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n“You mean now?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

nThe attitude of the host who was holding up the latest item on offer was just too frivolous. So, Kim Jin-Woo wasn’t sure if it was a product that deserved a successful bid, even if it was overkill. If the item were as special as the Black Merchant implied, he wouldn’t have introduced the item so ordinarily.

n“Yes, now,” the Black Merchant replied.

nKim Jin-Woo simply couldn’t read into the rationale behind the Black Merchant’s attitude. But the Black Merchant’s voice had been firm. At that point, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but ask about the identity of the item once again. “What the hell is it, for you to be so insistent about this?”

nInstead of giving a response, the Black Merchant responded with a question of his own. “Have I ever given you an offer that ended up being detrimental to you, my Lord?”

nThere had been times when the Black Merchant had tried his best to take advantage of Kim Jin-Woo, but in the end, the Black Merchant had only ever made offers that were beneficial to him.

nBut because he had never been this forceful before, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but feel even more curious about the identity of the object. However, it didn’t seem easy to find that out from the Black Merchant himself, who was obviously not going to reveal the truth based on the way he was keeping his mouth shut.

nWhile Kim Jin-Woo was left contemplating, the host proceeded to hold out the bidding item, crying out, “This product has a pretty mysterious history!” What was in his hand was a jewel whose shine had completely faded.

n“An ancient Summoning Stone that has never been used before! No one knows when these Summoning Stones were made or what they contain! But, as with all the Summoning Stones that have ever been discovered, we’re certain that it holds something quite great!”

nThe item that the Black Merchant had been so insistent on was an ancient Summoning Stone.

nKim Jin-Woo, who had used summoning stones several times in one way or another, was able to recognize the turbid color of the gem right away. “Mm.” He glanced at the Black Merchant with a slightly subdued gaze.

nAs he had obtained Morrigan through the Summoning Stone, as well as Heimdall and the Treants, he didn’t intend to disparage the value of the Summoning Stone, but it was somewhat disappointing compared to all the fuss that the Black Merchant had made about it.

n“It’s still too early for you to be disappointed.” Seeing the disappointed look on Kim Jin-Woo’s face, the Black Merchant responded with a confident expression.

n“I’ll find out eventually.” Kim Jin-Woo shrugged at the Black Merchant’s persistent attitude, then looked at the stage.

nThe ordinary participants didn’t seem interested in the ancient Summoning Stone, as they blankly watched the host ramble on.

nIt was clear that the heroes that resided within the ancient Summoning Stones were definitely powerful beings. However, it was common for them to not follow the orders of their summoners, so it was little wonder that they seemed so uninterested.

n“If you’re lucky, there may be a formidable entity within this Summoning Stone! I can’t wait to see who’ll be testing their luck!” Contrary to his words, the imp host’s attitude seemed almost mechanical.

nPerhaps he had noticed the atmosphere of the auction house, which showed little interest in the ancient Summoning Stone that was pretty much the white elephant of the auction, and he showed signs of rushing through the auction to move on to the next item. He called out, “The starting price will be 5,000 gems!”

n‘Test of luck’ and whatnot aside, the starting bid price of 5,000 gems was rather cheap.

n“5,100 gems.”

n“5,200 gems.”

nThe bidding price went up slowly. There was no sign of enthusiasm on the faces of the ordinary participants on the floor, who were bidding slowly with hardly any competition.

nAnd the host’s passive attitude seemed to have sealed the deal, making everyone present think of the Summoning Stone as a very mediocre item. He called out, “I’m going to repeat myself, but this Summoning Stone I have with me is something that no one has used before! A completely new one! We can’t know for certain if it’ll bring about great luck or bad misfortune, but one thing that’s for certain is that it’s definitely a rarity in itself!”

nIt was all utter rubbish. If the now-dead 10th Floor Barons, who had only been focused on decorating their labyrinths, had participated in this auction, things would have been different. But right now, there was no one who would splurge on such an item simply because it was rare, without knowing what was inside of it.

n“5,800 gems! 5,800 gems! Any more!? If no one bids until the count of ten, this item is…”

n“Milord.”

nKim Jin-Woo, who hadn’t yet participated in the auction and was just observing the situation on the stage, glanced at the Black Merchant and said, “I hope you won’t disappoint me.”

