Out of His League

Yohane had attended auctions many times before.

The first time, his father had brought him along to a small-scale one.

The magic stone he'd won at that auction was the very same fire magic stone he'd later given to Azu.

But the Triwright Auction he was attending now was on a different level entirely, both in the number of participants and the sums of money changing hands.

The first item presented was a bracelet studded with gemstones.

Not just any gemstones, either. They were crafted from high-purity magic stones of all four attributes.

Elementals had been added to enhance the effect.

It was visually magnificent, but also excellent as a catalyst for magic.

It probably couldn't match the Fire Elemental-infused brooch Alexia carried, but the fact that it covered all four attributes was the selling point.

Any capable mage would want it badly.

Sure enough, several mage-looking individuals bid fiercely against each other, and it ultimately sold for 300 gold coins.

They were going big right from the start.

True to its reputation as a place where you could find anything but people, the items that followed were remarkably varied.

Even broken or age-worn pieces of junk held value for the materials alone.

With the right skills, they could be restored and resold.

A few genuine treasures were mixed in as well, but there were enough sharp-eyed bidders to drive prices far beyond Yohane's budget.

He watched the magnate next to him win a mirror made from a Mirror Dragon's fang. It had gone for 900 gold coins.

It had properties as a magical mirror, but it was more of a collector's piece than anything.

"At this rate… we're going to end up as spectators."

"Some people certainly have deep pockets. Honestly, the figures are on another level."

"Wh-Where does all that money even come from?"

"That's amazing."

They were talking about it like it was someone else's problem.

Their entire stash of gold would barely cover a single item.

Part of him thought they should bid on something since they'd come all this way, but the prices kept him firmly in his seat as a bystander.

The next item was a crown.

It was dazzling, though a section was chipped.

Made of gold and set with gemstones, it would fetch a fair price on materials alone. Just as he was thinking that, the royal next to him raised his hand for the first time.

It was technically his attendant, but the bid was 1,000 gold coins.

Other bidders who'd been considering breaking it down for parts balked at the price.

It clearly wasn't worth 1,000 gold coins, and no one was fool enough to pick a fight with someone who was obviously royalty.

When the sale was finalized and the receipt passed over, the royal let out a satisfied "hmph."

Apparently, that crown had been his goal all along.

It might have been an artifact connected to the Kingdom.

Magic swords also made an appearance, and they went for four-digit gold coin sums.

They were staples that high-level frontline adventurers craved, but he never would have guessed they commanded prices like that.

"Can adventurers really afford weapons that expensive?"

"They can. But only the ones at the very top."

"They do say the best adventurers have more money than great nobles."

True enough. Adventurer earnings ran the full gamut, but the higher you climbed, the bigger the commissions and the more valuable the materials you brought back.

Even Azu and the others, who were only mid-rank, earned enough to match what the shop had been pulling in before the expansion. It was no surprise that those even higher up could afford these prices.

Since weapons hadn't been allowed inside, they'd left them in the carriage.

He wondered how much Azu's Sealed Sword Grungaus would fetch if he put it up for sale.

It was categorized as a treasure sword, a tier below magic swords, so it probably wouldn't fetch prices like those.

Not that he'd ever sell it. Azu liked it enough to give it a name.

About a third of the attendees were actually bidding; the rest were spectating like Yohane.

At these prices, he understood the feeling entirely.

After a set of materials from a large Man-Eating Plant monster sold for 200 gold coins, the first half of the auction concluded and a break was called.

They got up and stepped outside for some fresh air.

"This is a bit much for a run-of-the-mill merchant like me."

"Um, well…"

Unable to agree openly, Azu gave a vague response.

Being up in the sky, the air was crisp and clear.

The view was spectacular. Maybe they should just enjoy it and call it a day.

He'd always understood there were plenty of people richer than him, but seeing it firsthand was a different kind of blow.

"Are you maybe a little down?"

"I mean, Master does have that whole 'money is power' thing going on."

"Things will get better. Just give it time."

Behind him, Azu and the others were whispering among themselves. He ignored them and leaned against the railing, gazing out at the open sky.

Looking out over the vast, endless sky made him feel very small.

He let out a sigh and stretched hard.

He'd been thoroughly reminded that he was still just a merchant.

Swindling money out of crooked dealers and feeling satisfied about it wasn't going to cut it.

He really needed to scale up his operations.

Azu and the others' adventuring business was going better than he could have hoped.

They just needed to keep it up.

The break ended, and they went back inside.

When he sat down, the magnate's seat was empty.

He'd bid on several things besides the mirror, so maybe he'd run out of funds.

The royal was still seated.

The first half had been mostly practical items, but the second half leaned heavily toward fine art.

Art dealers were bidding in droves.

Art wasn't his field, so he couldn't participate.

Accessories and small pieces he could manage, but with paintings and sculptures, telling real from fake was the best he could do.

He couldn't begin to gauge their actual value.

All he could do was watch and treat it as an education.

Near the end, those who'd gotten what they came for were in high spirits, while those who hadn't looked frustrated.

Then, at last, the final item was presented.

He'd only heard rumors about it, but sure enough, an Earth Elemental Stone was up for auction.

The masked emcee began his explanation.

Normally, an Elemental Stone could only be obtained by having a spirit gift one to you or by defeating one in battle.

Its power was therefore immense.

Naturally so, since it was the spirit itself.

The Earth Elemental Stone on offer had been acquired through a contract, and purchasing it would not incur the Earth Elemental's wrath.

The bulk of the winning bid would go to the Earth Elemental, they said.

(Does a spirit even need money?)

He puzzled over that.

He'd encountered both fire and Water Elementals so far.

Both were beings of extraordinary power, yet carefree by nature, the kind that seemed to have zero interest in human currency.

An Elemental Stone was like a part of the spirit itself.

What could a spirit want badly enough to hand one over for money?

The opening bid was 2,000 gold coins.

He was already out of the running at that point.

He watched the bidding, thinking he should have at least tried for one of the material lots. The royal next to him had joined in, and the price skyrocketed in no time.

Once it passed 5,000 coins, most bidders dropped out, leaving only the royal and a single merchant going back and forth.

At 6,500, the merchant finally folded.

Royalty, indeed. Money was no object.

Then again, if you walked away with an Earth Elemental Stone, it was a bargain at the price.

The Water Elemental was inside Azu's body, and the Fire Elemental lived in the fire brooch, so neither could be converted to cash. A shame.

The gavel struck the platform three times, and the very instant the sale was declared final —

An explosion ripped the ceiling apart.