Chapter 84: Auction (Part 1)

After a round of feasting, Sinuoli returned to his guest room. Having known in advance of the conservative style of Lord Alike-Lufusen, Sinuoli did not communicate with him in depth.

As the saying goes, those with different Daos do not conspire together; Sinuoli did not want to waste his breath on this matter, as such a situation was surely not something that could be solved with words.

Since Haojiaobao was the trade center of this region, the entire caravan would stay here for at least a week, so Sinuoli simply hunkered down in his room to recall and organize the telegraph rules.

On the afternoon of the third day, Tomi knocked open the door, "Cousin Sinuoli, any interest in going out for a stroll? I know there is an auction tonight at the Jinzun Chamber of Commerce, the largest in the city!" Tomi mobilized him excitedly.

"Hmm, I think I would rather..." Sinuoli prepared to refuse; although he was somewhat tempted, he did not want to go out and invite trouble, especially given that he had brought both armaments and an Engineer.

"Go and take a look, my respected Chosen of the Goddess, don't you always say you want to broaden your knowledge? This time, besides the goods of our Sons of the Mountains, there are also a large number of merchants from the Human side!"

Tomi continued to incite, "Influenced by Gulu's Waaagh, many Human families were wiped out, and others who were lucky enough to survive also have to sell off some treasures to raise funds for rebuilding their territories. I heard that the variety at this auction is the richest in recent years!"

This time Sinuoli was even more tempted, mainly because he knew that the prices of goods on the Human side might be much cheaper than in the Mountain Kingdom; he had already realized the inflation that existed here earlier.

However, he had a second thought: perhaps it was precisely for this reason that the Humans sent their goods to Karak-Hern to be sold in the form of an auction; it would be inevitable to compete with clansmen who were equally wealthy and imposing, so not to mention picking up a bargain, he might even end up paying a premium.

"You know my financial situation; that sum of Oath Gold is for buying the Doom Anvil. I spent one hundred on runes along the way, and I don't even know if the remainder is enough! It certainly cannot be touched."

Sinuoli picked up the coffee on the table and took a sip. Haojiaobao was close to the Empire of Man, and the Border Prince Territory also produced coffee, so the coffee here was cheaper and of better quality than at Everpeak.

He had let Tomi purchase quite a lot over these past few days, and he intended to bring some back on the return trip to give to Aunt Sonia as a token of gratitude for her generous help.

"As for ordinary gold coins, you were there when I borrowed money from Aunt, and you handled the subsequent arms sales; you know how much I have, don't you? Even if I go, I won't be able to secure anything good!"

Sinuoli told the truth, and his well-reasoned analysis made Tomi feel a bit awkward.

Cousin Tomi scratched his head and confessed:

"Alright, actually I want to go myself, but Balin and Bulimu also have this idea. We asked for an admission ticket in your name, but the organizer informed us today that it would only be valid if you came in person."

"Sigh, the trees desire stillness but the wind will not cease!" Sinuoli sighed and dropped another bookish quote; he nodded and agreed.

"Help me assemble the Eternal Hammer Guard, and have them change into a uniform; don't be too conspicuous!" Sinuoli instructed. He opened the cabinet, took out the remaining four hundred pieces of Oath Gold, and tucked them into his bosom; although he didn't intend to buy anything, bringing them along wouldn't hurt.

Soon, Captain Gelunsen appeared with five guards. They were not wearing their iconic blue uniforms, but instead had their armor exposed directly like normal Hammer Guards.

Yet their robust builds and snow-white Longbeards were still telling the world of their extraordinary nature. Since a single pass only allowed ten people to enter, Sinuoli did not bring all his guards.

Tomi led the way, and the group soon walked to the central square of the city. At a corner, this rather spirited merchant took off the backpack on his back and distributed a pile of hooded cloaks to everyone.

They put on the cloaks, covered half their faces with the hoods, tucked their beards into the cloaks, and hid their weapons inside before walking into the chamber of commerce gate before them.

A Dwarf responsible for welcoming guests took one look at Sinuoli and his invitation before quickly letting them pass, "Box number eight; perhaps we can add a seat for the Ancestor Goddess!" The Dwarf made a small joke.

Sinuoli noticed that he also had a Human colleague responsible for checking the invitations of Human guests. Walking into the box, the group relaxed.

The auction house was in the classic Dwarf style. The auctioneer and the goods were on the deepest steps underground, and the seats fanned out from the steps; the further the distance, the higher the elevation, ensuring every customer had a good view. In the hall, Dwarfs and Humans sat in separate rows to avoid blocking the line of sight.

The boxes were carved into the rock walls and had quite good privacy.

The initial auction items were some rare-quality weapons and equipment, bulk commodities, and some real estate and the like. Sinuoli had little interest in this, and among the Dwarfs present, only Bulimu, who had never traveled far, was watching intently.

"The service here is not bad!" Sinuoli thought to himself while gnawing on the free tea snacks provided by the box. He judged from the goods and the voices of the bidders that many merchants from the caravan had also come here.

Through Tomi's introduction, Sinuoli learned that the goods auctioned in this stage were all items of value, and the reason they were brought to auction was simply that the owners were willing to give up some profit in order to cash out quickly.

Just as Sinuoli was feeling drowsy, the auctioneer's words suddenly attracted him: "Next to be auctioned is a batch of firearms from Jiliuguan. First are two Cannons, they..."

"Oh my!" Sinuoli slapped his thigh, "If I had known, I would have sent our goods to be auctioned too!" Sinuoli felt regret for his lack of foresight.

"Don't worry, Cousin, the clansmen in the Grey Mountains need them more. If it really doesn't work out, we can still auction them on our return trip." Tomi spoke to soothe him.

Sinuoli perked up and began to pay attention to the auction. While recording the prices, he observed the bidders; these people calling out prices were all his potential buyers!

Soon, he noticed a Human. This Human was very tall, half a head taller than the clansmen around him. Although he was wearing a surcoat, one could still see the Plate Armor inside. From this, Sinuoli judged that this was a Knight.

"He surely doesn't come from Bretonnia; the Knight lords there would never purchase firearms under any circumstances. If he were a Knight of the Empire of Man, well, they wouldn't come here to buy either, so it can only be Tilea or the Border Prince Territory." Sinuoli analyzed secretly in his heart.

This Knight was quite persistent about firearms but his financial strength seemed average. He bid on every set of goods but always ended up losing out. Sinuoli sat in the high place and took all of this into his eyes.

Thanks to Gray Crow for the tip, "Gnawing Book's Stinky Little Brother," "Honest Little White Army," "Brave A-Zheng," "Cang Yun Bo Mu" for the monthly tickets, and to the book friends for the recommendation tickets; there will be an extra update tonight.

Asking for tickets, collections, and tips, ha.