Chapter 83: Chapter 83

"Perhaps it’ll really be going home today!"

The auctioneer had a grin crawl over his face.

Around Xenos, the crowd whispered while their heads turned.

Even those below him craned their necks to see who’d bid so fast.

Many had recognized him, the "Stranger" from the Colosseum Game.

Others didn’t really care, already licking their lips for drama.

But before Loren could even call out for another bidder...

Someone seated higher up the steps raised his hand.

"Six gold! Do I hear seven?"

The auctioneer’s grin widened even further.

And sure enough, more had raised their hands.

That one belonged to a man in a dark blue cloak, his chin propped on his fist.

"Seven gold drachma! Do I hear eight?"

Almost instantly, a fox-folk waved her fan, joining in on the fun.

Loren spun with an exaggerated flourish.

"Eight gold! And we’ve got another brave soul—nine?"

A bearded merchant down front didn’t even hesitate, his thick arm shooting up.

"Ten gold! Do I hear—"

Another one halfway up the stands raised their hand.

"Eleven! Eleven gold drachma, going once!"

The auctioneer clearly loved every second of it.

"Do I hear twelve—no? Thirteen!"

The air heated fast, the price climbing before Xenos could even breathe.

He blinked a few times while glaring at them all, genuinely confused.

"Are they bidding just to increase the price?"

Arc groaned beside him.

"You should quit. That’s already enough to buy two normal Runes from the markets."

Xenos raised a brow, still watching the crowd.

"Why would anyone pay this much for it when they can’t even use it?" Thɪs chapter is updated by N0veI.Fiɾe.net

Before Arc could answer, Aspen leaned back with a soft sigh.

"They’re probably not buying it to ’use.’ Most of them are merchants or brokers. They’ll resell it at some provincial auction and double the price. Or maybe take it to a Divine Forger and have it broken down and separated."

Xenos knew of Divine Forgers; that was in the game as well. Runebearers focused on crafting Divine Relics, enchanting armor, and storing spells into Scrolls, the same ones sold just earlier, but he wasn’t sure of their capabilities here.

"Yes. Relics like that carry sealed spellwork under their complexity. A Forger can extract those and rebind them into a new gear. It takes time, of course, time that this auction doesn’t have, but the potential profit is huge."

Xenos hummed, eyes drifting back toward the gloves.

"So they’re vultures."

"Don’t underestimate how fast they smell profit."

Xenos’s smirk widened.

Then, as the auctioneer shouted from across the hall—

"Thirteen going twice!"

He raised his hand right after, ignoring Arc’s glare completely.

His face dared anyone to outbid him.

And sure enough, several hands followed.

Only for most to suddenly quit.

The rhythm had slowed to a near halt.

Sixteen appeared to be the highest bid that most participants would offer for an item .

Perhaps that was the bid they’d reached last time before the auctioneer pulled the plug on it and decided that it wasn’t going to sell that day, believing it held more worth.

And sure enough, in the eyes of the two remaining bidders, it held a lot more worth.

It was Xenos and a masked man up on one of the smaller balconies on the right side of the amphitheater, someone likely of wealth higher than even the lowest chairs beneath them.

Everyone else had dropped out, clearly deciding this madness wasn’t worth it.

So now, watching the fight, the crowd buzzed, anticipating blood.

Aspen did as well, rubbing his temple.

"You’re serious about this, eh?"

Dei crossed her arms.

"It steals attacks using Luck. It’s literally made for him."

"Don’t encourage him."

Arc waved her off and then looked at Xenos.

"Sixteen gold is your last chance to be reasonable."

Xenos turned his head slightly, deadpan.

"Reasonable is expensive."

Arc was taken aback for a moment.

"That doesn’t even make sense."

"It will when I win."

With that, Xenos leaned back and waited.

Would this hidden bastard up there match his bid or not?

The auctioneer lowered his hand dramatically.

"Sixteen gold drachma going once—going tw—"

His bastard voice cracked through the air.

The entire hall went silent, and even the band stopped mid-note.

Heads turned toward the balcony, where the man smirked behind his half-mask of silver.

They weren’t the only ones surprised, as even Dei’s jaw dropped.

"Thirty gold?! Is that guy drunk?"

"That’s way beyond overkill."

Aspen agreed while Arc wiped his face, exacerbated.

"Just let it go, Xenos. You don’t even have that much."

Xenos’s expression didn’t shift.

Only his eyes moved...

Towards the auctioneer.

"Use my share from the Rune!"

The crowd murmured again, enjoying the drama, while the auctioneer slowly glanced towards one of the clerks on the far end of the stairs, seemingly asking for confirmation.

After a quick exchange of nods, Loren raised his hand.

"We’re nearing tier-one prices!"

The masked bidder, in a flash of anger, slammed his hand down on the railing.

The room erupted in noise again, now all in disbelief, with Dei alongside them, throwing her hands up.

"Oh, come on! He’s just showing off now!"

Aspen exhaled through his nose.

"That’s either a Great House or an utter lunatic."

Xenos’s lip twitched into something halfway between a grin and a snarl.

"I’m leaning towards the latter..."

He leaned forward and raised his hand high.

The whole hall stilled again.

Loren, the auctioneer, stood stunned before breaking into delighted laughter.

He’d be getting a sweet bonus after this~!

"Thirty-six gold for the Hands of Lethe! Going once—"

Loren looked up at the masked man, though he didn’t move.

His jaw was clenched beneath the silver.

The man slammed the armrest, furious—

The auctioneer slammed his hands together.

"Sold! To the tall gentleman in the lower ring! Lord Xenos!"

The crowd broke into cheers, with many applauding and whistling.

It almost seemed like they were celebrating a show’s conclusion.

Xenos exhaled slowly, slumping into his chair, having just survived his toughest war.

"You’re insane, you know that?"

Aspen laughed softly while Dei shook her head, looking impressed.

"Even I won’t spend that much on something... wish I saw a weapon that could get me that excited though."

It was obvious she came here to strengthen herself after what happened in the Colosseum Game, not liking the outcome and the buildup to it one bit.

"...you attract trouble by existing."

He glanced back up toward the balcony, where the masked bidder sat motionless, staring directly down at him. That silver glint hadn’t moved once since he’d lost.

’No way that guy came just because of my Calamity...’

Xenos frowned slightly.

’Something’s up with him.’

The thought lingered, but the auctioneer had already moved on, clapping for the next item.

And once he did, Xenos turned back, chuckling to himself.

Though at an incredible price...