novelraw Chapter 144 : Auction (2)
Chapter 144 : Auction (2)
Chapter 144: Auction (2)
‘That crazy bastard again!!’
Gongsun Beon couldn’t contain the boiling rage within him.
Throughout all the years he had soared through the ranks of the Heaven-Piercing Sect with his innate talent and sorcery power, rising to the position of Vice-Sect Leader, today felt like the most absurd day of his life.
“After three bids, it shall be finalized! Two hundred gold taels!”
Two hundred gold taels!
As the man called his second bid, all eyes turned toward him.
Though his face was hidden behind a mask, Gongsun Beon could clearly picture the expressions they must be wearing right now.
They must be looking at him with pity.
Not because of any special sorcery, but simply because they couldn’t help feeling sorry for him.
“Two hundred taels! The Extreme Scenery Grass is sold!”
After all, the only one foolish enough to fight over a Cursed Object with a madman who seemed to have money rotting away was none other than him.
Waaah!
Cheers erupted from the audience.
Those who had pitied him moments ago now stared with interest at the man across the room.
‘Who the hell is that guy?’
No matter how he looked, it was a face he had never seen before.
The nouveau riche, who seemed to have struck fortune overnight, met the surrounding gazes with calm composure.
As if this entire situation was nothing but a game or a form of amusement.
Grit.
Gongsun Beon ground his teeth so hard that the sound escaped.
His insides were burning black.
‘How the hell does that bastard know exactly which items we need and snatch up every single one of them?!’
Every item that mysterious bidder had swept up so far happened to be the main ingredients the Heaven-Piercing Sect required.
[“Gongsun Beon, no matter the cost, you must secure those items from the auction.”]
Before coming here, it had been a direct order from the Sect Leader himself.
The very fact that the Heaven-Piercing Sect Leader had personally sent his Vice-Sect Leader to bid showed how crucial this matter was.
‘Damn it!’
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
Up to this point, he hadn’t managed to win a single item.
Every time he tried, that lunatic would pounce like a hunting dog and refuse to let go until the very end.
The Sect Leader had said to spend whatever it took, but that was impossible.
The budget had already been set.
He had come with a banknote worth five hundred gold taels—more than enough.
‘To burn through two thousand taels of gold?! He’s insane!’
The other party had poured out four times that amount.
There was no way he could let this end like this.
He had to find some way to stop that man.
Thinking that, Gongsun Beon raised his hand.
“Wait! I request verification of that man’s funds!”
When Gongsun Beon made the request, the Black Market official led both Sewoon and Gongsun Beon into a separate, discreet room.
The Black Market’s verification procedure existed to prevent those who couldn’t afford to pay from disrupting auctions by shouting out ridiculous sums.
Gongsun Beon, already familiar with this system and growing anxious, had anticipated that he might have to call for verification.
“Verification? Why the hell should I go through that?”
Feigning ignorance, Sewoon expressed his irritation, as though deeply offended by the situation.
“Sir, I apologize, but given how easily things can escalate in the Black Market, we must proceed if the opposing party requests verification.”
“Hah, so it’s my fault that bastard’s just a broke beggar without a penny to his name?”
“You insolent—!!”
Gongsun Beon’s eyes blazed with fury at Sewoon’s mockery, but the official quickly continued.
“Please, just a moment of patience. It’s only because the amount you’ve spent is unusually high. If the verification proves no issue, you may demand compensation from the one who requested it.”
“Compensation?”
“Yes.”
At the mention of compensation, Sewoon’s eyes gleamed faintly.
Turning his head, he stared straight at Gongsun Beon.
“Good. That works. I’ll make sure to collect it properly, then.”
“……!”
Those chilling eyes.
An unsettling feeling crept over Gongsun Beon.
Yet he ignored the instinctive warning rising within him.
‘No one even knows this man’s face. There’s no way a guy like that has two thousand gold taels on hand.’
Besides, he had no reason to quietly accept the outcome even if the man demanded compensation.
A sharp glint of killing intent flickered in his eyes.
He already had a better, more effective solution in mind.
“Then, would you verify your funds, please?”
“Sure.”
At the official’s words, Sewoon nodded toward Nameless beside him.
Nameless grumbled inwardly, wondering if he was nothing more than a servant, but still produced a small wooden case from somewhere.
‘A case that small… it must be filled with banknotes?’
It wasn’t nearly large enough to hold the amount of two thousand gold taels.
With a creak, the lid of the box opened.
‘……??’
‘What the—?’
Both the official and Gongsun Beon’s faces froze in identical expressions of confusion.
Perplexity and astonishment clouded their eyes.
Inside the wooden case, there wasn’t a single banknote.
Only five rings lay neatly arranged.
And not even made of gold—but of humble silver.
“Sir, what exactly is this supposed to mean?”
The official frowned, glaring at Sewoon.
Judging by the waves of energy radiating from him, he looked ready to restrain Sewoon on the spot.
He clearly thought Sewoon was mocking them.
