Chapter 98 : Chapter 98
Chapter 098
In the city of Adelaina, which could be called the center of the territory, there were several auction houses.
Some were open even to ordinary people, while others could only be entered by those who met certain special standards and had access to the information.
Naturally, I chose the latter.
Among them, I sought out the auction house rumored to handle a steady stream of expensive treasures. Its name was Noblesse. The name alone positively dripped with aristocratic elegance.
That did not mean only nobles could participate in the auction. Those who could prove they possessed wealth above a certain level were also allowed to attend.
In other words, it was a hotspot where rich people gathered.
And so I stepped inside the building of the auction house called Noblesse.
“Welcome, sir.”
A male and female employee stood behind the central desk. With both hands folded neatly in front of their waists, they looked impeccably polite and trustworthy.
It feels familiar somehow. Ah, right. It even feels a little like a bank.
“If you would excuse me, where are you visiting from?”
“I made a reservation for a consultation today. I am Suhyeon from the Metis Trading Company.”
“Please wait just a moment.”
The male employee checked the paperwork, then smiled and extended an arm toward the stairs.
“Mr. Suhyeon. Your reservation has been confirmed. I’ll escort you upstairs.”
I followed him up the staircase.
The Noblesse building was magnificent. Not only the decorations, but even the marble laid across the stairs and corridors gave off an extremely luxurious feeling. It strongly impressed upon me that this was a place where precious objects gathered.
And it wasn’t just the design. The private guards posted throughout the building were very different from ordinary soldiers. They were armed well enough to wear light armor and carry both longswords and daggers.
They all wore matching uniforms. Some stood guard at fixed positions, while others patrolled in groups.
It was exactly the kind of place that made the phrase “ironclad security” come to mind.
“This way, please. If you go in and wait, the manager in charge will consult with you.”
“Thank you.”
I thanked him simply and stepped inside. It was a small meeting room. There were four-person sofas and a low table. The windows were covered with blackout curtains.
As I sat there passing the time, the door opened and a blond young man entered. He was wearing a dark navy suit, and perhaps because he was tall, it fit him very well.
With an easy, pleasant smile, he greeted me.
“My apologies for keeping you waiting. Consultations are a bit backed up today.”
“Not at all. I only just arrived myself.”
“Come now, please have a seat.”
We shook hands lightly, then sat facing one another on the sofas. The man opened a folder and skimmed through the contents with quick eyes before speaking.
“Let’s see...... I heard you were from Metis. Your name is Suhyeon, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“Not a very common name. In any case, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Sala. I’m a manager here at Noblesse. I hope we’ll maintain a good relationship going forward.”
He gave me a polished commercial smile. Then he instructed the attendant who had followed him in to bring tea, specifically requesting a premium variety.
“Thank you for the hospitality.”
“Hospitality? Not at all. We have our own sources of information, so we looked into Metis Trading Company as well. Quite a few interesting things came up.”
“So it seems the rumors are already spreading.”
“Of course. That’s a good thing.”
Setting the fountain pen aside for a moment, we had received our company establishment approval with incredible speed. There had been some appropriate lobbying behind it, of course, but the sale of the standard-model fountain pen to the Administrative Officer had played a major role.
The mere fact that we had received approval so quickly also served as proof that some powerful figure was backing us, so even though we were a new company, it would have been difficult for people to dismiss our proposal lightly.
And on top of that, we had announced that we intended to place a very important object in the auction. Naturally, that was bound to draw interest.
“You mentioned that you’re a manager, Mr. Sala, but what exactly does a manager do? This is my first time visiting an auction house, you see.”
It would have been a little rude to ask directly what his rank was, so I twisted the question slightly.
“Hmm, put simply, you can think of me as the person responsible for practical operations. I’m the one who inspects and registers auction goods. I’ve worked here for about three years. Before this, I worked at a somewhat smaller auction house.”
“I see.”
I nodded.
Even so, one slightly disappointing thing was that Noblesse had not sent someone of especially high rank. The manager in front of me was young and did not look especially experienced.
But that couldn’t be helped. It simply meant Metis was still a company at exactly that level.
No one fills himself on the very first spoonful.
Now I simply needed to grow the company steadily and change that perception little by little.
“Then shall it be my turn to ask? I heard Metis is a recently established company. What sort of business do you mainly conduct?”
“For the time being, manufacturing.”
“If it’s manufacturing...... I imagine you won’t be seeing very exciting profits.”
That was true enough. Distribution was far more lucrative. Without factories, mass production was impossible.
Of course, that was only true in a world without me.
It didn’t apply to me, who intended to produce all sorts of premium precious goods, led by fountain pens and ballpoint pens.
“It may not be as profitable as distribution or mercenary work, no. But we’re a little different. The item we intend to register with the auction house this time is one such example.”
“Could it be......?”
“I’d like to put up for auction a fountain pen identical to the one used by His Excellency Marquis Chronos.”
At my single statement, Manager Sala’s eyes flashed. It was only for a moment, but silence and tension settled over the small meeting room. That alone proved what an extraordinary object it was.
“When you say identical, do you mean the appearance and function are completely the same?”
“That’s right. A fountain pen of which only three exist in this world. I’m saying that I’d like to place one of them in the auction house.”
“Oh.”
A smile spread across the manager’s lips. Despite having only three years of experience, he was about to take charge of an extraordinary item. He would probably receive a generous incentive for it.
