Ch. 211..220

Chapter 211

The rumors of Jack spread quickly, especially since he had been in the spotlight before.

There were three days left before the auction now and the streets were only getting more crowded. Jack’s party gave up trying to search the marketplace by then.

With the auction just around the corner, they would already do what they could to get the best items and it was no longer worth their time in the crowded market for the decent things they had. Besides, anything that would catch their eye after everything Jack had done could only be found at auctions, in dungeons, or in tombs.

At breakfast, the party was gathered in a private booth and enjoying Rayard’s magnificent cooking.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Marisha’s voice then followed. "There are some people here to visit Jack. Would you like to let them in or would you prefer another booth?"

They were puzzled. Who was important enough for Marisha to escort personally and suggest getting a separate booth?

Jack got up and opened the door, only to be shocked and terrified of the man on the other side.

"He says he’s from Adventurers Association council and that you’d probably prefer a separate booth," mentioned Marisha, seeing that Jack really did recognize him.

"Yeah... we’ll take a separate booth." Turning to the others, Jack added, "I’ll be having breakfast with an acquaintance from the association. I’ll be back soon."

Having said that, Jack exited the private booth and followed Marisha and the man to another end of the restaurant.

"Here we are, and don’t worry about the cost since your with the association’s council."

"Thank you. I’m glad to see that Zariff found himself such a good wife," laughed the man, taking initiative to enter first and sit furthest from the door.

Jack chuckled as well and asked for two special breakfasts for the two of them before he closed the door behind him.

"So, what brings the Founder of the Adventurers Association all the way here to see me, a low-level summoned hero?" asked Jack sarcastically. "I’m guessing it wasn’t because I broke any association rules."

"Correct. Your conduct has been totally fine in the eyes of the association," replied the man. "I’m here not as the founder, but just as Lorwynn."

"Okay... Then why do you care about me?"

"Can I just say that your new method of hiding your level and information is impeccable. Not even I can read you this time, and that’s quite a feat," joked Lorwynn, making Jack go wide-eyed.

"Do you know who I actually am?" asked Lorwynn, catching Jack off guard.

Saying nothing, Jack was looking at his blaring red alert which reminded him that he was with a fellow champion.

"Do you know, yes or no?" repeated Lorwynn, still smiling warmly.

It was clear to Jack that Lorwynn was already aware of Jack being a champion, so he didn’t have a reason to lie.

"You’re another champion, right?"

Lorwynn sighed, "So you do know... Is that why you agreed to Argyle’s forceful marriage?"

Seeing Jack’s strange look, Lorwyn continued, "What? It’s not too hard to figure out for a man like me."

"Since you know I’m a champion, what are you going to do now?" asked Jack, showing his best poker face to hide his beating heart.

A knock then came from the door. "Food’s here!"

Jack got up and took the food, closing the door and reactivating the silence barrier before he set down their meals. He didn’t touch anything yet, but Lorwynn calmly started eating.

"Why are you so tense? Just relax already, at least enjoy your breakfast," said Lorwynn in between bites.

However, Jack didn’t even grab his fork.

"Fine, I guess we’ll talk first and eat second. But don’t blame me if I order another meal after this one gets cold." Lorwynn pushed the plate to the side and met Jack’s hesitating gaze with a small smile. "Seriously, just calm down. I’m not going to do anything to you."

"Really?"

"At least, not right now," added Lorwynn. "For now, you don’t pose a threat to me so I figured I’d investigate a little and maybe enjoy a chat with a fellow champion. I haven’t been able to talk with about this stuff in ages."

"... Okay, I’ll bite. So, what did you want to talk about?" asked Jack.

"Oh, lighten up! Let’s introduce ourselves. I’ll go first." Lorwynn stood up and elegantly bowed with one arm in front of him and one arm behind. "I’m Lorwyn, a former soldier turned champion by Halmut himself. Thanks to Halmut’s blessing, I’ve been alive for the past five hundred years, though no one else knows that."

Lorwynn looked up and saw that Jack was still struggling to relax. "Oh, come on, I’m really not going to do anything. Unless you won’t even chat with me, then maybe I’ll get mad."

With a cough to clear his nerves, Jack stood up and politely bowed. "I’m Jack, a summoned herp turned champion by Daruun. As for everything else, you should already know that."

"Wrong," replied Lorwynn. "Summoned heroes come from Ancient Kartonia, so that must mean that you did to. And since it was Daruun that chose you, you must have been extraordinary among those ancient heroes."

Reading the situation, Jack sighed, "You’re right, I was originally here during Ancient Kartonia. But I was lucky to get chosen. It’s definitely not what I had planned."

"Jack, who are you really?" asked Lorwynn bluntly, with a smile that wasn’t a smile.

"... You’re really not going to attack me?"

"Nope. Not any time soon."

"Can I ask why?"

"Nope," replied Lorwynn. "Let’s just say that depending on who you really are will determine if I let you roam free or if I keep you on a leash in the association. This is a very important decision for me, so I need the truth."

"Oh, and don’t lie. Even if I can’t see your information anymore, I can at least tell if you’re lying to me," added Lorwynn. "Just consider it the strong bullying the weak and you’ve got no choice but to try and be on my good side. So, who are you, Jack?"

"... I’m Jack J."

"Seriously?!"

This time, it was Lorwynn that went wide-eyed. But his face didn’t show signs of terror. He looked starstruck and amazed to have Jack in front of him.

"You’re really the Legend of Trodar?! That’s amazing! It’s no wonder that old man from the Leisure Guild showed up at your wedding," laughed Lorwynn, but he suddenly became dead-serious. "So, does that mean you’re heading off to Trodar and rebuild the Leisure Guild?"

"What does that matter to you?"

"Just as I said, I can either keep you on a leash or I can let you roam free."

Jack squinted at Lorwynn, making his displeasure blatantly known. "... Yes. I’m trying to grind up as fast as possible and plan to revive the Leisure Guild. What will you do about that?"

"Good..."

Lorwynn closed his eyes and stroked his beard in thought. He did this for a solid five minutes, letting the time slowly pass for Jack as if the time were slowly steamrolling him to death.

"Okay."

"... Okay, what?" asked Jack, still confused by Lorwynn’s strange behavior.

"Okay," repeated the old man.

"What are you okay with? At least give me something," stated Jack, not hiding his annoyance.

"For now, I’ll let you do whatever you want to do." Lorwyn then pulled his plate back over and was happy to see that it was still warm. "Good, this makes things easier."

"Can you at least tell me why? How can I expect you to just let me off? I thought we were enemies?" Anxious, Jack shot off one question after the other.

For a brief moment, Lorwynn showed a serious face and stopped eating. He mumbled, "The enemy of my enemy is a friend..."

After that, Lorwynn said nothing as he cleaned the plate.

"Thank you for the meal, and it was an honor to meet the Legend of Trodar. To think Daruun actually pulled off getting such a powerful ally... Well, I’m off. I’ve got some things to take care of, so good luck with Trodar and the Leisure Guild! Hopefully, I’ll see you next time you come visit Federal City."

And just like that, Lorwynn left.

Jack was still hesitant to touch his food. He had been found out by a champion that was undoubtedly the strongest person he’d met thus far, yet here was, still alive.

Nothing made sense to him, but Jack was certain that Lorwynn was up to something.

No matter how Jack put things together, it made no sense for Lorwynn to leave him alive, let alone let him roam and recreate the Leisure Guild. By all logic, Lorwynn shouldn’t let Jack live, yet he was permitted to do as he pleased.

With no way to defend himself, Jack became even more determined to level up. And since the auction was so close, Jack decided that he would take whatever he wanted.

Even if he angered a few royal families, none of them would be as threatening as Lorwynn. Jack’s only way out was to get stronger and watch his back.

 

Chapter 212

Jack was perplexed by Lorwynn’s sudden visit and struggled to relax for the next couple of days.

He spent the time trying to decide what his biggest priority of items would be. With that, he would be ready to enter the auction and wouldn’t hesitate to buy something he might regret not bidding on.

In no time, the date of the auction arrived.

Early that morning, Jack and his party left the Heavenly Palace Inn. Wearing dark cloaks, they hid their identities while Jack used his cloak to look like a wise, middle-aged man.

Together, they entered the Fat Goose Auction House, but it took them a while to get through the crowd. They had decided to use a side entrance with Eliza as the guide to avoid the many prying eyes. Unlike everyone else, they were avoiding the spotlight.

Once inside, Eliza took them all immediately to the third floor. With Jack’s own private room, everyone was able to cozily sit and watch the auction.

Zariff and Marisha wanted to join them but Jack refused.

Since they weren’t traveling with him, he wouldn’t dare reveal any unnecessary secrets that he had no control over. At least with everyone else, they already had an idea of his end goals and knew his true identity. For them, keeping secrets about a few items he bought at auctions was nothing.

Now that Eliza was Jack’s wife, she no longer hosted and decided to stay with Jack and them.

Argyle himself even came up to join the party in Jack’s room. After what happened at the last auction, he wanted front row seats to the show. He was sure that Jack was about to steal items away from plenty of dignitaries.

And most importantly, Argyle wanted to know which strange items Jack might buy. Surely there were going to be items determined as having lesser value, yet Jack tended to bid on such items. Argyle wanted to know why.

"Everyone, I’m glad you’re enjoying the upgrades I’ve made to the room," stated Argyle. "Now, the wall’s voice projection spell has an added voice changer. That way no one will recognize Jack after he swindles everyone."

