Ch.184Grand Caravan Special Auction House

The delivery of the grill tables was completed a day earlier than scheduled.

This was thanks to Mina, who enthusiastically started working on her crafting tablet from 6 AM.

The incident caused Seti, who was staying in the same room, to wake up earlier than usual, but far from being angry, she helped Mina focus on her work by organizing the workspace around her and bringing her breakfast.

Having completed deliveries to all three hotels by 1 PM, the managers were delighted with the unexpectedly quick service, though I did give Mina a gentle scolding for disturbing her colleague’s sleep, as that wasn’t proper behavior.

While Mina and Seti were focused on table production, Jessica visited the Pioneer Bureau’s Magic Document Editing Office.

She went to restore the spells that had been dismantled for the protective magic.

Naturally, the protective magic became unusable, but since it was created specifically for the Elemental Recapture Operation, she dismantled it without regret.

Meanwhile, Phyllis began creating new attack magic using wind and water attributes she had received from the Beech Tree Sanctuary.

Since these spells were unsuitable for testing near the city, it seems we’ll only get to see the results after we finish our business in Moon Lake and set off on another adventure.

While everyone was busy with their tasks, I was in charge of replenishing travel supplies at the marketplace and selling materials at the Adventurer’s Guild.

It was absolutely not because I had nothing to do and was slacking off. Definitely not.

After finishing all our priority tasks, we spent time together touring Moon Lake, enjoying dates and sightseeing.

True to its nickname as the “Second Mothertown,” Moon Lake offered a truly diverse array of sights and activities.

There was a boat tour that circled the edge of Moonlight Lake in small vessels, street performers showcasing musical instruments and juggling skills, crime suspense films at the municipal theater, and even card gambling at the back tables of restaurants.

We enjoyed ourselves until late, having dinner from street food stalls, then returned to the hotel for showers, after which Phyllis and I spent the night together.

Today’s concept was apparently a seductive older woman toying with an innocent young man…

“Heuugh…”

“Sorry, Phyllis. That concept seems to have been too much for you.”

“J-just wait… someday I’ll definitely make you… Ahhhhhh!”

Sometimes in life, one experiences the frustrating gap between ideal and reality.

Phyllis came to understand this with her entire being.

Finally, the day of the auction arrived.

The Moon Lake Municipal Theater, transformed into a temporary auction house, was packed with people seeking rare materials and artifacts.

The interior was divided into two sections: participant seats and spectator seats. To enter as a participant, one had to pay an entrance fee.

The spectator area was free and allowed people to come and go as they pleased, but interfering with the auction through bidding or related actions would result in a fine.

Naturally, the five of us paid the entrance fee and took seats in the participant section.

“The next item is a mana stone from a Flame Salamander! Material quality: Grade A! Plus, it contains the complete magical formula for flame-based spells—a premium item!”

“Ohhh~”

The auction hall stirred as a mana stone the size of a fist appeared on stage.

A paper talisman was attached to the center of the stone, presumably to prevent the magical formula from being exposed.

“Bidding starts at one thousand gold!”

“Eleven hundred!”

“Twelve hundred!”

“Fifteen hundred!”

As soon as bidding began, five or six men immediately jumped into the competition.

Three of them were dressed like mages, suggesting they were after the flame magic formula contained in the mana stone.

“Aren’t Jessica and Mina interested in the Salamander’s mana stone?”

“Hmm~ I already have Flame Lance, and if I need more firepower, I can always ask Phyllis, so not really?”

“I’d like to have it, but I don’t feel the need to be greedy for it. I’m more interested in artifacts.”

The items featured early in the auction were wild animal materials and herbs, with monster materials and valuable mana stones appearing as the auction progressed past the halfway point.

Today’s auction featured a total of 20 items, and this was the 15th, so it was about time for artifacts that might interest Mina to appear.

“3,750! Any bids higher than 3,750? Three! Two! One… Sold! The Flame Salamander mana stone is sold for 3,750 gold!”

As the sold mana stone was moved backstage, the auctioneer gave the participants a meaningful smile.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience. The item I’m about to introduce is a treasure discovered in a dungeon by skilled adventurers!”

“Ohhh~”

Finally, the highlight of the auction was beginning—dungeon-sourced magical tools and artifacts.

The first item was a silver cup shaped like a slightly oversized wine glass.

“Our first item was discovered in a dungeon far to the west, ‘The Berserker’s Tomb,’ dropped by the boss! Its appraised name is ‘Cup of Glory’! Its effect… once per day, it can be filled with any liquid that humans can drink!”

“!!”

While the participants tilted their heads at this seemingly subtle effect, Mina and I exchanged glances and nodded solemnly.

The ability to summon any drinkable liquid.

Being a dwarf, Mina would naturally want premium alcohol, but if I could get my hands on that cup, the variations in my cooking would expand dramatically.

