Chapter 87 The Booth

“After all the money I’ve made this auction house, they bumped us from our private room in favor of one of these old family members. It’s ridiculous I have three lots in this auction alone that more than pays for a private booth. Sure, I rarely come in person, but I’ve sent them items for over fifty years, and this is how they treat me! There’s no way we are going to take common seats for an auction that I’m not sure is worth attending.” Meira ranted, not caring if she attracts attention.

Aiden glanced at the group of teens he brought to the auction talking amongst themselves before he offered, “You’re welcome to my private booth.”

“What about your group? I doubt there will be room for all of us.” Meira questioned.

“It’s fine. I’ll give them a million to spend and make sure they have seats together. They are a group of friends who have their own channels I’ve partnered with many times, and they are over the moon just to attend. They are here for the experience, not the actual auction, as they wouldn’t be able to afford most of the lots.” Aiden replied.

Meira fell silent for a minute in thought before replying with the expression fighting between a scowl and a smile. “Thank you. I’ll take you up on your offer, though I don’t know if I want to give these people any of my money anymore.”

“I don’t know what you have heard, but this auction house is suffering for money. They probably want to make nice with our families in the hope they sell their items here. The reason so many high-profile people are here is because they leaked info on a rare, valuable lot.” Aiden revealed, showing his low opinion of the auction house.

Meira continued to scowl as she said, “Interesting. I heard nothing about any of this. Every year the items I send sell at reasonable prices, though their cut has been increasing over the last couple of years. I guess I’m not rich enough for them to give me a heads up on this so-called rare and valuable lot.”

“Our family was late to get notified as well, so maybe they targeted certain groups. Whatever it is, I am authorized to spend up to two hundred million crystals, but I doubt lot would get anywhere near that in a tier 2 city.”

“No wonder I got bumped. I only brought one million with me, and at most could transfer over another ten million.” Meira whistled.

“The rumors said the lot has a value of over a hundred million, which is low to middle-grade mana bound weapon territory. However, there’s no way two of those sold in one day in a tier 2 city.”

“Two?” Meira questioned as she glanced at her kitten.

With a sheepish expression, Evernya admitted, “I may have let it slip that I stumbled upon one. I wouldn’t say I bought it though since it was free, well free to obtain, definitely not free of pain.”

While smiling reassuringly at her kitten, Meira assured, “That’s fine. It’s only a matter of time until its existence gets out anyway. Either way, yours would never sell at an auction like this. I doubt it would even make it to auction in a tier 1 city with its value.”

Aiden put the clues together, leaving him in shock causing him to exclaim, “A free high-grade mana bound artifact!? What kind of luck is that?”

“Oh, it’s above a high-grade mana bound artifact. At least I think it is the damn thing won’t let me read it.” Meira pouted.

“And here I thought my low-grade artifact was amazing. I would love to see such a marvelous weapon.” Aiden commented with pleading eyes.

“Since you already know of its existence, I don’t see why, not as long as Evernya is okay with showing you. Think of it as payment for allowing us to mooch off your private booth. We would have to wait until we are up there though.” Meira replied.

“I would be honored. Anyway, it’s almost time for us to enter the auction area, so let me tell my friends what’s up.” Aiden said, before rushing off with extra enthusiasm.

“So, what do you think about him?” Meira inquired, leaning in with curiosity.

Evernya ignored Meira’s implications as she answered, “He seems to be a nice guy when I slipped up. He even offered an even trade of information. I think what drives him is curiosity. He just wants to know things to satisfy his curiosity, not for an ulterior motive.”

“That’s our feeling about him too.” Meira agreed.

“From your position, giving him death, stares from across the room?” Evernya teased.

“That was just to keep him in line. Just in case he contacted you, I researched him as thoroughly as I could while you were napping. He doesn’t seem to have the driving force to reach the top, no matter the cost. That doesn’t mean he’s slacking on bettering himself, just his primary driving force is curiosity. Most of his videos are random. He will pursue something until he satisfies his curiosity before moving on. He must be doing something right because his family trusts him enough to handle two hundred million crystals.” Meira explained.

“He’s not what I thought he would be like. When you told me he’s connected to such a rich family, I figured he would be either snooty, spoiled, or just looked down on anyone, not his level. However, he actually is afraid of you from the stories he read about your hunting days.” Evernya commented with a smile.

With a proud nod, Meira revealed, “I left his family alone because they rarely had slaves.”

“His side of your hunting days was a lot different from what you told me. I thought you said you avoided confrontations as much as possible, but he made you out to be a sort of assassin.” Evernya inquired, with a curious glint in her glowing eyes.

“I wasn’t the only one who freed slaves and punished their owners, so I may have gotten credit for actions I didn’t commit. Though I downplayed it a bit with you, but I’m sure they exaggerated their stories over the years.” Meira admitted, neither confirming nor denying the stories her kitten may have heard.