"Ha, ha, very funny," joked Jack. "I believe the biggest fool to get swindled last time was you, right?"

"Yup, that’s why I showed you all of the items that the Fat Goose was going to put up. Now, it’ll be the turn of the other two auction houses to get robbed!" laughed Argyle. "Remember, this auction will last for three days. Each day, the value of the items will go up. This is the one auction where we sell our greatest of treasures, so make sure to get everything you can, Jack."

"You just want to see how many people I piss off, don’t you?"

"And what’s wrong with that? We only get to gather like this once a year, so why not enjoy it to the fullest while supporting my son-in-law?"

Lina was leaning up against the wall, in awe of how she could see the audience and the stage below. "Big Brother, how can I see them? Can they see me too?"

"No, they can’t see or hear us right now, Lina. It’s a special magic that lets us look outside but doesn’t let them look inside. And only one person can use the voice projection at once. That’s why I’m holding this because I’m the only one allowed to right now."

In Jack’s hand was a small, polished brass bar with a cushy handle. The top of the brass bar had a gem embedded into it, and the gem was the same color as the crystal-like wall they were looking through.

"Oh, can I try!" asked Lina.

Shaking his head, Jack put the bar away. "Sorry Lina, but I’m the only one who can use it during the auction. But I’ll make sure to get you something good, how about that!"

"Yay! Thanks, Big Brother!"

Enjoying the sight, everyone chuckled. The mood was very light in the room. Even though they knew Jack was likely going to go after the most valuable items, none doubted his ability to get them. So while some nobles or royals were nervous or anxious, everyone in Jack’s room was smiling and waiting to enjoy the show.

Jack wasn’t nervous, but he was pensive. He was determined to take whatever he wanted, but he also had to keep in mind not to go too far overboard without a good reason. But he also knew that if the entire third day they only sold legend-tier items, then Jack would take them all.

Obviously, it was likely that there wouldn’t be that many legend-tier items up for grabs, but Jack would be willing to get anything so long as it was really worth offending someone to get it.

They watched the crowd pile in.

This time, the entire first floor wasn’t filled with commoners, but with nobles. Since so many royal families had come and the strongest of organizations as well, only the most powerful of noble families could get a spot on the second floor.

Everyone was excited and ready to get the first day started.

The auction would be broken up into three days based on the level of the items. During the first day, all items from lv. 45 and below would be sold. After that, all lv. 50 and lv. 55 items would be sold on the second day. And finally, the third day would be all lv. 60 and higher.

If there were special items without level, like Sterfen’s Cloak, the day it was sold would be based on the estimated value. All special items estimated to be equal to a lv. 50 item was sold on day two, and items estimated as equal to anything over lv. 60 would be sold on the third day. Not many special items would be sold on day one, usually.

"So, Jack, which item from the Fat Goose interests you the most?" asked Argyle.

Jack laughed, "If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me."

"Really?"

Everyone looked to Jack, happy that he was finally hinting at something he would want.

"Can you at least tell me which day it’ll be sold?"

"I’ll make sure to buy it tomorrow. And if I guess correctly, I’m going to make you a fool yet again."

Before, Jack had always refused to give his opinion about the items because he didn’t want his father-in-law to spread the word and force the price to jump. But now that the auction had started, it was too late.

As everyone at the auction was very powerful, staying up for three days straight wasn’t an issue. For that reason, though the auction lasted three days, it was all one continuous auction.

And since Argyle had already agreed to stay in the room, that meant he wouldn’t be leaving until the auction was over. Such were the rules of the annual auction.

Argyle sighed and showed a self-mocking smile. "Well, if that’s true then I can only hope the other two auction houses will be even bigger fools."

"And they will be," laughed Jack. "At least, I know the Golden Haven Auction House will be. If they really put up the items you mentioned, they have the item I want most of all. And guess which day it’ll be sold on?"

Feeling a bit better, Argyle guessed, "The third day? Or the Second?"

Jack shook his head. "Today."

"Really?" With sparkling eyes, Argyle laughed heartily, "Perfect! If only I could tell it to Kaldor’s face, that would make it even better."

"Of course, that’s just the one I want most from items that aren’t a surprise. You never bothered showing me those items, so I can’t be too sure."

"If I was allowed to, I would’ve shown you everything. But it would go against the contract we three auction houses have," stated Argyle. "Those surprise items will be sold at the last half of the auction and act as a finale of sorts. I’m not allowed to tell anyone, not even the other auction houses."

"Then I’m sure I’ll find a few interesting things at the end." Scratching his head, Jack imagined himself holding even more legend-tier items. "Who knows, if all of the items are really that tempting, then I may just have to take them all."

"If that’s the case, I’m glad we have front row seats," Maynard laughed, excited to see Jack beat out all the royals and nobles.

Rydel added, "If you find any special bows, I’d love to get my hands on them."

"I’ve got plenty of bows up till you’re lv. 55. Once you’re lv. 60, then we’ll start looking for more weapons," stated Jack. "Besides, if we can find the materials, then we can get a weapon crafted specifically to get blessed. That would be best by then."

"But till then, let’s focus on our current goal and get ready for Trodar."

Finally, the stage curtains opened and a beautiful woman walked out. "Everyone, are you ready to kick off this year’s annual auction?"

 

Chapter 213

"Everyone, are you ready to kick off this year’s annual auction?"

A wave of applause and cheers filled the room. The crowd on the first floor shouted, trying to get them to hurry the auction along and get started.

"Since you’re all so excited, we’ll now officially start the annual auction!" yelled the beautiful woman. "It’s day one, so remember that everything under lv. 50 will be sold today. If you’re only interested in things more valuable than that, you’ll only need to wait one more day, so please be patient."

"Now, our first item!" She stepped aside and let a group of men push out a trolly.

Atop the trolly was a sword. It didn’t look very extravagant, but its aura was fiery and fierce. The crowd saw it and instantly understood what it was.

"This sword may only be lv. 25, but it is still a holy weapon that would be perfect for those young masters in search of a weapon to help them stand out from the crowd," shouted the woman, making sure to grab the interest of the young nobles and royals. "This item will start at eight thousand gold, so who wants to make the first bid of the day?"

"Eight thousand gold!"

"Nine thousand gold!"

"Ten thousand gold!"

In less than a second, the first three bids were made and the auction was already heating up.

Argyle glance at Jack, noticing how calm and unaffected he was. With a snicker, he thought to himself, ’I guess he really is above lv. 30 now. To think he got everyone over lv. 30 so quickly... How did he do it?’

While Argyle passed the time imagining how strong Jack was and the capabilities of the former-ancient hero, the first item was sold off for a total of nineteen thousand gold.

To help the auction houses spread out their time and reach three days, there was always at least a fifteen-minute wait between items. Sometimes, it was an hour’s wait, depending on the item.

This was because they would exchange the goods immediately after each purchase. If they had to exchange three days’ worth of items at once, the royals and nobles wouldn’t want to wait so long in a line. It was best for everyone doing things this way, and since it was only once a year, the royals and nobles didn’t mind the slower-paced auction.

Soon, the next lv. 25 holy item arrived on the stage. It was a shield blessed by Torian, the Lightning God. It had a passive paralyzing effect that would slow any enemy that came in contact with the shield.

Again, it started at eight thousand and sold for around twenty thousand gold. This was a trend for all the following lv. 25 holy items as well.

Eventually, they finished the lv. 25 items and brought out their first lv. 30 item.

The staff was also a holy item, and greatly boosted a mage’s mana supply. Everyone’s eyes were getting greedier with every item that reached the stage.

"This staff has been blessed and allows the spell caster to greatly increase their mana supply. It’s compatible with all types of mages, so it will start at twelve thousand gold!" yelled the auctioneer.

"Twelve thousand gold!"

"Thirteen thousand gold!"

"Fifteen thousand gold!"

Bids came from everyone, quickly raising the price to more than twenty thousand gold. But still, Jack didn’t react to the item, surprising Argyle.

Argyle wondered if Jack might have already passed lv. 35 as well. It sounded impossible, but Jack had already down what he thought was impossible, so Argyle assumed it Jack might have pulled it off.

"Twenty-four thousand gold!"

The buds were finally slowed down, giving the auctioneer time to speak. "Twenty-four thousand gold going once! Going twice--"

"Twenty-five thousand gold!"

A shout came from Jack’s private room, startling some people. For those that frequented the Fat Goose, they knew that the last time that room was occupied was when a mysterious young man had arrived and stolen the show and most of the best goods. Though the voice sounded different, some wondered if that was the same wealthy young man. Because it if was, then even the royals would have some stiff competition for the best items.

"Twenty-five thousand gold going once! Going--

"Twenty-six thousand gold!" shouted the same man who almost won the bet. But he was startled when that voice bid him up again without any wait.

"Twenty-eight thousand gold!"

"Twenty-eight thousand gold going once! Going twice... Sold!"

"Gong!"

Since Jack had jumped two thousand gold in an instant, the other bidder knew that Jack was willing to spend more than him, who was at his limit already.

Ten minutes passed until a knock was heard at Jack’s door. Jack then stood up and walked not to the door, but to the side of the door. He planned to use another of Argyle’s latest features of the room.

There, Jack found a small door in the wall and place a ring inside before he closed the small door and knocked.

After another few seconds, Jack heard a knock from the other side. He opened the small door again and found the same ring inside.

