The Empires Rise

It takes a second before someone else takes the stage. This time, it is a handsome man wearing a red suit with black stripping accentuating the suit's red, giving him the formal look of someone ready to have fun—fun taking our money. He has a darker complexion with pointed ears and gives a devilish smile to the crowd. Standing straight, he starts talking. "Hello, my name is Dalvtorin. And as some of you might have guessed, I am a Devil. How could I say no when allowed to join this illustrious group of people at the Golden Hammer Consortium?"

Hearing a couple of chuckles in the lower portion of the auction hall, I sit with a mild hint of shock on my face. Turning to Eleanor, I asked, "Why would they have a Devil be an auctioneer?"

"Haven't you heard the turn of phrase, 'The Devil is in the details.'? From what I can see, they are hoping to use a sort of scare tactic to prevent people from defrauding their goods, as Devils are known to get what they want. Also, having a Devil as the auctioneer gives us a sense of security. Unlike with a Demon, Devils are known to make fair trades within a certain span of reason."

Nodding along with her answer, I look closer at the groups of people on the floor and find much less tension. "So, having him be one of the auctioneers gives us a higher sense of security. That is interesting."

"One more thing to note is that a Devil as an auctioneer means that they have inspected the items and know more about them. It gives us a better sense of what they will sell or auction off."

Once again, nodding, I returned to the stage where the first item had been pulled up. "For those new to this world, let me introduce the first item on the list. This item is great for those who have fledgling settlements and are looking to give a bit of a kickstart. Most people will look at this and think that it isn't worth it, but in the right hands, it can definitely help."

With a sweep of his hands, he pulls the cloth off the first item.

- Outpost Upgrade Token -

"For those who don't know what this item does, let me quickly explain. This will allow someone to increase the level of an outpost in their settlement quickly. There is a slight limit on how high the level can be increased, but that is up to you. We shall start the bids for this item at one gold, with a minimum increase of 10 silver per bid."

Just as he finished saying this, the lower section of the crowd started bidding immediately.

"One gold," someone says, only to immediately be outbid by another at one gold, twenty silver.

"Two gold," another shouts, increasing the price by 80 silver. This goes on for a little while.

Whispering to Eleanor, I ask her, "Shouldn't we get this? We have the lumber outpost, and increasing its level would greatly help us."

She nods but then shakes her head. "We shouldn't bid on this item; though we need it, we don't want to impact how much we have for the higher tier items. Also, think about it. We have over 12,000 gold. We can easily afford to wait for better items if this token's starting price is one gold. Just think of how much we could get out of this if we play our cards right. Also, if you look closer at where that token is placed, its lot number is only 83. There must be better items in the lower category that will be of better use to us."

I'm thinking over what she said. I don't entirely agree with her, but I am willing to be patient and see what to expect from some of the other items. "So they brought out a better item to get the crowd riled up for what is to come?"

"Exactly, they have to start a feeding frenzy, which takes time. If you start with a small item of no importance, how will they make their money? It is better to bring out a higher ticket item now and then than to let the auction stagnate with slower lower interest items."

When we finished our conversation, the token cost had increased to 10 gold. The bidding had slowly decreased to this point, and now, two people were bidding on the item. It didn't take long before the item was sold to one of the people on the floor for 11 gold.

Feeling poked on my side, Narus nudged me while giving me a look. "I have a general idea about how much that token was worth, " she said quietly.

"Oh? And how much do you think it was?" Eleanor asks.

"From what I could tell about the Devil, he had a gentle smile that was a little different from the smiles he had been giving the crowd up to this point. I would say the token was around ten gold in total."

"You got that from just the small change in his smile?" I asked.

"Yes, auctioneers typically get a small commission from selling items. If the item sells for more than its worth, their commission on that lot will increase. Hence the change in his smile."

"Good to know," I say, returning to the auction. The next lot has come out. This time, it is on a large display. Based on the overall profile of what is displayed, it initially looks like a weapon, probably some sword or even a staff.

"This next piece is great for those beginner adventurers." Pulling the cloth off the piece, a well-made sword comes into view. "Made by a Journeyman Blacksmith using Tier 2 materials, and then later enchanted by a Journeyman Enchanter. This blade has basic enchantments for sharpness, durability, and fire damage."

From the side of the stage, a stagehand steps up and unsheathes the blade. A straw dummy is placed on the stage not far away, and the stagehand swings the sword at it. After the first hit, the dummy burst into flames and smoldered on the stage.

"As you can see, what I say isn't a lie. Now, let's give this fine gentleman a round of applause for the demonstration." He starts to clap his hands, and everyone in the audience follows suit. "For this first set of items, this gentleman will be helping with every item that needs to be demonstrated."

Looking at the blade, it is about three feet long and double-edged, like a knight's blade. Running down the center of the blade are the enchantments Dalvtorin mentioned. Not recognizing any of them, I inspect them more closely to get a glimpse and maybe learn something.

I didn't hear the starting amount as I was focused. Then, I heard several shouts again from the floor. Again, I heard nothing higher than one gold for this piece. After a couple of minutes, the piece landed in the hands of another person from the floor. I don't know who received the item, but from the shout of joy, it must have been a great upgrade for them.

This pattern continues for several hours, with Dalvtorin introducing the different pieces and the stagehand showing off their capabilities if needed. It isn't until the last couple of items in the lower-tier lots that I hear more people from the higher booths putting bids in for the items.

One item was for an outpost creation token. Another lot was for a set of 10 specific summoning scrolls. Leaving the last item before the first break, a deep smile appears on the Devil's face. "Now, before I leave you, I want to present you with the final item for this auction portion. Some of you have seen the different outpost and level-up tokens for settlements. While this piece isn't something like any of those, I can guarantee you will not be disappointed with our offer."

Quickly pulling the cloth off the final item, I examine it closely to see what he could be talking about.

- Settlement Upgrade Token: This token is required for the settlement to upgrade from a Tier 0 Roadside Hovel up to a Tier 1 Hamlet -

"While this isn't useful for a lot of the older lords in the audience, for those that are starting from the ground up and were able to get an invitation to this auction, they are in a stroke of luck. Typically, in order to get one of these tokens, you have to complete a settlement quest that could put your entire settlement at risk. So let's start the bidding for this item at five gold, with a minimum increase of 50 silver."

Turning to look at my two companions, I sternly say, "We need to get that token. We have already put everyone's lives in danger with the waves, we need to get it so we have a safer path to the next tier."

Seeing them nod their heads in agreement, the auction for this piece starts.