Highvale Grand Exchange (2)

Liam and his party entered a private chamber within the Grand Exchange. The room shimmered with golden candlelight, soft velvet seats arranged in a crescent facing a polished stage. Elite guests whispered among themselves, servants moved silently, and an ethereal calm hung in the air.

"Wow, this feels like we're inside a royal court," Mia whispered, sitting beside Liam.

"Let's keep our eyes open. If something valuable pops up, I want to be ready," Liam murmured.

A graceful woman in a crimson gown stepped onto the stage. Her voice was clear, melodic. "Welcome, esteemed guests. Let us begin the auction."

The first item appeared: a sapphire orb swirling with light.

"Item One: Manawell Core. Increases MP regeneration by 5%. Starting bid: 500 gold!"

A few hands rose.

500!

600!

800!

....

Eventually, the orb was taken for 1200 gold by a merchant in fine silks.

Next came a brooch.

"Blessed Brooch of Endurance. Adds +15 Endurance. Starting bid: 800 gold."

"Not bad," Liam said, "but nothing we need."

Even though Liam was still wearing a low level item set, he did not care. He would soon be able to get much better gear via exploration and quests.

As more items came and went, a strange hush suddenly filled the room.

"Our next item," the hostess said, her voice uncertain for the first time, "is of unknown origin. A stone, untouched by appraisers, unclaimed by history."

A dull grey rock was wheeled in on a silver tray.

Just as the cover lifted, Vix let out a low growl, then a sharp howl. Liam's entire party turned to him.

'Looks like this rock is not simple," Liam muttered. Mia and Aria nodded, already being aware of Vix's sense for treasure.

"What is this item? Has the appraisal revealed anything?" A merchant asked in a loud voice.

"Apologies, but the house's appraisers were unable to determine the worth of this rock." The hostess said with a bow.

"Ehhh? Isn't that just a rock then? How is it something of value?" Another merchant stood up, questioning the hostess.

"It is true that it could very well be ordinary, since none of the magic tools showed any response to our testing. However, this rock was found deep inside a locked room inside the recently discovered Zalan Ruins up North."

"What? That place was uncovered months ago. So you were unable to find anything special about this rock in months, and now you want to push it to others? Another merchant sneered, disdain showing for the hostess.

"Cheater, we demand an explanation."

The hostess, sensing that things were getting out of hand, tried to control the situation.

"We know that this stone did not yield any reaction to of our appraisal tools, which is why this piece of mysterious rock is sold for 500 gold as the starting price. Any other treasure excavated from the Zalan Ruins sold for at least 5000 gold."

"Does anyone bid 500 gold for this rock? If not, we will put this away."

Liam, sensing that the time was right, immediately bid.

500!

All the merchants who were questioning the rock immediately broke into a sneer.

"Buying a rock? Idiot must think he's buying a pet egg or something."

"Forget it, must have been a rich kid, who somehow stuck gold."

Upstairs in another VIP room, Velen and Rykard were observing the scene. "This brat wants this rock? Let's make this interesting. "

Velen's voice rang out from a few seats above. "1500."

Liam's brow twitched. Someone else wanted it too?

"2000," Liam shot back.

Rykard, still armored, raised a voice. "3000."

"3500!" Liam replied.

The air tensed. Whispers exploded.

"Who is this kid?"

"Is he mad? It's just a rock!"

Velen chuckled. "4000."

Liam hesitated. But Vix was still growling, unwavering.

"5000," Liam said clearly.

The room fell silent. Finally, Velen leaned back with a satisfied smile. "He can have it."

The hostess nodded. "Sold! To the brave bidder at 5000 gold."

Mia looked worried. "That's half of what the auction master gave us.... for a rock of unknown origins. Can you figure out what it is?"

"Let me try"

Ding! Initiating scan

Scan Failed.... unable to detect artefact.

But Liam was happy. The fact that the system called it an artefact meant that it was definitely not normal. He would have to figure out what it really was.

Liam knew about the Zalan Ruins. In his last life, there was a world quest where many monsters broke free from the Zalan Ruins and attacked the cities nearby, apparently searching for something. Was this the item?