Jack quickly inspected the ring and smiled. Then, he went back to his seat and sat between his two wives. Holding out the ring, Jack stated, "Eliza, this is for you, but I still need the ring to keep bidding."

With eyes aglow, Eliza retrieved the staff from the ring and showed it to everyone. She then jumped at Jack, wrapping her arms around him. "Thanks, Jack! I’ll treasure it."

"Just make sure you use it to take care of the party," replied Jack. "And please stop whining about me not treating you like a wife."

"That’s easy, of course I’ll take good care of the party with such a great weapon. As for being treated like a wife, the least you could do is kiss me. Then maybe I’ll stop complaining, for now..."

"Shhh, the auction is starting again," interrupted Jack, who kept Eliza from getting touchy in front of everyone.

Everyone in the room got a chuckle from the newlyweds, not sure what to think of them.

Back on stage, the auctioneer had the next item come out, another lv. 30 holy weapon. This time it was a pair of iron gauntlets.

Jack didn’t bid on this item, which saddened some of the crowd members. They were hoping that the same wealthy youth was back. His style of bidding a moment ago was very similar to the first time, so it got their hopes up.

Another holy item came and went after that one as well, but still, there was no bid from Jack. The next item, however, grabbed everyone’s attention.

The beautiful woman explained, "This holy amulet is also lv. 30 and greatly boosts holy type magic’s effects. If you’re a cleric and you want to be more effective as a party member, then you’ll want this item, which starts at thirteen thousand gold!"

"Thirteen thousand--"

"Twenty-five thousand gold!"

That sudden shout from the third floor startled everyone, including the auctioneer. The first bid hadn’t even been finished and someone instance raised the price by twelve thousand gold. They were making a statement that they clearly wanted that amulet.

"Twenty-five thousand going once! Going twice--"

"Twenty-six thousand gold!"

"Twenty-eight thousand gold!"

Even when someone threatened to steal the item, Jack continued to raise the price without pause. He wanted everyone to know that if he was after an item, that he would get it.

"Twenty-eight thousand gold going once! Going twice... Sold!"

"Gong!"

The crowd was riled up, trying to figure out who that was on the third floor. Pretty soon, the rumor spread about the mysterious young man from a few months ago using that same room. Everyone started to wonder if the same aggressive, wealthy young man had returned to steal the show once again.

The royals all stared at Jack’s room. They weren’t too happy about the added competition and wanted nothing more than to know who was inside.

On the second floor, the man who had been outbid for the amulet frowned. He glared at Jack’s room.

It was the Pon Family Head. Even though he could use lv. 35 items, a lv. 30 holy amulet would’ve still been perfect for him since he could wear it while still using a lv. 35 staff. But someone beat him and showed no mercy in doing so.

Inside Jack’s room, another exchange had been made and Keela, the escaped heir of the Pon Family, was gifted the same amulet that her father had lost.

She thanked Jack but refused to take it unless Jack helped her put it on.

After a few moments of bickering, Jack placed it around Keela’s neck and returned to his seat. "Everyone, one of my goals is for us each to have at least one holy item. We’ll need all the strength we can get, and buying holy items are a great solution until we can craft our own."

All the party members smiled, excited to know part of Jack’s betting strategy and to get their own holy items. For the party members, unlike most royals, the first day was the most exciting.

 

Chapter 214

Next on stage was a lv. 30 holy sword and all eyes were on it.

"This falchion is blessed by the Molten God, giving it the ability to heat up and slice through anything it touches. This sword will also be starting at thirteen thousand gold."

"Thirteen thousand gold!"

"Twenty-five thousand gold!"

The whole crowd looked back to Jack’s room, feeling more certain that the same proud youth had come again to run away with everything.

Maura was eyeing that sword and was waiting to see if anyone dared to challenge Jack.

"Twenty-five thousand gold going once! Going twice... Sold!"

"Gong!"

While everyone got ready for the next item, a person came and delivered the sword to Jack’s room. Then, Jack simply put it away without showing it or giving it away.

Maura frowned sadly and stared at the unfazed Jack. "Jack... can I--"

"That sword is too low leveled for you. Since you’re about to reach lv. 35, it’s best to get you lv. 35 weapons. Just be patient," stated Jack, catching Maura off guard and putting a smile on her face.

Two more lv. 30 holy weapons but Jack made no bids on either of them. The crowd felt a bit restless as if they were expecting Jack to take them away like last time.

What was brought out next, surprised most of the crowd.

"Roar!"

In a steel cage, a large lion stood in front of everyone. "This is a Twintailed Lion, a lv. 30 beast with a fourth-level bloodline. It can be yours starting at thirteen thousand gold!"

"Thirteen thousand gold!"

"Fifteen thousand gold!"

The crowd went crazy for it, trying their best to get their hands on the beast.

Jack stared blankly at the beast. Its bloodline was as strong as a few of their companion beasts, but it wouldn’t be any better than them.

The kind of beast Jack wanted was a giant beast to carry the party. Though the Wind Roc with a sixth-level bloodline might get that big eventually, it would take a long time. And there were some beasts used specifically for party travel, which was perfect for them.

Selling for twenty-six thousand gold, the lion roared one last time before it was taken away.

Next up was a Giant Badger. They were typically used for digging, construction, or demolition, but could also work well with earth type mages to help control opponents and defend.

Like before, Jack and his party were uninterested in the badger and let it go by without any bids.

A few more fourth-level beasts came and went, eagerly getting bought up by those on the first floor.

"Next, we have a special lv. 30 item. It’s a rare secure storage ring. With it you’ll be able to safely store your things without anyone else being able to inspect it without your permission or before your death," explained the auctioneer. "We have yet to unlock it, so it’s contents are still unknown. Keep that in mind as you start the bid with sixteen thousand gold!"

"Six--"

"Thirty thousand gold!"

All eyes looked to Jack’s room with dumbfounded expressions. Raising the price was one thing, but almost doubling it for the first bid, again? They all felt certain that the same reckless, wealthy young man was back and would fight to get his hands on everything.

The biggest question in the minds of the crowd was how much money and wealth did Jack bring this time?

"Thirty-one thousand gold!"

Another voice came from the third floor. It was aged and experienced, most likely from one of the many kings that had come out.

"Thirty-two thousand gold!" shouted another man on the third floor.

A third king yelled, "Thirty-three--"

"Forty thousand gold!"

Jack did it again, causing even the kings to question how much wealth the rumored young man had, and who was he with to have so much money.

"Forty thousand gold going once! Going--"

"Forty-one--"

"Forty-five thousand gold!"

Without hesitation or mercy, Jack controlled the bid and demanded his prize.

"Forty-five thousand gold going once! Going twice... Sold!"

"Gong!"

While the royals all felt uneasy with a surprise bidder throwing money so wantonly, the crowd get more excited every time they heard Jack’s altered voice. Thanks to Jack, the annual auction was going to get very interesting.

Inside Jack’s room, everyone was acting normal except for Argyle.

He knew the background information on that very ring and was the one who informed Jack about it prior to the auction. Argyle realized that this was the item Jack was going to practically steal away from the Golden Haven Auction House.

"Jack, is that it?"

"Yup, that’s it."

"But why?!" questioned Argyle. "Sure, it’s a secure storage ring but there’s also a lv. 50 secure storage ring for sale on day three. Wouldn’t that ring have better goods than a lv. 30 one?"

"Who said I was after what was inside?" laughed Jack.

He kept Argyle in suspense, not fully explaining himself until the ring finally arrived. After the exchange, Argyle kept asking, "So, what’s inside? What’s so great about that item?"

Jack was smiling, opening his achievement list and staring at his latest achievement.

Then, he suddenly frowned. "Argyle, have you heard of a place called the Earthen Keep?"

Argyle blinked and stroked his beard. "No, I haven’t. Why do you ask all of a sudden?"

"Greeeeaaat..." sighed Jack, shaking his head. He reread the achievement, sulking in his bad luck.

[Find StarryTrex’s Hidden Tomb: in progress]

[Find StarryTrex’s hidden tomb deep inside the Earthen Keep. Reward: 86 skill points, access to his saved data.]

Jack vividly remembered who StarryTrex was, yet another guild leader like Ponlinne. But he also remembered Earthen Keep.

If Argyle hadn’t heard about it, that meant it was a sealed ancient dungeon. And to be honest, Jack was glad that it was sealed.

It was a grind dungeon for lv. 80’s, an ancient keep built inside of an underground dungeon. Though the thought of getting more guild goodies was tempting, it wasn’t even close to convincing Jack to storm Earthen Keep at his current level.

"Jack, what’s wrong?" asked Rydel. "Didn’t you say that the ring was what you wanted most? Well, now you have it but you’re upset. Do you mind explaining why?"

"The ring was a memento of a powerful ancient hero, so I thought I’d be able to find his hidden tomb. Sadly, we won’t be going near his tomb for a loooong time..." sighed Jack.

"Seriously? How do you know it belonged to an ancient hero?" asked Argyle, realizing that Earthen Keep should be the tomb is supposedly hidden. "And you know what the Earthen Keep is, right?"

"I know it’s a hero’s item because of my subclass, that’s all I can say," stated Jack. "As for the Earthen Keep, I know what it once was during Ancient Kartonia. But if you haven’t heard of it, then it should be a sealed ancient dungeon by now."

"Really?! Then we’ll have to go there, I’ll join you even!"

