Hunt for the Stars [Part 1]

"The phrase that was written on the handle of that fan is… A gift to my beloved Fiona."

The auction room was void of sounds. Everyone was looking at the owner of the auction house and waiting for his reply. Shin Seiji stared at Little John without blinking.

"You are correct," Shin Seiji said in an even tone. "Those words were indeed inscribed in this artifact. But, what of it? That doesn't prove anything."

Another round of murmur was heard within the auction house. There were various reactions ranging from approval, disbelief, gloating, disdain, and schadenfreude. Some people even openly jeered at Little John for his claims.

Little John didn't bat an eye because he finally regained his calm after his initial shock. He knew that this is not the time to let his emotions get the better of him. Ironically, he was even amused at Shin Seiji's reaction.

'It means that someone very influential or someone in a very high position was responsible for sending my creation to the auction house. Even Shin Seiji didn't want to antagonize that person,' Little John mused.

"Is there anything else you would like to say. Mr.Creator?" Shin Seiji asked in a challenging tone. "If not then the auction for this artifact will resume."

Little John roared in laughter. He envisioned Kei's reaction to seeing the artifact they had painstakingly worked together for months being sold at the Auction of the Stars. He was a hundred percent sure that his friend would go ballistic the moment he saw the [Fan of Khione] being auctioned.

Shin Seiji frowned at Little John's reaction. There was no doubt in his mind that this person was the creator of the artifact. However, he didn't care. There were plenty of master craftsmen under his employ that could easily make weapons, armors, accessories, and other enchanted trinkets that could easily equal or surpass the creation of Little John.

Little John's laughter slowly died. 'Trying to outplay me?' he snorted in disdain. 'You are a hundred years too early!'

"I didn't realize that the owner of the Auction of the Stars was this shameless," Little John said with a sneer. "Feel free to sell that item if you want, however you will regret it."

"Oh? I will regret it?" Shin Seiji chuckled when he heard Little John's words. "This is not the first nor the last time that someone has threatened me. What makes you think that I will regret my decision?"

"Why? The answer is simple. The one who commissioned that artifact is the Overlord of the West. It was a gift for his fiance, the Seer of the Goddess Himea," Little John said, mockingly. "If you want to be hunted down to the ends of the continent then go ahead and dig your own grave. I'm not going to stop you. In fact, I want to see it happen. Let me see how the survivor of the Forbidden Area deals with an enraged Overlord."

"I want to see The Child of Thunder tear that smile off your face. Ah! I almost forgot. The one who bids for that item will suffer the same fate. If you're prepared to be burned into a crisp then go ahead and bid." Little John spread his arms wide. "If by chance you escape his pursuit… just remember that the [Fan of Khione], is a gift to the SEER of the Goddess. Believe me when I say that you wouldn't want to have a Goddess as your enemy."

Little John's words caused an uproar among the audience. Even Shin Seiji's expression slightly paled when he heard the history of the artifact. He silently cursed himself for making the wrong decision and antagonizing this unknown master craftsman.

Shin Seiji gave an order to Dio using telepathy before bringing out a staff from his storage ring and tapped the floor twice. He disappeared from the stage and appeared inside Kei's VIP room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is quite unfortunate but the auction ends here," Dio said while bowing his head. "I'm sure that none of you would want to have a head on collision with an Overlord or a Goddess; neither do we."

"Everyone, please prepare to be teleported outside in five minutes. I sincerely hope that we will meet again at the next auction. Until then, keep those gold coins flowing!"

The audience was disappointed, but they kept it to themselves. Although they were very curious on how the auction house was going to deal with this thorny situation, they couldn't afford to worry about it right now.

Every time the Auction of the Stars ended, it signaled the start of a chaotic event that was dubbed "The Hunt for the Stars." Bandits, mercenary groups, and other organizations always took advantage of this opportunity to steal the rare treasures that had been won through the bidding.

There were also other organizations that targeted random people or groups to steal everything they have. It might sound terrible, but those who came and didn't make any preparations for the aftermath were always the ones to suffer.

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Meanwhile inside Kei's Vip Room…

"Were you telling the truth?," Shin Seiji asked. "Is this artifact really commissioned by an Overlord as a gift to the Seer of a Goddess?"

Little John leisurely sat down on the couch as if he was a high ranking noble. He ignored Shin Seiji's question and closed his eyes. Kei had taught him in the past that when you want to deal with merchants, you need to take the higher ground. You must always be the one that decides the flow of the negotiation and not the other way around.

Shin Seiji looked up on the ceiling and sighed. He knew that if he didn't handle this properly, things could get very nasty. Not only for him, but for his auction house as well. He didn't mind making an Overlord an enemy, but a Goddess was another matter.

No one fought against a God and won. He was not willing to take that risk in order to please a high ranking noble of Edelweiss. 'That damn bastard! If I only knew…'

Another sigh escaped his lips. Since Little John was ignoring him, he decided to appraise the other people inside the room.

'Four beautiful girls, 2 guys, 2 spirit beasts, and the Bakeneko.' Shin Seiji narrowed his eyes. 'not a simple lineup.'

He returned his gaze to Little John who was dead set on ignoring him. Shin Seiji conjured a chair and sat down. He twirled the fan in his hand and thought about ways on how he could get out of this mess.

"Very well. I apologize for the words I said earlier," Shin Seiji said while fixing his unwavering gaze at Little John. "I am also willing to pay adequate compensation for the wrong that I have done to you. I want to settle this matter peacefully, would you please cooperate with me Mr.?"

"John. Just call me John," Little John replied casually. "Compensation? You can start by telling me who dared auction my creation to this auction house. After that, we'll talk about compensation."

There was a moment of silence before Shin Seiji opened his mouth to answer Little John's question.

"The one who brought the item for auction was the Minister of Finance in the Kingdom of Edelweiss, Flick Nessarose."