Purple Hand Cannon (Replica)

"Hi, Cina!" Arnold smiled, waving awkwardly. "It's been a while, how are you?"

"I'm alright. Anyway, Zenith, what do you think about these knuckle brasses?"

"They aren't bad, sturdy but nothing fancy. Don't you want a better pair?"

"But they're kinda expensive. I don't make too much in the arena now that I've gone up in ranks."

"I can buy you a pair. My dad's really rich." Arnold bubbled.

"No thanks, Arnold. I don't need your dad's money." she said, saying 'dad' like it was a disease. Zeeth looked at the two of them curiously, his many years of entertainment and stories that he learned from earth finally came to use.

'So Arnold likes Cina, huh? But she doesn't like him back? Glad to see that I'm so perceptive about love, unlike so many light novel characters I read about.'

But he couldn't tell that Cina was obviously into him.

"Well, what is it that do you want?" he asked Cina.

"That, over there." she pointed to a pair of gauntlets on the top of the store, one of his greater works. With each punch, the metal scraps would bend and shift in order to pinch and grab at the area punched by the gauntlets. If it was blocking a sword, bits of metal were specifically designed to grab the blades and hold them down, made completely out of leftover metal and scraps of bones from his other products and the material in the coffin. It was originally a throwaway item, made to put the useless scraps to use, but it became so fun that he kept adding to it and made a new product that they couldn't accurately put a price on so it was put up for auction and was currently at 450 styrs.

He showed the sellers, a thin woman and a robot trying to handle all the business, his badge and asked for the gauntlets. The woman checked his insignia, bowed, and showed him to the robot who scanned his insignia, reached up, and pulled it down the two gauntlets.

Both Cina and Arnold saw him go through the entire process while other shoppers tried to avoid his gaze and check out some items to buy. Cina simply mumbled while holding the gauntlet and Arnold hesitated and stuttered, "why do you have the insignia of the Slimory?! Where did you steal it from? No, the woman saw you. D-don't tell me you own this store."

"No, I just make the items, idiot. Oh wait, I guess I do own it then. Not all, just most."

"Y-you made this? No, but you're filthy… and my father told me that- that can't be, this can't be true. Which noble family do you belong to?"

"Noble family? None. I am my own person."

"But this- this isn't possible… I- I need to think. Father, where is my father?" Arnold said, stumbling away.

"Hey, who took down the gauntlets? Those still had two days on the bidding time, what happened?"

"Hey, yeah, I wanted to bid on it too!" The crowd yelled.

Cina was looking between the two gauntlets and the raging crowd and said, "Zenith, thanks, but I can't just take it, the crowds getting mad and you would be paid so much for this-"

"Nonsense. Don't worry about that, I'll just make another pair or something." He yelled to the crowd, "everyone, don't fret!"

Dives ran down the steps and yelled, "Zenith, I need you to come with me, quickly! No time for questions, you need to follow me immediately!"

Zeeth ran to him and followed him out to another teleporter. Dives ran in but he paused at the entrance of the teleporter. "Where will this lead me?"

"Are you suspicious of me? I've been working with you all this time, I won't hurt you."

"What was the price you originally asked for when you lied to me about that ax."

"That- I told you 150 Styrs on a 300 Styr ax. Are you still suspicious?"

"I'm not suspicious of Dives, I was suspicious that you weren't Dives. But who else would know that, so where are we going?"

"Get in, I can't talk about it in the open."

Zeeth hopped in and the teleporter activated upon Dives pushing a few buttons and they were sent to a dark room. Dives put on a white mask with two holes for his eyes and the third one for his nose all covered by a black mesh to cover the details. He was given a similar mask but black instead of white.

"We are at an auction." Dives opened the door in front of the teleporter and revealed a long hallway where other brown doors just like theirs were opening here and there as people in their own masks coming out. "The thing is, the auction isn't exactly legal. It's something like a black market special. And I need you to analyze a few things for me. Of course, you don't have an analysis skill, but I don't know anyone who has one that's not affiliated with the Vanes."

"Why did you ask me to come if you don't think I have an analysis skill?"

"Because you are one of the few crafters that I can trust not to tell what we are doing here to anyone. And as a crafter, you should know more about some of the products here than I do."

"Would an analysis skill be useful? Like, in general."

"Yes, having an analysis skill would be amazing. Hardly anyone ever develops one, if they do gain one, any company would go to any lengths to acquire them. Don't tell me you have analysis skills. I mean, most people can send out a wave of mana to detect signs of mana or life, less can hold a bubble of mana and determine the strength of a person, but very few have turned that into a skill and allowed themselves to study items down to its core by sensing them. I thought I was close to developing one myself a while ago but something happened and I don't actually have one now.

I'm so jealous of those who do have it, and even scarier, anyone who might've developed it as a talent. Hell, I would want to trap them myself so no one else can have that skill, haha! Why? Don't tell me you have one."

"Heh, no, I don't." he lied. He didn't want to be trapped and he wasn't going to trust someone he had only known for about two days and had at first tried to continuously hire him and then literally convinced him to work underground. Dives seemed to be a very money-forward person and would stop at nothing for power.

They followed the flow of the crowd, who were all moving down the hall toward a thick door. When they got close, the door slid open for them, along with what seemed like a family dressed in all black, even up to their hair and masks. Their father said in a distorted voice caused by the mask, "Kids, don't run around. You should know why, let Baltras be a perfect example."

His two children, a small girl who didn't seem to be over six and a boy around twelve years old both replied, "Okay! How much money can we use?"

"Only 2000 Styrs each."

"Yay!" they both yelled.

Their mother retorted, "no, we can't use that much, we have to pay extra for increased security at home. Each of you may use 1500 Styrs."

"Awe~. we can't even buy a decent item with that amount." the young girl yelled.

