Alex, along with everyone else in the hall, stares at the woman. Immediately, he feels a faint hint of recognition tug at him.
I have seen this woman before... quite old for a player... but where was it again?
Without speaking, the woman uses her system to place a bid.
Softspark maintains her cool, and Alex catches a tiny hint of a smile on her face. "I see a bid of 850,000 FC from Miss Williams. The Union welcomes your attendance. You may sit down or stand, as long as you obey the established rules."
I knew it... so it's her.
This time, it's Alex who leans in and whispers to Benezia and the others. "That's ehh Samantha Williams, probably from the US, judging by the name."
"What does her nationality matter?" Tereza chimes in, whispering back. "I remember seeing her. Isn't she from the Mercenary Alliance?"
"No," Alex says, shaking his head, trying to correct her. "She is from the Tr—"
"She is the token head of the Trade Alliance," Benezia corrects her flatly. "I do not need an introduction, but I appreciate your consideration nonetheless, Alex."
"..."
Just trying to be helpful. She wasn't at that event, so I thought I'd tell her... wait. Token?
"Token?" Alex repeats, continuing to whisper silently. "The fuck are you talking about?"
"Most leaders are not recognizable in the light of the day as they are hidden by the clouds of Illium's two sacred moons."
"Huh?!" Alex wonders.
What does she mean?
Princess Jewel looks down on pretentious Peasants speaking in riddles. If it were spider riddles, Princess Jewel would approve, but Asari idioms are not helpful.
I kinda agree... about the riddle part, not about the spider part, but pssst, I wanna know.
"They are mere public representatives doing most administrative work and appearing to be the leader," Benezia continues. "The same thing is true about the Seekers, and most other guilds as well. Do not be gullible and naive, Alex. What is openly told is rarely the truth—it's only what the ones truly in charge would like you to think. That much is true for almost all parts of life."
"..."
Wow. I wanted to be helpful for once; instead I'm getting cooked here... fuck you....
Tell me that beforehand, in the future, will you?
Princess Jewel once again recommends to Soulmate to attempt a nightly visi—
No, Jewel... that's not even funny; in fact, it's a crime. Stop learning common sense from Anime. And as much as I don't give a fuck about committing crimes if it's about fighting criminals and about my own survival, doing something like that is just disgusting. Seriously, stop it, especially if it's about our own group. Why are you so perverted?! I really need to teach you some morals.
Princess Jewel is jesting—Soulmate shouldn't take anything she says so seriously. Princess Jewel has the best spider morals.
"..."
... let's just focus on the auction, okay? Can't win with this spider....
Despite the Trade Alliance's leader's appearance, the bids do not stop. Finally, the fruit sells for 920,000 FC, and an unknown player, sitting in a cabin on the upper floor, wins it.
"Heh, looks like the Trade Alliance is poor," Alex snickers silently.
"There is a high likelihood it's a proxy belonging to the Trade Alliance as well. By feigning that the price is too high, she may have successfully signaled to others that any more bidding would constitute overpaying," Benezia explains calmly.
Fucking cheater... only we are supposed to be able to cheat. Still, this seems like a somewhat fair offer, I guess.
"Now, for the people without such deep pockets, we have some incredible offers as well," Softspark continues, not leaving behind the players with less FC, who nonetheless are now entertained, a spark ignited in their eyes, eager to place a bid themselves. "How about an extremely powerful robe providing a generous amount of stats? Considering the Quality, this item's performance is extremely satisfactory. Please place your bids... we're starting at..."
Continuing, she sells the [Stonecloth Robe] for a surprising 32,000 FC, way above market price.
The [Crane-School Style Incomplete], while only being Deep Blue and, as the name implies, being incomplete, is the biggest surprise of the auction so far.
Fueled by the popularity of the Dragon Ball franchise, which is prevalent and well known all over the world, many children having grown up with it, the bids keep flooding in, people yelling wildly and talking over each other while bidding frantically.
"Ki! That is Ki, you can blow up the moon!" someone yells excitedly.
... relying on the early parts of the series, which include gags, is not wise. This will never be a skill that's so powerful. It's an obvious misconception. Is he an idiot? No, it might be another plant by Softspark... man, I hate these anonymous auctions; who knows what is true and what isn't? This is a double bluff... or even a triple bluff.
Nevertheless, the skillbook sells for an absurd 108,000 FC, especially considering the skill is incomplete and only of Deep Blue Quality.
Next, Softspark tries to sell the two pieces of [Lava-Lizard Skin] for a minimum bid of 20,000 FC, but to Alex's shock, nobody bites and attempts to bid at all. After a minute of talking about potential benefits and uses, which are mainly crafting-related, Softspark cuts her losses and stops the sale.
Deciding not to sell the item below 10,000 FC, Softspark does not hesitate and chooses to keep it for now, not willing to sell an item below its worth.
It's nice of her, I guess... she could sell it at all costs. That way, the Union would earn at least a commission, but she is deciding it's worth more. That way she and the union get nothing.
