I WAS The Rank–1 Hero-Chapter 132: Auction House [3]

At the same time, inside another room, a man in his late forties with red hair and a feathered mask on his face was seated on his sofa. The room was guarded by five guards in total, three outside and two inside.

"Lord Ashborn, the clerk sent you this," one of the guards said, handing the red-haired man a tablet, which contained all the items that were about to be sold in today's auction.

"Hmm." The red-haired man took the tablet from his guard's hand and began scrolling through its contents.

He was none other than Lucian Ashborn, the current head of the Ashborn Household, one of the great noble houses of the Five Kingdoms.

He was specifically here to attend today's auction.

Tapping on the screen, he selected a few of the items before giving the tablet back to the guard.

"Prepare the amount for the items I have marked," Lucian said, picking up the wine glass from the table, "and also bring me an additional five hundred million in cash."

"As you wish, Lord Ashborn," said the guard as he looked at the tablet in his hand.

"That's good," Lucian added, "and also ask the owner if that thing has arrived or not. I wish to have a look."

The guard nodded and responded, "As you wish, my lord."

"Alright, you may go," Lucian said before turning his head to the stage through the glass wall between them.

Being one of the great noble houses, every piece of information, no matter how small eventually reached his ears.

Putting his glass down, Lucian smiled before whispering to himself:

"Soon, the world shall see the past."

Shortly after, the lights turned off.

…

"…Please enjoy yourselves, and just so you know, this room is soundproof."

This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.

—Clang.

The attendant closed the room, leaving me and Ruby alone.

"..."

"..."

Ruby and I were silent for the first few minutes. It wasn't awkwardness but rather suspicion. When we both stepped foot inside the auction hall, we instantly felt numerous Essence pressures coming from all directions, pointing to a single conclusion.

There were people here whose strength could be compared to a double-digit-ranked Hero.

So, to avoid drawing suspicion, both Ruby and I were playing our roles.

Deactivating my <Elemental View> skill, I confirmed with Ruby.

"No traces of bugs or transmitters in this room. We're clear."

Seated beside me, Ruby, who had her arms interlocked with mine, she suddenly rested her head on my shoulder.

"..Hm?!" I flinched, but I didn't shake her off.

I did invite her, so why not let her enjoy today? We won't be getting time like this again anytime soon.

"Mhmm," she pressed her head into my shoulder before saying, "Where did you even get this location?"

"The auction house?" I asked. "It was when I visited the black market."

"Oh, it seems my guess was correct," she said casually. "I never thought of you as someone who would fork out his money like those noble monkeys."

I kept my mouth shut. I already had my eyes on a few of the items that would be presented here, which might cost me a small fortune. But no matter what, I never planned to go overboard.

Resting my head on hers, I answered.

"Unlike those monkeys, I have self-control."

And suddenly, all the lights turned off except for the one on the stage in front of us.

"It's starting." I took the tablet and opened the auction catalog.

"That's quite a lot of items," Ruby pondered as I scrolled through the catalog.

Looking at me, she asked,

"Which one of them caught your eye?"

The catalog had numerous items, starting from artifacts, skills, weapons, monster parts, and many other things. Most of the items were things that would make anyone interested in history drool over them.

I was no different. If it weren't for my self-control, I would want to buy everything on the list.

However, there were only three items I had my eyes on. The first one was a book called 'Codex of Realms' found underground near Pyrestone. The description claimed that this book contained lost formulas, technologies, and descriptions of ancient history.

The second item I had my eyes on was a mask called 'Veyla.' It's an AI-integrated mask that offers identity protection, threat analysis, and even real-time combat prediction.

The third one wasn't anything fancy but rather a simple-looking transparent prism called cMemory Prism'. The description in the catalog stated that it contains the lived experiences of a master tactician.

All the items I had my eyes on were S-Grade artifacts, meaning each one of them would cost me at most fifty million.

Handing the tablet to Ruby, I showed her the items I would be bidding on.