Argyle’s favorite part about being the owner of the Fat Goose was chasing down hidden treasures and dungeons. So the moment he heard that the Earthen Keep was still sealed, he was eager to take all of its treasures before anyone else.

"Not happening." Jack shook his head and noticed another lv. 30 holy item on stage, but it wasn’t what he wanted either.

"Why not? With me, you’ll be fine. I’ve yet to meet an ancient dungeon I can’t conquer," boasted Argyle. "And since we’d be the first ones, imagine all of the goods we could find."

Jack glanced at Argyle and raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to enter a lv. 80 grind dungeon?"

"Huh..."

"That’s what the Earthen Keep is. It was one of the few dungeons used to help ancient heroes go from lv. 80 to lv. 85. So unless you’re willing to die, I’d recommend you not ask about Earthen Keep until your at least lv. 80."

"..."

Argyle had nothing to say. His sudden excitement was destroyed and he now understood why Jack went from extremely happy to the frustrated. To know of such a great place yet to have no ability to even enter it was very disheartening.

The auction continued and they eventually started selling lv. 35 holy items.

"This bow is a lv. 35 holy weapon crafted by the elves of the Korten Kingdom. All arrows fired from the bow will be launched with a burst of wind to increase the bow’s range and strength," explained the auctioneer. "This will start at twenty-three thousand gold, so who will--"

"Forty-five thousand gold!"

Again, Jack startled everyone and took anything he wanted, regardless of what others thought or did.

"Forty--"

"Fifty thousand gold!"

"... Fifty thousand gold going once! Going twice... Sold!"

"Gong!"

There were many kings who glared at Jack’s booth. Most of the royals had spoken or messaged each other to try and figure out who was inside that booth, yet no one was able to figure it out.

To the royals, the person was a ghost. They had no information on him and they had no way to find information on him.

 

Chapter 215

Following the bow, a spear was brought out. "This holy weapon is blessed by Halmut. It can give off a holy glow to light your path or pierce through the toughest of armors. The bid will begin at twenty-three thousand gold!"

"..."

Everyone looked over to Jack’s room, half expecting him to make an insane bid right out the gate. But the bid never came.

"Twenty-three thousand gold!"

"Twenty-four thousand gold!"

Once everyone thought Jack wouldn’t be bidding, they all continued as normal. It was soon sold for forty-six thousand gold and the next holy item was brought out.

But again, the crowd was disappointed when Jack didn’t make a bid.

Inside his room, Jack was inspecting the secured storage ring. He already knew what items would be sold on the first and second days, so he didn’t bother paying attention until something he wanted was up for grabs.

Some people in the room enjoyed drinks while they chatted and others enjoyed watching the auction. They didn’t bother Jack, who had his eyes closed and was in a meditative position.

Jack checked the ring and was somewhat happy with his findings.

There were a few swords and items, ranging from lv. 30 to lv. 40 and most of them were holy items. It proved how effective it was to be a cash player from the start, making it easy to grind and later forget about the items you once held dear once you had surpassed them.

Happier with those swords than what would be sold in the auction, Jack pulled the five different lv. 35 holy swords. This instantly caught everyone’s attention, especially Argyle, Maynard, and Maura.

"Maura, I’ll let you pick one sword first and then Maynard will choose the second, you the third, and Maynard the fourth," explained Jack as he laid the five swords on the table.

Staring at the sudden appearance of holy swords, Maura eyed Jack and smiled wide.

She grabbed a shortsword with felt as light as a feather. Though she wasn’t able to put any mana into it due to her level, Maura could tell by the design that the sword was made to be extremely quick. "Thank you, Jack!"

"You’re welcome."

Maynard glared at all of the swords and shook his head.

"Jack, I’m sorry but I’d sooner use these lv. 30 katanas then use any of these. As a samurai, I only wield katana," explained Maynard.

"Wow... You really will be perfect being pledged to Jin," sighed Jack. "I’m not going to lie, I thought you might say that. I’ll still get you katanas, but I thought I should at least offer them."

"In that case, Maura, go ahead and choose two more. That way, you can have more options to choose from when up against varying opponents."

"O-okay!"

Without a second thought, Maura grabbed the second shortsword. It was totally different from the other one and felt extra heavy in her hands, but she did prefer shortswords to other styles of blades.

Plus, it gave her the thought of creating her own sword style. By using both an ultralight shortsword and an extra heavy shortsword, she would be able to alternate between lightning-fast strikes and heavy strikes with enough practice.

For the third sword, she chose the one she felt blended best with her water type energy. It was a short saber, but it would allow her to add slashing type attacks to her arsenal, though it would be much more obvious than the hidden light-heavy style she wanted to create.

"Thank you, Jack!"

Maura jumped for joy and clung to Jack in glee. She quickly pecked him on the cheek before he coughed and avoided showing much public affection.

"Alright, then let’s get back to the auction. The swords I would’ve bought for you should be next," mentioned Jack, trying to calm Maura down.

They all refocused and waited a few minutes for the next trolly to be brought on stage.

Now everyone could see two sheathed shortswords, a nearly identical pair. They were very ornate, showing more intricacies than any of the swords that Jack just offered them.

"These are from the Holy War and were used by heroes in battle to fight the demons of Skaryn," explained the auctioneer. "With them, the wielder will have strikes at the speed of light to maneuver around any defense. As they should be sold together, we’ll start the bidding at forty thousand gold!"

"Forty thousand gold!"

"Forty-five thousand gold!"

"Fifty thousand gold!"

The bid rose steadily as all the royals argued over it. After almost everyone on the third floor had made a bid, the price finally stopped eighty-two thousand gold.

"Eighty-two thousand gold going once! Going twice..."

Staring at Jack’s room, the auctioneer and the crowd waited for him to make a bid and run away with the spectacular item. However, Jack still made no bids.

"Sold!"

"Gong!"

Another half an hour passed before the next trolley carried in another set of swords, but their appearance was much simpler.

"Though these katanas seem ordinary with their plain black handles, I can assure you that they are anything but ordinary," stated the beautiful woman on stage. "These black katana are actually blessed by Choron, the Shinobi God who follows Skaryn."

Looks of awe filled the crowd as they reevaluated the katanas in front of them.

The auctioneer continued, "These katanas carry a shadowy, illusory aura, making it difficult for opponents to read your attacks. As a set, their starting price is fifty thousand gold!"

"Fifty--"

"One hundred thousand gold!"

"..."

Now coming out of silence, Jack stunned the crowd with his aggressive betting. Most royals all stared at that booth, wondering how a supposed young man could afford everything he was purchasing. It was only the first day, yet he had spent a massive fortune like it was nothing at all.

"One hundred and five thousand gold!" a challenging bid was called out.

Waiting a moment, the auctioneer yelled, "One hundred and five thousand going once! Going--"

"Wait!" shouted Jack. "Would you consider a trade?"

"That depends on what you’re offering, but we definitely would accept a worth trade." The woman nodded, happy to finally get their first trade offer.

During the auctions, traded goods were always best. Auction houses would always have money, but getting valuable goods as bets almost always paid off in the long run for any auction house.

"I’ll give you two lv. 45 peak-tier weapons, a spear and shield of the same set."

Suddenly, Jack’s wall displayed the items he mentioned, startling the crowd and showing off the fine design of the lv. 45 items.

The woman looked into the audience to see three people, the head managers of the three auction houses, wondering if they would agree. But before she got her answer, another offer was made.

"I’ll also offer two peak-tier lv. 45 weapons and I’ll throw in twenty thousand gold!"

All three managers nodded, agreeing to the new offer.

"We shall accept your offer as the current leading bid. Going once! Going twice--"

"Or..." Jack yelled, stealing the spotlight again. "Or would you prefer a lv. 60 peak-tier weapon?"

The woman instantly looked to see the three smiling managers. It was a clear winner and on obvious choice. "We shall graciously accept your offer. Going once! Going twice... S--"

"WAIT!!" shouted the same person who previously countered Jack.

Up on the third floor, that royal was furious. "I, the King of Fulken, would like to ask the gentlemen with the current high bid to withdraw his bid!"

While everyone was baffled by the king’s statement, he continued, "You are no king and you have yet to admit who you really are, so I can only assume that you have no background and were lucky to gain some items and gold. But I will declare you as a friend of Fulken and give you a title in my kingdom if you will rescind your offer. What do you say?"

"..."

Silence filled the room. All eyes were focused on Jack’s room, which still showed a lv. 60 spear. Then, another image appeared on the screen beside the spear, and a third image as well. The entire crowd had their mouths agape.

"I don’t come from a real background, huh?" mocked Jack. "In that case, explain how I can also afford to add both of the peak-tier lv. 45 items to the bid just because I’m feeling generous?"

"Sir, does that mean--"

"Yes, my new bid is the peak-tier lv. 60 spear, along with the peak-tier lv. 45 two-piece set I showed earlier. I’ll give you all three items for those two swords."

"Sold!"

There was no pause or countdown. The auctioneer immediately accepted the offer, not daring to miss such a generous offer.

While everyone belonging to the auction houses stared at Jack’s room with awe and praise, the Fulken King was bright red and livid.

Not only was he completely rejected, but he was also walked all over and made a laughing stock.

The other kings and queens all looked at Jack’s room differently now.

They knew he wasn’t to be underestimated or belittled. Otherwise, he might humiliate his competitors, even if he spent far more than any of them would willingly give. Kings weren’t supposed to have less wealth than non-royalty, yet this mysterious man proved he could out flaunt them all.

