Episode 43: The Water Dragon’s Magic Stone and the Auction!

　We arrived at the auction venue.

　The auction hall in Labyrinth City is located on a main street near the labyrinth, and although it is smaller than expected, it is a building that looks quite expensive. Items must be registered in advance in order to be put up for auction.
　It is held once a week, but luckily today was the day, so we were able to participate at the last minute.

　We will auction off the light blue magic stone obtained from the Water Dragon under the name of Count Dharma.
　Since it is being sold as a family heirloom that has been passed down for generations, the owner's name is important. I even had Papa-san write a special certificate for me. ……Well, it's basically a fake document, but it should be fine.
　It is true that it came from the Dharma territory……
　Depending on the product, it seems that some items may be rejected, but we were able to list it successfully.

　Since you can list up to three items per person, I thought about listing something from the hardware store, but decided not to. I asked Fiona to select things that seem valuable in this world, but it's kinda tricky. If we spend time on sales pitches, we might be able to sell them, but they're too new to fetch high prices instantly at an auction…… I guess you could say they're rare items……

　After registering, we sat down at the seats we were shown. The venue is fairly spacious, but the tables are small and it feels quite crowded. I'm glad it's so busy.

"Well, only God knows what will happen next…… I hope everything goes smoothly."
"Uhh～…… My heart is pounding."

　Fiona pressed her hand to her heart and reached into her bag for a cigarette.
　With practiced hands, she took one out and lit it with magic.

"Whoa. When did you get cigarettes, Fiona?"
"Eh?　Ehehe, quite a while ago, actually, before we escaped the dungeon, I secretly…… Sort of."

　Smoking a cigarette, she smiled awkwardly.
　In this world, smoking is fairly common, and there seem to be various types of cigarettes other than the 'prohibited' ones.
　According to Fiona, cigarettes sold at the hardware store are consistent in quality and always taste good. It seems like selling cigarettes and salt would be more stable and profitable than running a dungeon……

　Or rather, there are way too many smokers in this venue!　I thought it was strange that there were ashtrays. It's getting smoky fast!

　Before I knew it, Ricardo-san had started smoking too. I bet this guy taught Fiona how to smoke.

"So, what kind of people participate? "

　I can't really tell just by looking at them.
　There are both men and women, and they wear a variety of clothing and belong to different races.

"I guess there are a lot of aristocrats. The rest are veteran explorers. Of course, I'm sure there are some merchants too. Some people are just coming to watch."
"I wonder if there are any rich people here."
"Merry Jane's auctions are famous. I heard there are people from the capital city here, so I'm sure everything will be fine. ……Probably."

　Lighting her second cigarette, Fiona seems optimistic, but it's hard to tell if she's just worried.
　The auctioneer assured me that the Water Dragon Magic Stone would fetch a high price given its quality, and I think it'll be fine, but in the end, this is a different world.

"Normally, for a stone of that size, the royal family would offer 100 platinum coins. Furthermore, it is pure, deep navy blue with no dullness, making it visually appealing. The auctioneer said it would be today's highlight, so I think we can expect something good."
"One hundred platinum coins……?"

　According to Evans-san, platinum coins are white gold coins specially minted by the royal family for high-value transactions, and are actually made of a precious metal different from gold. You need to exchange them at a merchant close to the royal family or take them directly to the royal palace or something like that. One piece is said to be worth 500 gold coins.
　That's 50,000 gold coins. The repayment amount should be around 50,000 gold coins, so if we can sell it at market price, that should be enough for now.

"Oh, it's starting."

　The venue is quite dim, but the stage is brightly lit.
　When I asked Fiona, she said they were using Light's magic or magical tools. Magic is pretty versatile, huh.

"Thank you very much for participating in the Merry Jane Auction today!　Well then, let's get started right away!　Here is the first item! "

　The first product was an axe. A magic item found in the Great Labyrinth of Merry Jane.
　I'm still not sure about the value of the currency, but it seems to have been sold for a considerable amount.

"Hey, that's from the 15th floor of Merry Jane. I believe the winning bidder is likely a nobleman."
"Why would a noble buy an axe?"
"To give it to their soldiers, I guess? "

　Perhaps practicality is more important than appearance.
　I also carry an axe in the dungeon, but that's only because it was the only decent weapon available at the hardware store. If there was a sword, I would have taken it.

　◇◆◆◆◇

　The auction continued.

　As expected, there are many items from dungeons. The rest are artistic items such as paintings and sculptures. Jewelry, accessories, and similar items.
　And finally, the moment has arrived.

