"The Auction organized by the Merchant Guild really had some rare items today. Is it always like this?" I asked Anastasia, watching the final item being bid on.
"No, Master," she said, nodding. "This is quite rare. Usually, only one of these items is saved for the finale. But today, they brought them all out at once."
"There was that Orichalum Sword, the Ten Thousand Pill, the Dope Medicines, and now this... Orb of Self-Destruction," I said, counting them off on my fingers.
The Orichalum Sword was a top-tier sword—far above Steel or even Damascus Steel—so that alone was a big deal. The Ten Thousand Pill was a high-grade healing item, rarely ever seen in public auctions.
Then there were the Dope Medicines, basically the equivalent of Rare Candies from Pokémon games: pop one, and your level goes up immediately.
People here were obsessed with them—after all, if you took enough, you had a chance to unlock a Superior Job. But just like Rare Candies, the catch was that your base stats didn't increase, and you missed out on real combat experience gained from fighting demons.
Also, there was supposedly a hard limit—only 50 Dope Medicines in a lifetime. Though even Anastasia wasn't sure if that was just a rumor or a real thing.
And now, the last item: the Orb of Self-Destruction. As the name implied, it unleashed a devastating attack on the opponent at the cost of the user's life force.
Though it was most commonly used by children trying to awaken the Wizard Job—those who survive the process, that is.
No wonder the crowd was going wild, bids flying higher and higher.
As for me? Most of these items weren't particularly useful, so I was leaning back and chatting with Anastasia, while constantly trying to keep my swirling thoughts at bay.
Once Rosten began calling out the final bid, I nudged Anastasia and led her toward the side exit. I had no intention of leaving with the stampede when the crowd was released.
'Master, don't you need to get more participation slips from Mina?' Anastasia asked through the party link, noticing that we were heading straight to the waiting room instead.
I still had nine slips left, but she had already successfully won seventeen bids.
'No need. I have a plan—let's see if it works first,' I replied with a small smile.
She nodded obediently in understanding.
Although Mina might have seemed loyal and obedient, that didn't mean she was naive. She was an information broker, after all. If I went back to her again with some half-baked excuse to get more slips, she might start piecing things together. And since she wasn't even my woman yet—there was no reason to let her learn more than necessary.
The encounter with the princesses had reminded me once again: this wasn't just some simple harem story that I was reading—it was a dangerous alternate universe with real stakes and unpredictable variables. Unless someone was bound to me as a slave, I had no reason to trust them. From now on, a healthy level of doubt was going to be my default setting for any one.
The waiting hall was packed with merchants and other exhibitors, all hoping to finalize deals with the buyers exiting the Auction Hall.
I handed the winning slips to Anastasia, as she had memorized the faces of the merchants who had showcased their items.
We first approached a weapon merchant, he had a large two-handed sword resting on a velvet plate beside him.
I remembered him clearly—he was the one who had displayed the Orichalum weapon.
After exchanging brief greetings and showing him our winning slip, he asked if we wanted to verify the sword. Naturally, I agreed.
We made our way to the familiar room I had entered countless times today—this time, with Anastasia beside me. The Level 43 Merchant was still lounging behind the desk, looking just as relaxed as ever.
The weapon merchant stepped forward, handed over a slip, and informed him we wanted to use the Guild Temple.
"The usage fee for the Guild Temple is 100 nars," the Level 43 Merchant said flatly. "But since you won the bid, it's reduced to 10."
"Yes, I understand. I will include it with the purchase amount," I replied with a polite nod, realizing this was actually the first time I had spoken to this particular merchant today.
He nodded and stood up, walking towards the white cubic box placed on a pedestal by the wall. The weapon merchant followed, carrying the plate with the sword resting on it. Naturally, I followed them both—this was something I was deeply interested in afterall.
The white box was the Guild Temple. I had seen it multiple times already in this room. I had even asked Anastasia about it earlier. She only confirmed what I already knew, though she did confirm one useful detail: that it apparently ran on Magic Crystals.
The merchant carefully placed the sword onto the box, then pressed a button-like protrusion on its side. Instantly, words appeared on the white surface facing us.
I immediately recognized what was happening—it was displaying the information in whatever language the reader was proficient in, just like the Intelligence Cards did.
[Orichalum Sword: Two-Handed Weapon]
The details were sparse—far less than what I could see using [Appraisal]. It didn't even show the two empty slots the sword had. Still, it served its purpose well enough.
I told the Weapon Merchant I was satisfied and handed over the payment, including the additional 10 nars for the verification.
Which had instantly activated my 40% discount skill!
The Weapon Merchant accepted the payment with a cheerful smile, even pulling 10 nars from his own pocket to cover the appraisal fee owed to the Merchant.
I almost broke into a grin at that but managed to hold it in, taking the sword into my hands and walking out of the room.
The sword was heavy—noticeably more so than my other bonus weapons like Durandal, which Sherry had once told me was also made of Orichalum. But I knew the real reason for the difference from the original story. As unlike my bonus weapons, this sword had no restrictions placed on it.
"That was brilliant, Master," Anastasia said, beaming beside me. "Using the appraisal fee to activate the discount—Master, you're even more cunning than a wealthy merchant!" she laughed, clinging to my arm.
I smiled, feeling oddly proud of the praise.
While walking back, I sneakily placed the sword into the Explorer's Backpack that Anastasia was carrying. Next, we went around to multiple exhibitors, using the same trick to claim the discount from them.