I could make condiments like soy sauce or oyster sauce that are difficult to prepare myself, and even create small amounts of milk or fresh yeast that are hard to store long-term.

“Bidding starts at 2,000 gold!”

“2,100!”

“2,200!”

“2,350!”

Unlike the Flame Salamander mana stone that attracted mages, the people bidding on this artifact gave off a “celebrity” vibe.

They were probably either like Mina, wanting to enjoy premium drinks freely, or collectors interested in artifacts for their own sake.

“2,350 gold! Currently at 2,350 gold! Any higher bids?”

“3,000!”

A moment of silence fell over the auction hall at the clear voice of a young girl.

It wasn’t because of the jump from 2,350 to 3,000 gold, but because of who had made the bid.

“3,000 gold! Any higher bids?!”

The mustachioed gentleman who had previously bid 2,350 gold started to raise his hand, but after a middle-aged woman beside him whispered something in his ear, he quietly lowered it and gave up.

“Three! Two! One… Sold! The Cup of Glory is sold for 3,000 gold!”

“Yes~!”

“OK, well done Mina!”

“The bidding competition wasn’t fierce this time. Is it because it was the first artifact offered?”

“That’s part of it, but I think the main reason is that Mina was the one bidding.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Think about it, Phyllis. How many people would want to compete with a dwarf over an artifact like that?”

“…Ah.”

Phyllis nodded in understanding at Jessica’s spot-on comment.

A magical cup that can summon ‘any drinkable liquid’—including alcohol—had a dwarf charging at it with fierce determination.

Not many humans would challenge that head-on.

Moreover, with five more artifacts scheduled to appear in this auction, it was wise to let the dwarf have this item and save funds for later.

An auction staff member handed Mina a certificate for her successful bid, and the auction moved on to the next item.

“The next item should be especially popular among adventurers. It’s a magic weapon discovered in a dungeon treasure chest!”

“Magic weapon?”

“It’s a general term for melee weapons with inherent magical effects. Most commonly they ignore monsters’ physical resistance, and some can activate special effects. Remember the knife Peter used against the Minotaur?”

“Ah, so that cutlass was one of these.”

I don’t clearly remember if Peter’s cutlass could ignore monster physical resistance, but I certainly owe a great debt to the magic shield it created.

Without it, surviving the battle with the Minotaur would have been difficult.

“Its effects include ignoring physical resistance and being especially effective against undead monsters! It’s particularly devastating against ghost-type monsters! Its appraised name is ‘Ghost Buster’! Bidding starts at 2,000 gold!!”

The bidding for Ghost Buster rose faster than for previous items.

Mina participated in the bidding up to the early 4,000 gold range, but seemed to think it wasn’t worth more than that and gave up around 4,500 gold. The magic sword ultimately went to an adventurer for the final price of 7,500 gold.

The third item was a magical soap with anti-aging and skin beautification effects.

As soon as the auctioneer described it, the female participants began stirring excitedly, and the bidding rose rapidly with unprecedented momentum until a wealthy-looking middle-aged lady won it for the staggering price of 10,800 gold.

“Women’s dedication to beauty is truly fearsome…”

“I would have participated if it were around 2,000 gold, but I couldn’t bring myself to spend 10,000 gold on soap, which is a consumable item after all.”

“Does our party even need it? Everyone already has beautiful skin.”

“…Human desire knows no bounds.”

Jessica said this while fanning herself with a slight smile on her face.

If she had animal ears or a tail, they would probably be fluttering vigorously.

The fourth item was an antique-styled harp.

It could play music automatically without a performer, and while the function itself was simple, its value as an art piece was highly regarded, fetching 12,700 gold.

This is a realm difficult to understand for someone like me with no appreciation for art.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this special auction hosted by the Grand Caravan has finally reached its last item.”

As the auctioneer announced that the next item would be the last, disappointed sighs spread throughout the hall, and a large object covered with a cloth was brought behind the auctioneer.

“Today at this auction, we’ve introduced a total of 19 different items, including rare herbs, artificial magical tools, monster materials, and artifacts. But there’s one thing that you might have been expecting that hasn’t appeared yet—a ‘living creature,’ right?”

“Ohhh~”

Some participants cheered expectantly at the auctioneer’s words.

“That’s right! The grand finale item of this auction is~~~!”

Matching the auctioneer’s exaggerated performance, a drumroll played, and as he approached the item and dramatically pulled off the cloth, cymbals crashed loudly.

“A female Dark Elf captured alive by the A-rank adventurer party ‘Last Trigger’!”

“What!?”

“!!!”

Dark skin, light purple short hair, and long pointed ears protruding from both sides of her face.

Trapped in a cold, gleaming metal cage was unmistakably a female Dark Elf.