 

Chapter 216

It didn’t take long for a knock to reach Jack’s door, but this time a voice was heard too.

"Thank you for your generous offer, Master. Would it be alright for us to meet our kind benefactor? We’ll maintain the utmost secrecy, of course."

The only thing that the people outside heard was the sound of a knock on the small door to the side. They quickly understood and made the exchange as usual.

Both of the head managers from Golden Haven and Celestial Crane left with sad faces.

They asked the manager from the Fat Goose to take lead them to the room, but he rejected them. He said that person was a friend of the owner, Argyle, and that he kept everything completely secret.

Of course, the manger never mentioned that he also knew who he was, but that didn’t matter.

Now, both managers returned to the owners of their respective auction houses and informed them about their findings and their rejection.

The owners were startled to hear that Argyle knew that person personally but wouldn’t reveal anything, even to the fellow auction houses which were all known for their secrecy.

Kaldor stormed off. He began his search for Argyle and more information on the mystery man. Determined to not let Argyle monopolize such an extravagant spender, Kaldor had his other men help him search for Argyle and contact him if they spotted him.

Hurmot, the owner of the Celestial Crane, laughed to himself.

Unlike Kaldor, Hurmot’s relationship with Argyle was much better as he had helped teach Argyle how to run an auction house, for a very high price of course. But this allowed him to know Argyle’s way of handling things.

After almost an hour passed, the auction finally restarted and Kaldor was dejected. He failed to find Argyle even when he extended the wait time.

"Next, we’ll start selling a few lv. 40 holy weapons." Unfazed by her boss’s bad mood, the beautiful woman on stage got things rolling without a hitch.

Four different lv. 40 holy items were sold, but Jack didn’t so much as look at them.

At the moment, he had no need for such items and he wouldn’t for a while. Plus, he had a few already so it wasn’t his biggest priority.

And if Jack could find a way to craft his own, then he wouldn’t need to bother buying any ever again. If anything, he might a sell a few if a need for more money ever came up after he revamped the Leisure Guild.

The same thing happened when the lv. 45 items came out.

That aggressive young man that had amazed everyone with his wealth and attitude never said a word after he won the katanas. But it didn’t make sense to most people since those items were clearly more valuable and Jack could definitely afford them.

Some of the royals were trying to figure Jack out as well. They assumed that he was probably around lv. 35 and possibly equipping a party, which sounded terrifying to face for anyone not over lv. 45.

However, other than that, they were all left in the dark, eager to see what else Jack would purchase.

"With that, we’ll take the evening break and allow you all to take a quick rest or share a meal. We’ll reconvene at daybreak. And thank you for coming," announced the woman on stage as she disappeared behind the closing curtain.

The doors to the main hall stayed closed, only letting those from the auction houses enter or leave.

For that reason, most people started retrieving all sorts of things from their storages, mainly things like tables, chairs, and food.

Jack’s party was already finishing the final preparations of a great feast, which Marisha was cooking for them with the other women helping. Lina also lent a hand, trying her best to imitate Maura.

"Hey Argyle, I have a question for you. Do you know any unaffiliated lv. 70 experts?"

Jack’s question startled not only Argyle but Rydel and Maynard who were nearby and joined the conversation early.

Squinting his eyes, Argyle stared at Jack. "Why on earth are you looking for such an expert?"

"Everything will make sense eventually, but for now I just need to find an unaffiliated lv. 70 expert," replied Jack, shrugging his shoulders.

"Are you going to try and convince an unaffiliated lv. 70 to join you and the Leisure Guild? Do you realize how hard that is?"

"I’ve got an idea, but it needs to happen anyway. So, do you know any or not?"

Ruffling his fingers through his hair, Argyle sighed. "To be honest, I don’t. I’m one of the younger lv. 70’s and don’t know most of the others."

Just then, a knock was heard at the door.

Jack got up and neared the door. This time, he tapped a small stone on the door frame, allowing the entire door to become see-through like the wall facing the stage.

On the other side, there was an old man with a long gray bird. He was well-groomed and well-dressed, showing that he came from some kind of status.

"Hurmot?" Argyle noticed the man and instantly recognized him.

"Knock, knock, knock," Hurmot knocked again, patiently waiting outside the door.

"You know him?" asked Jack.

"Yeah, he’s the man who owns the Celestial Crane Auction House. I had paid him to become my mentor and I learned how to run this place from him," admitted Argyle. "But I don’t get why he would come here personally, not after we already turned down his manager."

Suddenly, a voice went off inside Argyle’s head. "Argyle, are you going to let me in or not?"

Argyle grabbed his purple contact crystal and looked at Jack. "What do you want to do? Should we let him in or not? He just contacted me, asking to open the door."

Jack laughed, surprised that Hurmot was able to deduce that Argyle was hiding in Jack’s room. "Argyle, do you trust him?"

"Of everyone in Federal City, I feel he’s the most trustworthy and the man who knows the most secrets or people," answered Argyle, not holding back any praise.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Jack unlocked the door and held it open.

Hurmot smiled, gladly walking in and letting the door lock behind him. "So you were hiding in here... How come you never told me about such an amazing benefactor? Were you not willing to share?"

Argyle opened his mouth, but Jack spoke up first. "It’s because he promised not to rat out his son-in-law."

"Son-in-law?!" Looking at the young man beside him, Hurmot easily recognized him as the young man whose wedding Hurmot recently attended. "Argyle... Don’t tell me that you’re just buying all of this and gifting them to the boy?"

Breaking out in laughter, Argyle held his stomach. It took him a moment to recompose himself.

"Hurmot, trust me, I haven’t lent him a single coin. In fact, I only met Jack after he robbed me of the cloak we sold a few months ago."

"I was that mysterious buyer who offered a lv. 65 weapon for the cloak, which you happily accepted," Jack chuckled as he corrected Argyle and stuck out his hand to Hurmot. "You’re Hurmot, right? It’s a pleasure to meet."

"Likewise." Hurmot firmly shook Jack’s hand and stared deeply into the young hero’s eyes.

"Know matter what you try, you won’t be able to see through me this time, Hurmot. Sorry to disappoint you," Jack joked with the old man, understanding what he was trying to do. "But Argyle was right, I’m the one who purchased everything and I arguably have more wealthy than him."

"Those are boastful words for a--"

A staff suddenly appeared in Jack’s hand as Jack smiled. "Really? Then how could I possibly own this peak-tier lv. 70 cobra staff?"

"That’s..."

Putting it away immediately, Jack continued, "Since we have some time to chat, I’d love to ask you some questions that I think only you can answer. And then maybe I can exchange that staff and some of my own information in return. Something tells me that you might be interested."

Hurmot shook his head, struggling to wrap his head around the situation.

He had assumed that some unaffiliated lv. 70 had finally come out of hiding, but this was even more shocking.

"Who are you really?" asked Hurmot.

"That depends, are you willing to answer any questions I have? I’m only asking for a fair exchange," reasoned Jack. "And if you believe that I have such valuable information, you can ask Argyle if I’m lying or underestimating myself."

Doing just that, Hurmot asked, "Argyle, who on earth is he?"

"He may arguably be one of the most knowledgable people in all of Kartonia, if not the most knowledgable," stated Argyle. "And if you don’t believe me, you can ask Tralon, who will personally vouch for Jack."

Not hesitating, Hurmot took out his purple contact crystal and tested that.

When Tralon answered and restated exactly what Argyle had said, Hurmot was at a loss for words. Turning to Jack, he nodded. "I agree. If both of them say so, then I have no reason to doubt you. I’ll tell you anything."

"Great!"

 

Chapter 217

"Thank you for waiting patiently. Now, it’s finally time to start day two!" shouted the announcer, getting the crowd back on their feet.

"We’ll start off the second day with a special item. It’s quite rare and they are hard to find nowadays. As a lv. 50 peak-tier item, we’ll be selling this summoning amulet, starting at forty thousand gold!"

"... Forty thousand gold!"

Another moment passed till a rival bid arrived. "Forty-one thousand!’

"Forty-two thousand gold..."

This item was definitely rare and peak-tier, but it wasn’t the most popular item either. Summoning Amulets were known usually as a single-use summoning spell with someone or something that has bonded their blood with the amulet.

Typically, it was better to carry a beast companion in a bestial storage than to just have a single-use summoning spell. But this was also the only place to sell such an item since it was lv. 50 after all.

The beautiful announcer smiled half-heartedly as she started the countdown, "Forty-two thousand gold going once! Going twice..."

"Forty-three thousand gold!"

The sudden shout from Jack surprised the auctioneer and the former high bidder. But that bidder quickly backed off, not bothering to argue over such an item with someone as ruthless as Jack.

"Forty-three thousand gold going once! Going twice... Sold!"

"Gong!"

While everyone was getting ready for the next item, Argyle glared at Jack. "Is this what you meant by robbing my on the second day?"

"Yup!"

"Well... I wouldn’t call losing such an item a robbery..."

"If you knew what I planned to do with it, then you would," laughed Jack. "Though I’ll have to wait till I’m lv. 50 to be able to use it or even bond it to me and the summon, it’s a must-have item!"

"If you say so." Argyle shrugged, unsure if he should even feel bad since it would’ve sold low anyway.

Jack was looking around the room, noticing everyone getting a good feel for their new weapons or items. That’s when Jack saw that Daliea was silent and looking away from the group.