But then—
“Th-That’s impossible. T-Those… those are—!!”
“……!”
As expected, that bastard was the first to recognize them.
Gongsun Beon’s reaction burst out, completely unlike before.
His eyes trembled violently as he stared at the rings inside the box, as if an earthquake had struck.
Gongsun Beon was the Vice-Sect Leader of the Heaven-Piercing Sect.
He had sensed the immense power sealed within the rings.
While the Black Market official stood dumbfounded, Sewoon spoke up.
“I heard that instead of banknotes, items of equivalent value can be used as payment. Is that not the case?”
“……Are you saying those hold the value of two thousand gold taels?”
“No.”
Sewoon shook his head.
“Each ring is worth at least five hundred gold taels. Every single one of them is a Divine Artifact.”
“D-Divine Artifact?!”
Even the official’s jaw dropped in disbelief.
Divine Artifacts were priceless treasures.
In the Black Market, countless buyers sought them, yet they were so rare that not even a single piece surfaced easily—
And now, five had appeared at once.
“P-Please wait here a moment.”
The official hurried out of the room, calling in additional staff to confirm.
Gongsun Beon still stared blankly at Sewoon, his mind completely blank.
……It was over. He was utterly ruined.
His vision began to blur yellow.
[Disciple. Are you sure it’s okay to hand over Divine Relics like that? You said the Black Market’s connected to the Blood Cult.]
At that moment, Nameless sent a telepathic message filled with concern, but Sewoon replied without hesitation.
[It doesn’t matter.]
[……It doesn’t matter?]
There was only one reason.
[They only look impressive on the surface.]
[What do you mean?]
[They’re junk I designed to self-destruct two days after being made.]
[?!?!]
Of course, there was no way Sewoon would hand over genuine Divine Artifacts to his enemies.
He had brought intentionally failed creations instead.
If one were to give them a name, they could only be called “Time-Limited Divine Artifacts.”
Nameless clicked his tongue as he looked at Sewoon.
‘……He’s not a Divine Craftsman—he’s just a total con artist.’
He swore never to get on his master’s bad side.
Otherwise, his small assassination payment would vanish without a trace.
As he shuddered at Sewoon’s cunning, Nameless turned his gaze toward Gongsun Beon.
There was pity in his eyes.
‘So that guy’s alias is the Nine-Fox Illusionist, huh? Should’ve been called the Nine-Fox Fool instead.’
Nameless shook his head in disbelief.
An hour later.
The two rode along a winding mountain path in a carriage piled high with goods they had won from the Black Market.
“Wow, Master. If we just made one full round through the Central Plains’ Black Markets, we could bankrupt them all!”
“Well, it’s not entirely impossible.”
“Hah! Who knew making money could be this easy! This is the difference between an ordinary craftsman and a Divine Craftsman!”
At Nameless’s chatter, Sewoon chuckled faintly.
Inside the carriage were not only Cursed Objects, but also a large number of rare weapon materials Sewoon had needed.
The Heaven-Piercing Sect and Gongsun Beon had done him quite the favor.
If compensation wasn’t paid, all involved parties would be permanently banned from the Black Market, so Gongsun Beon had no choice but to cough up an enormous payment to Sewoon.
“Too bad. If Butterfly were here, we could’ve made it back much faster.”
The carriage was being pulled not by the two White Tigers, but by ordinary steeds.
If White Tigers had been used, their identities would’ve been exposed immediately.
“Well, if that were the case, those bastards wouldn’t have been able to follow us.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
Just as the two exchanged those words—
Slash!
A chilling slicing sound cut through the air.
Screech!!
The carriage skidded to a stop, leaving deep marks in the dirt.
Thud!
The horses pulling the carriage collapsed limply to the ground.
Their heads were gone.
Ssshhh!
In an instant, countless auras surrounded the carriage.
An ambush.
“Remember this—greed beyond one’s means always leads to death.”
A familiar voice echoed.
When the two stepped out of the carriage, Gongsun Beon and the Heaven-Piercing Sect’s spell users stood before them.
Removing his mask, Gongsun Beon revealed a triumphant expression.
“How did you track us?”
“Heh, it’s a secret technique beyond your comprehension.”
Normally, the high-level formation enveloping the Black Market created different exits, preventing any customer from tracing another’s path.
But this was the Heaven-Piercing Sect—renowned as the origin of all sorcery.
‘Did you really think I’d just let you walk away with my money?’
The moment his plan failed, Gongsun Beon had secretly cast a tracking spell on Sewoon.
“Keh-heh-heh, look at you tremble in fear. If you hand over the items right now—”
“—You’ll spare our lives? That’s what you were about to say, wasn’t it?”
“!!”
“Ugh. How cliché.”
Gongsun Beon froze.
Sewoon’s demeanor had changed in an instant.
But that wasn’t the only shocking thing.
“Alright, this is where we earn those Divine Artifacts.”
“Got it, Master!”
Shhh!
Kwaaa-boom!
Sewoon and Nameless dropped their act completely, unleashing their full power at once.