I really have to thank her. I should be nicer to her in the future, I guess.
"It seems a Light Blue crafting item can't catch your attention; you are indeed players with lofty ambition," Softspark muses loudly, now a bit more playfully. "I can respect that. How about a weapon with the potential of ending another player, or whoever you are up against, in the blink of an eye? Introducing one of our three Gold Quality items, the deadly [HDR10K]," Softspark continues. "Minimum bid, 350,000 FC!"
Once again, bids quickly increase to 380,000 FC, then to 420,000 FC, and to Alex's shock and slight annoyance, another apparent high-caliber visitor enters, walking into the hall.
"Didn't you fucking employ any bodyguards? Can people just walk in? Is this a damn show?" Alex curses, this time a little too loudly, as a few people snicker in reaction, and Softspark herself briefly glances at him apologetically.
A woman with brown skin enters, not quite young, but still a far cry from the Trade Alliance leader who entered earlier in both age and presence.
"That's the leader of the Mercenary Alliance, Terra or something," Alex whispers, his anger disappearing, looking at Tereza with a tiny grin, who just ignores him.
"That's Tierra, the leader of the Mercenary Alliance," someone yells.
"Heh, looks like you made a little mistake, Alex," Tereza smirks back at him.
"..."
"Fucking showoffs," Alex mutters as he looks closer at the rugged-looking woman, the way she carries herself practically screaming strength and confidence.
"The Mercenary Alliance bids, 500,000 FC," she yells. "I humbly declare that this is a fair and adequate offer."
Softspark raises her hand. "I believe I have declared more than once that you are not allowed to address the audience or speak any words other than your bid."
"Excuse me, Goblin Representative, I just arrived. I didn't hear about those rules," Tierra says, feigning innocence, smiling brightly.
"I am not convinced about that, as I can see at least five members of your guild present," Softspark counters, rebuking her. "Lady Tierra, if you disrespect the Union once more, we will not respond kindly."
Fucking bitch... stop ruining my auction and preventing me from getting obscenely rich.
She is preventing Princess Jewel from acquiring the funds to enjoy the highest quality chicken! Unforgivable.
"Hehe, I am sorry. I guess it just slipped out. Anyway, I'm paying you 500,000 FC—that much should be a great apology, right?" Tierra asks.
"Are there any other bids? I will ask our clients if they still wish to make the sale at that price. Since you have broken the rules, I am inclined to cancel the sale of this item altogether," Softspark announces, not acknowledging her argument.
After a brief moment of silence, Alex sees two people bid in quick succession.
"510,000 FC!" a young man yells, perfectly calm.
"530,000 FC," a woman from the second floor, her appearance not visible, proceeds to bid.
Are these... real players or Softspark's plants? In any case... I hope this works out.
Looking slightly annoyed, Tierra joins the bids as well, clearly not wanting to lose.
In the end, she manages to win the item, but has to pay 710,000 FC—an amount which Softspark apparently deems acceptable, as she does not ask Alex if he agrees to the sale. A subtle clue that he did not get underpaid, after all.
She then auctions off the [Supa Supa no Mi] so as not to lose any steam.
Speaking forcefully, yet with a controlled voice, she introduces the fruit. "Another particularly powerful Devil Fruit of even higher quality than the previous one. Why is this one so powerful, you may ask? It doesn't offer stats like a Zoan fruit, but this fruit is perhaps one of the most powerful ones you can get for many worlds."
She continues, "Its passive ability is so powerful that barely any enemy can hurt you, and that includes players, dear participants. A sword, an arrow, or a bullet? It will all be repelled by a solid iron body. In addition to that, you'll always be armed with your own body, which can transform into all kinds of blades, allowing you to cut apart your foes."
"With this fruit, a large percentage of enemies won't even be able to attack or damage you. This fruit is almost like a cheat, certainly a shortcut. Depending on the world, you might become invulnerable and can do whatever you please." Softspark tilts her head slightly, still keeping her voice even, as many players are visibly impressed. "The Goblin Union prides itself on being honest, so I'll tell you that there are two ways to use this particular fruit."
"You may think this is for players with strong physical stats, which is indeed true. That way, players can use the ability to transform their bodies and deliver powerful and deadly attacks. However, the other use is that frail players, with no real defense skills, buy this. Though they might not be able to slice apart enemies in physical combat, whoever eats this fruit shall become almost invulnerable to physical attacks. You see, this fruit has a lot of uses... but only one lucky winner can obtain it. Your FC is the way to this blessing; it's up to you whether you can grab it for yourself or an ally."
"Please, a starting bid of 400,000 FC. Increments of 10,000 FC."
It's a trap... It's great against weaker enemies... but it comes with downsides. I mean, still, for an average player, this is a cheat... but against truly skilled players, this fruit might not be that useful. You gain Devil Fruit weaknesses and... it essentially just transforms your body into a metal blade. You might as well wield a weapon. The defense ability is the highlight of this fruit, but is it effective against magic? Partially. A nice fruit, but there are better Item-class innate skills.
Now... how much can I get?!
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