Having an idea why, Jack walked over to her. "Let me guess, they all got something and you didn’t, but you don’t want to tell me?"

Daliea shyly nodded and turned to face Jack.

"I didn’t buy you anything because I already had something in mind for you. What do you think?" asked Jack as he retrieved a choker from his storage and handed it to her.

Inspecting it carefully, Daliea realized that it contained dark type energy. "What does this one do?"

"It’s a lv. 35 holy item that amplifies all dark type energy. So, all spells that use dark type energy, like that new peak-tier spell I gave you before, will be even stronger," explained Jack. "It’s just like Eliza’s amulet, but I think this dark choker is more fitting with your light grey skin than some shiny pendant."

With a blush on her face, Daliea asked, "Can you help me with it?"

"Fine," sighed Jack. He knew this would happen and was already expecting to put it on her.

After he fastened it around her neck, the knock of the delivery man came. Jack smiled at Daliea and went to make the exchange as Daliea returned to the group and was welcomed by the other girls.

Very soon, the auction was back underway.

"Next, we’ll bring out some more peak-tier lv. 50 weapons and items. After that, we’ll have a couple of lv. 50 holy items up for grabs as well!" The announcer baited the audience, making sure they were anxious for the holy items on the way.

"This one is a lv. 50 halberd. Its great reach and balance offers overwhelming power and precision. It will also start at forty thousand gold."

"Forty thousand gold!"

"Forty-two thousand gold!"

Back in action, the crowd went crazy.

Based on who was bidding, Jack was able to understand why the three day system was in place. The first day heavily targeted the crowd on the first floor and the second day was being taken over by the second floor bidders right from the start.

That meant that the third day would turn into an all-out bidding war between the third floor. And the fact that most of the third day’s items were unannounced only added to the drama and the possible price tag.

Jack didn’t bother bidding on the halberd, or the item after that, or the item after that. He just chatted with the others, mainly clearing some doubts after Jack’s conversation with Hurmot.

"Jack, are you really going there at lv. 30?" asked Argyle.

With a nod, Jack replied, "Yes, if that’s my best option, then I’ll have to go there."

"But you’ll--"

"Don’t worry about me or your daughter. When I go there, it’ll be alone."

"What do you mean you’ll be alone?!" shouted Eliza from across the room. "You expect me, your wife, to let you go to such a dangerous place alone?! You’ve already been kidnapped once, Jack, I won’t let that happen without me again!"

"Jack was kidnapped?!"

"Calm down, Argyle." Jack held up his hands, trying to calm down the father and daughter. "Eliza, please, don’t worry about me too much. I’ll be fine."

"Actually, I’m also against this," added Maura, showing a determined glare.

"You too..." sighed Jack.

"At least take us two with you, or we’ll be forced to follow you in secret," stated Eliza, knowing how to get at Jack.

"How about we discuss this later?"

"No, we’re discussing it now," complained Eliza. "If you’re going to Barren City in Sandros, then you’ll at least have to take your wives."

"..."

Jack frowned. He glanced around at the others but found no help.

"Fine..." agreed Jack. "But everyone else should go to Iscantor and train near the Korten-Iscantor border. We’ll meet up there after I’m finished with everything in Barren City."

"Yay! Thanks, Jack!" Eliza threw herself at Jack.

She tried to kiss his cheek but he leaned back to try and avoid it. But to Jack’s surprise, Maura attacked him from the other side. Caught in the middle, both women kissed his cheeks and left Jack turning red.

"Alright, alright, that’s enough." Jack held out his arms, breaking them up. "Then it’s decided. After the auction, we’ll split up. As for those going to Iscantor should not cause harm to any elves near the border, not unless it’s a life-threatening situation. Got it?"

"Sure thing, Jack!" shouted Maynard, lifting his glass of wine. "To Jack, and all the treasures he spoils us with!"

Rydel followed along. "To all the adventures and EXP he gets us!"

"Oh, knock it off you two!" shouted Jack. "Now you’re just encouraging them to keep bullying me!"

"So? Ya asked for that by letting so many women into the party. Since we can’t beat them, why not join them!" laughed Maynard, downing his drink together with Rydel.

Rubbing his forehead, Jack looked around at the giggling women and Argyle’s wry smile.

He was definitely the party leader, but when it came to anything outside of adventuring, he was always the underdog of the party. It almost made him want to cry...

"Oooohh! I want that one!"

Suddenly, Lina’s giddy shout broke the conversation. Everyone looked over to see Lina leaning against the wall with the view of the stage.

Jack looked at the stage and at the current bidders. Then, he started laughing, "Consider it done!"

"Seventy-nine thousand going once! Going twice...S--"

"Wait!" Jack interrupted the auctioneer. "I would like to ask the king of Fulken to withdraw his bid, as I want that item. Will you do so?"

The Fulken king ground his teeth, trying his best not to show too much of his rage.

After a moment of silence, Jack continued, "In that case, I’ll offer eighty-five thousand gold."

"Eighty-five thousand gold going once! Going--"

"Eighty-six thousand gold!" shouted the Fulken king. He was struggling to believe that a rumored young man would have so much wealth.

"In that case..." replied Jack. "I’ll offer a lv. 55 high-tier item."

Groaning, the Fulken king kept himself from blurting out a rival bid. The only way to beat that was to offer a peak-tier lv. 55 item, but why should he give one of those up for a peak-tier lv. 50 item? It would be a total loss. Even if he won the item, the Fulken king would be humiliated yet again by that mysterious person.

The king looked to his wife and whispered, "I’m sorry..."

"We’ll accept your generous offer. Going once! Going twice... Sold!"

"Gong!"

"Thank you for letting me have it in the end!" exclaimed Jack, rubbing in his victory even more.

Inside the room, everyone was laughing at the king’s expense. Jack was now feeling a bit better after he found an outlet to relieve his stress and Lina was giddy to get what she wanted.

Once the delivery person made the exchange, Jack immediately took out the hair clip he had just bought and fastened it in Lina’s blue hair. "It looks good with your hair. Nice choice, Lina."

"Thanks, Big Bro!"

 

Chapter 218

Jack’s party was reveling in Jack’s victory. It only proved that one of Jack’s weaknesses really was little Lina.

Argyle chuckled as he pitied the Fulken king. He didn’t think Jack would suddenly buy a lv. 50 hairclip on the whim of a young girl, let alone pay such a price for it. It made Argyle wonder just how rich Jack was.

While the hair clip was useless at the moment, Jack was glad that he was able to get something for Lina. He didn’t want her to feel left out. And once she reached lv. 50, it would be a great item for her.

It helped with mana regeneration, and it worked quite well since it was a peak-tier lv. 50 item.

Lina went around the room, showing off her new hairclip to everyone.

Jack was starting to pay more attention to the auction again, in particular, to who won what items. Now that there weren’t just holy items for sale, there was more variety to the types of energy in the items.

Based on the items purchased and with some help from Argyle, Jack was able to guess what nobles or royals might be in each room. Obviously, he could figure out all of them, but every now and then it was obvious.

He discovered that King Wilheim was also there on the third floor after the king bought a water type item and Jack recognized his voice.

Also, Jack found the Maltor king in the room beside King Wilheim’s. It was again the voice and the fire type item that gave him away.

Though he knew it was impossible, Jack wanted to figure out who all of the people were, or at least as many as he could. It might come in handy if they get something to valuable or threatening, depending on who it was.

After the peak-tier lv. 50 items were all sold, the next item or items were rolled out.

The announcer introduced the items, "Next, we’re selling a few bulk batches of greater healing potions. Each batch contains one hundred potions, and the bidding will start at forty thousand gold."

"Forty--"

"Forty-one thousand gold!" shouted Jack, curious what might happen next.

At first, there was no response. Everyone was pretty clear on what kind of bidder Jack was, so few people dared bid against him, especially when it was an item like this. There were multiple batches up for grabs, so they reasoned it wasn’t worth going all out to get the first one.

"Forty-one thousand gold going once! Going twice--"

"Fifty thousand gold!"

Everyone smiled when they heard that voice. Yet again, the Fulken king challenged Jack.

With a smile, Jack shook his head. "Fifty-five thousand gold!"

"Sixty thousand gold!" yelled the king.

"Sixty-one thousand gold!"

"Sixty-five thousand gold!"

"Sixty-six thousand gold!" stated Jack, taking a different approach to his usual jumps in price.

The Fulken king growled and eyed Jack’s room. "Seventy-five thousand gold!"

"Seventy-six thousand gold!"

Smiling, the Fulken king was glad that Jack instantly raised his bid. The highest most people would willingly spend on such potions were seventy thousand gold. As a test, the king went straight to seventy-five thousand gold and Jack supposedly fell for the trick. His guess was that Jack didn’t fully understand the prices, but that Jack would simply pay more than everyone else.

"Eighty thousand gold!"

"Eighty-one thousand gold!"

It happened again and the king’s smile got colder. He determined that one last time should be enough to make up for the humiliation he felt before. "Eighty-five thousand!"

"..."

"Eighty-five thousand going once! Going twice... Sold!"

"Gong!"

The king’s smile was quickly replaced by a frown. He glared intensely at Jack’s room, only now realizing that Jack wasn’t as foolish as he had guessed.

"Since you were so intent to have it, I decided to give it to you as an apology for taking your items earlier. Please, I hope you can forgive me now."

That statement was a poison dagger piercing the king’s pride. There was no coming back now, not after Jack had bluntly mocked him in front of all the kings present.

