Genius Wizard Hides His Sword Skills [EN]: Chapter 48

48. Trade City, Anti (2)

“There are several auction houses, but Hallat Auction House is the largest,” the bellboy said.

“Ah, I see.”

“It’s run by the Hallat twins, and they’re famous for finding old antiques and rare items. They happen to have an auction scheduled for this evening.”

“Good information. Thank you.”

The bellboy gave me a pleasant smile. After handing him a silver coin, I headed to my room.

“Are you going to the auction house?” Admun asked as I ascended the circular staircase in the center of the lobby.

“Yeah. I came all the way here, so I thought I’d check it out.”

“Are you looking for something in particular?”

“Not really. I’ll buy something if I see anything I like.”

I didn’t have high expectations. The chances of finding something that would satisfy me at an auction house were extremely slim.

‘Old antiques, huh…’

However, the antiques the bellboy mentioned piqued my interest.

‘Could there be something there that I would recognize?’

[If you’re lucky, maybe.]

I would find out later that evening.

“Here are the rooms.”

The room I arrived at, guided by Admun, consisted of three connected suites.

“Well, everyone, leave your luggage in your rooms and come to my room.”

“Yes.”

“Okay!”

As I entered my room in the center, I was greeted by a lavish interior. It felt like an extension of the extravagant decorations I had seen in the lobby.

[They must have spent a lot of money.]

‘This isn’t my style.’

I wasn’t one to spend a lot of money on such luxuries. My philosophy was that a place to stay should just be a place to sleep and rest comfortably.

‘I should tell them to find a more down-to-earth place next time.’

Moreover, it was easier to gather information about the city if I could meet more people from the common class.

[What does it matter? It’s a vacation for once. Enjoy the luxury sometimes.]

‘Yeah. Admun should enjoy the finer things too.’

Before I could even look around the spacious room,

“May I come in?” Admun’s knock echoed.

Clang.

I opened the door to see Drew peeking in.

“Aren’t you going out right away?”

I let the two of them into the room.

“Yeah. We have some time, so let’s do some training during the day today.”

“Huh! Training again today?”

“Of course, you can’t skip training any day. Besides, it’s a rare opportunity for the three of us to be together.”

“Okay. It’s been a while since I trained with Admun hyung [older brother]!”

The luxurious furnishings that filled the room were all pushed to one corner.

“Huff…!”

“Ugh!”

The room was soon filled with rough breathing. All three of us were doing push-ups.

‘I can definitely feel the aura getting stronger.’

Thanks to the continuous strength training, I could feel the aura more easily. Before, it was difficult to sense even if I was slightly distracted.

Now, I could even have some stray thoughts.

‘The speed of accumulating aura will increase.’

That meant I could use aura in my daily life. It was possible because the concentration required to use aura had decreased.

“Okay, next is the energy-sensing training I showed you before.”

I couldn’t openly say it was aura manipulation yet, so I made up a name.

[You can’t keep it a secret forever, can you?]

‘I can tell Admun, but I don’t know about Drew. It’s still too early.’

The boys sat cross-legged, closed their eyes, and concentrated.

[They seem to be getting better too.]

‘Drew seems to have gathered about 1-star level of aura. Admun said he feels something strange now.’

I was proud of the children with their eyes closed.

[Their rate of achievement is fast.]

‘Is it because they’re not gathering aura in their dantian [energy center]?’

[Maybe. Perhaps this method is much more efficient than the old method.]

This quiet moment gave me time to contemplate them.

‘Admun’s specialty is agile footwork, so I need to make the most of that.’

[It would be good to apply some of the techniques you used in your past life.]

‘Yeah. In a way that reduces power and increases speed.’

A physique with long limbs. Moreover, it was the most suitable method for Admun, who was already familiar with my footwork.

‘As for Drew, well, I’ll teach him in his family’s style.’

[That would suit his body best.]

I had watched the Gibson family’s martial arts right next to them for years. Their heavy attacks, using their natural physical abilities, crumpled enemies’ armor like paper. Screams never ceased on the battlefield.

‘He’ll be able to handle it well.’

Now, a thousand years later. I don’t know if their martial arts are still passed down within the Gibson family.

‘But I should watch over him from the side.’

In a few more years, the world will once again remember the terror of the name Gibson.

Time flew by.

Before I knew it, the sun was setting, but Admun and Drew maintained their posture without wavering.

“Let’s stop here for today.”

The two boys finally opened their eyes. They were so focused that their foreheads were covered in sweat.

“Let’s each wash up and meet in the lobby.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Okay!”

The children ran cheerfully to their rooms.

* * *

“That was a good meal.”

“It was really delicious, wasn’t it?”

At Drew’s insistence, we even had dinner at the upscale restaurant in the hotel.

“Yeah. It’ll be just the right time to go to the auction house now.”

In the late afternoon, as the hot midday sun subsided, more people were out on the streets.

“It was this way, right?”

I didn’t have to look for long. After walking a little in the direction the bellboy had told me, I saw a huge sign in the distance.

“I guess that’s it.”

Hallat Auction House. The enormously large letters revealed its presence.

