Chapter 648 – #131_Arcana Town (3)

#648

One.
“Choose the one you want.”

When she heard this, she felt wary rather than feeling that she had a windfall.

Siwoo knows her sword.
But she doesn’t know who she really is.

Why did she become a public figure?
Why does she pursue her power even while pushing herself?
What she usually thinks and what kind of eyes she looks at Siwoo.
It was hard to say if I knew anything.

In short, it is not pleasant to receive a gift that you do not know what kind of wrapping paper is underneath.

“I am okay.”

In this case, there is a best way.
It was to decline once and observe her senses.
It is said that there can be a sad situation in which the gift is completely disintegrated, but isn’t it better than being upset?

“I can’t ask for anything more when I’m already receiving room and board.”

Still, I left some space.

“There is nothing to say.”
“It’s really fine.”
She said, “I have no reservations.”

Showing a moderately humble attitude, the specifications were about twice.
It is a technique of living that I learned when Takasho taught me how to be a host.

In other words, the real conversation starts now.

“Thank you very much for your words, but…. Honestly, I don’t know why I get gifts. I don’t think there’s any reason for that.”

Maintain a moderately shy expression and make eye contact.
The eyes are the window to the mind.
If there is any ulterior motive, or if there is another intention, he will find out on the spot and take the present.

“…….”

Transparent eyes that do not avert one’s gaze under the straight bangs.
The black lake was a clear water without even the slightest wave.

“Before bringing you, I crossed swords with Tiphareth.”

With the master?
I reflexively suppressed the momentary worry before it turned into agitation.

“We shared swords before that. If you look only at the realm of swordsmanship, there was no big difference from me, and I thought I was ahead of myself recently. But her skills were more advanced than years ago. She outdid me again.”
“…….”
“I thought the reason was your existence. At first, I thought it was because there were opponents to train with.”

Her heart thumped.
It wasn’t just because her gaze pierced her heart like a sword.
The word ‘I thought’ is past tense.

In other words, Rinne went through a sparring with Siu’s Dalian and changed her mind.

“You are lacking. For simple sparring, a whetstone to sharpen Tiphareth’s sword is not enough. That is my conclusion.”

A cold sweat runs down my back.
I was acting like an idiot.

I’m glad it looks simple, unlike Dorothy’s? If it had been Dorothy, would it have been seen through?
It was an unforgiving mindset.

I was so focused on the outward behavior that I missed the important facts.

Just as Siwoo was watching Rinne, she knew that Rinne was also quietly observing Siu.

I caught the spirit of being far away.
Be cool.

Siwoo’s own value, which Rinne assumed was the reason for her favor, is ‘sweetheart’.
If Linne’s attitude does not change rapidly even though the value is denied, she will naturally come up with a question.

“Then why did you take me as your disciple and, if that wasn’t enough, you came to the auction house for a gift?”
“…….”

Rinne shut her mouth.
Wrinkling the bridge of her nose as if she had been pricked in an uncomfortable place, she spoke as if choosing her words carefully.

“Because there may be something I haven’t figured out.”
“…….”
“My gut tells me you have changed Tiphareth.”

As expected, it was a little different from what I expected, but the sudden teacher-teacher relationship did not come without any calculations.
She also had a vague idea that Rinnae had a priesthood that was very different from her normal witches.

“This gift is an investment in your potential. If you maintain a friendly relationship, you might vomit what you’ve been hiding behind you.”

Linnaeus did not repeat her meaningless words or obscure her points.
She even bluntly spits out the expression, ‘If I get along with you, I won’t even fall for rice cakes?’.

I feel more at ease thanks to him revealing all of my inner thoughts and showing all of my cards.
Because the position was more clearly organized.

“I understand first.”

If so, today you need to suck on the side without reservation.

Before Rinne’s expectations for Siu diminish, she says she wants to at least maintain an amicable relationship, she has to take the extreme advantage.

At some point, the curtain covering the stage lifted and the auction began.

2.
She is the same witch, even if the exploits and the outcasts that follow them.
It is the same thing as having to obtain items or artifacts to be used for magic research.

However, as they were excluded from the central society of Gehenna, they always had difficulty in obtaining research materials.

That’s why people burst into tears at auctions where you have to pay a rather high price to enter.
Unlike before, if you have money, you can easily and safely get high-quality ingredients.

For reference, the above is the explanation I heard from Linne.

She is calm and blunt, but when asked an unexpected question, she responds quickly.
Siwoo, who had also completed the zero point aiming of her relationship, did not have to keep her mouth shut to match the atmosphere, so the conversation was more lively than ever.

“Then, let’s start with the first product.”

The person conducting her auction was a witch who had her bright blonde hair cut short, with impressive white gloves that reached her elbows.

Introducing herself as ‘The Witch of Gold Coins’ in a cheerful tone reminiscent of her Le Creator instructor, she proceeded with her auction after a brief greeting.

Siwoo, who had been listening to Rinne’s explanation of the world view before the full-scale auction, naturally turned his gaze toward the stage.

It was because I was naturally curious about what products they would trade and at what prices.

