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Chapter 320 – Auction Results
Led by the burly Begg-san, who drove the lead carriage, the entire group looked like a bunch of filthy, villainous thugs who could easily be mistaken for bandits.
They may have lacked real skill, but they certainly looked the part—men who could intimidate with their appearance.
The men gathered sat on the coachman’s seat, gripping the reins. The burly bodyguards, impressive only in size, wore the armor I lent them and walked with intense stares fixed on their surroundings.
Ordinary travelers and farmers visibly cowered and avoided them; they already gave off the aura of a caravan that had been robbed.
I observed this scene from above for a while, watching for anyone suspicious who might be moving nearby.
(Hmm, this isn’t going to work…)
Realizing this, I teleported directly into the slowly moving carriage to avoid looking unnatural.
“Quad-san, it’s impossible to narrow it down. Too many people are passing us by.”
I quietly reported the situation to Quad-san, who was sitting beside Begg-san and looking straight ahead.
When I told him I’d be monitoring from the sky, he made an amusing face as if the world were ending. Now, however, he seemed to have regained his composure.
Incidentally, Quad-san had insisted on accompanying the caravan this time alone, determined to witness what was happening with his own eyes and even prepared to die for it.
To improve reproducibility, we wanted to retrace the past disappearance incidents as closely as possible.
Honestly, I wanted Quad-san, a key figure, to stay behind in Domia. But for him, this transport was a matter of life and death.
I understood that he couldn’t just sit still in that empty shop. I couldn’t disregard his resolve.
“Once we load the cargo, we can only go at walking speed. From here on out, the roads branch off in many directions. Even if someone ran to report it, I doubt we could narrow it down.”
“Right. So, we’ll stick to the plan and continue with irregular aerial surveillance of the area. I’ll immediately determine if anyone is watching. Just proceed as if I’m not here.”
With that, I quietly moved back into the sky, ensuring no one saw me.
From there, it was a frustrating, repetitive grind.
The farther we left the town, the fewer people there were. When it was clear that no one was around, I temporarily moved to the hunting grounds.
I’d hunt monsters for a minute or two before returning and observing from above for any suspicious figures or terrain anomalies.
The result was evident even from the first day.
There was absolutely no one tailing or observing this caravan.
I relayed this conclusion to Quad-san, who exhaled deeply in relief.
The absence of pursuers meant that, unless there was an insider betrayal, the enemy must be lying in wait at predetermined positions or along specific stretches.
Knowing that we were mostly safe until reaching the town of Schraika, the only remaining task was to complete the night watch without incident.
Well, that role wasn’t mine, though.
“Sorry about that. No need to force yourself out of the wagon unless it’s an emergency.”
“If any suspicious people show up, just wake Loki, right?”
“Exactly. Nothing’s likely to happen yet, but please keep watch just in case.”
“Leave it to me. I may not be much help in a fight, but scouting? That’s well within my capabilities.”
We quietly discussed things inside our secret mobile base, where I stowed all the cargo from the largest carriage and laid out the bedding and other items I brought.
I’d asked Zeo and Carla to help with night watch duty.
Initially, I’d approached Carla only as a combat asset, but she possessed abilities like night vision and wide-area search, which Ria had once used.
Zeo’s abilities were apparently outstanding for “reconnaissance,” so he came along too.
However, with Zeo joining us, moving between bases casually became impossible due to the magic power consumption.
As a result, they both ended up traveling with us as hidden escorts. Thanks to that, however, we secured more time to move freely, and for that, I’m grateful.
And so, the peaceful escort journey continued as expected. It was the third day since leaving Domia.
The auction I had been eagerly awaiting for a month finally began. I left the escort duties to the two of them for a little while and headed to Sanur.
Five “Skill Seeds” were up for auction this time.
Meanwhile, my remaining deposit remained the same, at about 900 million.
The day before, I’d discussed the maximum bid per item and the items I wanted to win with Alan-san, the auction manager. What were the results?
“Alan-san, how did it go?”
“Oh, Loki. Perfect!”
“Whoa! Did you get them all?!”
From what I heard, all of the ‘Skill Seeds’ I was targeting were won within the 100 to 110 million Beeke range. Although market prices rose slightly from last time, no one else was bidding aggressively.
The reason was obvious.
“That armor was the big draw. Most of the bids came from agents for the super-rich, but the bidding wars for Poison Resistance and Fire Resistance were especially intense.”
Appraiser Magnark-san, who had been listening nearby, recounted today’s results with obvious delight, keeping the sellers’ identities hidden.
Good, good. Right on schedule.
Thanks to Victor’s initial high bid, the prices for the other items stayed relatively low.
“Do you know the individual prices?”