"Next up is today's highlight!　It is a magical crystal that has been passed down through generations of the Dharma family, and is said to have been obtained by defeating a water dragon! "

　When the female assistant solemnly carried in the precious blue stone, a stir arose from the audience.
　It's the magic stone of the water dragon we took out. Compared to the magic stone that appeared earlier (which was auctioned off for about the same amount as the average annual income of a person), the size and depth of its luster are incomparable.
　We won.

"This item is a treasure of unparalleled size and depth, possibly rivaling the royal family's most prized possessions. This is the first time it has ever been revealed to the public!　It is also an excellent magic stone, with a magical power of over 800,000 mana. This is a crystal of unparalleled purity, even in the history of the kingdom!　This item comes with a certificate handwritten by Fergus-sama, the current head of the Dharma family, and an authentication certificate from our auction house! "

　We entrusted the auctioneer with most of the explanations, but it was impressive. Is it alright to say that it's better than the royal family's treasured stones……? Is that okay? In fact, it's definitely the stone of a boss at the lowest levels.
　The venue is buzzing with excitement.

"I didn't hear anything about that being listed beforehand! "
"A……amazing……! "
"I didn't know that Count Dharma had such a precious jewel……! "

　Voices can be heard coming from all around.
　This looks really promising.

"Then, we'll start with 6,000 gol! "
"7,000! "
"9,000! "
"11,000! "

　The currency unit is gol, and our debt…… the amount we have to pay immediately is 50,000 gol.
　I'm quite worried about whether we'll be able to reach the target amount with a start of 6,000.
　Several rich people are bidding against each other, but that aside, how much is one stone worth? Because it is an energy crystal, it has practical value beyond simply being a piece of jewelry.
　In that sense, it may be more valuable than gemstones, which are just minerals, but I don't really understand the value of magic stones in this world.

"30,000! "
"Here!　40,000! "
"50,000! "
"60,000! "

　Every time the bid amount changed, there was a buzz of excitement.
　The amount is rising by tens of thousands.

"Eh, eh, what?　We've easily exceeded the target amount…… right? "
"We've exceeded it……"

　Not only Fiona, but also Evans-san and Ricardo-san, the knight, were stunned with surprise even before they could rejoice.
　Does that mean even they didn't fully understand the value of that stone?

"100,000! "
"Whoa!　We've finally reached 100,000!　Number 8, 100,000!　How about everyone else?　This item will never be available again. I hope you won't regret it."
"Hmmm. 105,000! "
"110,000! "

　The gentleman with number 8 confidently raises the price.
　Actually, with that amount, we'll get back some change……
　In the meantime, the amount continues to rise.

"Now, now, it's 140,000!　140,000!　140,000 was offered!　Anyone bidding more? "
"141,000! "
"142,000."
"Guuhhh…… 143,000."
"145,000! "

　It's been whittled down to two people. Actually, even if we pay the amount that is due immediately, we will still get a considerable amount as change…… After that, the battle continued with increases of 1,000 on both sides, but――

"I got 150,000!　Number 8, 150,000!　150,000!　Is there anyone who can do 151,000? 151,000."

　The auctioneer looks around.
　Silence.
　The man who was competing with number 8 also seems to have given up.

"Then, 150,000!　The winning bid is number 8 with 150,000 gol! "

　Then, the wooden mallet strikes the bell with a loud clang. There was thunderous applause in the venue.

　We joined in the applause, but what kind of amount is 150,000 gol?　

　I was told that the amount to be repaid immediately was 50,000 gol, and the amount ended up being far beyond my imagination.
　The huge amount of money involved has raised the excitement level in the venue considerably.

"Yes, we did it! Congratulations. Fiona."
"Yeah…… Actually, it doesn't feel real at all. He said 150,000 gol…… right? "
"Probably……? "

　To be honest, I can't really grasp the magnitude of such a huge amount of money. Was it really sold at such a high price……?　Both Evans-san and Ricardo-san are stunned……

"Um, there's no mistake, right?　Evans-san? "

　I called out to Evans-san next to me, and he restarted.

"I'm surprised…… I wasn't that familiar with the value of magic stones either…… Judging solely by the amount of magical power, I felt that we had a good chance of success. I never imagined it would amount to this much."
"Can you pay back the temporary loan? "
"Yes, this should be fine for at least a year."
"Oh, even with this amount, it's only one year."

　Ah, the harsh reality of a huge debt.
　It seems that they borrowed a total of 500,000 gol, so it can't be helped……
　That said, the dungeon should be up and running within a year. Judging from how busy this city is, there seems to be a really high demand for dungeons.

　While we were reveling in our unexpected high winning bid, the auction continued.

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