“Six kinds of blue sapphires from cashmere, which are hard to find these days. It is a natural sapphire that has not undergone heat treatment and received the highest grade in terms of transparency, color shading, and brilliance.
Blue sapphire has excellent magic conductivity, so it is also suitable for the core of a magic circle. It is also perfect as an ornament.”

The witch opens the box and reveals a sapphire wrapped like fine chocolate.

“The lowest bid price is $1 million.”

He smiles brightly and calls for a bloody price.

Each of the witches sitting on the first floor held out a sign with the price they wanted, and the witches sitting in the royal box upstairs, like Siu and Rinne, called the waiter and they delivered the desired price instead.

“1.3 million came out. 1.5 million came out. Are there any other bidders?”

Since the auction was not for the purpose of charity or donation, the auction was conducted without unnecessary words.
The presenter never made trivial jokes and didn’t wait long.

“1.7 million came out. Three 1.7 million, two 1.7 million, one 1.7 million. Has been auctioned off. Congratulations.”

Of course, there is no applause that follows.

“The second product is a perfume that has recently been loved by many witches. It is the only perfume in the world, created by the witch of perfume. It has no magical effect, but I’m sure you know the value of this little bottle.”

Amelia.
I never thought I would find her perfume here.
As she recalls her memory of her assistant in her perfume shop, she becomes depressed and at the same time her desire to return to Gehenna grows stronger.

“5 bottles of 2.5 fl.Oz. The lowest suggested bid is $400,000. $650,000. Three 650,000, two 650,000, one 650,000. Has been auctioned off. Congratulations.”

It’s not even a custom perfume with individual characteristics, but it’s much more expensive than the price used to be traded in Gehenna.
It seems that the perfume shop is in Gehenna, so the premium is attached.

Auction that proceeds without a single failed bid ever since.

Most of them were magical materials or artifacts such as jewels, alchemy catalysts, and magic crops, but there were trade items that reminded us that this was another city of witches.

“This is the 21st product. If you are interested in human experimentation, you will be tempted. 520 male death row inmates from the People’s Republic of China. Because drug offenders are excluded, all of them are healthy and strong. In addition, it was taken over along with the prisoner list through official procedures from the judiciary, so it is clean without any confusion. The bid asking price is $10 million.”

Taking over death row inmates from the state and using them as slaves….
It’s a scene I’ve seen many times.

The only difference is that the witch, who had a huge number of humans, would use them exclusively for experiments.

Biting my lips at the bitter aftertaste.
I felt Rinne’s gaze piercing my cheek.

“You haven’t chosen yet.”
“I have nothing else to live for.”

In fact, Siwoo was waiting for something.
The Almak Club holds an auction once a week.

Seven days had not yet passed since Siu came to Hexsenacht.
If so, maybe there is a chance.

“This is the long-awaited final product. A lot of people probably came to see this product.”

A presenter who suddenly grabs attention with vigor.
When a product they didn’t need went up on the auction table, all the witches who were bored focused their eyes toward the center.

“This is the first great witch product in the history of Almak Club. I am the legitimate successor of the 20th hierarchy fluid magic, the ‘mercury witch’.”

Previously, the slave trade had only been dealt with roughly in writing, but this time was different.

Alice, wearing a fancy dress, was led out personally by the host’s hand, tied to a chain like her dog’s collar.
Her eyes, mixed with shame and fear, scan her left and right as if anxious.

“Peel it off!”
“Why are you wearing clothes!”

Wild boos and ridicule directed at the silver-haired archwitch resounded in her hall.
The presenter calmed down the burning heat and continued the explanation.

“It’s good to study or extract the brand, but as you can see, it’s quite aristocratic, so it’s suitable as a sex slave. Of course, there are economical ways to use it for research when you get tired of playing in moderation. If you purchase it, you will receive an exclusive artifact that limits the generation of magical power. The lowest bid price is $80 million.”

At first glance, the price is absurd, but simply compared to the combat power, it is the great witch that far surpasses the latest fighter.

As long as she could own all of the great witches, in a way, the starting bid itself was a bargain.

As if proof of that, the signboard with her hopes written on it went up like crazy.

Competition is fiercer than ever.

The price, which was expensive for the original body, is also soaring to the ceiling.
There were several witches who showed a strong will to purchase even if it meant disposing of all her property.

“It turned out $150 million.”

However, no matter how determined, there are limits.
By the time the lowest price has been doubled, the speed at which the signpost gradually rises slows down.

Siu was worried.
Whether this is the right investment or whether her own choice is right.

I finished organizing her thoughts.
We must speak before it is too late.

“Master.”
“Tell me.”
“I want that woman.”

Rinne’s pupils glowed.

I don’t know if it’s a look of rebuke to Siwoo for insisting on buying the most expensive item, or a compliment for boldly seizing a good opportunity, or a reason I can’t guess.
She may be suspicious.

Alice was in the same place as Siu when she was kidnapped.
Then, serious eyes turned to Siwoo.

“Why?”

Now, what is left is to submit a plausible excuse.

It was only on the tongue of three chi.