CHAPTER 4: HAUL
1492 Words
"Five hundred thousand gold coins," the lady on the stage said. "Anyone going higher than that?"
The people on the first floor looked at each other, then their gaze went back to Yin.
"Going once, going twice?" the lady waited for a few seconds. "Sold to bidder number five."
They heard gossips from bidders. Kev just shrugged his shoulders. "I whispered to the lady at the receptionist to hide my identity."
"They don't know you?" Czarina asked with a surprised look. "That's weird."
"I rarely attended functions and parties. I hate those kind of events. I don't go out of Zariste Palace during my younger days either. I studied everything inside the palace my whole life." He chuckled. He saw the next item for bidding. It was just a silver armor for intermediate level. He ignored it. "I don't want to become the king of Fantasija but they keep on training me to become one... well, all of us in the royal family."
"How come you entered the school now? They allowed you to go out of the palace to study?" Czarina curiously asked continuously.
"I pleaded to my father. Mother doesn't want me to go out of the palace and live in the dorm, but my father allowed me." He grinned.
"The king also rules the family," Czarina jokingly said. "Glad you made it."
"Excuse me," Yin interfered. "What about me? They keep on staring at me like I am a scammer or something."
"Let them be. As long as we could pay what we are buying today, they can't harm you." He winked.
"If you say so," Yin just agreed. He can't object to the prince.
"Our next item is a relic from a lost land." The lady speaker in red looked behind her. Another male staff came in from the back stage, carrying a tray with gold cover to keep the surprise. He slowly opened the lid and showed everyone the golden sword grip with no blade on it. It has a white stone in the middle of the cross-guard. "It is a golden grip of a vintage sword owned a great warrior before the great war over five centuries ago. According to immortal god Orao, you can incorporate your power on it to make the blade as a sword. No one has ever used it yet, the grip seems choosing its own master."
Everyone made a noise, whispering how great value it has.
"It's priceless. We will start the bidding of one million zaris paper bill." One zaris paper bill is equivalent to one hundred gold coins.
Everyone almost choked when they heard the minimum bid price of the sword grip.
"It's a relic, It's worth to buy it for that amount," One of the bidders said. He raised his bidding card. "One million five hundred thousand zaris bill."
One million five hundred thousand for bidder number fifteen," the lady said. "Anyone going higher than one million five hundred thousand zaris?"
Czarina kept her eyes on the sword grip. "I think that will work for you. Incorporate your ice power on it."
"You think so? I have a silver sword grip, but it has a different feels." Kev looked at the grip on the tray again.
"Yes, try it." Czarina felt a surge of power from that golden sword grip. She can't explain it, but it seems calling her.
"We'll see. Bid for it," Kev told Yin. "It can be added to the collection of my father if it will not work for me anyway."
"H-how much?" Yin hesitantly asked.
"Five million zaris bill." Kev leaned on the chair and crossed his arms.
Yin looked at Czarina to ask for help, but she just nodded. He slowly raised his arm and showed the bidding card. "F-five million zaris bill."
Everyone whispered but a bit louder than earlier, almost echoing in the entire bidding room.
"Five million zaris for bidder number five," the lady announced. "Anyone going higher than five million?"
The whispers continued, and people kept looking up at Yin. He felt nervous and the surrounding felt hot for him. He wiped his forehead using the sleeves of his jacket. He never saw that huge amount in his entire existence, but how here he is, bidding millions for a sword grip. "Great," he told himself.
Everyone was busy in bidding when Czarina's attention was caught by a strange teenager standing at the corner of the bidding house. He's distant from other bidders, but his face looks serious while staring at their direction. He's wearing black clothes and a black straw hat. The teenager turned around and left the room.
"Who was that?" she asked herself. "Weird." She just shrugged her shoulder and returned her attention to the bidding.
"Going once, going twice?" The lady waited again for another bid but no one raised a card. "Sold! The golden sword grip is sold to bidder number five. Congratulations!"
"I think we had a good haul today," Kev said. He bought several items more until the end of the bidding session. Yin felt nervous and exhausted from the gaze he received from other bidders.
"I could be kidnapped after this," he said. "They might think I mined tons of gold bars somewhere."
Kev laughed at his joke. "You're so funny. Don't worry, we'll go back to the campus after this. Let's go to their office and claim our bid items." He stood up and walked out of the room. Czarina and Yin just followed him.
The staff guided them to the bidding office to claim their items and pay for it. They stopped in front of the office door. "Just wait here and I'll go inside myself." Kev left them outside and went in to the room.
It took a few more minutes before Kev went out of the bidding office. "Let's go! I want to try all the items we got from the bidding. Everything that won't work for me, I will give them to the both of you."
"Are you crazy?!" Czarina exclaimed. "You bought items worth millions of zaris bills and you will just give them to us?!"
"It's my gift as a prince of Zariste, welcoming my new friends to the capital!" He raised his arms, mimicking the principal's gesture earlier. "Let's go!"
Czarina just shook her head. They just followed the prince again.
- Writer