Unsatisfied, Evernya continued to push, “What about you sneaking into barriers even while blacklisted?”

This question prompted a giggle from both Meira and Elizabeth before Meira explained in a hushed tone. “That one is true to a point. They did blacklist me, but they didn’t set the barrier correctly, allowing me to bypass it with an enchantment I invented. Back then, barriers weren’t nearly as secure in newer cities. That didn’t mean it was easy. Sometimes, it took weeks to find a weak point. Before they blacklisted me, it was simply more efficient to hitch a ride into the barrier, but the effort was worth it just to see their faces when I appeared in front of them. I only needed to do it twice before I scared them shitless and gave me an ID, which I knew was just to track me. Nowadays, barriers are much more secure, though I bet I could find a weak point, but it would be much harder and nearly impossible in a tier 1 city. Those barriers are basically impenetrable even back then. So I targeted newer cities instead.”

“How did you get the slaves out?” Evernya inquired.

“I can’t give away all my secrets.” Meira teased with her tongue stuck out.

“Meanie,” Evernya pouted.

I don’t know why Meira keeps sugarcoating things for me. Though, to be honest, it isn’t a big deal as long as she’s honest with me on important matters. Evernya thought as she stood up to fetch something to drink from the table.

Evernya scanned over the choices and chose the one with the best smell, a dark red liquid. Not trusting her control to levitate wine glasses without spilling, she instead brought multiple bottles back to her seat. After sitting back down, she downed each of the four bottles within a minute while moaning.

“You feel okay?” Elizabeth inquired with cautious worry.

“Yeah, why?” Evernya answered, fully coherent after levitating the empty bottles back to the table.

While shaking her head in the absurdity, Elizabeth commented, “Okay, just checking since you drank enough alcohol to down someone twice your size.”

Evernya did a double-take, glancing back at the bottles. “I didn’t realize it was wine, but I suppose that makes sense since the bottles do look like wine bottles. I didn’t smell any alcohol, only delicious mana.”

“Well, they better be high in mana. Those bottles cost five hundred to six hundred crystals each.” Meira commented, smirking at her kitten’s shock.

“Dammit, why is everything tasty so expensive! At the start of the day, I thought the stupid collar was expensive, but I’ve eaten and drank enough to buy two of them.” Evernya grumbled.

Meira and Elizabeth shared a look before Elizabeth said, “You can’t compare high-end food to a long-term purchase like a shifter collar. The food and drinks you have consumed most families would only purchase small amounts for special occasions. Even though my income is decently high, I wouldn’t spend that much even monthly. If it makes you feel any better, it costs five thousand crystals each to attend this pre-auction soiree. So you more than made up for your admission fee.”

“Damn, we better get some amazing benefits for that much.” Evernya whistled as her eyes wandered back to the table, still stocked with bottles of wine and snacks.

Meira’s mood took another nosedive as she fumed, “Well, we would have if they didn’t bump us from our private booth. The main benefits are the chance at a private booth, priority seating, and the honor of attending this soiree.”

“What do you mean, priority seating? I thought this was everyone.” Evernya inquired.

“No, not even close. The thousand people here are the so-called VIPs. Once we take our seats, they will open the doors to a second group charging a thousand crystals. That may seem like a lot just to attend an auction, but if you can’t afford the admission fee, there is no way you could afford to win any of the lots.” Meira explained.

“Damn, how is this auction house struggling?” Evernya questioned.

With a helpless look, Meira replied, “I didn’t know they were until Aiden brought it up. The owners use this building for many purposes, not just auctions, such as concerts. Maybe their attendance has been down? It costs a lot to own a building like this in a prime location, after all. Who knows, I’m not involved in a business like this. Most of my investments are in items I may need for enchanting. My investments consist of multiple armor makers, a jewelry maker, and now a weapon maker, though investments into smoothie selling locations may be a good idea in the future.”

“If you have an in on a jewelry maker, why didn’t we go there?” Evernya inquired.

“Because she only makes the jewelry on order. She is amazing if you want custom made jewelry, but if you need some on short notice like you did, she isn’t the best option. She has a small selection of pre-made jewelry, but those are from orders that the buyer failed to pay for or just not picked up like your black moons. Unless something shows up on the auction, we will go to her to have your storage device.” Meira answered just as Aiden returned.

After Aiden sat down, Evernya asked, “How did your friends take it?”

“It disappointed them until I gave them one million for the auction. That should be enough to buy a lot for each of them. I just hope they don’t start getting greedy just because I gave them a bunch of money today. One of the easiest ways to get me to cut off all contact is to ask for money.” Aiden replied.

