“The starting bid for this item is 500 gold, with each subsequent bid needing to be at least 100 gold higher. Any interested parties?”
This ti, Zeke waited for the others to move first. He wasn't sure how much interest there was in an item like that, and he didn’t want to seem too eager. After all, if even the Varun family couldn't decipher its content, what chance did others have?
Aisha, seeing his intense stare, spoke up. “Are you interested in that tablet?”
Zeke nodded wordlessly, not taking his eyes off the item.
“Then, you might be able to get it cheap,” she said.
Zeke glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. “Why do you say that?”
“I rember that sa stone tablet being offered last ti,” she explained. “However, the starting bid was twice as high. They must have lowered its price after not being able to sell it for such a long ti.”
Zeke smiled. That was valuable information. If nobody had wanted the tablet last ti, and there were still no bids, he might get it without much of a fight. He could already see Priya starting to get impatient after nobody had shown interest for such a long ti.
He waited. Then, just as she was about to order the item to be brought away, Zeke pressed the button.
“We have an offer of 600 gold from number 31,” Priya announced, clearly surprised and overjoyed by his bid. “Does anyone bid more?”
Zeke held his breath, recognizing that often, interest in an item sparked only after others had shown interest. Nobody liked to miss out on a great deal, after all.
“Anyone?” Priya repeated hopefully. Yet, there was no reply. “3… 2… 1— sold for 600 gold to number 31!”
Despite the modest selling price, she seed content with the outco. It appeared the auction house had been eager to offload this particular piece. Nonetheless, for Zeke, it mattered little. He would have gladly paid ten tis the amount. After all, this marked the first clue to unraveling the mystery of his holy relic.
Minutes later, he held the tablet in his hands, reverently tracing its etchings. With half an ear, he followed the next few items being brought in.
“What do you think, Akasha?”
[Answer]
Linguistic patterns suggest the probable origin of the language as Dwarven. Nevertheless, the encoded symbols do not align with any docunted dialect. I will proceed to initiate a cross-referencing process with available sources. This procedure is anticipated to take a considerable amount of ti. Any supplentary data provided would facilitate the analysis process.
Zeke nodded in understanding. He hadn't expected Akasha to decode the tablet right away. Nevertheless, progress was being made, and now that he knew where to search, he might uncover even more clues. The Dwarfen Kingdom had risen as a priority on his list.
After he was satisfied with his inspection, he wrapped the tablet into the folds of the Sandtrek robes and placed the bundle on the low table in front of the couch. This auction was turning out to be a gold mine. He returned his full attention to the auction, awaiting each new item with bated breath.
However, the next few items—mostly jewelry and decorative trinkets—held little interest for Zeke. It wasn’t until much later that sothing caught his eye. It was an Essence Crystal, similar to the ones he regularly absorbed to strengthen his Core. However, this one was of significantly higher quality, discernible by its size and polished facets. Zeke leaned forward, intrigued.
Now, this was a proper treasure.
Zeke was mostly familiar with absorbing Essence Crystals to strengthen his Core. He had been doing this ever since his victory in the tournant; a practice that helped Mages advance, shortening the ti it took to reach the next level.
However, the true purpose of Essence Crystals was an entirely different one. Any Essence Crystal of sufficient size and quality would instead be carved into a Gem. Gem—that was the proper na for Crystals that were cut and polished, turning them into sothing that could be socketed into a weapon, armor, or trinket. It was the most common way to power Enchantnts of different affinities.
For example, the [Thunderbolt] staff that had been auctioned earlier used a Gem to turn raw Mana into Lightning-attuned Mana. This allowed any Mage, even those without the Lightning Affinity, to use the Magic simply by providing the Mana necessary to cast the spell.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Zeke wasn’t an expert, but he was aware that they were grouped into different categories. The ones mages bought to strengthen their Core were referred to as Chips. That was because they were, more often than not, chipped off the Crystals while cutting them. They could almost be considered a by-product, in a sense.
The other categories were ant for actual Gems, ranked from diminutive to extraordinary. The one in the [Thunderbolt] staff had been diminutive. The one Priya was presenting right now, on the other hand, fit the latter classification. Even in Tradespire, he would be hard-pressed to get his hands on a Gem of that size. Not that he had any need for such a stone. For most enchantnts, an average or even smaller Gem was wholly sufficient, while industrial enchantnts, such as those used in Airships, employed an entirely different thod.
The Gem on sale today was about half the size of Zeke’s fist, making it one of the largest he had ever seen. Its polished, multifaceted surface reflected the light, bathing its surroundings in a rainbow of hues. anwhile, a miniature lighting storm seed to brew in its center, indicating its affinity.
“Ladies and gentlen, please direct your attention to the 37th item of the day. This particular piece is one of our latest acquisitions, discovered by one of our esteed Stormchasers in the northeast of the capital. Crafted by our very own Grandmaster, this Gem stands as one of the most exquisite stones ever to grace our Treasure Pavilion. We'll comnce bidding at 10,000 gold, with each subsequent bid requiring a minimum increase of 1,000 gold. Let the bidding begin!”
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