It was a great thing that only Jack could be heard from his room, otherwise, the entire auction hall would be overrun with his party’s laughter. Eliza found it particularly hilarious since she understood auctions very well.

With a pitiful laugh, Argyle stared at the Fulken king’s room. He understood that there was no hope of him reconciling with Jack.

Of course, that would be if they knew Jack’s identity.

Since no one knew who he was, Jack allowed himself to act a bit more like Jack J., the greedy, selfish man who sacrificed hundred-man raids just to get an achievement.

In fact, that was exactly what Jack was doing.

So far, Jack had already completed two achievements and was trying to get a couple more. Thanks to the Fulken king, Jack got the [Instictive buyer] and [New top dog] achievements from buying on a whim and publicly humiliating a king.

Curious if there were any other achievements he could get in the auction, Jack wanted to try something. It took a few minutes, but Jack quickly made a search function that covered his entire system in one search.

He searched "auction" and found a few results. Reading over them, Jack came up with a few ideas to try and gain some special or unique rewards.

When the next batch came up on stage, before the woman could announce the starting bid, Jack shouted, "Thirty-nine thousand gold!"

Confused at what to do, she looked at the managers in the crowd. But when she thought they would want to correct her, they all shrugged and acted like it didn’t matter.

So, she started counting, "Thirty-nine thousand going one! Going twice... Sold!"

"Gong!"

As the deal was made official since no one dared challenge Jack after what happened to the Fulken king, an alert flashed across Jack’s screen.

[Cutting the price: completed]

[Pay less than the base price of an auction item during an annual international auction and successfully win the bid. Special reward: 75 skill points.]

Happy with his success, Jack gladly made the exchange and revisited his auction-related achievements. Having already earned one hundred and twenty skill points from the auction alone, Jack was determined to milk the auction for as many skill points as possible. It was rare to have so many royals in one place to make such an international level event possible, so Jack wanted to sprint with this opportunity while he had it.

While smiling uncontrollably, Jack divvied up his hundred potions among the party. Everyone got eight or nine potions in the end and they were all anxious to see what Jack would buy next.

More bulk potions were sold, but Jack didn’t bother bidding on them. His party had plenty for their current level’s needs.

After ten bulk potion orders were sold, another bulk order was rolled out on the trolly. "These are greater elixirs, and like the greater potions they will be sold in bulk orders of one hundred. The starting price is fifty thousand gold."

"One hundred thousand gold!"

"..."

No one said a word or even took a breath after Jack made the first bid. All eyes gradually turned to Jack in silence, including those inside his private room.

Only one person made noise, letting everyone glance at the Fulken king’s room. They could imagine how furious the Fulken king was. Jack had backed out of a price that was already too expensive for most people to imagine, yet here he was starting a bid at an even more ridiculous price.

"..." The auctioneer hesitated, needing the help of the managers to come to and start a countdown. "Going once... Going twice..."

"One hundred and fifty thousand gold!"

"..."

Again, everyone was totally baffled and dumbstruck. Jack had just bid up his already ridiculous price by fifty thousand gold... They were questioning how real everything actually was.

The beautiful auctioneer struggled to do her job while so confused. She stammered, "...Y-you do know that you don’t have to--"

"One hundred and seventy-five thousand gold!" Jack shouted again and cut her off. "If I want to raise my bid, then that’s what I’ll do!"

"O-okay! One... hundred and seventy-five thousand... Going once... Going twice... Sold."

"... Gong..."

Even the guy in charge of the gong was too caught up in the moment to do his one job correctly.

While everyone was totally out of the loop to Jack’s logic and they questioned his sanity, Jack was trying not to laugh hysterically.

He had his system open, reading through his two newest achievements.

[Your own worst enemy: completed]

[Make things harder for yourself and bid yourself up at the annual international auction. Special reward: 50 skill points.]

[Moneybags!: completed]

[Pay WAY too much for an auction item. Unique reward: 150 skill points.]

No one else could understand why, but Jack stood taller and prouder after making such an outrageous purchase.

Chapter 219

Inside Jack’s room, no one said anything. They were either too blown away by the price or too confused by how proud Jack was of the outrageous purchase.

Argyle was the first to manage forming words. "Jack... What on earth was that?"

"You do remember that I’m also Jack J., right?" replied Jack. "If you think I did some outrageous things before, just wait till you see what I do now that I’m starting from scratch."

In a way, Jack was happy to start enacting such crazy things again. It helped him always find something new in-game to keep him fully content, and now it would offer him a way to get stronger as fast as possible.

"That item was from the Fat Goose, right?" asked Jack with a smile.

Suddenly, Argyle’s confused face turned bright and lively. "You... you did that on purpose!"

"Well yeah, I wouldn’t do that because I’m stupid," laughed Jack.

"I’m not so sure about that..." added Eliza, looking down in the dumps. "Jack... Why would you waste so much money?!"

"Eliza, calm down. Trust me, I didn’t waste a single coin."

"But--"

"Trust me, your husband."

"..." Her jaw froze as she was startled by his comment. "Jack, I just..."

"Don’t worry about it." Jack put up his open hands, showing that he wasn’t mad at all. "Besides, if that got you angry, then you’ll be furious by the end of today."

"What do--"

"Please, just trust me," Jack cut her off. "All the crazy stuff I did in the past was with reason, and the same goes for right now. Let’s pay attention to the auction. One of my favorite items is coming up soon."

That’s when they all remembered Jack mentioning that his favorite item from the Fat Goose would be sold on the second day.

Argyle was even more excited now. From the way Jack was acting, it seemed like he was going to spend even more money later, and it was likely on one of his items. If that was so, then he would have more bragging rights with the other auction house owners.

When it came time to exchange, again, both head managers from Golden Haven and Celestial Crane came to the door and asked to visit Jack.

But again, Jack only passed a ring. And he laughed when he heard a surprised shout from the other side of the door, which meant they were startled to see that he really had paid one hundred and seventy-five thousand gold for the greater elixirs.

He quickly passed them out like he had before and returned to his seat.

It took extra long for the next item to come out, but the auctioneer seemed extra excited. "Alright, next up we have a beast with a fifth level bloodline. It’s a lv. 42 Flame Tiger from the Molten Mountains, a rare breed that’s hard to track down. The bidding will start at fifty thousand gold."

"Fifty thousand gold!"

"Fifty-two thousand gold!"

"Fifty-three thousand gold!"

The auction heated up. Everyone was excited and felt a bit better about spending money after Jack blew almost two hundred thousand gold on some elixirs. They all found more reasons to justify their spending, making the auction houses even happier.

Jack’s party watched on, not caring since they already had a flame tiger.

It was soon sold for almost ninety thousand gold, which convinced Jack that Tridon had caught most of his beasts by hand. There was no way that Tridon could afford so many beasts, especially the Wind Roc with a sixth level bloodline.

Four more fifth level beasts were sold off before Jack made a move.

"Now, the sixth and final beast of the day will be sold. Also with a fifth level bloodline, we bring out this behemoth of a bird," announced the beautiful woman as she stepped to the side of the stage.

The curtains were now fully opened and a massive cage was lowered down for the audience to see.

Inside the cage was a giant bird, almost three times the size of Ayden, Rydel’s Wind Roc. It’s pitch black feathers had a sheen to them, making the bird appear somewhat majestic. But there were no feathers around its head, showing its grey flesh.

"This Giant Condor may be low leveled at lv. 34, but it’s great size and natural strength make it a fearsome opponent to most beasts. It can dominate the sky and travel at great speeds thanks to its huge wings. Without any problems, it can carry up to ten people, maybe more if you sacrifice speed and comfort."

With everyone enthralled by the giant beast, the auctioneer added, "The starting bid for this one will be sixty thousand gold. So, who will leave here today with this beautiful beast?"

"Sixty thousand gold!"

"Sixty-five thousand gold!"

"Seventy thousand gold!"

The bids rose like rockets, not stopping any time soon.

Jack silently stared at the stage, smiling. Those around him knew he wanted that bird and after the stunt he just pulled, they were sure that he would win.

"One hundred thousand gold!"

"One hundred gold going once!"

"I’ll offer a lv. 55 peak-tier item!" A shout came from the third floor.

"I’ll also offer a lv. 55 peak-tier item!"

More royals on the third floor spoke up, joining the bet. They all started to display their items, already knowing that this bids were going to be close.

What startled a lot of people was Jack. He hadn’t made a sound. That made the royals feel a mix of relief and fear.

That mysterious person had already given away a lv. 60 item, so it was likely that he could afford to fight for the condor. And that was their greatest worry.

Soon, everyone calmed down as ten different rooms displayed their offers and explained the items. After they finished, it was time for the auctioneer and the managers to decide.

"At this moment, we can’t decide a single winner out of the ten offers. There are three offers currently tied for the highest bid," explained the woman. "The two-piece armor set, the sword and shield pair, and the dual spears. Will there be any changes to the offers?"

"I’ll offer a lv. 60 high-tier armor set!" shouted the same king who offered the lv. 55 armor.

"Then I’ll offer a lv. 60 peak-tier sword!"

"Hmm..." The king who had offered the spears took a moment to think. "I’ll also offer a lv. 60 peak-tier spear."

Some of the other kings also wanted to make new offers, but they weren’t willing to spend enough to beat the current bids.

"Very well, give me a moment to think," stated the auctioneer, who looked at each of the items and occasionally to the crowd. "We feel that the sword is the best of the three offers. Will there be any more changes to the bid?"