nHe gestured to get the attention of the Catfolk woman assistant, saying, “6,500 gems.”

nAs he hadn’t placed a bid before, the Catfolk woman looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression, before being quickly taken aback and grabbing a tube installed inside the VIP room. “6,500 gems!” She sighed with relief as she barely managed to submit Kim Jin-Woo’s bid right before the bidding closed.

n“Oh! We have a bid at 6,500 gems!” The host suddenly had a conflicted look on his face. It was great for him that the auction price had gone up, but he seemed awkward about the fact that it had happened when he expected the bidding to be over quickly.

n“6,500 gems! Is there anyone who wishes to bid higher than 6,500 gems?”

n“7,000 gems!”

nThe host’s eyes widened at the new bid.

n“8,000 gems.” Kim Jin-Woo frowned at the outrageous obstruction and ordered a bid again. The Catfolk woman was now deeply involved as an auction assistant, as she submitted the latest price with a roar.

n“Oh! Looks like this item has caught the attention of our precious guests!” The host seemed to have been caught up in the mood, as he looked around, searching for additional bidders.

n“10,000 gems!” Again, someone in one of the VIP rooms submitted a higher bid.

n“11,000 gems!” Kim Jin-Woo was feeling tired of the obstruction, and raised the price by a thousand gems when he submitted his bid again. However, the other party seemed determined to win the bid as well, as they too raised the price above his.

n“Oh, I wonder who that is.”

n“Do the Nobles have a trick to tame those Ancient Heroes?”

nThe atmosphere of the auction house, which had cooled off somewhat, was heating up again. Most of the participants were more interested in watching the competition between the VIPs than the actual item itself.

n“13,000 gems!”

n“14,000 gems!”

nThe bidding price skyrocketed. Now, the price of the ancient Summoning Stone was higher than any of the other popular items.

n“19,000 gems!”

n“20,000 gems!”

nKim Jin-Woo frowned. He had placed the value of the ancient Summoning Stone at 20,000 gems. He had no intention of wasting any more precious down gems on a Summoning Stone without knowing what was inside of it.

n“Tell me why I should honor this promise with you.” He pressed the Black Merchant, who was being unusually quiet.

n“20,000 gems! We have a bid at 20,000 gems! Is there any more?” The host slowly lifted his excited face and scanned across the VIP rooms. “I’m sure you, our precious guests, understand the true value of this Summoning Stone!”

nAs if to draw more attention to the bidding, the host’s carefully selected words had by now caused all the participants on the floor to watch the bidding war with utmost interest.

n“Give me a reason why I have to play this senseless battle of pride.” Kim Jin-Woo felt that his unknown bidding opponent wasn’t necessarily participating in the bid just because they needed the summoning stone for themselves. At first, it might have been out of curiosity. But now, it vaguely felt as if it were a fight for pride. Or, someone was simply plotting something.

nThe Black Merchant didn’t respond. He only continued to look at Kim Jin-Woo, not breaking contact with his unwavering eyes.

n“Hmph.” The look of the Black Merchant looking at him like that somehow ticked off Kim Jin-Woo, who snorted as he gestured toward the Catfolk woman. He said, “25,000 gems.”

nThe woman looked shocked, but quickly came to her senses and relayed his latest bid.

n“It seems that the hidden value of this Summoning Stone is visible in the eyes of our precious guests!” As if to induce competition, the host’s tone subtly prodded at the pride of the bidders, as well as the other Nobles.

nHowever, no one else showed interest in the bid except for Kim Jin-Woo and his unknown competitor.

nThe participants only watched on with interest at the battle of pride between the two Nobles over a relatively useless Summoning Stone.

n“30,000 gems!”

n“30,000 gems! 30,000 gems! We have 30,000 gems!”

nKim Jin-Woo frowned. At this point, he was desperate to know who the one obstructing his bid was. With his cold gaze, he looked across the VIP rooms, but thanks to the opaque windows of the specially designed VIP rooms, he wasn’t able to even see their faces.

n“What shall I do?” The Catfolk woman asked about Kim Jin-Woo’s intentions. She seemed more than surprised by the ridiculously high bidding price.

n“We’ll continue,” Kim Jin-Woo replied.

