Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Auction (V)

Finally, it was time for the final item, the main reason they had come to the auction. It was one of the ingredients for the Rebirth Potion, one that wasn't easy to find.

The children and the adults had returned to the mansion. There, Goldmi would pick up the twins later. After bothering the governor's son throughout the auction, they didn't want them to get involved in any problems if they arose. Therefore, it was better to send them back as soon as possible, and recover the mana spent. Thanks to Mana Loan, Eldi and Gjaki were sharing that role.

It is true that both Coinin and Chornakish had a relatively high level, and even combat experience, but they were below Goldmi and Eldi. Coinin complained a little about missing the fun, but she understood that it could be dangerous, and she couldn't leave the children. Besides, Gjaki had promised to record it.

"Finally, to close our annual auction, let me show you our star product!" the hostess of the auction introduced.

The light disappeared from the stage for a few moments, which gave way to a spotlight that illuminated the void. It didn't take long for one of the assistants to appear, and to be followed by the spotlight. He was pushing a cart covered by a thin but opaque cloth, which he parked on the stage. The assistant then gave a deep bow to the audience, and departed gracefully.

"The birth of a phoenix is an exceptional event that may not occur for millennia. It's even more difficult to find the remains, a single fragment of the shell that hasn't been completely incinerated. Therefore, our article today has hardly any precedents. See it for yourselves!" the hostess exclaimed.

She pulled the cloth to reveal an almost complete egg. It had a slightly charred hole, and cracks spread across its surface like a spider's web. Nonetheless, it practically preserved its original shape.

There was stunned silence at first, and then exclamations of enthusiasm broke out. Without a doubt, few expected it to be so well-preserved. In addition, the fire aura that it emanated was more than evident.

"The millennia claim is a bit exaggerated, but it's true that it's in good shape, the best I've seen. It'll be expensive," the vampiress acknowledged.

In the past, she had come across similar remains on a couple of occasions, but never in so good state. It had been at other auctions, and she hadn't bid as there had been no reason to.

"It's a pity it isn't more broken. We don't need that much," Eldi lamented. "Although... There're other recipes I could try..."

"Will we have enough money?" Goldmi worried.

"Sure! Heh, heh. You really have no idea how rich you are," the vampiress found it funny.

"Well... I've never needed much..." the elf defended herself.

She lived a relatively simple life in the elven village, and even received money from the dwarfs. What had started with a few barrels of beer had become a business of several hundred a year.

It's not that she needed the money, but she wasn't able to say no to them, and it didn't take much effort either. The dwarfs were in charge of sending the ingredients, and she only needed her assistants to carry out the process on the cooking platform. She was undoubtedly the elf most revered by several dwarven towns, almost a goddess.

"The starting price is 500,000 gold, which would be a bargain. With a single fragment, the most valuable potions can be created, or it can be crafted in exquisite and unique decorations. Thousands of such fragments can be obtained from this shell, so even ten times the price would be cheap. The minimum bid is 10,000 gold. You can start!"

"Without a doubt, it's our Alchemist Guild who'll get the best out of it. 550,000."

The first bid didn't take long to arrive. Using the name of his guild, he tried to intimidate his opponents, although in a much more subtle way than the governor's son. Few could afford to offend them, as their services would be required sooner or later.

"Not as much as the New Alchemy Association. We're much more innovative than your obsolete guild, so we'll make better use of it. 600,000."

"The Jewelry Guild is also interested. Although we're open to sharing it. 650,000."

"The Governor is very interested in these phoenix shells. Of course, we don't want to monopolize it, and we're willing to collaborate. 700,000," Johil bid.

This time, he was bidding for his father, but he didn't dare to be arrogant. He couldn't afford to offend the other contenders.

"Our Alchemy Guild offers 800,000. We'll make the best potions, instead of burning ingredients in failed products."

"The same potions that we've seen a thousand times and no one wants. We'll give them new uses. 900,000."

"The governor is willing to share and facilitate its distribution. We just want to make sure the city benefits as much as possible. 1,000,000."

"Why don't you simply say that you want to monopolize and control it? Our Shadow City is also interested. 1,500,000!" a new voice intervened.

"Gulna! Why don't you mind your own business and stay in your city? 2,000,000!" the governor's son bid. His relationship with the previous bidder was visibly hostile.

"How unwelcoming! The auction is open to everyone. 2,500,000."

Few others dared to intervene in that war between giants. The two alchemy associations insulted and denigrated each other, which was no surprise. Their bad relationship and rivalry was known to everyone.

Johil and Gulna didn't get along better. As if that weren't enough, each of them was accompanied by an entourage whose members seemed to hate each other.

The Jewelry Guild wanted to mediate, find a compromise, and ensure that the price didn't rise too much, but their efforts were in vain. They were the first to withdraw from the bidding.

The alchemists also stopped bidding. Although they wanted to work with such scarce ingredients, it was too expensive a luxury. The important thing was that it was profitable, but the price had risen too much. Furthermore, they had reached secret agreements with the representatives of the two cities.

These wanted to monopolize production, for which they needed the collaboration of alchemists. They not only benefited from the sale, but from everything it would bring around. If the trade took place in the city, they could attract alchemists, jewelers, merchants and buyers with high purchasing power.

Furthermore, they wanted to prevent the other city from getting it. Therefore, when the representative of the City of Shadow stopped bidding, Johil couldn't resist the temptation to mock them.

"That's it? Can't you even exceed 11,000,000?"

"Ha, ha. For that price we have made you pay, it was worth coming," she counterattacked.

"You say that because you're such a sore loser," he disdained her.

They bickered for a while, although they were both partially right. The price was quite high, and Johil only hoped that the benefits would be high too.

When they finally got tired of fighting, it was clear that the auction was over.

"11,000,000 at one, 11,000,000 at..." the hostess began to count, but almost choked on her words when she discovered a new bid. "15,000,000!"