Chapter 112: The Golden Section
Finally, the day of the auction has arrived. Since I’m heading to the auction venue, Nil will be staying behind today. She looked quite dissatisfied, but when I promised to bring back some meat as a souvenir, she quieted down. It might just be that she was simply hungry, so I told the maid to prepare enough for five servings.
As I made my way to the main hall of the theater where the auction would take place, I showed the entry pass I received yesterday to the security guard.
“Oh, dear customer, it seems you haven’t completed your cash appraisal yet. Please take care of that first.”
“Cash appraisal?”
It appears that participants need to inform the auction organizers of their available cash beforehand. This is to prevent situations where someone bids without the means to pay. Thus, I was directed to a separate room to count my cash.
Both of our Dimensional Boxes contained cash, but I wondered how much we had in total. The staff’s eyes widened in surprise as stacks of cash emerged one after another from the Dimensional Boxes. Counting was straightforward since we were merely feeding coins into a magic tool designed for counting, but the sheer number of small coins made it a time-consuming task.
“Twenty-one billion Fron,” one of the staff announced.
“Wow, we had that much cash?”
We had sold various items, including the Great Dragon, through the Rashiyu Trading Company.
“Maybe we should bid on something interesting if it comes up,” I suggested.
“Indeed. We need to spend money for the economy to keep moving,” Fleur replied.
After receiving a brief explanation of the bidding process, we were ready and entered the grand hall. Upon stepping inside, I noticed that about half of the seats were already filled. If every seat were occupied, it could hold around a thousand people.
As we made our way to the seats indicated on our entry passes, I spotted Fleur already seated next to mine. After exchanging greetings, we settled into our seats.
“Did you prepare your cash properly?” she asked.
“Yes, I had it appraised as well,” I confirmed.
“Then we should be fine. The auction only accepts cash payments,” she reminded me.
As we chatted casually, the hall began to fill up, nearing full capacity. It seemed the time had come, as the entrance closed, dimming the lights in the grand hall. A spotlight illuminated the stage, and a figure clad in a sharp black butler outfit stepped out from the side.
“Thank you all for gathering here today. It seems everyone is eager, so I’ll skip the unnecessary greetings and get right to it!”
The host’s words were met with a resounding cheer and applause from the audience.
“Now, for our first item…”
From the back of the stage, a strikingly dressed woman pushed a cart forward. On it rested a rugged knife, sheathed and ready for display.
“This is a piece by the renowned craftsman Luciel, a knife made from Taur Steel.”
A murmur of excitement rippled through the crowd at the host’s announcement. I had no idea how impressive this was. Since it was the first item, I decided to observe for now. I had a feeling that many more weapons would be presented later.
“Bidding will start at one hundred thousand Fron!”
The morning session of the Golden Section concluded without incident. The minimum bid prices gradually increased, but no items had yet surpassed the million mark.
“This is how it starts,” Fleur said, a hint of amusement in her voice as she noticed our slight disappointment.
“The real action begins on the second day,” she added.
“I see.”
It seemed that only somewhat rare items would be presented on the first day. However, it was also said that the first day was when ordinary people could participate, which explained the larger crowd.
“But there were a few items that caught my interest,” I noted.
In this price range, magic tools were unlikely to appear. Most items were either crafted as a hobby by artisans or were hard to find but not particularly rare. It was as if they were things I wanted, yet I couldn’t quite justify their everyday use.
“If you find something you like, you should bid on it. There’s no limit to the number of items you can win,” Fleur encouraged.
“Really? …I might just try bidding if something piques my interest next time,” I replied.
Though I had learned the process, I knew that experiencing it firsthand would be different. It would be a waste to miss out on bidding for something I truly wanted.
After a lunch break, Fleur and I returned to the venue. It was time for the afternoon session to begin.
“Now, for our next item!” the host announced.
As the afternoon session neared its end, a small item was brought out on a wagon. It was about one centimeter thick and roughly fifteen centimeters tall, with a width of seven or eight centimeters. It resembled a smartphone-sized slab.
“This item was brought in by a certain adventurer. Um, let’s see… The Second Magic Research Institute was asked to analyze it, but they found it impossible to determine any details!”
“What’s that supposed to mean…?” I muttered.
“Don’t worry! Everything auctioned here is guaranteed to be appraised,” the host reassured the audience.
Ah, so at least the name would be revealed. Just like the mysterious tower in the Heavenly Wolf Forest, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were strange items in this world.
…Speaking of which, I should have appraised that tower.
“The item is called ‘Smartphone’! Bidding will start at one million Fron!”
—What? A smartphone?
My thoughts came to a halt at the name announced by the host.