‘It certainly seems to have a great reputation.’

As I got closer, I saw a large crowd gathering at the entrance.

“Alright! Today’s auction is about to begin! Hurry, everyone, come inside!”

They were entering in an orderly manner, following the barker’s instructions.

“Let’s get in line too.”

“Oh, this is my first time at an auction house!”

Drew’s face was excited. Admun also seemed a little excited, looking around.

‘I’m looking forward to it too, since it’s been a while.’

The place we entered in order. The huge hall, as big as the Magic Tower’s grand hall, was lined with chairs.

[They must put the items up there.]

The host was holding a microphone on the stage at the front.

‘The method doesn’t seem to have changed from the old days.’

As we sat down in our assigned seats,

“Welcome to the Hallat Auction House, everyone!”

The host’s introductory remarks followed.

“I am Paul Hallat, the manager here and the host for today!”

The man used a slightly high-pitched voice to build up the atmosphere.

“Thanks to your support, the Hallat Auction House has grown beyond Anti to become the largest auction house on the continent! We promise to introduce you to items that will satisfy you!”

At Paul Hallat’s gesture, two people came onto the stage. Employees carefully carrying trays covered with cloths.

“Then, let’s start with the first item!”

Cheers erupted from the audience.

Shwaak!

As Paul personally removed the cloth, a small bracelet appeared.

“This is a bracelet that increases magic resistance! The craftsman said it’s at least a hundred years old! We’ll start the bidding at five gold coins!”

People raised their hands one after another.

“Five coins! Call!”

“I’ll bid six!”

“Seven gold!”

A pendant with magic resistance was quite valuable. Since knights weren’t that scary in this world, the only thing to watch out for was magic.

The people who kept raising their hands began to hesitate after it exceeded 15 gold coins.

“T-Twenty coins!”

It seemed to end at 20 gold coins.

“Well, is there anyone else?”

Paul Hallat looked at the scene with satisfaction.

“Then, we will give this bracelet to the gentleman who just bid twenty coins.”

It seemed he had achieved a sufficient price.

“Twenty-two coins.”

The voice that echoed through the hall at that moment. People’s eyes turned to a boy who looked a couple of years older than me, raising his hand.

‘Whose family is he from?’

It was a boy who had even brought attendants who seemed to be his bodyguards.

“Ah! We still have a participant. Sorry. Twenty-two gold coins have been bid!”

Then Paul began to count to three.

“No one higher!”

In the end, the bracelet went to the boy.

‘What a strange guy.’

Even though he had won the bid, the boy casually turned the bracelet around and handed it to his attendant as if he had no interest in it.

‘Why did he buy it if he was going to do that?’

[Did he just participate for fun?]

The boy looked back at the stage without any sign of joy.

“Well, then let’s proceed with the next item!”

Following Paul’s command, with his tension raised even higher. Auction items continued to come onto the stage.

* * *

‘There’s nothing special.’

As the saying goes, “Much cry and little wool” [a lot of hype for little substance]. There were no noticeable items after that. Even the ones that were said to be old were only about 200 years old.

‘They’re not as good as the ones I used to use a thousand years ago.’

[Of course not. Those were all made by dwarves. Did you think it would be easy to find something like that?]

Even though a thousand years had passed, the technology for equipment and artifacts didn’t seem to have improved much.

“Oh! You can look forward to this item a little more.”

At the host’s excited voice, everyone’s attention was focused on the stage.

Shwaak!

The item that was revealed when the cloth was removed was a pair of shoes.

‘Huh?’

[Huh? Is that?]

Oberon and my eyes narrowed.

“These are shoes with magic that makes the body a little lighter! You can walk comfortably for long periods of time. Recommended for merchants who walk a lot!”

The host’s explanation turned suspicion into certainty.

‘It’s Kata’s shoes.’

[That’s for sure.]

Finally, an item worth participating in the bidding had appeared.

“We’ll start the bidding at ten gold coins!”

At the host’s shout, several people raised their hands.

“Ten coins!”

“Fifteen coins!”

“Twenty-three coins!”

The price rose rapidly.

“Twenty-five coins.”

“Twenty-seven coins!”

Among them, the momentum of the white-haired old man and the pot-bellied middle-aged man was considerable.

“Well, it’s up to twenty-seven coins. Is there anyone else?”

Paul had a smile on his face. It was because of the soaring price due to the competition between the two.

“Thirty coins.”

“T-Thirty-one coins.”

The first to hesitate was the old man. His voice gradually trembled.

“Thirty-five coins!”

The middle-aged man delivered a fatal blow with a nonchalant expression.

“Wh-What? Haa….”

The old man’s expression twisted. On the other hand, Paul’s face bloomed.

“Wow! Thirty-five coins! Are you giving up!”

He quickly counted down in a formal manner. After all, the old man was shaking his head.

‘Should I join in now?’

As I raised my hand, Paul Hallat’s gaze turned to me.

“Oh, is that guest also trying to participate? Please shout out the gold coins!”

The words that followed were enough to bring all the attention in the hall.

“Fifty coins.”