Chapter 244: Secret Auction

Spending the intermission with the Beshin Clan, they shared drinks, exchanged information, and hashed out plans for future mercenary and bounty hunter work until the break finally drew to a close.

Once the auction resumed, their expectations were confirmed—none of the remaining items fell within their price range or held much interest for either faction. While the spectacle remained entertaining, they waited for the right moment to make their exit, only leaving once enough other factions had departed to avoid drawing attention. They stepped away from the grand event significantly wealthier than when they had entered, hoping that advantage would make the difference in the secret auction set to take place later that night.

Inviting the Beshin might have been an option if not for their liaison, Rolmeros, who had explicitly instructed them to keep it confidential. The scale of participation remained unknown, as did the strength of the other factions involved. However, it seemed unlikely that many larger factions would be present—maintaining secrecy with too many powerful players would have been considerably more difficult.

Now, they found themselves seated in their suite, privacy screens raised as they settled into the plush seating. As they waited for the displays to come to life, idle conversation filled the gap. Alistair, for his part, couldn't help but draw comparisons to the kind of shady dealings straight out of a cyberpunk movie he had once watched. All that’s missing is the black suits and our company logo stamped over everything. He thought as his fingers absently scratched behind Viv’s ear, earning a long, contented purr as she leaned into the touch.

His focus returned to the conversation, where Nessyra was speculating on the nature of the auction. None of them fully trusted the Tok’eall’s privacy screens and enchantments, so their discussions remained confined to the Akashic Link. Even Nomura had warned against placing too much faith in the security enchantments, and Alistair had little doubt that the Beshin had agents gathering information across the city.

"There is also the distinct possibility this is a test," Nessyra mused through the Akashic Link. "To see whether or not we’re capable of keeping a secret."

Alistair nodded. "Good thing we have the Akashic Link to participate remotely. I wouldn’t trust any tablet with a data transfer like this."

Nessyra let out a quiet chuckle. "I can't even put into words how glad I am that you developed that particular skill. Its usefulness has proven itself time and time again—and it makes my life so much easier."

"To be fair, I’m pretty sure plenty of other skills could serve the same purpose. We probably would have found an alternative if not for the Akashic Link," Alistair mused.

"Just take the damn praise," Nessyra shot back. Before their banter could continue, a sharp ping drew their attention as screens lit up, displaying the first two lots in the secret auction.

Unlike the grand auction, little thought had been put into the presentation or order of the lots. The first item up for sale was a cursed sword, though it lacked any particularly exciting enchantments or effects.

"I don’t think King can make use of that," Riseth commented through the Akashic Link as she shifted her focus to the next item. "A Bloodthorn seed… requires a steady flow of blood to grow, but it produces blood fruits—high-tier regeneration ingredients for alchemy. That could be useful… though where do we get the blood?"

Alistair furrowed his brows, pulling up the mercenary contract for the Everrest Sect, checking for any mention of a Bloodspring or a similar resource that could serve that purpose. He came up empty. "The Everrest Sect doesn’t have a Bloodspring we could use."

"We’ve got the Wendigo cores," Nessyra noted. "They cover our needs in the regeneration department well enough. I don’t think it’s worth fighting over the Bloodthorn seed."

The sword was sold for a low price, and as soon as it was taken off the listing, the bidding for the Bloodthorn seed began just as the information on the next lot appeared. The bidding for the Bloodthorn seed was much fiercer. Still, to their collective relief, no one—despite the anonymity—was throwing their weight around with overwhelming bids to secure an easy victory.

The next lot was a Voidglass Mirror, an artifact capable of pulling eldritch beings—up to grade 7—through its surface. Presumably, the summoned entities could be used as minions or bound in some other way. However, instead of strongly considering it, they kept their attention on the Bloodthorn seed’s auction, using it as an opportunity to analyze the other participants' behavior and gauge their likely wealth.

"They’re being careful, but if I had to guess, only smaller factions like ours were invited," Nessyra observed through the Akashic Link.

"Are you sure?" Riseth questioned. "Some of the larger factions must have submitted these treasures, right? What would they be told?"

Nessyra let out a quiet chuckle, glancing toward her sister. "If it were me, I’d have bought the items off their hands under the excuse of either removing them from the market or redistributing them to more trustworthy factions—depending on who I was dealing with."

"Are we sure we want to skip on the Voidglass Mirror?" Alistair asked. "It could be a source of records and titles."

Denodia shook her head vehemently. "It will lead to deaths," she said firmly. "Eldritch beings are tricky, and with our current strength, we can't always stop whatever might come through. They can pass through walls, and we can’t afford to keep it constantly guarded."

Nessyra frowned. "I’m generally opposed to security risks, but are you sure we can’t enchant and prepare a kill chamber specifically designed for threats like this?"

"No," Denodia replied firmly. "We cannot create a kill chamber capable of eliminating every possible variation of eldritch monstrosity—especially not at that level of power."

Nessyra didn't look happy about it but chose to trust Denodia's assessment and returned her attention to the auction.

"This is already more fun than the grand auction," Riseth remarked. "Here, it actually feels like there are interesting treasures we can afford."

"Of course, you’d enjoy a sketchy auction like this," Alistair said, eliciting a grin.

"To be fair, this would be considered a fairly normal private auction by Neshan standards," Nessyra added. "If you ignore the fact that everything is magic now."

They continued their banter through the Akashic Link as the auction moved swiftly through its many lots. Without the grand presentations or elaborate showmanship of the main event, each item was simply displayed with its details, followed immediately by the bidding. As soon as one lot was sold, the next appeared in its place, keeping the pace brisk and efficient as they read through one description after another.

