NOVEL WEB Chapter-67 Elemental
“Ewan,” Nana said as they chomped their breakfast, spiced rice with pan seared duck and caramelized onions on top. “I found an Astylind I want to buy.”
“Is it expensive?” Ewan asked, eating a spoonful of rice that became one of his favorite dishes from now on.
“Elemental,” she said.
Ewan’s spoon halted, a few rice grains tumbled over with a piece of duck, and he looked at her. “Where’d you find it?”
“It’s listed for an auction.”
“Makes sense.” He scooped the duck again and scarfed. “What’s the estimate?”
“Around a thousand,” she said.
“Which element?”
“Earth.”
“Hmm, it might go over that. Do you really want it?” he asked.
“Don’t know, it is too costly. I think I can trade my dad’s materials to match its price, but I’m not sure yet. Should I buy it?”
“If you don’t need those materials urgently and if they’re available in the market, then trading would be better. Elementals don’t appear too often, even in auctions,” he said, wondering how rich she was to consider this option at her level. His Pa too left him a lot, but they were all priceless possessions. He couldn’t sell even a single item from his inventory, lest the exposure took his life in vain.
The Obsidian Dagger wasn’t priceless actually, he could sell it for a good amount. But his situation was stable, it didn’t entail trading usable items yet.
“I’ll attend the auction then. Do you want to check it out? The list is good.”
“I can't afford the bids right now. I’ll just check the progress to get an idea of their prices,” Ewan said.
Nana bobbed her head and finished off the last bite before cleaning up the table. Ewan handed over his plate and went to gather ingredients for Anima Potions, he had enough to brew it for his Astylinds.
…….
Orange went first. Fourth attempt and Ewan had an Anima Potion ready for him. He handled the higher leveled Anima Potion quite well last time, so Ewan chose the same for him now, a Level-5 Potion. With his training speed boosted, the little monkey broke through to Level-4, trailing Frost. The waves of Fire-Anima settled down as his condition stabilized. They were of the same level, but the grade marked their difference, Orange couldn’t contest Frost yet, much to his frustration.
Their childish fight had long numbed Ewan to elicit a snappy response, but Toast was having a blast watching the show, munching on some toasted bread with all its irony, getting crumbs all over his fur. Iris, on the other side, passed a hint of anticipation and excitement about the Anima Potion to Ewan, a development in her consciousness he was glad for.
The ingredients were ready, he was rested, so he wasted no time and brewed another potion. Each failure taught him lessons, he improved with every trial.
Third attempt, and Iris had her Anima Potion. She was more delicate and daintier than Orange, forceful boosts wouldn’t sit well with her. Thus, Ewan went with the quantity approach instead, he brewed her a couple of Level-3 potions.
…
…
…
Airadian Hub-Stratum.
Each succeeding bid killed its predecessor as the items soared in value. From the comfort of his shop, and by the convenience of a network layout, Ewan observed and analyzed the market, at least he intended to.
Artifacts, Potions, Ingredients, Astylinds, Slaves, the auction covered everything with anonymity beings its strong suit. The disappointment, though, was that the rarity of the listed items separated it from the general market. It couldn’t represent the market trend; it couldn’t teach him anything about the fluctuations in the trade market. Still, the ever-changing bidding war opened his eyes, it gave him an assessment of what to expect in case he ever found himself fighting in it.
His screen refreshed, and another item was off the list. The auction was finally on the home stretch with only three more to go. The first of the three was the Astylind Nana wanted, the Earth Elemental. An Elemental could be a great addition to any Severynth’s team, regardless of the style. And the rapidly changing identity number on the screen proved this, it was a popular choice.
The bids skyrocketed, soon reaching the estimate Nana mentioned. Even Ewan had to resist the urge to participate—he rented a shop in the hub, so he had the free ticket to participate any time. Nevertheless, his wallet couldn’t support his indulgence anyway. So, he only watched.
The numbers changed, and after a while, only two remained in the race. The price point had already gone beyond the estimate, now approaching an irrational level, even for a defensive Elemental. Ewan hoped Nana would win, but the towering bids made it impossible to hold on to that hope.
Finally, the values stabilized, and one of the identity numbers won the Astylind with an absurd price of fifty-five hundred Novas. The winner must be filthy rich…
Poor Nana, Ewan shook his head. These auctions were too volatile. Costs could explode any time depending on the participants, or they might never take off at all. Just too mercurial….
……
Back in the office, Nana stared at Ewan, her chest heaving, her face flushed.
“Let it go, we can't control….” Before Ewan could finish, she jumped off the table and squeezed him into a hug. He stumbled back, supporting Nana by her waist. Her ample bosom pressed against his chest, her silky hair brushed his face, and the comforting floral smell of night-jasmine once again engulfed him.
“Nana,” Ewan said, tapping on her shoulder. “I can't breathe.” She held too tight.
“I won,” she yelled and laughed, the loud voice ringing his ears. Yet, the context of her sentence replaced his wild imaginations and left him with only one thought.
She is filthy rich…
