City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 569: First Bite Auction

Chapter 569: First Bite Auction

"We should be able to get at least one," Margaux said as the carriage approached our destination.

"Getting one wouldn't be a problem, but getting them isn't exactly risk-free," I replied.

"There will abe competition since it's an auction, but we have a good chance. However, I wouldn't wager on it if the price exceeds the range we've set for each piece."

A few minutes passed, and the carriage stopped before a small but beautiful building.

I am saying "small' by the city's standards. The building is five stories tall and made of beautiful blue stones, with a spire rising from the middle.

"Welcome to August Hall, Lord Silver, Headmistress Swan," greeted the House Staff as he opened the door.

We stepped out and were promptly escorted inside.

Many other locations are better than this building, but it is tradition to host it here. It has happened for thousands of years, and nobody wants to break the tradition.

Soon, he opened the door and let us into a grand hall.

There are hundreds of chairs, with more than half occupied. I looked at the people and found most of them familiar.

I had been introduced to or talked to them at least once in the past four days.

Soon, the House Staff led us to our seats. It's in the first row.

This time, I am not surprised.

Here, I mostly saw people from the Grade III legacy. Those from Grade IV and above rarely showed any interest in this place.

Their auction will be held tomorrow. I have no interest in them; they are too big for velvet garden to take a bite of. If I tried, they might change the Velvet Garden.

"Lord Silver," greeted Elf, sitting beside me.

"Lord Aardwyn, Lord Constance," I greeted the elf and the man beside me.

"Lord Aardwyn is my father, Lord Silver. Call me Rylan," the elf corrected.

"Rylan," I said.

The elf is the same elf we have seen in the opening ceremony on the first day. His father is a master of Tranquill Bathhouse.

The man beside him is a guardian from the Grade IV Wander Inn, the master legacy of Tranquill Bathhouse.

I am surprised they are here. I saw them in the morning, talking with Prefectus Prisca and another Master of a Grade IV legacy.

"Forgive me for saying this, but I didn't expect to see you here, Lord Silver," Constance said.

"I could say the same to you, Lord Constance," I replied.

"It's a risky bet you're making, my lord. You're on the list of legacies with the most potential."

"Taking the core essence of another legacy, especially one that's waning, is dangerous for the future," he responded, and he was right.

However, he doesn't know that I can take only the part that aligns with my vision.

The rest of the bite would be purified and converted into pure essence. So, unlike other legacies of my level, I am in a much better position.

However, it is not without risk. I could absorb the core, but only the part that aligns with my vision.

"If I become greedy and absorb more than I should, it will taint the vision. That would be catastrophic for the growth of my legacy, and the consequences could be irreversible."

"Why are you here, Lord Constance?" I asked.

"We are looking for the bite for the Tranquill Bathhouse. We want to strengthen it before the separation to increase its survival chances," he replied.

Yes, the separation.

Wander's Inn would have helped, but it would need all its strength to survive the separation from Tranquill Bathhouse with as little damage as possible.

As he had warned me, it is a risky bet. Taking the essence of a waning legacy could seal the Tranquil Bathhouse's fate, making its demise all the more certain.

"I wish your legacy had been Grade IV, Lord Silver. We would have asked you to take us," said the elf.

"You would not need to say it, Mr. Rylan; I would have requested it myself," I replied, and the man smiled.

I am not saying that out of politeness.

Tranquill Bathhouse is an amazing legacy, even without that artifact they have. It's such a regret that I can't have it. I wouldn't have even minded it being on another continent.

Minutes passed, and the people kept coming until nearly the entire hall was filled with people.

The masters or their representatives are here, along with the guardians. In this part, the guardians take the lead despite it being the masters' legacy.

I am one of the few masters here that didn't come with a political guardian.

Finally, it is two, and a man walks onto the stage.

The man was old but took good care of himself, looking younger than his years. He wore a suit with gem-encrusted cuffs that complemented him perfectly, adding an air of elegance.

"Masters and Guardians, welcome to August Hall for the first essence auction. I am Dal Roseweil, and I am honored to serve as your auctioneer today," he spoke clearly.

This is the auction for a Legacy's first bite, or first essence, as he called it.

There are a lot of legacies in the world that die every year, and new ones are born.

The synods present a perfect opportunity for the legacies to sell their first bite and others to buy it.

"The first to go down under the hammer is the Vaxan Inn. It is a Grade III Tavern Class waning legacy," He informed, and a projection appeared.

A three-story inn. Made of stone and timber. Giving off a homey feeling.

"The bid will start at three hundred emotion essences and increase by ten at each bid," he stated.

"Three hundred and ten," someone said from behind immediately. "Three hundred and fifty," added another a moment later.

"Three hundred and seventy…. Four hundred…."

The big kept increasing one after another before it reached five hundred when it suddenly slowed down.

"Anyone for five hundred thirty?" asked the auctioneer, but no bid came.

Some people looked at us, but we showed no interest. We already have the list of the legacies being auctioned and selected the ones we want to big on.

"Five hundred and twenty, once. Five hundred and twenty, twice, Five hundred and twenty, thrice."

"Sold!" he announced, hitting the gavel.

