Chapter 14: The Auction
In the study of Bernard, the patriarch of the Debs family.
"What? Failed?" Bernard stared at the red-robed woman before him. "If you failed, can't you just try again? Since when did your Blood Plum Blossom organization give up so easily?"
Bernard was extremely dissatisfied.
He had sought out the Saber organization but was rejected. When he asked the Blood Plum Blossom organization for help, they only agreed to destroy the stone sculpture 'Dream Awakening.' As for killing Linley, the Blood Plum Blossom organization's price was too high—it was the same as the cost to kill a Red Robe Cardinal. At such a price, the Debs family simply couldn't afford it.
According to the Blood Plum Blossom organization, killing Linley would mean offending both the Radiant Church and the Dawson Merchant Alliance at the same time.
And there was another point...
Linley was now a master stone sculptor. Stone sculptors held a very high status, and many influential people deeply admired such masters. Killing Linley would mean killing a master stone sculptor. This would also make some people harbor hatred toward the Blood Plum Blossom organization.
Therefore, the price for killing Linley was equivalent to the price for killing a Red Robe Cardinal.
"We're not taking this mission anymore. We'll return the payment you gave us in full," the red-robed woman said coldly.
"Can you tell me the reason?" Bernard couldn't understand.
Destroying a stone sculpture shouldn't be that difficult. How could they give up after just one failure?
"If I tell you the reason, your payment won't be refunded. Are you willing?" the red-robed woman said indifferently.
Xiao Yu is not human
Assassin organizations were also a type of intelligence organization. They would sell information as well.
"Fine." As the patriarch of the Debs family, Bernard was still generous.
The red-robed woman said softly, "I can tell you that among those who like the stone sculpture 'Dream Awakening,' there is someone our organization is very unwilling to offend. This person is also someone your Debs family cannot afford to offend."
"Alright. The information has been provided." The red-robed woman smiled faintly and then left directly.
Bernard was furious.
This red-robed woman didn't even reveal the identity of the person they were unwilling to offend. But Bernard understood that someone who could make the Blood Plum Blossom organization so cautious was undoubtedly a formidable figure. Information about him would certainly be ridiculously expensive.
******
On the 9421st day of the Yulan Calendar, in the exclusive auction hall of the Prux Chamber of Commerce.
The auction hall had three floors. The first floor had ordinary seats. The second floor consisted of individual private boxes, each accessible only to major nobles and wealthy magnates. The prices were shockingly high. As for the third floor, there was only one very large hall, with extremely luxurious interior decoration.
At this moment, the hundreds of seats on the first floor were filling up with more and more people. Each of these seats cost as much as one hundred gold coins. As for the dozen or so private boxes on the second floor, prices ranged from one thousand gold coins to ten thousand gold coins, depending on the location.
The third floor was not open to the public at all.
The stone sculpture 'Dream Awakening' was extremely famous. Many of the people entering the auction hall today were super-wealthy magnates from the Yulan Continent, as well as many high-ranking nobles. Because there were too few seats and too many nobles and wealthy individuals, the original price of one hundred gold coins for a seat had skyrocketed in resale value.
The Debs family, being a local family with internal connections to the Prux Chamber of Commerce, was lucky enough to secure the worst-positioned private box on the second floor.
In reality, among the dozen or so private boxes on the second floor, aside from the Debs family, the families in the other boxes were all famous families from the Yulan Continent, far more powerful than the Debs family. For example, some members of the 'Dawson family' of the Dawson Merchant Alliance were only in a private box on the second floor. Of course, the representative of the Dawson family was not a direct descendant.
"Alice, move further inside."
The Debs family had brought six people this time. Alice walked between Kalan and Kalan's mother, wearing a hat with the brim pulled low. The six of them quickly went up the stairs and entered the second floor.
In the private boxes on the second floor, almost all were super-major families from the Yulan Continent.
When Bernard, the patriarch of the Debs family, saw some people in the corridor of the second floor, he immediately greeted them very humbly. Here, the patriarch of the Debs family was nothing at all. It was just like when Yale had evaluated the Debs family—'a small family.'
Yes, for the super-major families that roamed the Yulan Continent, if a family's influence was limited to a single kingdom, it could only be considered a small family on the continent.
The six members of the Debs family all entered the private box.
"Someday, my Debs family will be like them, or even stronger," Kalan thought to himself.
The Debs family had come this time with a firm determination to succeed.
No matter what, it was better to bring this stone sculpture home than to let it fall into someone else's hands. After all, in June, the Debs family would hold the engagement ceremony, and many people would know that Alice was a member of the Debs family. But 'firm determination to succeed' was just that—determination. Financial strength was also very important.
"Brother Kalan." Alice sat next to Kalan.
In a place where such high-ranking nobles gathered, Alice also felt a bit constrained. After all, even the Debs family was nothing here, let alone Alice's small noble family.
"Don't worry. In this private box, the people below can't see you at all. That Linley is really too much, actually making you..." Whenever Kalan thought of the 'Dream Awakening' stone sculpture, he became very angry, because anyone with some knowledge of stone sculptures could guess the relationship between Linley and Alice.
After all, if there wasn't genuine emotion, how could one carve such a 'divine-grade' piece?
