Chapter 117: The End of the Auction
In the end, the vampire clan’s criminal slave was auctioned off for two billion Fron. Whether it was due to some enchantment or not, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the person who placed the winning bid.
I wasn’t sure if this was a violation of the rules, but Fleur said nothing, so it must be legal.
“Now, we have reached the final item of the day!”
With the host’s words, the atmosphere in the venue reached a fever pitch. It seemed that the moment we had all been waiting for had finally arrived.
“Presenting the highlight of this auction: the Ancient Red Dragon Scale!”
The scale was wheeled onto the stage, enveloped in thunderous applause. As the audience fell silent, whispers of awe began to ripple through the crowd.
The scale measured one meter along its long side and eighty centimeters on the short side. Given its size, one could only imagine that the Ancient Red Dragon it came from must have been several dozen meters long.
“Starting bid will be thirty billion Fron!”
Gasp! Thirty billion to start?
“Th-thirty billion…”
Rio stood there, mouth agape. Since we were the ones who had put it up for auction, we could only watch as the bids flew in at an astonishing pace. Before I knew it, the amount had surpassed fifty billion. What on earth was happening? Was the Ancient Red Dragon that rare? I had never encountered one myself…
“I never expected it to go this high…” Fleur seemed equally astonished by the outcome.
“Sixty-eight billion Fron! Is there anyone else willing to bid?!”
“Whoa…”
“It seems there are no more bidders—”
The host paused, scanning the audience before declaring, “The Ancient Red Dragon Scale has been sold for sixty-eight billion Fron!!”
““““Woooooahhh!!!!””””
The loudest cheers of the day echoed throughout the auction venue.
“This is an unprecedented amount! With that, we will conclude the auction!”
Thus, the three-day auction came to a close.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
I let out a sigh of relief as the auction finally wrapped up. We were in a room at the Rashiyu Trading Company headquarters.
“Yes, thank you for your hard work as well.”
“Wow, that was quite entertaining.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. And the profits were incredible too.”
“Indeed… suddenly becoming wealthy is a bit unsettling.”
“Hehehe, you two will be just fine. Plus, you’ll continue to receive profits from the patents.”
Now that I thought about it, I had simply wanted to do something about Beldran Workshop, but I never expected to earn this much.
“The auction organizers will take ten percent, and our trading company will take another ten percent as a service fee. Your share will be transferred to the designated account at the Commercial Guild by tomorrow morning, so please check it then.”
“Understood.”
When registering with the Commercial Guild, an account is automatically created. It’s convenient not to have to deal with cash directly, as money can be quite cumbersome. Moreover, being able to withdraw funds from any Commercial Guild branch worldwide is a huge plus. The Adventurer’s Guild has a similar banking function, but if you want to withdraw your money in another city, you have to go through the hassle of transferring it to that city’s guild. I hadn’t known about that since I never used it, but it sounds like a real pain.
“What are your plans for after this?”
“The Marriage Ceremony is in ten days, so I’d like to return to Raven by then.”
“Speaking of which, may I join you for that?”
“Huh? The Marriage Ceremony?”
“Yes.”
I exchanged glances with Rio, but we had no particular reason to decline.
“Sure, that’s fine. I can’t promise any hospitality, though…”
In Japan, there are receptions and such, but the Marriage Ceremony in this world is quite simple. I had observed one before, and it was over in no time.
“Thank you very much!”
“So, what should we do until then?”
“I’d like to do some sightseeing.”
“Sounds good. We should also stop by the Adventurer’s Guild to see what requests are available.”
“If that’s the case, I can recommend some tourist spots in the Commercial City.”
“Really? That would be great, thank you!”
I also needed to spend some time with Nil. He had been home alone for the past three days and might be sulking.
“The Commercial Guild here is quite large, so it might be interesting to explore.”
“Oh?”
“There are various street stalls in the central square, but there are also many shops around the perimeter that are worth checking out.”
“Wow, I didn’t know there were so many things around the perimeter.”
“By the way, is there a large area outside the city where no one goes?”
“A large area…?”
“Yes. I want to let Nil run around freely.”
“I see. In that case, the northeast part of the city would be perfect. The roads extend north and east, but there’s nothing in the northeast.”
“Got it. Thank you!”
“Oh, and regarding your stay, please feel free to continue using the accommodations while you’re in the Commercial City.”
“No, no, that would be too much.”
After earning so much from the auction, it felt wrong to stay at the Rashiyu Trading Company’s expense now that it was over.
“No, no, this is part of our hospitality. Please let us know if you have any more profitable ideas.”
When she smiled at me, I felt an irresistible urge to comply. Of course, I couldn’t refuse her.