n“If you’re going to block the bidding by the other party, I think it’ll be better for you to go out a little boldly.” As expected of Kim Jin-Woo’s assistant, whom the Black Merchant had carefully arranged for, the Catfolk woman gave great advice to seal the deal.

n“That’s exactly what I was about to do.” Kim Jin-Woo willingly listened to his assistant.

n“50,000 gems.” He raised the bidding price to an excessive amount. Only with such an exorbitant amount could he finally silence his competitor.

n“Are there any more bids? If there are no additional bidders, we’ll close this auction!” The host started to count. However, when he counted to ten, there were no further bids.

n“Congratulations to the Noble who has won the bid for this ancient Summoning Stone. We wish you as much luck as your boldness!” The host seemed to be in a good mood, likely from a comparatively throwaway item being sold at a much higher price than a Noble’s Seal, which was supposed to be the highlight of the auction.

nHowever, the look on Kim Jin-Woo’s face wasn’t good, despite his having won the bid. He had boldly raised the price and succeeded in winning, but it was more expensive than necessary. Thus, he had no reason to feel good about an item he had no information on.

n“Thank you.” The Black Merchant, who would have normally kicked up a fuss and gone into an exaggerated speech, bowed deeply.

nUpon seeing the unusual sight, Kim Jin-Woo loosened up a bit. He saw some sincerity behind the Black Merchant’s gesture. And in hindsight, when he told himself that he had erased all his debts to the Black Merchant at the cost of 50,000 gems, it didn’t feel like a complete waste of money.

nFor the Black Merchant, who was good with numbers, it was clear that he would eventually repay Kim Jin-Woo in one way or another.

n“This…” The Catfolk woman, who had been away for a while as the two chatted, returned with a sealed box.

n“If possible, I would like to inform you to use the Summoning Stone in a safe space, not here,” the Black Merchant cautioned.

nKim Jin-Woo, who had been planning to immediately check the contents of the Summoning Stone he had paid 50,000 down gems for, frowned and said, “You’re being rather demanding.”

n“These words aren’t for my sake, Milord, but yours,” the Black Merchant replied.

nThose words made Kim Jin-Woo somewhat uncomfortable, and he put the Summoning Stone back into the box.

n***

nAs soon as the Black Merchant left, Catherine appeared and asked a question at once. “Where is it?”

n“What?” Kim Jin-Woo replied.

n“The Summoning Stone. Where is it?” Catherine asked again.

nKim Jin-Woo frowned and asked, “Was it you?” Apparently, it was Catherine who had caused him to spend 50,000 gems.

n“Auctions are about such fun anyway, aren’t they?” Catherine’s brazen attitude, as opposed to coming up with excuses, only further annoyed Kim Jin-Woo. She asked quickly, “That aside, where is it?”

nSeeing her chase after the Summoning Stone with no signs of an apology, Kim Jin-Woo started to get ticked off. Seeing the expression on his face, Catherine’s eyes widened as she asked, “Are you being annoyed just because I made you spend a mere 50,000 gems?”

nSeeing Catherine acting grumpy over how he was upset over a mere 50,000 down gems despite being a Highlord, Kim Jin-Woo found his own behavior laughable.

nHe had managed to obtain an incredible amount of down gems from raiding the Association on the surface, so it wasn’t a big expense from his point of view. It was just that he found the value of his deal rather unfavorable, considering how much he had spent.

nCatherine looked at him with a strange gaze. “You didn’t even know what it was, and yet you paid such a high price for it?” She somehow seemed to know the identity of the Summoning Stone.

n“Do you know what this is?” Kim Jin-Woo took out the box and asked.

nCatherine’s expression changed suddenly. Kim Jin-Woo instinctively took a step back. But Catherine’s gaze toward the box didn’t change. She began, her tone changing noticeably, “You…”

nKim Jin-Woo became wary when he heard her voice.

n“And with that, we conclude today’s auction! We’ll return tomorrow with much more valuable items than today’s!” The pleasant voice of the host announcing the end of the auction could be heard from beyond the window.

nHowever, inside the VIP room, a sense of imminent danger descended upon Kim Jin-Woo, and the situation looked precarious.

n“How maddening. Do you just have a great sense for things, or are you receiving help from someone?” Catherine finally spoke up and chased the Catfolk woman out of the room, before collapsing right where she stood. “That isn’t just some ordinary Summoning Stone.”

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