In his previous life, the quest started quite late, around 3 months after the game had launched. But somehow, this time things seemed a lot accelerated. He had already met multiple level 150+ characters with only 7 ingame days having elapsed, while it took him about 6 months in his past life to reach level 200.

"I trust Vix," Liam said simply. "We will figure it out later."

More items passed. A sword forged in lava. A ring that sang when danger approached. But Vix stayed silent.

Once, he growled again—but the item, a cursed fang, which started at 2000 gold and quickly surpassed 10,000 gold.

"Too steep. Not needed," Liam murmured.

Finally, Liam's item came onto the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, today, we have a special item which has been brought up for auction by the Bronzewind Forge. We have... the legendary Everrat Spine. Starting bid: 5000 gold."

Gasps erupted.

"Did she say Everrat spine?"

"Isn't that a godslayer material? Why is it here?"

"Shit, I need to notify my clan fast...."

Hands shot up.

"5000!"

"8000!"

"10,000!"

Liam leaned back. Mia gripped his sleeve, eyes wide. "It's already at ten thousand!"

"Wait for it," Liam whispered.

A new voice came from a glassed VIP box.

"12,000," a noblewoman called.

"13,000!" another shouted.

Finally, a calm, male voice echoed.

"15,000."

Silence.

"Any higher bids? Going once... twice... "

"20,000. The inner court extends its thanks." Suddenly, Velen, who had been quite throughout the auction apart from the small episode during the bidding of the mysterious rock, spoke with an authoritative voice.

"Gasp. Even the inner court is interested in this item."

"Looks like we have no chance."

"20,000 Gold. Going once, going twice... and sold!"

"That will be all, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for participating. Soon after, the hostess closed the auction.

Liam and his party were still in the room, when a servant approached. "Sir Liam Carter, the Auction Master, requests your presence."

In Eldrin's study once more, the old man greeted them with a smile.

"You did well. Here is your stone. And your due—4000 gold. We retained 1000 for tax and hosting fees and 5000 gold for your purchase of the rock."

Liam accepted the card and the stone.

"My friend, I must warn you. This rock....," Eldrin said, shaking his head. " is likely worthless. But you seemed certain."

"Considering that we earned quite a bit from selling the Everrat spine, and also gained a lot of publicity, I can help return this stone for the exact value you bid for, 5000 gold. But if you leave with the stone today, even I would be powerless."

Liam grinned. "Thank you for your concern. My pet Vix really liked the stone, and I trust its instincts. "

Eldrin chuckled. "I like your kind. Brave or foolish, time will tell. However, here take this 2500 gold. I guess someone earlier tried to make things difficult for you, needlessly raising the price."

"Sir Eldrin, you noticed that as well? How can I accept this?" Liam politely declined.

"Haha.. keep it. Consider it as an investment in someone who caught this old one's eye. If I lose, so be it. But I hope that you would prioritize our auction house in the future in case you have something valuable to sell."

"I will, but I might not stay in this city for long."

"Do not worry. Give me your card." Eldrin took Liam's card back and exchanged it with a new one.

"Place a drop of blood on this card, and it will be bound to you. It is something only the trusted partners of Grand Exchange auction houses have. With this, you will always be treated with respect at all other locations as well. I have put your 16500 gold coins into it as well."

"Thank you very much, Sir Eldrin." Liam nodded politely, putting the mysterious stone and the card in his inventory.

"Then, I will see you later. Excuse me for not being able to keep you company. I have to settle all the accounts for the auction." Eldrin said as he waved his hands.

"We will see you later," Liam waved and left with the party.

-----------------------------

"Whoa, we are super rich!!!" Mia exclaimed.

16,500 gold meant 8.25 million dollars in real life. That was enough for Liam to retire comfortably without having to worry about anything. But deep down, Liam knew that things would not be that simple.

Things seemed so accelerated that Liam knew something was wrong. It was quite possible that the real world would soon change as well.

Liam could sense in his gut that things were not going to be as smooth as they were now.

"Let's go. We still have to gather the two other materials needed to fix stormcaller. After that, we will go on a few quests to increase our strength."

The game seemed slightly different, but that did not mean Liam had any plans to slow down. If anything, it fuelled his desire to grow strong even quicker