After calming his excitement, Manager Sala resumed in a more composed tone.
“Our system is based on advance reservations, so we begin accepting goods a month before the auction opens. We need to deliver information about the items coming up for auction to our members in advance.”
“But there are exceptions, I assume?”
Sala nodded.
“In this case, I think it could be listed as a special auction item. A fountain pen that’s already spreading by word of mouth, and moreover the premium model used by His Excellency the Marquis—no one would complain about that.”
“I imagine not.”
I did not bother hiding my satisfied expression. This manager really does know how to do his job.
I asked the question that genuinely interested me.
“How is the opening bid determined?”
“There are several standards. The number of identical items in existence, social and cultural value, utility, aesthetic value, and so on. It’s assessed by taking all of those into account.”
“That’s complicated.”
As I said that, I took the premium fountain pen out from inside my clothes. I opened the case, and the sleek, luxurious fountain pen revealed itself.
The meaning was simple.
If it were up to you, what would you set it at?
Perhaps he understood, because Sala smiled and shrugged as though to tell me not to worry.
“Hahaha. You seem very curious indeed. To be honest, I had considered the possibility that you might bring the fountain pen with you. So we’ve already discussed it internally. But before that, may I ask one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“If you went through an auction house in the Royal Capital, I imagine you could receive a much higher price...... so I’m curious why you chose Noblesse.”
This man really is straightforward. If I were his manager-training instructor, I’d give him bonus points.
“I need ready cash. I heard that preparing various things and getting work done in the Royal Capital takes too much time.”
“I see. That’s understandable. If ready cash is what you need, Noblesse would like to purchase it immediately ourselves. What would you think of that option......?”
He made the suggestion carefully, but I waved both hands and refused.
“The money matters, yes, but more than that, I want to see how the object I developed is evaluated in the auction house.”
“Hahaha, please don’t take it too much to heart. I only suggested it just in case. Then let me tell you the expected opening bid.”
Sala flipped through several pages of the documents he had brought, then focused on them.
“Hmm, I believe this fountain pen could be set at an opening bid of 5,000 Gold.”
Five thousand? That’s lower than I expected. I thought it would be around ten thousand.
Perhaps he read the dissatisfaction on my face, because Sala snapped the folder shut and immediately added,
“Please don’t worry too much. That’s only the opening bid. Once it actually enters the auction, the price will exceed that dozens of times over.”
“You seem to have some experience in this field as well, Manager. What sort of final price would you estimate?”
“This item......”
Sala stared at the fountain pen for a long while, then smiled and tilted his head.
“I can’t even predict it. Personally, I’m curious myself how much it will sell for.”
Which also meant that it could reach a price beyond imagination. I nodded, lifted the teacup from the table, and savored the tea.
***
After removing the Face Mask and changing clothes in my quarters, I headed toward the warehouse set up outside the mansion. All preparations for the trip to the Royal Capital were underway there.
Since departure was no longer far off, the place was filled with people moving all kinds of goods back and forth, carriages being serviced, and every sort of busy activity.
Off to one side, the elite cavalry unit was training. We would receive escort support from the places we passed through, but there was no choice but to prepare for emergencies ourselves as well.
“Attending Secretary?”
The one who called my temporary title was Arwen. I stopped walking for a moment.
“The food and assorted supplies are all prepared. There’s nothing more to do to the cargo hold now.”
I carefully reviewed the documents she handed me. Once I had confirmed everything, I handed them back and said,
“It would be better to add a little more field rations. We might end up stranded somewhere. Whatever happens to the others, the Young Lady must never go hungry.”
“All right.”
It felt a little strange, almost as if I had become her superior. If it had only been the two of us, that would have been one thing, but with so many people around, she had to speak to me formally.
An Attending Secretary held authority similar to that of an Attending Knight. Not only the twenty cavalrymen, but Arthas and all the maids had to obey my commands.
It was a little bothersome, but I could always get Arthas’s help with the cavalry side of things, so it didn’t matter.
Arthas had mastered horsemanship to an excellent degree. According to the Status Window, it was ranked A. Because of that, he naturally passed his know-how on to the soldiers, and through a few demonstrations of technique, he had earned their trust.
“The preparations are going very smoothly. No problems with the carriages either?”
“They said all inspections would be finished by tonight. All the parts have been replaced with new ones too, and they said there should be no chance of breakdowns on the way.”
“Just let one break down and see what happens.”
Arwen covered her mouth and laughed. We left the warehouse and ended up walking alone together. Only then was she able to go back to speaking casually.
“So you’re not going to the Young Lady’s residence today?”
“I told them that unless something special happens, I’d be busy preparing for the Royal Capital trip. If anything comes up, word will be sent to the warehouse.”
“You really are amazing.”
At the sudden remark, I turned my head toward her. She was smiling as she looked up at the sky.
“Even if it’s only a temporary post, you became the Young Lady’s Attending Secretary, didn’t you? It feels like becoming a butler won’t even be difficult for you anymore. Like you’re going to rise even higher.”
“You never know with people’s lives. If things go wrong, I could disappear overnight just like Sir Cornel. It’s a frightening place.”
“No, that won’t happen.”
“Why do you think that?”
After hesitating for a moment, Arwen smiled brightly. Then she looked straight at me and said,
“Because you’re a good person, Dilen.”
The wind blew.