Chapter 121: Auction House (Dedicated to the roar of the Treasure-Level Patron!)

Not far away.

As Aaron took the 'Shadow Ring' off his right hand, he muttered to himself in his heart: "There is an art to harvesting leeks... Now, I can already make the mature leeks harvest themselves, haha..."

"If Bamian knew that the backer he sought was the same person who robbed him twice, I wonder if he would have a mental breakdown?"

He gazed at the iron-black ring on his hand, feeling the consumption of his Spirituality and the sense of danger brought by the surrounding darkness, and flipped a coin.

A moment later, Aaron shook his head, staring at the ring on his hand: "So bold... I'll use my Spirit Body to intimidate it another day and see if I can tame it..."

He had just felt a hint of the risk of being 'Secrecy', which undoubtedly came from the Backlash of a Strange Object!

……

August 20th, Thursday morning.

Aaron nodded at Clark and smoothly integrated into William Mark's circle.

The second floor was partitioned into many private boxes and had dedicated bidding agents, appearing very respectable.

'It is said that in the Kingdom's Upper and Lower Houses, the Upper House controlled by nobles is dull and tedious, while the Lower House is always heated over various issues. Yet, those Lower House members from different classes are actually supported and controlled by nobles from behind the scenes... However, nowadays, as more and more nobles fall into debt and are forced to relinquish some political power, Lower House members are mostly wealthy individuals. Although they are still puppets of the nobles for now, they are gradually awakening to bourgeois consciousness, secretly eroding the Kingdom's power...'

If one cannot advance, absorbing more Spirituality is meaningless.

Auguf Auction House uses this to demonstrate its trendiness and its own strength.

Aaron watched this scene, his thoughts rising and falling.

It was a wood-and-stone building with a long history, featuring a huge lawn and fountain in front of the main entrance.

After the great merchants of this era achieved success, they would often immediately transform, purchasing land and supporting charities to gain a good reputation and enter the "true" upper class.

"Is our traveler also interested in antiques?"

Green Forest City is not too hot all year round; on the contrary, winter is very cold, forcing the former Green Forest nobles to wrap themselves in thick fur coats.

He followed the flow of people, walked onto the red carpet, and entered the Auguf Auction House.

"It's Lord Rake!"

Then, they would often spare no expense to bribe members of parliament and nobles, hoping to obtain a title and elevate their social status.

History professor Clark Das and his Apprentice Bruce Field... company director William Mark... his dance partner from the last ball, the bespectacled and bookish Liliyat Doren... and Chris Tuoya, the Holy Spirit Church Cleric.

Today happened to be the date of the auction for that batch of Fabri Dynasty artifacts.

William Mark said gloomily, not knowing if it was envy or jealousy: "With so many high-society figures arriving, the auction will be very intense..."

……

"I heard that Auguf Auction House also has shares held by several nobles..."

The auction hall was divided into two floors. The first floor had many round tables; Clark and Bruce occupied one, and Aaron walked over and sat down on the side.

From his words, Aaron detected a sour tone.

In an instant, Lord Rake, who was accompanied by a female companion, became the focus of the entire venue.

At this time, carriages pulled up one after another, and the ladies and gentlemen inside were dressed as if attending a ball, greeting each other politely as they walked into the venue.

Aaron wore a white shirt, a black vest, an outer dark brown trench coat, a silk top hat, and polished leather shoes. Holding a slender cane inlaid with White Crystal, he left his residence under the bowing send-off of the maid Sylvia and boarded a carriage.

Chris Tuoya, who was nearby, spoke up, his attitude toward Aaron, the financier, quite friendly, and he took the initiative to invite him: "We have a private box on the second floor, would you like to join us?"

"Yes, I am quite fascinated by that period of history." Aaron admitted with a smile; there was nothing to it.

After Aaron sat down, the carriage immediately started and slowly drove toward the Auguf Auction House.

Aaron exclaimed in wonder. Nowadays, most places in the Kingdom still used gas street lamps and kerosene lamps. Although Electric lamps and wires had been invented, the filament life was too short, and generators had many problems, so they were often still treated as novel toys.

"No, thank you... I would rather experience the atmosphere in the main hall."

Aaron shook his head with a faint smile, then saw a carriage that was different from the others—decorated in a low-key yet luxurious manner with a noble crest—slowly pull up. A man in his thirties of medium build, with a polite smile and a handsome little mustache on his chin, stepped out.

The huge auction hall could accommodate hundreds of couples dancing at the same time without appearing crowded. A brilliant crystal chandelier hung from the dome, which was painted with religious oil paintings of the Holy Spirit, emitting a bright Light.

"Is that actually an Electric lamp?"

"Let's go!"

Aaron's expression was solemn as he stared at his hands, secretly pondering: 'The Spirituality of "Light" has reached its limit again; I must find the necessary Spirit Material as soon as possible to advance and become a "Light Shepherd"...'

William Mark joked.

"Good day, Aaron..."

For an ordinary Extraordinary, if they were not backed by a secret society or other organization but had stumbled into the Mysterious world, perhaps just collecting the knowledge for advancement could stall them for years, decades, or even a lifetime.

Clark nodded at Aaron, and Bruce beside him kept winking.

When everyone was seated, the Electric lamps all around dimmed at once, and a spotlight hit the auction stage, focusing on a host wearing formal attire and glasses.

At the same time, they were also trying their best to marry into noble families; in front of a truly ancient noble, even the wealthiest merchant often carried a subtle sense of inferiority.

'If this were a normal world, they would have a high chance of success; this is the torrent of history... But after adding Extraordinary factors, the future is a fog...'

The people around them automatically made way, and some merchants and high-level government employees could not help but step forward to strike up a conversation.

"Those precious artifacts and artworks not only possess high historical and artistic value, but they can also preserve value and are a good choice for investment..."

Auguf Auction House is located at 17 Glamorgan District, one of the safest areas in Green Forest City, and is not far from the main Police Station.

When Aaron got off the carriage, he scanned the area and saw quite a few acquaintances.

People did not specifically divide themselves, yet they naturally formed different circles.

"I didn't expect you to come too..."

Clark sighed with a smile, looked around, and lowered his voice: "This batch of auctioned artifacts has likely been inspected more than once by the Investigation Bureau, especially the books..."

(End of chapter)