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The black mask announced the start of the auction in a practiced tone.

“I will now introduce you to some rare stars. This time, we have a particularly large selection of valuable stars, so please stay focused until the end.”

I perked up my ears and concentrated on the black mask’s ‘voice.’

I couldn’t tell if the black mask speaking now was Marco or not. It seemed like the voice was being deliberately disguised.

“Well, without further ado, let’s get started. Here’s the first star.”

Clap— The black mask clapped their hands.

From the edge of the stage, a white mask wearing white gloves walked to the center, carrying a small shield. The spotlight followed the shield’s movement.

The black mask, having received the item, lifted the small shield high, as if lifting a baby lion. They were clearly experienced.

The white spotlight flashed again, illuminating the shield.

Some of the gray masks stirred excitedly, leaning forward.

The black mask grinned and began to speak.

“It seems some of you already recognize it. That’s right. This shield is Volrare, a relic of the mercenary Laguro.”

Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound next to me. Daisy was also leaning forward, staring at the shield. I whispered in her ear,

“Do you know it?”

“I can’t believe I’m seeing this here. He was a fairly famous mercenary. He did a lot of bounty hunting. I heard he went missing a while ago, so I guess he’s dead.”

Just then, the black mask spoke up.

“Laguro was a very famous mercenary who operated in the south. I’m sure you’ve all heard of him at least once. He disappeared five years ago, but his relic has become a star and come all the way here. Volrare is famous for being virtually unscratchable by any blade.”

“….”

“It’s easy to use even for beginners, so it’s good for self-defense or even as a collector’s item. After all, the relics of the dead tend to increase in value over time.”

Daisy whispered in my ear,

“That’s not entirely true. Laguro was a mid-level mercenary. He became famous for taking on many assassination contracts, but it’s not worth exaggerating like that.”

I nodded and looked at the shield. It seemed like there might be some cold iron mixed in, but it wasn’t anything to get excited about. It didn’t even look like a magic item.

However, the black mask didn’t offer any further explanation, and the crowd had no questions.

Recognize it if you know it and buy it.

We take no further responsibility.

It seemed that was how the auction proceeded. It made sense, considering they were auctioning off items of unknown origin.

With luck, you might get something decent for cheap, or you might end up buying something worthless at a high price.

In short, it was an auction where you could easily get ripped off if you had poor judgement.

The black mask tapped a small gavel, signaling the start of the bidding.

“I think that’s enough time. Let’s begin. The minimum bid for Volrare is 300 gold.”

People wearing gray masks raised their hands here and there, shouting simultaneously.

“400 gold.”

“500 gold.”

“550 gold.”

Their voices all sounded somewhat artificial. It seemed they were being cautious about revealing their identities since they were buying unidentified items. Such timid fools.

Meanwhile, a few extremely timid individuals were only signaling with their hands.

A moment later, the black mask looked around and said,

“The current highest bid is 1000 gold. Are there any more bids? If not, I’ll close the bidding. 3, 2, 1. Sold.”

Clap clap—

Applause rang out. The winning bidder took out something like a certificate from their pocket and handed it to the white mask assisting with the auction.

The black mask smiled brightly and said,

“Congratulations. The winning item will be handed over after the auction ends.”

The auction continued in the same manner. Various miscellaneous items kept appearing, and bidding wars erupted among the audience.

There was nothing worth buying for me.

There was one magic item that caught my eye, a kind of wrist guard. It had a common magic spell on it that blocked cold air. It wasn’t particularly useful, and the price was too high, so I didn’t buy it.

Daisy, who had been watching the auction, commented,

“All the items are so mediocre. And the prices are high too.”

I agreed. Most of the items were being sold at inflated prices. How did I know? I could just tell by looking at them.

The weapons were readily available at any blacksmith shop, and the other items weren’t very useful.

In other words, it was exactly as I had expected.

Items being sold at inflated prices meant the buyers were suckers. It also meant there was no one worth paying attention to among those wearing gray masks.

They were just pathetic people who saw others bidding high and followed suit, thinking there might be something they didn’t know about.

But there was one thing that bothered me a little…

I suddenly turned my head to look at the two people sitting apart on the right.

Both of them, wearing red masks, were staring at the stage without moving a muscle.

They hadn’t placed a single bid so far.

Judging by their build, they seemed to be men, but it was impossible to see their expressions because of the masks.

‘Hmm.’

Feeling a bit uneasy, the black mask tapped the gavel to draw attention.

“Thank you for your patience. This is the last star of the day.”

I couldn’t help but look at the stage with anticipation.

‘Here it is.’

The black mask held a booklet in their hand and drew everyone’s attention.

“It’s a mana cultivation manual.”

Quiet gasps of admiration escaped from the audience. However, it felt more like a sigh of disappointment than an excited exclamation.

The black mask nodded as if they had expected this.

“You seem to be wondering why the mana cultivation manual is the last item. I understand. You probably think it’s nothing more than a common cultivation manual that’s easy to obtain. It’s unlikely that a clan’s secret technique would be leaked, and even if it were, the risk of buying it would be much greater. Naturally, it’s not an item you’d be particularly interested in.”