"A Bloodwraith Bone Scythe," Riseth mused. "Capable of siphoning life energy from opponents with extreme efficiency, enhances bleed effects… but its sturdiness is only graded as moderately robust for a grade 8 weapon."

"Scythes are pretty unpopular," Alistair added. "I’d be surprised if it sells for much more than the cursed sword earlier."

Denodia, who had gone unnervingly still moments earlier, suddenly snapped back to focus. Without hesitation, she leaned forward, urgency clear in her voice. "We have to acquire that weapon."

Alistair barely had time to process her insistence before she continued. "Jack can absorb and integrate other bones and their properties—this will give your weapon a massive power boost."

Realization flashed in Riseth’s eyes, and the anticipation in the room grew palpable. "Wait… it can absorb enchanted bone weapons, too?"

"Of course it can," Denodia replied without hesitation. "That craftsdwarf Nuk was seriously good, and with the addition of the weapon spirit—and my own refinements—Jack’s potential has only grown."

The sudden announcement heightened the anticipation for the lot, each of them silently hoping they wouldn’t have to fight tooth and nail to secure it. They watched with bated breath as the bidding for the current item neared its conclusion.

"We have to play this smart and place bids slowly," Nessyra cautioned. "We don’t want anyone realizing how badly we want this weapon."

Riseth nodded, her eyes sharpening with focus as the lot turned over and bidding for the Bloodwraith Bone Scythe began. At the same time, the next item was revealed—a Symbiote—immediately drawing Alistair’s attention.

His excitement, however, was short-lived. It turned out to be a Bone Crawler, a symbiote that toughened the host’s bones, allowing them to be used as weapons while providing mild regenerative benefits. Useful, but nowhere near as promising as he had initially hoped.

"Lots of bone and blood treasures," Alistair commented as his attention returned to the small bidding war over the scythe. Fortunately, it was progressing slowly, and he felt confident that the lot hadn’t drawn much interest.

Nessyra shrugged. "They’re some of the more frequently restricted treasures, and with how common vampires and undead are within the Syndicates, it’s not too surprising to see items suited to their affinities."

"Yes!" Riseth exclaimed excitedly as she threw her arms around Alistair in celebration, inadvertently rustling both Fluffy and Viv, who shot her matching looks of disapproval. "We got it!"

Alistair pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before glancing at the final bid—3.7 million. Expensive for a weapon, but in the context of the auction, surprisingly cheap. He suspected its low durability had kept others from bidding higher.

They were still caught up in their celebration when they finally noticed the grim expressions on Denodia and Nessyra’s faces.

"Did we miss something?" Alistair asked, confused, as he pulled up the upcoming lot—only to grimace. "An unused Phylactery?"

Denodia nodded. "That’s a pretty dark item to be auctioned. According to the description, this particular variant requires you to sacrifice the soul of someone with whom you have a strong karmic bond—on top of needing considerable proficiency in necromancy and soul magic."

"I’d bet a good amount of credits that anyone who buys this is going straight onto some kind of list," Nessyra added dryly.

They fell into silence as the Bone Crawler Symbiote was sold for 79 million USC, then turned their attention to the Phylactery lot.

No one placed a bid.

They waited, the seconds stretching unbearably long—though it couldn’t have been more than thirty—before the auction simply moved on, the price never shifting even once.

"I would have expected at least someone to try and buy this," Nessyra commented, still watching her screen, brows furrowed. "Maybe it's not showing the bids?"

Alistair considered the possibilities, his gaze lingering on the auction feed as the next lot proceeded as if nothing had happened. "I think we shouldn’t dwell on this too much. Whatever the result was, it likely doesn’t concern us—and nothing good will come from looking into it."

"What he said," Riseth agreed.

They continued following the auction until, eventually, their cursed Eldritch Spike came up.

"It’s slow going," Alistair noted, watching the bidding crawl forward.

"It was to be expected," Nessyra said. "The uses are niche at best, and we just wanted to get rid of it, so I won’t complain."

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Riseth huffed. "I put a lot of effort into creating that damn thing. The least they could do is give us, like, 20 million."

Alistair watched her pout as the bidding plateaued at 9 million USC, then wrapped an arm around her. "They just don’t know what’s good."

"Right?" Riseth beamed, flashing him a toothy smile as she leaned into him.

The auction continued in much the same manner, with them occasionally picking up minor treasures related to curses, bones, or alchemical ingredients—though nothing truly stood out until near the end.

"The Black Crown…" Alistair murmured, skimming the details. "A cursed crown capable of storing cursed energy and greatly enhancing any cursed ability channeled through it."

Riseth let out a laugh. "That is almost too perfect for King in so many ways. Are there any drawbacks?"

Alistair furrowed his brows as he read further. "The crown has a will of its own and can use the stored cursed energy as it sees fit, adding random curses to any skill channeled through it."

Riseth clicked her tongue as she scanned the description herself. "That is hardly a drawback—that’s a truly excellent item for any curse user."

"We must acquire this crown," Denodia cut in, her face a mixture of pain and exhaustion, sweat beading on her forehead. "I didn’t get a clear view, but there is a sense of dread if we were to miss out on it… something just at the edge of my vision."

A tense silence settled over them, a mixture of concern and determination flickering in their eyes as they exchanged glances.

Then, the screens shifted.

The previous auction lot concluded, and new text filled the displays.

The Black Crown bids were now open.

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