Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Auction (IV)

"4,000!" the governor's son raised the price.

Immediately, Coinin raised her bid to 4,100. There was an increment requirement of 100 gold. If not, she would have gone up to 4,001. By far, the bunny-eared vampiress was more mischievous than her friend. It's not only that she wasn't afraid to make him angry, it's that she was wishing it, provoking him.

"5,000!" Johil bid again, visibly more irritated.

"How sensitive he is! There's no need to shout so much," Coinin complained exaggeratedly, and made the children laugh.

She was talking as she raised the bid another 100. Eldi looked at her a little surprised. He hadn't known her for long, and he had never seen her like this. Meanwhile, the others were eating and chatting, as they were having fun as spectators.

The goshawk stood on the elf's shoulder, and showed her a snack she was carrying in her beak. It was one of the snacks the auction servants had brought before.

"Could you make something like this, with mouse and more crunchy?" the bird asked.

"I guess so. Let me try..."

After saying this, she took out the portable kitchen and began to experiment, with the help of the albino bird as a taster. Taking advantage of it, some of them asked her for their favorite dishes, to which she agreed. It's not that it was more difficult for her than ordering her maids. The little Goldmis could copy anything previously made, but not create new recipes.

"7,000!"

"♪♪♪ 7,100 ♪♪♪" Coinin musically announced.

She did it while winking at the children. She knew how to make them laugh, how to win them over, she had plenty of practice. Gjaki briefly considered removing the sound insulation.

"Don't even think about it," Chornakish worried.

"I don't know what you mean..." she assured, looking away.

The cat demihuman sighed, although he was suddenly caught by the vampiress, who made him fall on top of her on the couch.

"We aren't alone," he murmured, somewhat embarrassed.

She smiled and gave him a brief kiss. She didn't have time for more. The children fell on them, as they believed it was a game. Laughing and tickling them, Gjaki looked accusingly at Coinin, but her friend had guiltily looked away. No doubt she had incited them.

Meanwhile, the bidding continued.

"8,000!"

"♪♪♪ 8,100 ♪♪♪"

"10,000!"

"♪♪♪ 10,100 ♪♪♪"

"15,000!"

"Oh, it seems like he's gotten carried away," Eldi observed.

"Heh, heh. Surely, now he'll think that he has won because he's the richest," Coinin mocked.

"Let's see if he buys some more weapons. It's quite fun," Gjaki wished.

"You're both incorrigible. You're a bad example to the children," Goldmi criticized them, while frying the last piece of meat. The goshawk stared at the food with expectation.

"That's what aunts are for! Later, their parents will take care of teaching them well," Gjaki laughed.

"The aunts are left without special dishes..."

"Just kidding! Just kidding!"

The hammer and axe were sold for 9,200 and 8,700, without any conflict. It was when the daggers arrived that Johil again tried to intimidate the others with his position.

"I'm going to buy these daggers for my fiancée. It's useless to bid against me," he announced arrogantly. "5,000 gold."

His voice wanted to be firm and authoritative, but he couldn't hide a trace of anger. He didn't know who had been bothering him, or if it was more than one, but he was really irritated.

"Whose turn?" Gjaki asked.

""Mom's!"" the twins announced.

"I'm cooking right now. Let uncle Eldi bid. Why don't you help him?" the elf proposed.

""Ok!""

The high human was then surrounded by the children. They brought him the artifact to bid on, and looked at him expectantly. He smiled, as it was impossible not to, and added 200 gold to the bid.

"Once each," he offered them.

Therefore, Eldmi bid 5,200, Gjami bid 6,450 and Coinin's grandson bid 9,200. The granddaughter stared at him, her cheeks puffed out. The bet had risen to 15,000, and they could no longer continue bidding.

"You start next time, okay?" he assured her, while stroking her hair.

"Okay!" she accepted, her eyes shining again.

Maybe, next time it wouldn't be his turn, but whoever was in charge of bidding would be incapable of not giving the button to the girl.

"Who do you think you are to bid against Prince Johil!? Let it be the last time!" a female voice exclaimed.

"That's it! Understand your position!" another voice was heard.

One after another, the young people who accompanied the governor's son demanded that no one bid against him again. Some were excessively arrogant. There were even occasional insults, and always with disdain.

"It seems that we're going to bid more than expected," Goldmi said, visibly angry. "Don't worry, they just scream a lot. If they misbehave, aunt Gjaki will teach them a lesson."

The children had been scared, which had angered the elf.

"Leave them to me!" Gjaki assured, as she stood up and took an exaggeratedly aggressive pose.

"Heh, heh."

"Ha, ha".

The children laughed, thus forgetting about the moment of fear. Although that did not mean that the adults were going to forgive that 'group of presumptuous people'. From that moment on, they bid every time the others did, which forced those youngsters to pay significantly more than they intended.

In fact, the governor's son and his group ended up bidding anonymously in some cases, while feeling humiliated. It was evident that, far from intimidating their opponents, they had angered at least one of them, and they were sabotaging them.

The rest of the audience at the auction were first astonished and scandalized spectators, although they soon laughed to themselves. Many didn't like Johil's attitude, and there were even those who hated him.

He also had some supporters, who were outraged. Also, there were those who feared for the well-being of whoever was opposing him.

What all of them without exception agreed on was the deep curiosity to know the identity of that daring buyer or buyers, from whom they had not heard a single word. Most believed that they were afraid, and that they only dared to act like this under the protection of the auction house's rules.

Although not everyone was so sure that it could protect them. There were those who knew the ins and outs of the city well enough to understand that those anonymous buyers could have more problems than they supposedly believed.

What they didn't know was that those buyers had no fear of the governor's son, not even of his father. They simply didn't want to attract attention, since they had other enemies who could be looking for them. They considered Johil nothing more than a conceited rich boy, too full of himself.