People in the audience nodded here and there. The reasons the black mask mentioned were indeed significant. A mana cultivation manual was a double-edged sword in an underground auction like this.

“However, this manual is different. It’s a clan’s secret technique, but there’s no risk in buying it. Now, let me introduce it.”

The black mask clapped their hands and said,

“It’s the secret cultivation manual of the Atark clan, which was destroyed long ago.”

“….”

There was still no significant reaction to the exciting introduction. Instead, an eerie silence fell. It was because no one knew about the Atark clan.

I tilted my head in confusion.

‘Atark?’

I had never heard of that clan. I racked my brain, trying to remember the expedition members.

Was there anyone with the surname Atark among those who participated in the expedition?

While I was pondering, I suddenly cheered inwardly.

‘There is! There is!’

As soon as I remembered that there was a capable knight named Rocco Atark, my face crumpled again.

‘Damn it.’

Come to think of it, it wasn’t Rocco Atark, but Rocco Adark.

It wasn’t the Atark clan, but the Adark clan.

Of course. There was no way such a fantastic coincidence would happen.

I whispered to Daisy, who was sitting next to me.

“Have you ever heard of Atark?”

“No. But I kind of want it. I learned from a common cultivation manual too. Secret techniques like that are really hard to find.”

“Hmm.”

But there was too little information. It would be nice if we could at least see what it was about. All we could see was the yellowed cover.

Helplessly, I stared at the black mask, but it seemed they had no intention of providing any more information.

It was like they were saying, “Buy it if you want it.”

In the midst of the awkward silence, the black mask boldly spoke up.

“I think we’ve given you enough time to think. It’s time to pick the last star of the day. The bidding for the Atark clan’s cultivation technique will start at 2,000 gold.”

“….”

Once again, there were bewildered sighs. The starting bid was too high. It was burdensome to spend a whopping 2,000 gold on a cultivation technique that they didn’t even know was useful or not.

Meanwhile, one of the gray masks cautiously raised their hand, gauging the reactions of others. The black mask smiled and nodded.

“We have a starting bid of 2,000 gold. Any more bids? You might never see a secret cultivation technique like this again.”

“….”

“Since this is the last star, we’ll remove the bidding restrictions. I’ll ask again. Any more bids?”

The black mask, who had been speaking eloquently, suddenly looked in my direction.

Our eyes met through the masks.

I had a feeling this person wasn’t Marco.

As I instinctively raised my hand, the black mask said,

“2,100 gold.”

Daisy whispered in a delighted tone,

“Are you going to buy it?”

“Let’s just check it out.”

2,100 gold was equivalent to about two standard gold bars. I was a man with plenty of gold bars, so it wasn’t too much of a burden.

Besides, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be trash. Of course, I could be wrong. If I was wrong, I could just squeeze the money out of Kant.

“The current highest bid is 2,100 gold. Are there any more bids? If not, I’ll start the countdown. 3, 2, 1…”

“2,150 gold!”

Like a ghost, one of the gray masks jumped in. The timing was so perfect that it annoyed me a bit. When I get annoyed, I need to release it right away, so I raised my hand again.

“2,200 gold.”

The gray mask who had jumped in shook their head.

They probably hesitated for a while before bidding, and it seemed they had no intention of bidding any further.

I looked down, and everyone was silent as mice.

“It seems there are no more bidders. The current highest bid is 2,200 gold. I’ll proceed with the sale…”

“5,000 gold.”

‘What?’

I turned my head, and one of the two in red masks was raising their hand for the first time, their back off the seat.

“….”

The black mask looked at me with a bright smile.

“We have 5,000 gold. Are there any more bids?”

As the black mask pointed at me with their finger, Daisy grabbed my arm and whispered,

“Brother, that seems too expensive. It might be a strange cultivation technique, so let’s just pass.”

Daisy was worried that I might bid out of spite.

But no. I’m not that kind of man.

I glared at the red masks, but they didn’t even glance at me. They just stared at the stage with an arrogant posture, as if they thought the cultivation technique was rightfully theirs.

“….”

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

Why would they pay 5,000 gold for that cultivation technique? Why would they suddenly bid 5,000 gold all at once? Could there be a reason? Something I don’t know? A reason they absolutely have to buy it?

Strictly speaking, I was having the typical thoughts of insignificant men.

I’m a man who can see myself objectively.

But what can I do? Sometimes, you have to move forward even when you know it’s insignificant.

There’s an old saying:

‘Even if you can’t eat it, it’s still a Gorani.’

It’s a saying that refers to a cute and insignificant man.

The Gorani is an animal that, although not tasty, is cute, hence the proverb. Even if you can’t eat it, it’s still good because it’s cute. That’s the meaning.

I looked down, and countless insignificant men were cheering me on with their eyes from behind their masks.

An insignificant man who moves forward, an insignificant man who is objective, an insignificant man who remembers insignificant proverbs, an insignificant man respected by insignificant men, the leader of insignificant men – I raised my hand and shouted to fulfill the dreams of these insignificant fellows.

“5,001 gold.”

Excitement spread through the audience.

———-