The hammer fell on the Ancient Sword, and the transaction completed with the same efficient professionalism that had characterized every exchange so far. Attendants moved, papers changed hands, and the sword was carefully removed from the stage.
In the surrounding hall, the quiet conversation that followed carried a different quality from what had accompanied the first three items.
The Osborn Clan had stayed entirely silent through the opening of the auction, and now they had spent fifteen thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones on an old sword that none of the domain's four major powers had considered worth a single bid. The smaller clans in the lower tiers exchanged looks, the kind of wordless discussion that happened when something did not quite fit expectations. Who were these people? What did they actually want?
Robert set the auction token back on the table and waited.
