OLD-WORLD EXTRA

54  Auction "Hey Kiera, do you know if there is an auction house around here?"

She looked at him in surprise for a moment and then replied, "Yes, it's quite famous, the Blackwood family is in control of it."

"Oh, I've heard about them before, they're that family who are famous for churning out high-ranking hunters, right?" Emir asked, followed by a quick, "Yep," from Kiera.

"They're often seen as lap dogs of the UEF, and their public image has taken a beating, especially with the rumors going around talking about how the youngest heir is a young master of sorts." He said with a chuckle.

"True that, a spoilt brat like the rest of them, anyways, you want to check out the auction house now?" She asked.

Seeing him nod, she continued, "There might be an event, let me ask one of my contacts."

She pulled up her terminal, and after tapping away at it for a while, she received a message and set the device down, turning her gaze back to Emir.

"There is an event a few minutes away, I already registered our names as attendees, usually we wouldn't be allowed in with our low hunter ranks, but my friend helped us out, we're also in good luck since there are extra seats available for us."

"Thanks for that." He said and they quickly made their way towards the auction house, which was located in the heart of the black market.

As they approached the entrance, Emir felt a sense of excitement, as if he had been directed here for a reason, for a purpose he had yet to know.

They were greeted by a well-dressed woman who checked their names on the list and directed them towards the main hall.

As soon as they stepped inside, they were met with the grandiose interior of the auction house.

The hall was colossal, lined with endless rows of seats occupied by people speaking in low whispers.

Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the marble floors, and elegantly dressed patrons mingled about, sipping champagne and admiring the items up for auction.

Kiera led Emir to their seats, which were situated towards the front of the room, away from all the elite and seemingly rich attendees.

They were surrounded by other hunters, all dressed in their finest attire and eagerly anticipating the start of the auction.

Both Kiera and Emir stood out due to their clothing not matching the dress code everyone else adhered to.

Causing some of the other attendees to sneer at them, which was promptly ignored by them.

As they waited for the event to begin, Kiera leaned over and whispered to Emir.

"Keep your guard up. There are a lot of dangerous people here, and you never know what kind of deals are being made behind closed doors. We don't want to get caught up in unnecessary trouble."

Emir nodded, lost in his thoughts.

'I don't know why, but I feel like I am forgetting something important, like I came or rather was brought here, seduced, you could say, for a reason, though I don't yet know what it is.'

After a few minutes, a man in a sharp suit walked onto the stage, and the room fell silent.

He introduced himself as the auctioneer and began listing the various items that were up for auction.

Each item was more impressive than the last, ranging from rare artifacts to advanced weapons that were too expensive and powerful for Emir to think of using.

After the display ended, the auction finally began.

The first item up for bid was a rare piece of technology, an ancient automata that had been salvaged from the ruins of an old-world facility.

The bidding quickly escalated, with the price soaring higher and higher.

Kiera nudged Emir.

"This is just the beginning. Wait until you see some of the really valuable items that come up for auction."

Sure enough, as the night went on, they saw some truly amazing relics and artifacts.

There were weapons that had been wielded by legendary hunters, priceless works of art, and even some pieces of technology that had been thought lost to the ages.

Kiera and Emir watched as the bidding for each item quickly escalated, with people shouting out their offers left and right.

It was a frenzy.

'All of the items so far have been either around or out of my price range, I only have 22,839,000 UC right now, so hopefully the item that I potentially came here for isn't that expensive.' He thought.

Soon the auctioneer brought up the next item.

"This next item is unknown to us, our appraisers couldn't identify its use, and all we can tell you is that it's a capsule that is locked in a see-through case that has a self-preserving function, so we can confirm that the item is most definitely a functioning old-world relic."

"The bid will start with 1,000,000 UC," he concluded.

A sudden wave of information flashed in Emir's mind, startling him, and after a few moments of processing those new memories, he understood the reason he felt inclined to come here.

'I see now, this item was mentioned in the novel, and it was bought by a newbie hunter that managed to get it for cheap, which somehow helped him reach stardom.'

'He was one of the people that opposed our ever so elusive protagonist, a villain, you might say. Well, villain or not, thank you for giving me this opportunity.'

Unsurprisingly, the bets for this item were slow, since most people present would rather focus on items that would pose a low risk of loss if purchased instead of something unknown as a random capsule.

Emir lifted the sign bearing his number, signaling his intention to participate in the bidding process. This action caused Kiera to flinch in surprise.

The auctioneer took note of his bid and continued to call out for higher offers.

"We have a bid of 3 million UC for number 61. Do we have any other offers?"

You gotta love Auction scenes, also keep in mind those hints I'm dropping about his memories, they will come in to play later.