The auction bidding was held inside a tent that was slightly larger than a baseball infield. To enter—or rather, to participate at all—one needed an invitation. Galf handed mine to the receptionist, while the Demon King presented his in the same manner.
In exchange for our invitations, we were given numbered tags for every member of our party. Apparently, these were required to move in and out of the tent. I wondered how Beezel would handle his teleportation magic, but it seemed that refraining from using it in a setting like this was a matter of basic etiquette. I see. Then again, it was just a tent; anyone who really wanted to slip in or out could probably manage it easily enough.
Inside, the space was filled with several chairs and tables arranged to accommodate groups. As I was wondering where we should sit, a maid guided us to the largest area, situated right in the center. I had been hoping for something a bit more low-profile, but since the Demon King and his party were sharing the table with us, I supposed it was fine. Besides, Tiselle was with me.
Two paddles with numbers written on them sat on the table—one for me and one for the Demon King. These were meant to be raised whenever we wanted to bid. I reached out to take mine, but Daga intercepted it. It seemed that in these circles, a servant was expected to handle the paddle rather than the master. I didn't particularly mind, but I noticed the Demon King was holding his own. Was that because Beezel was technically participating as a separate bidder? Indeed, Beezel was asking the maid for his own paddle. It looked like he intended to handle his own bidding as well.
I decided to make a suggestion. "What if Galf holds the Demon King's paddle, Daga holds Beezel's, and Tiselle holds mine?"
Yoko was the only one who voiced any opposition. She felt left out and wanted a role of her own. Since I didn't have anything else for her to do, I asked her to act as my advisor. To be honest, I had no eye for the quality of the items or their current market value.
There was only one major rule to the auction: the winning bid had to be paid within thirty days. That was it. Failure to comply would result in the forfeiture of the deposit entrusted to the organizer.
Deposit? I didn't recall paying one. Apparently, it was thirty silver coins. However, it seemed that people of a certain social standing were exempt. I understood why the Demon King and Beezel wouldn't need to pay, but I wondered if it was really appropriate for me to be exempt as well. Still, the Goroun Company was organizing the event, so I decided to accept their consideration. I fully intended to pay if I won anything. As a side note, while paying with goods was acceptable, attempting to negotiate a discount after winning a bid was considered a grave breach of etiquette. I made sure to keep that in mind.
Once the rest of the participants had gathered, the auction officially began. Music started to play, and as the tempo picked up, a stage was quickly carried in from outside and assembled in the open space. I was told that not setting the stage in advance was a way to prove that no suspicious individuals were hiding beneath it.
When the music stopped, Michael-san appeared on stage to deliver his opening address. Perhaps because the Demon King and so many nobles were present, his greeting was exceptionally formal and polite. It was quite educational to watch.
"Today, we will be bidding on items numbered one through one hundred," Michael-san announced. "Please note that items eleven, twenty-four, and fifty-two have been withdrawn."
A "withdrawn" item meant that it had been removed from the auction for some reason, usually due to damage during transport. A groan rose from somewhere in the crowd; someone's prized target must have been on that list.
"We will begin with item number one. The 'Secret' items are those numbered in multiples of ten, as well as everything from ninety onward."
Secrets were items whose details were not disclosed in the catalog. Apparently, the auction would lose its momentum without these little surprises to keep things interesting. I wasn't sure if people actually got bored at auctions, but I supposed this was a technique honed over many years.
By the way, the number the Demon King had mentioned during our tour of the exhibits was seventy. Since only the organizers and the exhibitors knew the contents of the Secrets, I wondered if it was an item provided by the Demon King or Beezel. It seemed not; he simply happened to know about it because a friend of his was the one who put it up for sale.
"Now, finally..." Michael-san cleared his throat. I expected him to conclude his speech with a formal bow.
"DO YOU HAVE THE MONEY?!"
I blinked in shock, but the Demon King and the others responded with a thunderous cheer. Michael-san didn't stop there.
"DO YOU SEE SOMETHING YOU WANT?!"
"OOOOOHHHH!"
"DO YOU WANT IT MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE?!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!"
"THEN STRIKE DOWN ANYONE WHO STANDS IN YOUR WAY WITH A HEAVY BAG OF COINS!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!"
