Auction Wonders

The auction time is at 2 in the afternoon. By 1 pm, people can start registering through a private hall after entering the first door and opening another door where there are three small private rooms. These rooms are provided for the bidders where they can safely and privately register. This is also where their declaration of their financial capacities is done and noted to prevent overbidding. Afterward, they will be guided through another hallway leading to a large waiting area where snacks are provided at thirty small tall round tables. The final catalog of items is in each table. This area serves as a social floor where people can discuss with their families while looking at rare items as well as greet known associates and friends in rich family circles.

The rules are strict. Each family was given a separate copy of the rules. This set of rules will also be announced before the start of the auction.

All items were placed in a very appealing and attractive box or storage, mostly with glass covers for easy viewing especially exquisite items such as porcelain sets, jewelry, and of course, hundreds-of-years-old ginseng.

The assistants who will show the item to the audience if needed, have cotton gloves to prevent the oil from the skin from transferring to delicate items.

Both Calla and Meara wore a simple dress but Calla brought a change for Meara. She cannot afford for Meara to be wronged. However, they will be walking all the way from the end of the property towards the gate so they need to dress simply so as not to raise any rumors or suspicion. They informed Mr. Milton that they would go to the city to enjoy the scenery and check the market.

They had an early lunch which the kitchen staff happily provided. After the incident with the second wife and the general, the kitchen staff were not stingy anymore when it came to their food. Corin also cannot complain anymore since her husband's words are the law in their household.

Theron was already with the carriage around 11 am. The two ladies got in and sat together while they were assisted by Theron. He sat in front of them after confirming that they were comfortable before the carriage moved.

They used the back entrance once again when they arrived. Anton guided Meara and Calla to a changing room. After which, he brought them this time to Mr Whorl's library.

The room is elegant. The mood is a bit dark with a long wooden table in the middle. Right in the middle is a meter in wide and length box with red velvet cloth at the bottom and glass cover, showcasing the ginseng elegantly, spread-out tail, and fiber roots with the main root in the middle. The three themselves were speechless when the ginseng they carefully harvested was presented like this.

Mr. Whorl broke the silence and welcomed them.

"Mr. Ivar, you are finally here!"

"Yes, Mr. Whorl, good morning. Let me introduce Ms. Meara Haerlan, General Xelt's 3rd lady in the house, and Calla, her company." Theron introduced them. Mr. Whorl noted the respectful tone in that introduction.

"I dare not hold my lady's hand, but I welcome you all with all my heart." Mr. Whorl bowed a bit towards Meara.

"Please sir, you are too polite. We three are humbled by your presence and knowledge. We are all ignorant of auctions so please guide us as we watch it unfold later." Meara bowed back.

"Of course, there will be only us in my private room on the second floor overlooking the stage. There will be a lot of rich men and women. We have 4 sets of rare jewelry, 2 sets of trinity eggs, and rare gemstones so those are hot items for those who collect them as presents or for their use.

Also, the pharmaceutical magnates emerged from hiding when I added ginseng to the catalog. I kept the age a secret for mystery. They are all excited."

They sat for a while discussing various things. They had a light lunch while waiting. Anton left them as soon as they got acquainted because he was also the auctioneer for this event.

When it was a quarter before 2 in the afternoon, Mr. Whorl brought them in his private box. This time, they were taught a few normal rules of the auction as well as some interesting rare items in the catalog. They decided not to participate as bidders this time and were content to be silent observers. Watching is already exciting.

There were five private boxes on the second floor. The people on the other four are either the richest noble families or of royal descent.

Anton took the stage and announced the rules according to the pamphlet. He gave a few reminders of the process, hammer price, certification, and other documentation after the confirmed auction.

The auction started immediately after the reminders starting with a rare painting by the previous king 3 reigns prior. There were only 2 paintings of this kind, one small and one large, and the hammer prices were at 350,000 penns and 800,000 penns. Others were auctioned off smoothly such as the jewelry sets which were popular among the bachelors and trinity eggs which were conversation pieces and coveted by heads of the houses.

"Mr. Whorl, if you don't mind. Why is this Trinity Eggs popular?" Meara asked.

"These eggs were said to be laid by the legendary Dusk Melec bird. A rare mysterious bird, if not extinct. As of this time, no one knows if there's any left. Nobody knows what it looks like. You see, these eggs were three kinds of metals, gold, silver, and bronze. Obviously, it cannot be eaten, but the bird lays regular eggs of course. However, raising it is said to be difficult and nobody got to breed them until it seems they died out.

Its rarity lies in the difficulty of getting one color, how much more if it's the three. That is why it is being collected in a set. These two sets were from a rich family and they got passed down from generation to generation. The family has three sets and they just decided to let go of the two and leave one in the family. For them, it will be more prestigious to be passed down to the most deserving family in every generation creating a bit of competition. Well you know, rich family stuff.

Oh! It's also a symbol of great luck." Mr. Whorl gave a long explanation. The three listened enthusiastically.

Finally in the middle, the auction for the ginseng was opened. There were loud gasps among the crowd and silence fell. The auction began and the battle was fierce among the old pharmaceutical magnates. One of the fierce bidders was sitting in the private box.

A/N: From here on out, do not focus too much on their ability to get rich. I centered the story on human relationships so I removed the obstacle of poverty early on.