"I’ll give you a high-tier lv. 65 spear!"

The third king said nothing, not daring to keep bidding.

"I’ll also offer a high-tier lv. 65 sword!"

Both items were displayed for everyone to see. The crowd loved the tenseness in the air, excited to see who would win the giant beast.

"A moment please!" The auctioneer again inspected the displays and sought the opinion of the managers. They were split, but they were in favor of the spear.

"We shall acknowledge the spear as the more valuable of the two and recognize it as the current high bid."

The king who offered the sword laughed, "Very well, I have no further bids. Let the man have it."

With a nod, the auctioneer started the countdown. "Going once! Going twice... So--"

"Excuse me!!"

A shout broke the silence and shocked everyone. The crowd recognized that voice. They all looked to Jack’s room and saw an item on display.

"Aren’t you going to examine my offer too?" asked Jack.

"O-of course!"

Surprised, both the auctioneer and the royals all looked to Jack’s display. Almost immediately, their jaws dropped. They had no words come to mind to explain what they saw.

On that display, Jack had placed what looked like a decently crafted sword, but its looks were deceiving. The level displayed blew everyone away.

After coughing to regather herself, the auctioneer stammered, "L-lv. 70 weapon?"

"Correction, a peak-tier lv. 70 weapon."

Those who hadn’t realized the quality of the sword were floored. The royals all looked to Jack’s room and thought back to the rumors about the mysterious young man who had seemingly infinite wealth. And here he was displaying just that.

"This is definitely worth more than the lv. 65 spear. If there are no changes to the--"

"I have no means to compete," stated the now dejected king.

"In that case... Going once... Going twice... Sold!"

"Gong!"

As the gong sounded most of the royals sighed in disbelief while the crowd looked up to Jack’s room in awe.

The managers were blown away. Both managers from Golden Haven and Celestial Crane stared at Baral, who couldn’t contain his excitement.

 

Chapter 220

Jack made the exchange as usual, without saying a word to the manager who came to see him. He then transferred the beast from the auction house’s bestial ring to his own with a smile on his face.

The others in his room weren’t as surprised this time. Slowly, they were becoming desensitized to Jack’s seemingly insane spending.

Looking at his system, Jack chuckled.

[Unfair Exchange: completed]

[Be a part of a completely one-sided exchange of goods and willingly be on the losing side. Unique reward: 100 skill points.]

Also, Jack looked at two of the other money related achievements he found and sighed.

[Millionaire!: in progress]

[Spend a total of one million gold coins. Reward: 100 skill points]

[Billionaire!: in progress]

[Spend a total of one billion gold coins. Reward: 500 skill points.]

Though he had enough to earn [Millionaire!] a few times over, Jack was trying to think of how he could possibly get a special or unique reward. If he were to use the auction, he would have to do it before the second day ends, because the entire third day is trade based. Or he could...

"Hey, Argyle," Jack suddenly spoke up and came out of his trance, "Do you have any accessories or a dress that Lina might like?"

"Sure, I’ve got just about anything. Why do you ask?"

"Do you have one on you right now?"

"Yeah..." He took out a dress with a necklace without batting an eye. The dress wasn’t anything special but Argyle proudly held up the necklace. "This would be perfect for her because--"

"Do you have any regular necklaces? You know, the kind that is purely aesthetic and has no other value?"

"Sure... like this?" Argyle switched the necklaces, now showing one with a regular sapphire inside. It was beautiful and quite expensive for the common folk.

"Perfect! Can I buy those off you?" asked Jack, startling not ARgyle but the women of his party.

"You don’t have to, consider them a--"

"No, I need to buy them! Name your price," stated Jack.

"Umm... It’ll cost one hundred gold for the two together, but--"

"Okay, here’s the money." Jack tossed Argyle a ring as he quickly took the dress and necklace over to Lina. "Here you go, just for you!"

"Oh! I love them!"

Jack put the necklace around Lina’s neck and handed her the dress to try later, making the other girls a bit jealous.

Argyle, on the other hand, was shaking as he held up the storage ring Jack had given him. "Impossible! I can’t accept this!"

"That’s my payment, just consider the rest as a tip," joked Jack nonchalantly.

"I’m serious Jack! There’s no way I can--"

"I’m also serious, Father-in-law. I need to do this, so if you don’t take it then I’ll go offer it to Hurmot."

"I..." Argyle sighed, noting the serious glare Jack was giving him. Though it was way too much, after everything Jack had done so far, it was believable that he really would go and offer it to Hurmot.

"Father, what’s wrong?" asked Eliza?

"You can tell them, that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you accept that payment and offer me nothing more in return for it," stated Jack, not letting Argyle offer anything else.

"But... Fine." Argyle looked at the others and opened his mouth but struggled to admit the truth. "He... This is way too much for those items... I--"

"Father, we all know that he paid you way too much. But how much is too much?"

"... Seventy thousand platinum..." muttered Argyle, still struggling to understand what Jack was up to.

"Seventy thousand platinum!? Isn’t that the same as seven hundred thousand gold?!" Eliza had never seen platinum before, but she knew of its value. She guessed that Jack might have some with his vast wealth, but she never guessed that he had that much platinum, let alone enough to spend it all on a simple dress.

Looking back to Jack, Eliza glared at him. "After this, you’re taking me and the other’s shopping and you’re getting us whatever we want!"

"Eliza, I had a reason to do this. I--"

"No excuses! You have WAY more money than you let on yet you spent so much on a dress for Lina, yet you struggle to spend one hundred gold on your wives?" stated Eliza, not backing down at all. "It’s the least you could do, otherwise we’ll be jealous and won’t want to sleep with you."

"I’m okay with that..." chuckled Jack.

"Then no massages."

"And I’ll just have to keep Lina with me from now on," added Maura, also feeling jealous. How could she not when he spent that absurd amount of money without batting an eye, but only for Lina.

To the side, Lina tilted her head in thought. She then gasped as an idea flashed through her head. "How about we all go shopping? I like to see the big sisters in pretty dresses."

"A great idea, Lina!" shouted Eliza. She went over and patted Lina’s head. "Now we only have to convince your big brother to take us."

"I’m sure we can some time, but we--"

"Big Brother, can’t we go shopping? If you have so much, then it’s easy! Let’s go find pretty dresses for all the big sisters," cheered Lina, weakening Jack’s defenses.

"I could always just give you some more since you’ve paid so much--"

"NO!" shouted Jack, insistent to not take anything else.

"Jack, if you won’t take us shopping, then at least let my father give us some more," reasoned Eliza.

"... Fine... Before we leave, I’ll buy each of you a dress," agreed Jack.

"And accessories!" added Keela.

"... And accessories."

"Yay! Thanks, Big Brother!" Lina ran up and hugged Jack.

Jack sighed, defeated. He didn’t mind spending the money, but he also didn’t want to spoil the girls and let them think that he would buy them whatever they wanted.

Looking to Maynard and Rydel, Jack asked, "Is there anything you two would want?"

"Nope," Maynard shook his head. "Ya already got me new katanas so I’m not missing anything."

As Rydel also shook his head, Jack was relieved. At least someone understood his intentions and agreed with him.

"Still... Why so much, Jack?"

Argyle couldn’t get over the exchange. He had seen that much gold before, but not that much platinum. But that was in the auction house treasury, not in the hands of a young man who gave it away like it was a paltry sum.

"I have my reasons..." Jack started smiling again. He had opened his achievement list and was reading his newest achievement.

[Millionaire!: completed]

[Spend a total of one million gold, over three-quarters of which was overspending. Unique reward: 300 skill points.]

Jack didn’t dare try and rush the [Billionaire!] achievement, as Jack was unsure that he had enough and he also didn’t dare waste so much.

Now, thanks to the auction, Jack had a total of seven hundred and twenty skill points.

He was ecstatic, but he also understood that this wouldn’t be repeatable. Most of the time, Jack won’t find an easy target to exploit for unique rewards, like the annual auction. Jack had no clue when the next time he could get unique rewards would be.

During all of this, the auction continued selling lv. 55 peak-tier items. They were now selling the final items of the day, lv. 55 holy items.

But Jack only watched. He had no desire for those and had already spent more money than he had planned. And with day three coming up, Jack knew that the best still was to come.

The bids for those holy items were fierce because only three of them were available. Of the three, the most expensive one was a lv. 55 holy halberd that thirteen royal families fought for. In the end, it was given away for a lv. 70 high-tier item.

Once the second day’s break started, Maura began cooking with Lina, teaching her gradually how to prepare vegetables.

Eliza scooted closer to Jack. "Would you like a massage?"

"I would, but not if it’s only because you want to spend more money later," replied Jack, giving her a strange look.

"Why would I do it just for that?" argued Eliza. "Can’t a wife treat her husband to a massage without some underlying reason?"

"Isn’t it because you’re my wife that I should expect an underlying reason?" Jack joked, getting everyone but Eliza to laugh with him. "So long as I don’t hear about this while we’re shopping, then I’ll gladly take the massage."

"Good, then lay down."

Watching his daughter and the man he forced to become her husband, Argyle chuckled to himself. He knew that Jack wouldn’t be like most people and just accept his daughter, which was why he was willing to force Jack in the first place.

Also, he knew how stubborn and determined his daughter was. She got that from her mother, so Argyle was confident that Eliza could sway Jack over time.

It made him happy to see that his guess was the correct one.