Episode 311 – Dark Sales (2)
When I first entered this body, I was a naless assassin.
Then by chance, I was given a divine na—Arthur Clayton—and at that mont, this body was incorporated into the flow of the world as the bearer of a divine na.
Even before receiving the divine na, this body already possessed the enchantnt ability, one of the divine powers known as innate force, but the mana sensitivity required for activation was garbage-tier, practically half-baked, so the divine power I was granted was nothing more than a faded, worthless apricot.
That dried apricot finally began to shine once I reached 5-star, didn’t it?
The stage where one fully controls energy freely.
When I reached the seemingly impossible 5-star level, my enchantnt underwent a change.
From combat to tactics and even daily life, I beca capable of using attribute infusions in a wide variety of ways.
Would having more attributes be better?
Upon reaching 5-star, I finally began to seriously consider attribute options, sothing I’d postponed until now.
Would having diverse attributes be helpful in the current situation? Of course, for daily life or strategy and tactics, having variety might be useful.
But ultimately, in this world, the most important thing is martial power.
I considered whether learning many attributes would actually help in battle, and ca to the conclusion that instead of variety, I should choose focus.
“Only the attributes that are most optimal for my combat.”
Enchantnts could use various attributes alternately, but not activate them simultaneously.
Against average opponents, varied attributes might cause confusion, but my main enemies would most likely be other 5-star-level combatants.
To a 5-star, random attributes are aningless.
They are strong, and they have the ability to quickly identify an opponent’s weakness.
Crude attribute combinations would only beco weaknesses, so I chose to focus everything on one overwhelming strike.
Steel attribute is enough.
Steel.
This body, which engages in extre close-quarters combat, had monstrous regenerative power, but its durability didn’t match that recovery.
My martial art, Quanru, carries fluidity and sharpness, but lacks fatal weight.
Following Reto’s advice, the attribute I ultimately chose was Steel.
It was an essential attribute for a martial art relying on bare-handed fighting.
“I’ll purchase this item in a lump-sum paynt.”
From that perspective, what looked like a crazy impulse purchase had its own justification.
As soon as I arrived at my lodging, I used the Golden Mask to make a lump-sum offer for the “Fist of the Cursed Giant Tribe.”
Even the seasoned Golden Mask didn’t understand at first, but when I said “lump-sum,” he responded with a startled reaction.
I was probably the fastest buyer during this entire Dark Sales period.
When sellers list items for sale, they often set exaggerated prices for lump-sum offers, banking on the imdiacy of purchase.
In short, doing this was textbook sucker behavior.
A world-class sucker.
“Hey, you crazy bastard!!!”
Knowing that, Karl grabbed by the collar and shook .
When dazzling jewels worth 12 million gold spilled out of the small pouch, Karl’s expression turned pale.
In his eyes, I must’ve looked like soone who burned through 12 million gold without a second thought.
“You can place the lump-sum here.”
I handed over the jewels by placing them in a box crafted from pure white glass. The Golden Mask offered a bow and then explained the rules.
“Once the jewels are appraised and no issues are found, the lump-sum transaction will proceed imdiately. After that, the transaction cannot be canceled. The lump-sum item is the ‘Fist of the Cursed Giant Tribe.’ Do you really wish to proceed?”
“It’s dawn right now. Will the deal be done by this morning?”
“...”
“Just try to process it as quickly as possible.”
My answer seed to leave him speechless, and after another awkward bow, the Golden Mask quickly withdrew.
It would take ti to appraise the jewels and et with the seller for the transaction to go through.
Until then, I opened the catalog on the table and browsed the remaining listings.
Not wanting to just stand by and watch, Karl shoved his face in and began ranting.
“What the hell are you thinking?”
“About what, exactly?”
“Are you trying to show off how much money you have? And it’s not even your money, is it?”
“Of course not. This is Fenry’s money.”
“Fenry? That greedy dark elf?”
“She’s not greedy, just has a bit of a nasty personality.”
“You maniac! You used that scary woman’s money like this?! If she finds out, she’ll tear your body to shreds and sell your insides for cash!”
“I’ve thought this through. Don’t worry.”
“Uaaagh!”
Frustrated by my calm attitude, Karl grabbed his head and raged. Then, taking a mont to calm down, he approached again.
“If you just negotiated properly, you could’ve gotten it for way less. You know this!”
“The Dark Sales lasts for a month. If I start a negotiation, I’ll have to wait the whole month, and that’s just a waste of ti.”
“So you blew 12 million gold just because you didn’t want to wait a month?”
“I told you. I’m confident I can recover it.”
Sigh.
“How many heads would you have to cut off to make 12 million gold…?”
His face said it all—reality had hit him hard.
Typical of an assassin to calculate everything based on kill-to-profit ratios.
Like Karl said, I could’ve gotten it for way cheaper, right?
Plus, the “Fist of the Cursed Giant Tribe” ca with the powerful penalty of being “Cursed.” If not for that curse, it would be completely unobtainable with money.
Negotiating for a priority right to purchase through bidding could have saved a lot of money.
But the current situation feels too unstable.
There was the ambush by Richard Volpent, the Weapon Collector, right in the middle of the city.
Azonne claid to have exiled him from the city, but I didn’t believe that for a second.
He must be secretly tracking Samuel.
Richard Volpent—Weapon Collector (Persistence)
Richard’s divine na attribute is “Persistence.”
That ans once he fixates on sothing, he’ll dig into it relentlessly.
There’s no way he would ever give up on Samuel.
He also seed really interested in Lochter’s weapon, didn’t he?
