I saw a different monster in the field.

"Hmm? That's a caterpillar. It's huge!"

　It must be two meters tall. It seems to move slowly, but I don't know how they fought this thing.

　Bugs bigger than people? I'm a little scared.

I'll just do an "appraisal.

[Name] Big Crawler

[Lv] 4

[HP] 50

[Description]

　A large green caterpillar.

　It is about two meters long and moves slowly.

　Non-aggressive

　I don't care what level it is, but it has a high HP. It seems to be subtle and tough. Since it's non-aggressive, it won't come after you unless you try to attack it.

　I decided to be cautious until I got the leather armor, so I quietly left the place without fighting.

"Damn, I didn't get it."

　I hunted the rabbits again today, hoping to find some red balls, but as expected, things don't seem to be going that well.

　The experience required for the next level is higher, but now that I know how to fight them, I can sometimes defeat them with no damage, making me more efficient.

　Two levels up.

　It was a good time to end the hunt and return to the inn. Today was the auction, and I didn't have to be there, but I wanted to check it out.

"Oh? I were able to copy the rabbit's skills?"

　[Jump Lv1] has been added to my skills. I think I can only use it to hit them, but whatever.

　I think I hunted about a hundred of them yesterday, but I'm not sure what the odds are. I should have been more careful, but I can't afford to be careless in battle or in the field.

　I had 36 skill points, so I paid 15 points for [Luck Lv4] hoping that it would fetch a higher price at the auction.

　I'll think about the remaining 21 points later.

　The bell hadn't rung yet, but I headed for the auction room.

"Alec-san, Hello."

　The merchant from yesterday found me and came over. His name was Merlot, right? It's a funny name, so it's easy to remember. He said my jewel was the fifth in line. After watching my jewels sell, I have no other use for them, so I'll head back to the inn.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming today. The Merchant's Guild is pleased to present this month's auction. The first item to be auctioned is a portrait of a noble lady by an unknown artist. The minimum bid is one thousand gold. So here you go."

"One thousand one hundred!"

"One thousand two hundred!"

"One thousand four hundred!"

"Come on, one thousand four hundred. Is there someone who want higher? There isn't, then You're the winning bidder, Sir."

　Mmm, not much bidding going on. Will this be okay...?

"And now for the second item. The second item is a gorgeous shiny golden paperweight, which may be hard to see from a distance, but it is decorated with elaborate frog ornaments by dwarven craftsmen. The material is brass. The minimum bid is one thousand gold. Let's start."

"One thousand one hundred!"

"One thousand two hundred."

"One thousand two hundred. Do you have any more? There isn't, Then 1,200 goes to you, Sir."

　A wooden hammer is lowered and the pieces are quickly processed. I felt uneasy, so I asked Merlot, who was standing next to me.

"Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Yes, of course, the auction has just started, so there won't be any big names at first and the customers aren't enthusiastic yet, so it always starts like this."

　That's fine, but if the customers don't get enthusiastic, my items are likely to end up selling for 10% or 20% more than the minimum bid. Even though Merlot will cover the commission, it's always better to sell at a higher price.

　I might as well participate in the auction and try to raise the price. However, it would be foolish if I had to buy items that I would never use. Then again, it would be a bad idea to put a price on my own goods.

"Ah, Alec-san, you can't put a price on your items, so please be careful about that. You are welcome to participate in the sale of other items, though."

"Yeah, I'm not doing that."

　However, the third and fourth items were also poor works of art, and I may have come to the wrong place to sell them. The fourth piece didn't even have a buyer.

"What happens if it doesn't sell?"

"We'll have to lower the minimum bid price and come back another day. But, what's the matter with today, anyway? It's hard to get buyers."

　Merlot also sensed the unusual appearance and said, looking at the guests around him.

"Is the crowd bad?"

"No, there are more customers than usual. Maybe there's something they're looking for in the second half."

"Fuun~."

　I don't know.

"So, here you go. Today's first item, a red glowing Jewel of Speed, small in size. The minimum bid is twelve thousand. then, let's start."

"Fifteen thousand!"

　Whoa!

"Twenty thousand!"

"Twenty-five thousand!"

　What the hell, man? The price went up in a flash. And it's more than double the price of the Adventurer's Guild's request.

　I looked at Merlot, but he was smirking at me. Yeah, 15,000 was solid.

"Twenty-seven thousand!"

"Twenty-eight thousand!"

"Thirty thousand!"

　The price went up and up. As you can imagine, at 30,000, it seems that ordinary people can't afford it, and the number of people raising the price has been narrowed down. A well-dressed nobleman, an adventurer in steel armor, and a fat man who looked like a merchant. These were the three.

"Thirty-two thousand!"

"Thirty-three thousand!"

"Forty thousand!"

"Ooh!"

　The nobleman raised the price all the way up, as if he thought this was not enough. The adventurer shrugged his shoulders and made it clear that he had no intention of participating anymore. The fat merchant looked reluctant.

"'Now, is there anything else?'

　The host asked the fat merchant.

"Forty-two thousand!"

"Ooh."

"Forty-two thousand, came out!."

"Forty-five thousand!"

"...Forty-seven thousand!"

"Fifty thousand."

　Oh, come on. That aristocrat is amazing. He's going to put it on (・・・・) right away. It's the wrong guy. The fat merchant seems to have given up, shaking his head.

"Fifty thousand for the winning bidder!"

"Congratulations! Well, I didn't expect the price to go up this much, it's more than double the market price."

　Merlot says excitedly. I got lucky. I don't know how much my luck skill helped me, but I'm glad I kept it.

"So what should I do now?"

"Well, after confirming the payment method of the other party, the payment is usually made within a week. The commission is 20%, so Alec's share is 40,000, is that fine?"

"Yeah. That's quite a bit of money."

　I shouldn't have changed the minimum bid price. I should not have changed the minimum bid. I didn't expect to sell it at such a high price.

"But you can get a better price at auction than anywhere else, and more importantly, you're safe."

　Merlot said that, probably because he was a merchant here. I nodded my head in agreement.

　Forty thousand gold. Forty thousand gold, enough for 4,000 days of innkeeping, that's about 40 million Japanese yen.

　Well, I shouldn't get carried away with this. I have to be steady, and steady.

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