"Then learn to combine the money and share." her mother told her. The young girl glared at her, red light collecting in her hand. Her father used the end of his walking stick to push her hand down and stop the power from collecting.

"Vernia, what have we said about fighting in public? We don't do that, fight back at home." he hushed.

Dives and Zeeth were both walking behind the family, unintentionally listening to their conversation. Dives whispered in a husky voice, "just a warning, everyone participating is rich. And I mean really rich, many of them are influential families and can end a life in a snap."

Ahead of them was a view that stopped him from replying. A podium in front of a large stadium full of masked people wearing expensive but simple clothes that showed no insignia or traits of who they were, each holding a paddle with a number on it and a circle that seemed to allow it to glow. Dives and Zeeth were given paddles as well and seated themselves in front of the podium.

"Welcome, all!" A hologram yelled, appearing in the middle of the stage. "The first item of the night are these two lovely bottles of potion, each made by our usual mysterious master, they are Level Three Adrenaline Potions for a starting bid of 500 styrs each."

The crowd quickly murmured and Dives took this time to tell him, "don't buy any of this crap, the good stuff comes later. I've recently learned there were some weapons of mass destruction heading for this auction and I need you to take a look at them from here to see just how powerful they are from your experience. Now the circles will likely be covered but just from experience, I need you to tell me what you think. Of course, you will be paid for your services."

Items came out one after another, the second was a battle spear with blades on both ends, then a magic bow, weaker than the bow he got from Luka, another bottle of potion that seemed to really raise the crowd. It was a potion that permanently rose your strength while healing most wounds upon intaking.

He took his time carefully analyzing all of them and the potion simply read, Weak Potion of Healing.

The only item to catch their attention was a large blue and black weapon. It looked a lot like a cannon except it was much smaller and meant to be held by two hands.

"This item was created by a master who has traveled across all lands and took that information to create the greatest weapon of mass destruction, the Purple Hand Cannon! Requiring immense strength to wield, each attack hits like a dragon."

[Purple Hand Cannon (Replica) Created by Balc (7000/7000), it is a simple replica. Attack: 3000]

It was quite powerful. He had never seen an attack power of 3000 before but it was still a simple replica. Just how strong were the real weapons?

"Tell me about that one." Dives whispered.

"It's powerful and sturdy but it seems to be a replica of another weapon."

"Just how powerful?"

"I understand many of you may ask, well just how powerful is it?" the auctioneer yelled into a sound increasing circle, "well, we have a recording!" the massive circle behind him lit up, mana powering characters all around it that they weren't able to see. He was holding the arm cannon, trying to balance its weight on both hands. He pushed down on the trigger and the front began charging up, a collection of swirling mana and a whirring sound getting louder. The blue ball of mana finally released from the front followed by a loud 'pew'. The ball flew into a mountain and blasted a crater where smoke sizzled out.

"That right there was a magically enhanced mountain and the crater has an impact force of 3000 followed by continuous heat! Buy now with a starting price of 3000 Styrs!"

Dives instantly bid on the arm cannon. The children he heard before were also trying to get their parents to buy it and they were competing with them. Dives finally yelled, "10,000!"

He heard one of the kids about to compete with more but their mother stopped them from raising it anymore.

"Going once! Twice! Thrice! Sold to contestant 54 for 10,000 Styrs, thank you for buying!"

"Don't you think there were possible people in the crowd hired by the auction owners to raise the price?" Zeeth asked, "It could've been cheaper."

"No, they wouldn't dare. Not after they were caught the last time, the entire auction was nearly brought down."

The auctioneer continued, "And our greatest and final item of the day, an untouched gem from the flipped iceberg of Yxgala. Any item imbued with this magic gem will be immune to any water magic, any water made from magic will simply dispel and become mana. As well as a decreased vulnerability to ice magic, much of the Ice magic will disperse into particles. For s starting bid of 100,000 Styrs."

This was the most interesting item so far. His eye told him, [Gem from the bottom of the flipped iceberg from Yxgala. Strong affinity with water, no water can damage it. If used properly it can control water and ice. Durability: 99999/99999]

"They found another one? If they keep spreading these gems the market will be oversaturated."

"How many have they found before?"

"I don't know how many are in the world but the Vanes alone have three. We've been putting them into a bunch of armor to give it immunity to water magic and it has been helping but soon there will be too many."

'But the eye says it can control water. People have only been using them to make armor invulnerable to water? They have been using the gem wrong all this time then.'

But from the gem, there was something else. Another scramble of letters and numbers. [Nyx (Weakened). Water affinity: 850]

"There's someone in there."

"What? How do you know?"

"Uh, I sensed its life. It's weak but… I think it's strong."

"okay? Do you want to buy it?"

"I'm not sure, I don't know if I can even afford it."

The massive circle behind the gems suddenly rumbled in the center. A black dot formed from the center as cracks spread and the chunks fell away like it was oversaturated with water. The black spread while more and more people pointed at it, getting up from their seats. Even the auctioneer was staring at it. He stood in between the gem and the growing black circle. Finally, a massive chunk fell away and a short boy came out holding a dagger, oozing black magic. He sliced away at more of the rock and caused it to drop further. He came through the hole, followed by two young girls.

"This Black Market is now being seized by me, you will cease all activities and be arrested!" the boy yelled. "I will save all the precious slaves being sold!"

"Sir, we don't sell slaves here. This is a strictly items-only auction and I suggest you leave now." The auctioneer coldly said to him.

"No! You guys are still illegal, all this stuff was probably stolen anyways and you'll have to bring them back!"

Someone from the crowd stood up and flung their hand at him, a torrent of needles charging at him. One of his girl companions, a tall woman with pink hair, charged forth and blocked the needles with her shield, a few sticking to the shield and almost falling down.