"Interesting…" she said after reading the catalog. Then, turning to me, she asked, "Do you have enough money?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

I doubted my total would even go beyond a hundred million.

"The auction is about to start," I said, noticing a tall man wearing a flat-top hat and a mask walking onto the stage. Correcting his black tie on his formal attire, he announced through the speakers:

[Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you for coming to the Stardust Tower's grand auction house…]

The lights focused on the man alone as he swiftly lowered his body in salutation, drawing both our attention to him.

[For our first item of tonight, I present you this.]

Unveiling the first item, my brows knit together.

"A sword?"

It was a long, double-edged sword with a white blade and a purple hilt. It seemed nothing out of the ordinary.

"Focus on its edge," the girl seated next to me instructed.

"Ah, wait…"

She was taking a closer look, and I saw her eyes faintly glow with a yellow shade of light.

A skill?

She was using one of her unique skills, which allowed her to analyze things in a much more detailed manner. It was more like an upscale version of any analysis.

Taking a closer look, I soon realized my mistake. That sword was no ordinary sword.

The edge of the sword was constantly absorbing the Essence present in the atmosphere, maintaining the blade's durability and sharpness.

[It might look like an ordinary sword. Some might even think, why is this here? Why is this in an auction? Who is going to buy this scrap of metal? Well, ladies and gentlemen, rest assured, this sword is one of a kind…]

Pausing, the auctioneer took the sword and channeled his Essence through it.

Instantly, the hall went chilly. The Ice Elemental in the atmosphere started resonating with the sword, absorbing it in a high concentration.

"Hmm…"

Squinting my eyes, I leaned forward. My interest had started to pique.

[This sword right here is called Golden Dawn, the sword that blends with nature. Found in an underground tunnel near Aquadore, this sword was meant to cut oceans, split mountains, and even slice molten steel without losing its sharpness or strength.]

The auctioneer paused and looked at each room's glass walls. He was trying to let the information sink in.

[The starting price of this beauty is just 1,000,000. Let the bids begin.]

The bidding was officially opened.

Instantly, a wave of voices echoed through the hall.

[Room No.114 bids 1,050,000. Going once, twice, thri—Ah! Room No.10 bids 2,000,000.

Anyone else… going higher? Once. Twice. Thrice!]

Ding Ding!

[Congratulations, the Golden Dawn now belongs to the peeps of Room 10.]

Seeing the crazy waves of bids, I looked at the buttons on my table. On it was a button beside a number pad. Through it, I could place a bid if I wanted to.

If I had to be honest, I was quite tempted, but I forcefully threw the thought out of my mind.

No, I must control myself!

There was no way I would bid on a sword with such a ridiculous name. I already love my katana. And let's not forget, I already have a sword named Doombringer in my collection.

[Haaah… That was quite the show! Now, onto the next item. Right in front of you we present…]

For the next thirty minutes or so, different items came and went as everyone fervently bid for them.

All the items were equally interesting, but none of them were something I wanted at the moment.

"Fuuu…" I let out a tired breath before turning to Ruby and asking, "Don't you want anything for yourself?"

"..hm?" Ruby turned her head to me. She, too, was invested in the auction, as excitement could be seen in her eyes alone.

"I have plenty in my collection, but… if you want anything, don't hesitate to ask me, alright?"

"..."

What an angel!

But I don't want her to spend her money on me like that. So I shook my head.

"It's fine, I got this."

"As you say so," she said, "but just so you know, I'm carrying two billion in cash right now."

"..."

What the fuck did I just hear?

But the auctioneer cut off my thoughts before announcing:

[Next up, from the land of Pyrestone, the kingdom right next to the Demon Continent, I present you…]

Unveiling the next item, a red book with golden patterns on it appeared inside a glass capsule.

Staring at the book, my eyes lit up.

"Finally, it's here!"

The book 'Codex of Realms', the one I had been wanting.