Chapter 273 : Chapter 273
Chapter 273. Good Stuff
“Hm? What’s this?”
A girl in a dark blue robe, wearing a pearl bracelet, was deeply drawn in by the item being displayed by the auction house.
Heather looked at the object on display in the auction house, and her attention was immediately captured by the short sword with an amethyst blade.
“So this is the featured auction lot for the next session? I didn’t expect something like this to appear.”
The purple short sword itself did not particularly attract her attention, but once she noticed the design on the blade, she could no longer look away.
It depicted a giant bear standing upright, with traces of frost winding around it. Judging from the technique used, it was a rune.
“I’ve never seen this kind of rune before. Is that the image of a Frost Behemoth engraved on it? Why would engraving the image of a god turn it into a rune?”
At that moment, the woman beside her, dressed in a light blue robe with her head hidden beneath a hood so that only strands of gray hair spilled from the gaps, said,
“Your Highness, this may be an Ancient Rune.”
“An Ancient Rune?”
“That’s right. The origin of runes came from the gods. In that era, after humans carved the forms of gods onto weapons and equipment, they discovered that those carvings held tremendous power.”
“So after a series of simplifications, they gradually became something like this, drawing power in the form of runes.”
“The structure of this rune is already rather modern. From what I remember, those true runes that carved the full appearance of a god could unleash the might of the Third Tier.”
“So powerful?!”
Heather widened her mouth in shock at the information her companion had revealed.
“That’s true. But Your Highness should treat this as no more than an interesting story, because no craftsman capable of carving that kind of rune can be found anymore. The most modern runes can do is carve something like the one on this short sword.”
“Why is that?” Heather asked curiously.
“For one thing, the Alliance mages who mastered enchantment arts launched a purge against this kind of runic craft thousands of years ago. They scrutinized all kinds of enchantments, and I’ve heard that the Alliance’s Enchantment School was even dissolved because of it.”
“The exact reason is unclear. It all happened far too long ago. But one thing I can say for certain is that even the rune on this short sword only survived because it passed that screening. It simply does not possess the kind of power that could reach the Third Tier.”
“Ah?! So that’s how it is... Those damned mages again. How many interesting things are those mages trying to erase...”
Heather spoke with some displeasure. Then she adjusted her mood slightly and continued,
“Then is there another reason? You said ‘for one thing’ just now.”
The woman smiled and continued,
“The second reason is that the gods have all gone to the Astral Realm. As I said, in ancient times, humans created runes by carving the forms of gods. In those days, the gods still walked the earth.”
“Even if someone today mastered Runology to the highest level, they still would not be able to recreate the runes of antiquity, because they cannot truly behold the appearance of the gods.”
“It isn’t enough just to look at statues of gods. One has to truly see a god with one’s own eyes before that can be applied to a rune.”
Heather rubbed her chin and thought for a while before speaking.
“Then haven’t I seen a god before? Wouldn’t that mean I could carve a true Ancient Rune?”
That sentence immediately made the woman panic. She hurriedly glanced around, and only after noticing no reaction around them did she let out a sigh of relief. Then she said,
“Your Highness, please never joke about something like that again. As a god’s emissary, it is natural that you have seen a god.”
“It’s one thing if you say it to me, but if the elders in the Church were to hear it, you would probably be locked up for several years before being allowed out again.”
Heather also understood that her earlier words had been somewhat inappropriate. She said apologetically,
“My apologies, Valerie. I’ll remember that...” Then curiosity appeared on her face again. “But can you tell me whether it’s actually possible or not?”
Valerie sighed and said,
“Very well, Your Highness. But you truly must remember this.”
“Your idea won’t work at all. To carve an Ancient Rune, you have only met one condition. There is another, more important condition that you still haven’t met.”
“What is it?” Heather asked curiously.
“Enchantment skill. Your Highness, you don’t actually know how to carve runes, do you?”
“To carve an Ancient Rune, seeing the appearance of a true god is only one requirement. You must also possess extremely high mastery in rune craftsmanship.”
Heather seemed thoughtful, then said,
“In that case, if there were a craftsman who had studied runes deeply, and then that person also became a god’s emissary, wouldn’t they be able to carve a true Ancient Rune?”
“In theory, yes. But the odds are simply too low. It is very difficult for anyone to excel so much in both areas. And if that person is a craftsman, then becoming a god’s emissary would be even harder.”
The present age was no longer the same as the ancient era. Because rune craftsmen could only apply their enchantment skills to low-tier weapons and equipment, their status had fallen lower and lower. In some places, people of that profession did not even possess the status of free citizens.