'It had got sold within a range,' said Margaux with privacy. I nodded. We thought it wouldn't get sold for over five hundred and fifty-Grade III emotion essence.

It wasn't a small amount; under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have been sold for such a price. But it held a particular advantage as the first item on the block.

"The next legacy is Adis Cafe. It is a Grade III Tavern Class waning legacy,"

"The bid will start from the three hundred," he said as the projection of a cute café appeared.

Adis café soon sold for four hundred and thirty Grade III emotion essence.

More legacies were sold, but not a single one had gone beyond the five hundred fifty. We didn't bid on anything; we just watched until the legacy we wanted went under the hammer.

"The name of legacy is Taurus Theater. It is a Grade III, Tavern Class waning legacy, and its price starts from three hundred emotional essences," he said.

"Three hundred and ten," bid someone. "Three hundred and twenty," bid another.

They bid while I looked at the tavern's projection.

It is a small theatre with a capacity of five hundred people. It has nothing special about it, and if it had, it wouldn't have been at the auction.

The first bite of the unique legacies is always sold through secret deals.

I am bidding on it simply because it is a theatre, and I now have a theatre. It is a recent addition to the velvet garden and wasn't present when it was born.

The purpose of doing that is to strengthen the theatre aspect of the legacy.

It will help improve the theatre experience and help theatre people, from actors to stage managers, get better classes.

Legacies have a tremendous influence on that.

"Four hundred," Margaux bid, momentarily causing the entire hall to fall into a hushed silence.

She had upped the bid from three-fifty to four hundred directly.

"Four hundred and twenty," said a person behind us.

Margaux looked at him, and the moment passed. I could see the worry appearing in his eyes.

He didn't need the theatre. He made a bid only because we suddenly increased the bid, and now he is worried.

Every bottle of essence is essential, and he is only a guardian. Easily replaceable. Unlike the master. If they make a mistake, they will get admonished at most.

Four hundred and twenty bottles of emotional essence isn't a small amount. It's more than what his legacy produces in a month.

This amount could create trouble for the kingdom itself.

The essence didn't just go for creating the life-saving potions but also for recovering of artifacts and other things.

That gives the Sovereigns the influence over the nobles and other powerful people.

"Anyone for four hundred and thirty?" asked the auctioneer, and sweat began to appear on the man's head. As he realized the trouble he was in.

"Four hundred and thirty, once. Four hundred and thirty, twice…"

"Four hundred and fifty!" said Margaux smoothly before he could say the third time.

I could see the great relief appearing in the eyes of the man, and he slumped for a second before recovering quickly, feeling eyes on him.

"Taurus Theatre goes to Lord Silver. Master of Velvet Garden," said the auctioneer, banging the gavel.

"You had scared that poor man, Miss Swan," said the elf. "I didn't, Mister Rylan. I only delayed because I was thinking about whether to go further,"

"We have a limited budget, after all," she replied sheepishly.

The elf and the man beside him just smiled, seeing her lying through her teeth.

The auction continued as a new legacy coming under the hammer.

Soon, another legacy came on the table, and this time, we bid. It's a bar. We bought it for five hundred and twenty and the tavern after for five hundred and forty.

After that, more legacies came until we reached the last legacy.

"Now, only the one had remained. Taril's Smokehouse. Its Grade III, Tavern Class waning legacy,"

"The bid for it will start at Four hundred emotion essence," said the auctioneer.

It is only a legacy started at four hundred, and there is a reason for that.

"Five hundred emotion essence," said the elf beside me. Betting for the first time. "Five hundred and twenty," came another bid immediately.

"Five hundred and fifty," said another. The bids soon reached the six hundred.

Everybody loves to smoke. One might wonder how it aligns with the bathhouse, but it does. Smoking is quite popular in the bathhouses.

Just as it's popular in taverns, bars, and every other gathering place.

I dislike smoking; I cannot even bear the smell of smoke. I have a smoking area in my establishment, but that is only because patrons want it.

I will not focus on smoking like the others, as it goes against the direction of my vision.

So, we didn't bid.

"Seven hundred and thirty, once. Seven hundred-thirty, twice, seven hundred-thirty, thrice."

"Sold!"

"Smoking bar goes to the Tranquill Bathhouse," announced the auctioneers.

'The elf isn't too happy at such a price,' said Margaux, looking at the painful smile on his face.

'It is more than it is worth, and people knew he wants it. So they pushed him hard,' I replied with a smile.

We paid a similar price for the casino, but that is a casino. It's big, a theatre-class casino, while all the legacies here were tavern-class.

It's not like those legacies aren't dying. They are, but most are making deals internally.

Besides, the casino wouldn't have much of a price. Because of its class, its weight would have been enormous. There would have been very few Grade III takers for it.

Considering the chances of pollution would be higher.

"Thank you all, Masters and Guardians, for giving August Hall this honor; we will always be grateful for it," he said, walking off the stage.

We talked to the people for a few minutes before walking out.

"There was no store legacy or forge," said Margaux. I wanted them so much, but they were hard to find.

If I want them, I will have to approach them individually.

 

Scarlet Headmistress Lv. 36

Skill Gained: Empathetic Bond

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