Meira gazed fondly at her kitten as she commented, “I know the feeling. I’ve had many people beg me for handouts. You may feel good giving money to someone you care about, but more often than not, it snowballs. That’s why I keep throwing money at Evernya because I know she will complain every time.”

Evernya’s ears perked up as she half-seriously asked, “So, all I need to do is start begging for money to make you stop?”

“You are not getting out of it that easy.” Meira denied instantly.

“Damn,” Evernya muttered, disappointed.

“Anyway, it’s time for us to go to our booth.” Aiden directed after checking his fancy silver colored designer watch.

With the time brought to her attention, Evernya scanned the room, finding many of the groups emptying through the now open door labeled auction hall.

They stood up and followed Aiden through the door. The quad entered an empty elevator on the right of the hall, leading to a large theater. After a brief elevator ride, they took a left down horseshoe-shaped hall bordering the theater with numbered doors on the right side. Aiden stopped at the door, labeled L3, and scanned a card to open the door. Inside the room, they found a pretty brunette young woman dressed similarly to Ashley, the waitress, but with added high heels and jewelry.

The woman greeted her charges in a practiced, polite tone. “Good evening, Mr. Firebear. My name is Alexa. I will be your party’s attendant for tonight. If you need anything or have any questions, I will do my best to fulfill them, or I will find someone who can.”

Alexa handed Aiden a tablet as she continued, “This tablet is how you place your bid. Once a lot starts, you will have the option to either bid the amount specified by the auctioneer or by a custom amount. Any questions?”

“Could I have a tablet as well?” Meira requested.

Alexa turned her attention to the tall elf before applying in a practiced apologetic tone, “We only allow one tablet per room given to the head of the party.”

“Well, make an exception. I had my own booth until they rudely demoted me less than a half-hour before the auction.” Meira demanded with an annoyed expression.

Unmoved, Alexa responded, “We had to move around multiple booths for VIPs. I am sorry for the inconvenience it has caused you miss.”

On the verge of walking out, Meira stared directly into the attendant’s eyes as she said, “Look, just get me a tablet. My name is Meira. That should mean something to this auction with how much business I have brought you over the years. I have three lots in this auction alone.”

Alexa checked her tablet for a minute before seeing something, causing her eyes to widen. “I am so sorry I did not recognize you, Enchantress Meira. I will get you a tablet right away,” Alexa assured before rushing out of the room.

A minute later, she returned with a tablet similar to Aiden’s, handing it to Meira’s waiting hands. “I assigned that tablet to your account. It will function the same as Mr. Firebear’s. I am sorry for the inconvenience we have caused you, Enchantress Meira.” Alexa explained after bowing in apology.

Now with the tablet in her hands, Meira smiles towards the nervous young woman, “It wasn’t your fault this happened.”

After releasing a breath she didn’t know she was holding, Alexa inquired, “Is there anything else I could do for either of you?”

Meira and Aiden glanced at each other before Aiden spoke. “No, thank you, Alexa, that will be all for now.”

“I will be just outside your door then. If either of you need me, select the page attendant option on the tablet.” Alexa instructed before gracefully leaving the room.

With the attendant gone, the group investigated the rectangular-shaped ten by five-meter room. The wall opposite of the door contained a large window spanning the length of the room showing the stage below. Displayed on a one by one-meter section on each side of the glass wall was a live video offering a close-up of the stage. The other walls consisted of ornate stone and wood, while the floor had a velvety dark red carpet. To the left side of the room, along the wall, was a table filled with snacks and drinks, similar to the table in the ballroom. The right side of the room had a door labeled restroom. In front of the window were multiple forms of seating, including several couches and reclining chairs, all made of what looked like black leather, with end tables between each seat of a similar design to the walls.

As soon as Evernya spotted the restroom, she instantly felt the need to use it. She scrambled into the small restroom but ran into a problem once inside. How am I going to go in this dress? It would be a hassle to take it off just to pee. Evernya thought while staring at the toilet before realization dawned on her. Oh, I’m stupid! Evernya used telekinesis to lift her dress out of the way while she did her business.

A few minutes later, after washing her hands, she rejoined the rest of the group just in time for the auction to start. She glided around the reclined Aiden, plopping down on the last remaining recliner to his left. Once seated, she freed her feet from her heels, then reclined back. A content groan escaped as she sunk into the comfortable recliner.

Evernya observed the theater below through the window, commenting, “You weren’t kidding. There have to be at least five times the people from the ballroom down there.”

“They typically draw a crowd of five to six thousand, including VIPs every year,” Meira replied, sitting on the couch with Elizabeth to Evernya’s left.

A moment later, a slim, middle-aged man with graying brown hair dressed in a sharp black suit walked up to a podium on the stage.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! My name is Boswell Cummings. I will be your auctioneer for the 97th annual Summer Solstice Auction!” the man announced at the podium.