Even within their Church, such craftsmen were only accepted as believers. But when it came to developing Priests, Church Knights, or other important positions, craftsmen and their descendants would never be considered.
“If Your Highness is truly interested, we could go study at the Alliance’s Construction School. About a hundred years ago, they developed a new application for runes there.”
“These Ancient Runes are simply too old. For all sorts of reasons, research into Ancient Runes is extremely difficult. Your Highness should not stubbornly fixate on them.”
Hearing that, Heather turned her gaze toward the purple short sword, and the desire to possess it showed clearly in her eyes.
Valerie shook her head, then said,
“Very well, Your Highness. We do still have some Spirit Crystals with us. When the auction begins, we can simply bid on this short sword directly.”
Valerie also looked toward the purple short sword, thinking that a sword like this was nothing to the entire Church. If they wanted to buy it, then they would buy it.
Heather immediately revealed a delighted expression, but then seemed to think of something and grew conflicted.
“Well... if we bid at the auction house, won’t someone come try to snatch the item after we win it?”
When she had still been in the Material Realm, she had attended several auctions, and those experiences had completely overturned her understanding.
She still remembered how chaotic one of them had been.
At the time, people had started fighting outside before the auction had even begun, all to compete for a weapon made from First-Tier monster materials.
During the auction itself, some people had even broken into the auction house storerooms, hoping to steal that weapon.
And after the auction ended, the person who had obtained the weapon had been followed by a whole group of dozens of people.
That experience had left her physically and mentally exhausted. She had never imagined that simply attending an auction could involve so much trouble.
And it had not happened only once or twice. Every auction she had attended had been the same.
Valerie smiled and said,
“Your Highness has no need to worry about any of that. What we should probably worry about is whether we brought enough Spirit Crystals to outbid the competition.”
“The auction houses of the Spirit Realm are far safer than those in the Material Realm.”
“Here, if you have not gone through the ritual, then even if you somehow seize the auction lot, the weapon still will not leave the central district with you.”
“That is due to the special nature of Spirit Realm markets. Under the protection of the Spirit Realm, you may perhaps use all kinds of tricks and deception to obtain what you want, but if you intend to rely on brute force, that is absolutely impossible.”
“The auctions Your Highness attended before were probably just low-end auctions in the Material Realm. The truly high-end auctions are all held in the Spirit Realm.”
“Just as the Emerald Market is specifically for low-tier professionals, the Spirit Realm also has markets reserved for high-tier professionals, and they too hold auctions like this.”
“With the power of the Spirit Realm reinforcing it, the auction process here is absolutely safe.”
“And the Emerald Market only allows professionals below the Third Tier to enter, so Your Highness need not worry that someone will suddenly call in an elder from their family.”
“Here, only by going through the Spirit Realm’s ritual can you truly obtain those items.”
“Even the professionals of the Spirit Realm can only obediently follow that process. There is nothing they can do about it.”
After hearing Valerie explain all that, Heather felt somewhat reassured, and she immediately said,
“Then let’s go. Let’s see what else this auction has.”
“Certainly, Your Highness.”
The two of them stepped forward almost at the same time and left the display area where the purple short sword was being exhibited.
And just then, Fulan and Nora walked over. The moment Nora arrived, she lifted her eyes and saw the purple short sword Fulan had put up for sale.
“So this is the one you’re selling. Where did you get it?”
“I forged it myself.”
“????”
“That’s right. My teacher...”
After listening to Fulan’s explanation, Nora finally understood that Fulan was also an outstanding craftsman, that her skill had been passed down from her teacher, and that she could even make Spell Rings.
That left Nora thoroughly envious. After all, with a production skill like that, one would never truly lack money.
“Still, why does the way she describes her teacher sound so much like that Habos?” Nora glanced at Fulan and formed a few guesses in her heart.
Fulan, however, was not looking at Nora, nor at the purple short sword in the display case. What she was looking at were the backs of Heather and Valerie as they departed.
She sensed an indescribable feeling coming from Heather. She did not understand what it was, and that was exactly why Heather drew her attention.
What drew even more of Fulan’s attention, however, were the robes Heather and Valerie were wearing.
“How am I running into them even in the Spirit Realm?”
Heather and Valerie were wearing priestly robes Fulan found very familiar.
They were the robes of the Church of the Goddess of the Currents.
The robe Heather wore was a modified version of a First-Tier Priest’s robe, while Valerie wore a bishop’s robe. That alone was enough to make Fulan take special notice.