There’s always a chance we’ll clash again. And Azonne is definitely not on our side.
If another battle breaks out, it won’t end like last ti—there will be casualties.
This wasn’t the ti to hesitate over money if it ant getting stronger.
When it’s ti to spend, spend.
Money can be earned again.
And like I assured Karl, I’m confident I can earn more than I’ve spent.
Since it was the dead of night, the lodging was very quiet.
Not long ago, I had just returned from checking on Keros in Lily’s room.
The reason I was browsing the catalog was actually related to Keros.
“I’m pretty sure I saw it around here…”
“What’re you looking for?”
“I think I saw sothing that could help with Keros’s recovery.”
Having already looked through the catalog thoroughly, I imdiately recalled an item when I checked Keros’s condition.
Keros, who had been slashed multiple tis by the Ghost Sword, was in the worst possible shape.
Lily’s power alone wasn’t enough to restore his disrupted energy flow. As for Sacred Power, it would only be effective once his energy had recovered sowhat.
In the end, we’d have to wait until the full moon, when Lily could exert her full power—but until then, it was uncertain if Keros could hold on.
“Ah, found it.”
Soul Orb of Simitas.
A consumable artifact specialized in spiritual healing, discovered in an ancient dungeon.
This should be enough to treat Keros’s injuries.
The question was whether it had a lump-sum price set.
Items that were hard to price usually didn’t allow lump-sum transactions, because negotiations would be conducted at astronomical values, like when Azonne offered a stake in sothing.
Lump-sum: [5,000,000]
“Good, it has a lump-sum.”
Because it’s an item focused on spiritual use, only a few people would want it, so the price was low.
Without hesitation, I rang the bell.
Ding-ling-ling.
The bell rang, and the Golden Mask appeared.
I emptied more jewels from my pouch to place the order. The Golden Mask gave another warning before leaving.
Karl stared blankly at the Golden Mask’s retreating figure.
A hollow laugh escaped him.
To see 17 million gold vanish before his eyes in re minutes…
“You don’t even think, do you? That one was five million gold.”
“I need to save Keros. Even Fenry will understand.”
“Leave out of it when you et Fenry. I’m not confident I can protect you.”
“Wonder if there’s anything else good?”
“Stop buying stuff!”
“You seem tired. Maybe you should get so sleep.”
“Who could sleep after seeing this!?”
I spotted a few more interesting items.
Key items that played major roles in the novel’s story.
Each ti I paused on a certain page, Karl would flinch, watching carefully.
I gave a soft chuckle and closed the catalog.
That was enough for today.
Tomorrow, the highest bids for each item would be listed.
Since it was only the first day, absurdly high offers were unlikely.
The first day is all about reading the room.
As you know, the Dark Sales runs for an entire month.
“Let’s rest now. We’ll need to move quickly tomorrow.”
I had already added the items I was interested in to my personal wishlist.
When tomorrow’s catalog is released with updated bids, I’ll assess and make decisions carefully.
I won’t let them have it easily.
Since I know the novel’s plot, I can roughly guess who’s aiming for which items.
For items that could pose a threat to the World Tree Union, I’d work to keep them out of their original owner’s hands.
Before closing the book, I looked at the last entry on the final page:
[Exclusive Distribution Rights for World Tree Leaves.]
“I wonder how much the bidding will go for tomorrow?”
This wasn’t a bid for the item itself, but for the priority negotiation rights to gain exclusive distribution.
Since the money would go directly to the seller, too high a bid would be burdenso for the buyer.
And the item’s actual cost would still be negotiated separately from the bidding.
I lay back on the sofa and closed my eyes.
This body didn’t require sleep, but resting like this helped organize my thoughts.
How much ti passed?
When I opened my eyes, warm sunlight was streaming through the tall windows.
I cautiously opened the clear glass window, and fresh air flowed in along with the sound of birdsong.
“Beautiful.”
The view of Aintrier outside the window was breathtaking. It was no surprise—the annex and garden were built with money thrown at beauty.
When I stepped out of the room, the vast living room was filled with Leaf mbers.
With nearly fifty of them gathered, any room would feel crowded.
As I ca down from the second floor, the Leafs stood up nervously.
They had heard that sothing major happened yesterday, but were too absorbed in the performance to notice it at the ti.
That might’ve been why their expressions were tinged with guilt.
Their reactions made smile.
Perhaps because we had gone through so many hardships together while heading to Aintrier with Lochter’s party, I felt a strong bond with my companions.
I felt like I could truly trust and assign them tasks.
“Did everyone rest well?”
After a brief greeting, I got straight to the point.
“Starting today, each of you will receive specific instructions.”
What I ordered them to do was an investigation into the rchant groups.
“Look into any rchant companies or individuals holding witches or other races as slaves, and gather all the information you can. I’ll leave the money with Karl, so go to him if you need any.”
Since Elton and the spirits knew all the ins and outs of Aintrier, I could just have them assist Karl.
After sending the Leafs out, the living room felt empty.
I briefly glanced outside, then rang the bell.
Ding.
When I did, the Golden Mask appeared.
It was morning, ti to hear the results from the Dark Sales.
“What happened with the items I requested?”
“All transactions were successfully completed. Would you like to receive the items currently stored in the warehouse?”
“I’ll take them now.”
Both the Fist of the Cursed Giant Tribe (12 million gold) and the Soul Orb of Simitas (5 million gold) had been safely traded and now waited for their new owner.
I took the two elaborately packaged boxes and headed straight to Lily’s room.
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