"LET THE AUCTION BEGIN!!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!"
The atmosphere was a far cry from the refined event I had imagined.
"Item Number One: Starshine Stone mined from Mount Gulgrant. The quantity is one jar. We will start the bidding at ten silver coins."
The facilitator—the auctioneer—rang a bell to signal the start.
"Fifty silver coins."
A paddle went up, and the price was called out. Surprisingly, no one else challenged it. The auctioneer rang the bell again, and the sale was final. Personally, I would have preferred the sound of a wooden gavel. I decided I'd suggest that to Michael-san later.
"Item Number Two: Starshine Stone mined from Mount Gulgrant. One jar. Starting at ten silver coins."
Wait, it was the same thing?
"If you exhibit too much at once, the price might climb so high that no one can afford it," Yoko whispered. "By splitting them into smaller lots, they ensure they actually sell."
I see. That made sense.
"Fifty silver coins."
Again, no one competed, and the same bidder won the second jar.
"Item Number Three: Starshine Stone mined from Mount Gulgrant. One jar. Starting at ten silver coins."
"Twelve!" "Thirteen!" "Twenty!" "Twenty-three!" "Thirty!" "Thirty-five!"
Unlike the first two lots, this one was a proper battle. However, the person who had won the first two remained silent. I wondered why, but this time Beezel provided the explanation.
"The winner of the first two jars is an associate of a major magic workshop. Given their financial resources, it would be foolish to try and outbid them. Therefore, they likely reached a prior agreement: the others would yield the first two lots, provided the workshop stayed out of the bidding for the third."
I was surprised to learn that such backroom deals were permitted, but apparently, they were common. However, it was considered good manners to win those uncontested bids at a price slightly above the market value to avoid fostering resentment. The third jar eventually went for one hundred and thirty silver coins.
The auction proceeded at a brisk pace, much faster than I had anticipated. Thanks to those pre-arranged agreements, most items weren't contested for long. It was almost a little disappointing. I could see why they needed the Secret items to keep the energy up.
The Secrets were contested with much more vigor, and the atmosphere grew lively. That said, whenever Galf raised the Demon King's paddle, the bidding came to an immediate halt. I suppose no one was brave enough to challenge the Demon King’s wallet. Perhaps feeling a bit guilty about that, the Demon King had announced at the start that he would only take three items. Once he won his third item—number sixty-five—he had Galf hold the paddle upside down to signal his retirement from the floor. A visible wave of relief washed through the tent.
"Father, Father," Tiselle whispered. "I want to raise the paddle too."
Right. It was almost time for the item the Demon King had pointed out. "Get ready, Tiselle."
"Mhm. Can I call out the price too?"
"You have to make sure you use a loud, clear voice."
"I'll do my best."
She was so adorable. I had to remind myself not to get too distracted. I wondered what Number Seventy would turn out to be.
"Next, we have a Secret item. Item Number Seventy: An Agriculture Diary. This was discovered in the storehouse of a certain noble and dates back roughly seven hundred years. The author is Rogat Marsleen, the famous agricultural researcher. It contains a detailed, if somewhat unpolished, account of his daily life tending to a vast variety of fields. While it is being offered primarily as research material, it is also a fascinating read. There is some minor damage and staining, but nothing that obscures the text. No pages are missing, though there is a string of characters on the back cover that appears to have been added at a later date. We have been unable to decipher these markings and believe they may simply be scribbles. We will start the bidding at ten silver coins."
I see. This was certainly an item I would be interested in. However, it wasn't the research that caught my eye; it was the sentence on the back cover.
In this book, I have recorded the location of the hidden seeds.
For some reason, I could read it perfectly. Seeds? I wondered what kind. My curiosity was piqued, which meant I had to have it.
"Thirteen!" "Fifteen!"
"Father, it looks like there are two other bidders," Tiselle noted. "How high should we go?"
"Until we win."
"Understood... One hundred silver coins!" Tiselle shouted.
That settled it instantly.
"One hundred silver coins is just one gold coin," she said with a smile. "That was quite a bargain."
I wasn't exactly an expert on the value of money in this world, but as I looked at her, I realized I would eventually have to have a serious talk with the children about their sense of financial value. That was the main thought that stayed with me.