Bartholomeus looked at the single, humming blue fruit on his desk with undisguised greed. Ten gold coins during peace, twenty or more during wartime. It was a good find.
But Zero was just getting started.
"System," Zero commanded internally.
"Purchase nine more Velkora Fruits"
Ding!
[Item: Velkora Fruit x9]
[Cost: 90 SP]
[Status: Purchased]
[New Balance: 1,050 SP]
Without breaking eye contact with the Chief Appraiser, Zero raised his armored hand over the polished obsidian desk. He tapped the silver ring on his finger once more.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
One by one, nine more flawless, star-shaped blue fruits materialized out of thin air, tumbling gently onto the desk to join the first one. The temperature in the office plummeted. The sheer density of the condensed mana radiating from ten pristine Velkora Fruits made the glass jars on the shelves rattle, filling the room with a thick, intoxicating aura.
Bartholomeus fell back into his plush chair, his jaw dropping. His small, greedy eyes bulged as he stared at the glowing blue pile.
"By the Gods..." the fat man gasped, pulling out his silk handkerchief to aggressively mop his sweating forehead. "Ten of them? All in perfect, freshly-picked condition? Sir Zero, this... this is impossible! How did you bypass the guardians of the deep forest to harvest so many? Entire mercenary bands have died trying to bring back just two!"
Zero stood tall, crossing his massive, Abyssal Steel gauntlets over his chest.
"That is not your concern, Bartholomeus," Zero's distorted, mechanical voice ground out, silencing the appraiser's questions instantly. "My methods are my own. You only need to focus on one thing: doing business with me means endless wealth"
He leaned forward slightly, casting a dark shadow over the terrified but mesmerized merchant.
"Consider this a test run," Zero continued smoothly. "Put these on the block tonight. Bleed those desperate nobles and mages dry. Show me exactly how much profit your Golden Scales can generate for me. If the numbers satisfy me... the items I bring you next time will make these fruits look like common weeds"
Bartholomeus's eyes practically turned into gold coins. The sheer arrogance of the masked titan was terrifying, but the promise of endless, exclusive, high-grade materials was the ultimate merchant's dream.
"I swear it on my ledger, Sir Zero!"
Bartholomeus declared, slamming a fat fist onto his desk in excitement. "I will squeeze every last copper out of those aristocrats! You will not be disappointed!"
The Chief Appraiser quickly reached out and rang a small, silver bell resting on the corner of his desk.
Within seconds, the heavy mahogany doors clicked open. A young, elegant woman stepped into the office. She was a VIP Hostess, dressed in a sleek, dark velvet dress with golden embroidery lining the edges. Her posture was flawless, and she kept her eyes respectfully lowered.
"You rang, Chief Appraiser?" she asked, her voice soft and professional.
"Yes, Lyra," Bartholomeus nodded, his tone shifting back to that of a boss. "This is Sir Zero. He is our most esteemed guest for the evening. Escort him immediately to the Obsidian Balcony overlooking the main auction floor. See to it that he is completely undisturbed and that his every need is met"
Lyra turned toward the towering, black-armored titan. Despite her professional training, she couldn't help but flinch slightly at the intimidating, glowing red eyes of his iron mask.
"Understood," Lyra bowed deeply. "Please follow me, Sir Zero. I will show you to your private suite"
Zero gave Bartholomeus a final, silent nod before turning his back. His midnight-blue cloak swirled as he followed the hostess out of the office, ready to watch his cheap System items turn into a mountain of Human Kingdom gold.
Lyra led Zero away from the Chief Appraiser's office, guiding him up a grand, spiral staircase carved from white marble. They bypassed the noisy, crowded corridors of the lower levels, entering a hushed, heavily guarded hallway lined with thick crimson carpets.
She stopped before a heavy oak door marked with a golden crest and unlocked it with a specialized mana key.
"Right this way, Sir Zero," Lyra said softly, pushing the door open and bowing as he walked past her.
Zero stepped into the room. It was a luxurious, private suite designed for absolute comfort. The floors were lined with dark fur rugs, and two plush velvet armchairs sat near a small mahogany table laden with expensive wines and exotic fruits.
But the most important feature was the massive crystal window at the front of the room.
Zero walked up to the glass and looked down.
The suite was positioned high above the main auction floor, offering a perfect, unobstructed view of the brightly lit central stage. Down below, the massive hall was already filling up. Hundreds of lesser merchants, common adventurers, and minor nobles were packed tightly together, sitting in endless rows of standard wooden chairs. They chattered loudly, fanning themselves in the heat of the crowd, waiting for the event to begin.