Of course, not everything we bought was equipment that could be verified through the Guild Temple—like the amber jewelry, for example. For those items, I simply used the remaining participation slips to get the discount.
Before long, a queue had started to form at the Guild Temple, with several buyers wanting to verify their winnings. To save time, we began grouping multiple exhibitors together so we could complete everything in one go and get out of there faster.
"How many more are left?" I asked, getting a bit annoyed from constantly waiting in line.
"This is the last one, Master," Anastasia replied with a wry smile. "And we won't need to verify this one at the Guild Temple."
"Good," I said, walking back with her toward the now mostly empty waiting room.
To my surprise, Anastasia led us toward a girl seated off to the side. She stood up quickly the moment we approached.
She was a blonde girl, slightly taller than Anastasia, with shoulder-length hair that was neatly braided and parted to the side. My eyes had lingered on her more than once during our visits to this room—and I wasn't alone. Many of the men had taken notice of her, drawn in by the silk Japanese-style kimono she wore, which generously showcased her cleavage.
And now, up close, I was pretty sure her boobs might even be bigger than Roxanne's or Lillia's.
"Greetings, I am Reiko from the Motto family," she said sweetly, offering a graceful bow. "Are you the winning bidder?" Her red eyes locked onto mine with a charming smile.
[Reiko Motto
Tea Brewer Level 5
Equipment: Sacrificial Misanga]
Her bountiful chest wasn't the only reason my gaze had lingered on her earlier. It was also her last name—Motto—which clearly marked her as a noble, and the unusual tea-related Job I had seen on her when I used [Appraisal].
"Yes," Anastasia confirmed, handing over the slip.
'What was her exhibit?' I asked through the party link, realizing Anastasia must have won this bid while I was out, chatting with the princesses.
'Black tea, Master. And not just any tea—it's from the Motto family. They are famous across the Empire for their refreshing tea leaves. Even many nobles are known to drink it,' she replied cheerfully. 'I had it once as a child, though I found it too bitter for my taste. Still, this time surprisingly few people placed bids, so I managed to win it at a very low price. I thought you might like it—or it might be of use to serve it to the guests.'
She had told me earlier that she had won a bid on black tea, but I hadn't paid much attention at the time.
'Good. You did well… very well,' I praised her, my eyes drifting back to the bombshell standing in front of me with a sweet smile on her cute face.
"Yes, this is all in order," Reiko said, glancing at the slip and nodding. "Thank you for choosing to buy from the Motto family. May I ask your name, please?" she asked, bowing once more with elegance.
"I am Michio Kaga," I replied, keeping my gaze level—despite my brain yelling at me to look down at the soft, fair, deep cleavage peeking from her kimono.
Good thing I didn't. Because the moment I locked eyes with her, I saw a flicker of recognition in her crimson gaze.
"Michio-san, here is the box of our famed black tea," Reiko said, picking up a polished wooden container from beside her and stepping closer to my side. "You can tell it's genuine just by its aroma," she added, opening one corner of the box and leaning in to take a whiff, her eyes fluttering shut.
"Yes… definitely genuine," I said, my eyes already drifting down into the deep valley of her cleavage—mentally debating whether she was an F or a G cup.
"I'm glad you think so, Michio-san," she replied with a radiant smile.
I then proceeded to pay her, while using one of the participation slips. Part of me felt bad duping such a gorgeous girl, but I still had plenty of slips left—and letting them go to waste would be a bigger shame.
Once the transaction was complete, I hesitated, not quite ready to walk away. She was too elegant… too beautiful… too stacked to just let go without trying my luck. Not to mention that curious Job—Tea Brewer—which I had never seen before.
"Michio-san, you're an Adventurer… right?" she asked suddenly, her tone softer now.
"Yes," I nodded without hesitation. I still had some time left on my Thief skill, so I could easily maintain the cover. "Do you need something from me?" I asked, already suspecting she had recognized me by name—rumors spread like wildfire around here.
She looked uncertain, her red eyes darting around the room at the few remaining people.
"If it's something private," I offered gently, leaning in just a bit, "we can talk somewhere more discreet."
"How about… Michio-san visits my home for some afternoon tea instead?" she suggested after a moment's hesitation.
"Just for afternoon tea?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah! N-No, not like that!" she stammered, flustered. "I—I meant a more private setting to discuss a certain work-related matter."
I chuckled at her embarrassment and nodded. "Sure. I would be delighted."
She smiled, clearly relieved, and handed me a small paper with her address. "Please have someone send a letter a day in advance if you plan to visit. Also I would appreciate it if you could make time sometime this coming week."
With another graceful bow, she bid me goodbye.
I watched her go, a grin creeping onto my face. Another waifu, huh?
The moment I saw her, I'd had this nagging sense of familiarity. And during our talk, it finally clicked—Reiko was a side character from a hentai game my friend used to obsess over. The title had been ridiculously long, with words like Ero and Boobs stuffed right into it. Something like...
More! Knock Me Up! A Super Ero-App Academy of Fiery Boobs!
Yeah. Hard to forget a game where every single girl had outrageous knockers!
***
[Travis Storm has added a new waifu: Barato Reiko from More! Knock Me Up! A Super Ero-App Academy of Fiery Boobs! (Motto! Haramase! Honoo no Oppai Chou Ero ♡ Appli Gakuen!) to this Story.]
***
[Grolis has redeemed an Extra Chapter this week]
***
I give a heartfelt thanks to my new Patreon Supporter! :)
Lee
You are Omega level on Patreon and Tier 5 on Discord now!!