“Of course. I’ve compiled them all on this board for you to check. Take it to the counter, and they’ll hand you the items you won and any unsold ones right away. You can withdraw the money, including for the items you won, tomorrow or later.”
“Thank you!”
Ah, moments like this are the absolute best.
I wonder how high the bids went on the items I listed.
I carefully examined the wooden board that Alan-san handed to me, starting from the top.
[Items Sold]
Skill Seeds ×5… Total: 520 million Beeke
“Magic Tool” Training Wooden Sword, Fourth Form… 26 million Beeke.
Hmmm.
I managed to win some magic tools that aren’t listed in my current compendium.
I’ll save these as souvenirs for Ria and Carla. The real question is my own listings.
[Items Sold]
Poison Resistance Lv8 Enchanted, Grade 8 Leather Armor (Soiled): 750 million Beeke
Paralysis Resistance Lv4 Enchanted, Grade 8 Leather Armor (Soiled): 16 million Beeke
Sleep Resistance Lv4 Enchanted, Grade 8 Leather Armor (Soiled): 11 million Beeke
Petrification Resistance Lv6 Enchanted, Grade 8 Leather Armor (Soiled): 240 million Beeke
Steel Heart Lv5 Enchanted, Grade 8 leather armor (soiled): 10 million Beeke
Fire Resistance Lv8 Enchanted, Grade 8 Leather Armor (Soiled): 385 million Beeke
Water Resistance Lv6 Enchanted, Grade 8 Leather Armor (Soiled): 45 million Beeke
Dark Resistance Lv6 Enchanted, Grade 8 Leather Armor (Soiled): 80 million Beeke
Lightning Resistance Lv6 Enchanted, Grade 8 Leather Armor (Soiled): 54 million Beeke
Ice Resistance Lv5 Enchanted, Grade 8 Leather Armor (Soiled): 10 million Beeke
Earth Resistance Lv4 Enchanted, Grade 8 Leather Armor (Soiled): No buyers.
Wind Resistance Lv6 Enchanted, Grade 8 Leather Armor (Soiled): 37 million Beeke
Oh my!
Those stinky, filthy pieces of armor turned into a fortune like this? Seriously, this is just too awesome.
Not everything sold for a high price, though. Seeing it all listed like this shows what’s valuable and what’s not.
I’m starting to understand the market value.
Status abnormality skills are still pretty weak at level 4. Prices really start to climb at estimated level 5 and above.
However, Steel Heart ended without a bidding war from the starting price. That’s probably because it’s easy to level up.
I’m pretty sure Fidel, the leader of the Trash Hunters, had a decent level of this skill.
It seems like the kind of skill that increases with each resistance gained. While it’s a resistance type, it feels unique, almost as if it belongs to a different category.
Elemental resistance types only receive proper bidding at level 6, creating the impression that they’re valued one rank lower than status abnormality types.
This may be partly due to simple demand, but it also seems heavily tied to the quality of the base armor itself.
Unlike status abnormality resistances, attribute resistances are primarily meant for combat situations.
With weak, tattered leather armor, they’re far too specialized, almost like cursed gear with a built-in disadvantage.
However, this lack of versatility is advantageous for me, so I can continue to dump Fire Resistance into the auction market.
(Next up is probably Poison Resistance.)
I don’t use poison at all right now, nor do I have any skills that use it.
So, Poison Resistance is the one I can spread around without making myself relatively weaker. From here, I’ll just keep listing them, checking my inventory of armor pieces to avoid oversupply.
“Well, then. I’ll bring some more from the warehouse tomorrow. Thanks for your help.”
I relayed this to Magnark-san and Alan-san, then headed to collect the items I’d won.
No matter how much I try to keep it quiet, they’ll eventually figure out that I’m the one listing the items if I keep doing this. There’s a real chance I’ll become a target if someone seeks out an enchanter.
However, I might adjust my approach. I won’t hold back.
If I can extract money from virtual enemies in exchange for trash and use that money for self-enhancement in a way that satisfies me, that’s the highest efficiency I can achieve right now.
Even if more efficient methods emerge, I won’t give up this opportunity easily.
Besides, even if they find out, this particular matter won’t get me killed instantly.
If anyone shows hostility or intent to harm, they’re likely trying to exploit enchantment.
If they’re trying to recruit me, depending on the discussion, it could become a legitimate deal. If it’s a villain trying to use force, I’ll devour them.
If I faced an opponent I couldn’t possibly defeat, I’d simply start a new journey down a different path. The moment I did so, my trail would vanish, and they would lose it.
I wonder how many more powerful opponents I need to outpace before I won’t have to worry about this anymore.
With these thoughts in mind, I swallowed the Skill Seeds I’d received and returned to my escort duties.
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