Zero crossed his heavy, Abyssal Steel gauntlets over his chest.
"A good view," Zero's distorted voice rumbled from behind his iron mask. "But what about the others? If I bid, will they see me?"
He glanced at the other VIP boxes lining the upper walls of the auction house. He needed absolute secrecy. If a High Mage or a Duke saw his armor, it could cause unnecessary trouble.
"You do not need to worry about that, My Lord," Lyra explained with a polite, reassuring smile. She walked up to the crystal window and lightly tapped the glass.
"The Golden Scales prides itself on the absolute discretion of its elite clientele," she continued. "This crystal is enchanted with a high-grade, one-way illusion barrier. From this side, you have perfect clarity of the stage, the auctioneer, and the commoners below. However, if anyone from the main floor—or even the guests in the adjacent VIP rooms—attempts to look up at your balcony, they will only see a dark, mirrored surface."
She pointed to a small magical dial on the table next to the armchairs.
"Your voice is also masked. When you wish to place a bid, you simply channel a tiny bit of mana into that dial and speak your price. The system will project a generic, magically altered voice into the main hall, announcing your bid anonymously as 'VIP Room Seven'"
Zero stared through the glass. It was the perfect setup. The Human Kingdom's elite were so obsessed with their own safety and secrets that they had created the perfect hiding spot for a monster like him.
"No one can see my face, and no one can trace my voice," Zero muttered, a dark sense of satisfaction settling in his chest.
"Exactly, Sir Zero. You have complete anonymity," Lyra bowed deeply, stepping backward toward the door. "The auction will begin in ten minutes. If you require any refreshments or assistance, there is a silver bell on the table. Enjoy the evening"
With a soft click, the heavy oak door closed behind her, locking from the inside.
Zero was finally alone. The cave where Kaelith slept inside his Shadow Sanctuary felt miles away, yet he knew she was right beneath his feet.
With a heavy metallic groan, the black-armored titan sat down in the plush velvet armchair. His glowing red eyes fixed on the empty stage below, waiting for Bartholomeus to bring out his Velkora Fruits
Down below, the noisy chatter of the crowded main hall suddenly died out. The grand crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling dimmed, casting the audience into a hushed shadow.
A single, bright magical spotlight snapped on, illuminating the center of the grand wooden stage.
From behind heavy red velvet curtains, a man stepped out into the light. He was dressed immaculately in a crisp white suit tailored with fine gold threading, reflecting the wealth of the Golden Scales. In his right hand, he held a polished wooden gavel.
This man was the Auctioneer—the master of ceremonies, the one whose silver tongue could convince a noble to spend a fortune on a single item.
He walked confidently to the obsidian podium at the center of the stage. He raised his gavel and struck the podium once.
BANG.
The sound was magically amplified, echoing like thunder through the massive hall and shaking the floorboards. Absolute silence fell over the crowd.
"Welcome, esteemed Lords, Ladies, and brave Adventurers!" the Auctioneer's voice boomed, echoing clearly into every corner of the room, including the VIP balconies. "Welcome to the Golden Scales! I am your Auctioneer for this evening, and I promise you, tonight is no ordinary night"
He swept his gaze across the sea of eager faces in the standard seating, then briefly bowed toward the dark, mirrored windows of the VIP rooms above.
"Tonight, we have a catalog that will go down in the history of Oakhaven," the Auctioneer declared, his voice dripping with charisma.
"We have rare weapons forged by master dwarven hands. We have spell tomes recovered from ancient ruins. And..."
He paused dramatically, a knowing, greedy smile spreading across his face as he recalled what the Chief Appraiser had just handed him off-stage.
"...we have alchemical ingredients of such absolute perfection and rarity, that they have not been seen in this Kingdom for decades."
The crowd immediately erupted into excited whispers. Mages in the audience leaned forward, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.
High above the stage, safe behind the one-way illusion barrier of VIP Room Seven, Zero watched the spectacle unfold.
He sank deeper into the plush velvet armchair, resting his heavy, Abyssal Steel gauntlets on the armrests. His dark, midnight-blue cloak draped over the chair like a shadow.
Bartholomeus had clearly instructed the Auctioneer to hype up the Velkora Fruits immediately. The trap was set. Now, all Zero had to do was watch the humans fight over it.
"Speak your pretty words, Auctioneer," Zero's distorted, mechanical voice murmured in the empty room, his glowing red eyes fixed on the stage below. "Let's see how much gold your Kingdom is willing to bleed"