If he, Kalan, really married Alice, he believed many people would secretly talk about Alice and Linley's affair. For someone of his status, being talked about like that would be very embarrassing.
...
On the third floor of the auction hall.
There were only four people inside at the moment: the general curator of the Prux Chamber of Commerce, Maia and Ostoni, as well as Linley and Yale.
"Haha, Curator Maia, which one is Linley?" A hearty laugh rang out.
Curator Maia, leaning on his cane, walked over to greet him. Linley and Yale also immediately went forward: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
The visitor was the king of the Fenlai Kingdom. The pride of the Fenlai Kingdom, the 'Golden Lion' Clayde. As a king of a country and a great ninth-level warrior, this was indeed worthy of admiration.
Linley carefully observed Clayde.
This king was very robust. His long golden hair flowed freely, like a lion bursting with boundless explosive power. His entire being carried a domineering aura that made one's heart tremble. As he looked around, that kind of momentum naturally radiated.
Clayde looked at Linley: "If I'm not mistaken, this must be Master Linley."
"Your Majesty, you can just call me Linley," Linley immediately said.
In truth, Linley felt quite helpless. Ever since the stone sculpture 'Dream Awakening' was exhibited, many people had addressed him very humbly as 'Master Linley.' This title wasn't hypocritical. Even Marquis Jeb, from the Lucas family, who had been unwilling to sell the war blade 'Slaughter,' now held great respect for Linley.
"That's fine too." Clayde was very straightforward. "And this must be Yale, right? Yale, is your father doing well?"
Xiao Yu is not human
"My father is doing well, but he's not in the Sacred Alliance right now. Otherwise, he would definitely have come this time," Yale said humbly.
Clayde nodded slightly.
"Curator Maia, who else is coming today?" Clayde asked casually.
Curator Maia smiled and said, "We'll wait a bit longer. Both Cardinal Gilmore and Cardinal Lampson from the Church will be coming this time."
The third floor of the auction hall was generally reserved for people the Prux Chamber of Commerce valued highly.
The windows on the third floor were made of a special type of glass. From the outside, one couldn't see inside, but from the inside, one could easily see outside. These glass products were specially made by alchemists and were extremely expensive. Ordinary places couldn't afford to install them.
"Cardinal Gilmore and Cardinal Lampson have arrived." Curator Maia was sitting in a position where he could see the outside corridor.
Linley, Yale, and King Clayde of the Fenlai Kingdom all warmly went forward to welcome the two Red Robe Cardinals from the Church. Linley had met Cardinal Gilmore once before, while Cardinal Lampson was chubby, with eyes that narrowed into slits when he smiled, making him look very cute.
"Linley, right?" Lampson immediately greeted Linley warmly and hugged him.
"Your Eminence Lampson," Linley said politely.
Then, on the third floor, the seven people—Linley, Yale, Maia, Ostoni, His Majesty Clayde, and the two Cardinals Gilmore and Lampson—all sat down casually. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, they looked down at the auction scene below.
Through the windows, they could even see the situation in the various private boxes on the second floor.
"Third brother, look." Yale lightly nudged Linley's arm and gestured downward.
Linley followed Yale's gaze and suddenly noticed a private box on the second floor. Inside that box were Kalan, Alice, and others. At that moment, Kalan and Alice were holding hands on the sofa, talking to each other.
"I didn't expect her to come today," Yale said softly to Linley.
Linley just smiled faintly.
"Linley, what are you two talking about?" The chubby Cardinal Lampson said to Linley with a smile.
"Nothing much," Linley shook his head and said.
Gilmore patted Clayde on the shoulder and said, "Clayde, the Fenlai Kingdom you govern is really impressive. It actually produced a genius like Linley. I really didn't know beforehand that Linley, such a super magical genius, could also achieve such heights in the field of stone sculpture."
Linley, Yale, and the others then chatted casually with Clayde, Gilmore, Lampson, Curator Maia, and the rest. The seven of them looked down from the third floor.
On the first floor of the auction hall, all the seats were already filled.
On the stage, the 'Dream Awakening' stone sculpture was already placed, covered with a cloth. Two beautiful maids stood on either side of the stage. A well-dressed, golden-haired middle-aged man walked up with a smile, looked around, and said loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the auction of Master Linley's work, the stone sculpture 'Dream Awakening.'"
This middle-aged man was also very suave, speaking eloquently: "The guests who have come today are all renowned figures. Our chamber is also honored to have Cardinal Gilmore of the Church here today." The middle-aged man slightly bowed toward the third floor.
Immediately, everyone in the hall stood up, and thunderous applause filled the entire venue.
"And Cardinal Lampson as well." Another round of enthusiastic applause.
"Our king of the Fenlai Kingdom has also come today."
"At the same time, the great magical genius, stone sculpture genius, Master Linley, has also arrived."
Every time the middle-aged auctioneer announced a name, there was a burst of enthusiastic applause from below. For these nobles, a Red Robe Cardinal, the king of a kingdom, and the super genius rarely seen in the history of the Yulan Continent were all figures worthy of looking up to.
"Master Linley?"
In the private box, Alice looked toward the third floor through the window glass, but all she saw was pitch-black glass.
On the third floor.
Linley, however, saw Alice's eyes looking over. They were a pair of eyes with a hint of confusion.