My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 275. The Auction House

The Arken Empire was undergoing a great upheaval after losing its Emperor.

As Valdemar had said he would, he was becoming a Tyrant.

The first thing Valdemar seized control of was the military.

The military authority that had been scattered among various factions as they fought to divide the Empire’s pie was brought under Valdemar’s control.

They had expected resistance, since even the Emperor himself could not accomplish such a thing, but every commander followed Valdemar’s orders.

Although he had killed the Emperor, those who knew of Valdemar’s achievements followed him.

Those who dreamed of advancing their positions by quietly attaching themselves to his cause followed him as well.

And those who were simply swept along by the prevailing tide had no choice but to follow him.

Besides, everyone who refused to cooperate had disappeared, so there was no choice but to obey.

"And it seems he has decided to perform bloodletting altogether."

It was the practice of drawing blood from a person on the grounds that their persistent illness was caused by impure blood.

In other words, Valdemar was actively purging the nobles.

Ferda looked over the list of nobles who had been eliminated so far.

He’s really getting serious about this...

Normally, the nobles used in purges were newly established families or nobles who had failed to establish themselves within the proper faction.

But there were very few people on this list who appeared to have been targeted for such reasons.

Most of them were middle-ranking nobles.

Those whose crimes were clear were being judged by the Extermination Squad, while those who possessed a certain degree of prestige were becoming corpses without even knowing why.

"And if there is anything unusual among them, I would have to say that there are no traces."

"Isn’t that what assassination is?"

"Of course. But this is the first time I’ve seen so many people killed without being able to uncover even a single piece of evidence."

It wasn’t an unfounded observation.

Just as there were capable people operating in the light, such as Marquess Dvelung and Count Rooster, there must be equally talented people operating in the shadows.

"That’s why the middle-ranking nobles in various regions are apparently moving around trying to find a way to save themselves, but..."

"But?"

Garnet silently showed Ferda the bundles of letters that had arrived for him.

They were letters from people who were still alive, begging Ferda to save them.

They knew that Valdemar had visited the inn where Ferda was staying.

There were only a handful of people who had survived despite Valdemar personally visiting them, and Ferda was one of them.

They had come up with two possibilities.

Either Valdemar was someone beyond their ability to touch, or Ferda was working together with him.

Either way, for those whose heads were about to roll, it was worth taking a chance on Ferda’s connections.

"What will you do?"

"Burn them."

Ferda felt not even the slightest sympathy for them.

When he had first entered the council, when Valdemar had stepped forward and tried to kill Ferda.

Ferda had entered the Golden Council and memorized every single face there.

Faces that said, As long as it isn’t me.

Faces that wanted to stir things up simply because they wanted to see blood.

To them, Ferda was nothing more than a source of amusement, something to play with beyond their own interests.

Since Ferda had practically no connections in the Imperial capital, there was very little he needed to concern himself with.

"How is Pascal Trading Company doing?"

"Someone close to Valdemar made contact with the Pascal Mercenary Company. He was trying to hire all of their mercenaries on annual contracts."

An annual contract was beneficial to mercenaries who could become unemployed at any moment.

But mercenaries were businessmen, too.

Being tied down to annual employment during such an unstable period was practically the same as having one’s feet bound.

"So what did Merchit say he would do?"

"It seems he doesn’t have any particularly good options. The money itself is more than three times the usual annual contract fee. More importantly, the condition is that Pascal Trading Company must not be interfered with..."

There was no reason to refuse.

And they couldn’t refuse even if they wanted to.

Merchit and Stephan had grown considerably closer after the false accusation incident.

He had made his choice as the eldest brother and head of the family, because he couldn’t allow his own business, as well as his younger brother’s and father’s businesses, to be ruined.

What exactly was the condition of Pascal Trading Company?

Well, I can just ask him when he gets here...

Stephan Pascal.

He would soon be coming to this castle.

***

Hestia Village was in the midst of development.

The reason Stephan, who was normally so busy with trade, was visiting Hestia Village was because of a business related to adventurers.

The auction.

They had reached an agreement whereby, in exchange for supporting adventurers exploring the Far East, the goods recovered from the Far East would be sold through his auction house.

Not only were the commissions earned from auctions considerable, but he would also have the opportunity to interact with the upper class gathered from various regions.

For Stephan, who operated a major trading company, it was a necessary business.

Normally, when someone secured such a business and began executing it in earnest, a smile would naturally spread across their face.

Yet Stephan’s face had become as gaunt as ever.

It was astonishing how much of his formerly well-fed body had disappeared in such a short time.

"Does it feel like you’re dying?"

"It feels like I’m dying."

The question of whether he had been doing well had come out rather badly, yet Stephan answered it surprisingly well.

Even Pascal Trading Company, whose main source of income was the Empire, could not escape Valdemar’s pressure.

"They asked if we could obtain the blueprints for the rifles used by Hestia Trading Company."

"And?"

"I naturally told them that it was outside our area of expertise, so obtaining something like that would be difficult."

Stephan continued speaking as he wiped the sweat running down his forehead.

"But they keep pressing us. They ask why, if we have connections in the Far East, we can’t use those connections at a time when such changes are taking place. They even ask whether we’re supporting the pro-Emperor faction. That term has now become synonymous with traitors."

"Have you found a way?"

"....."

Stephan couldn’t open his mouth.

It seemed he had no strategy capable of breaking through the situation.

"Then we’ll have to use the straightforward approach."

"What do you mean by that...?"

The straightforward approach was simply to give the other side what they wanted.

"I’ll let you take the Magitech Rifle blueprints."

"W-Will you really do that?"

The leakage of technology was a serious matter.

There was a reason why a technician who fled to a foreign country could not expect to die peacefully.

But Ferda knew.

Magitech Engineering was continuously developing, and the core of that technology was still in the Far East.

Once they took a single step forward, Ferda was confident that he could advance so far ahead of them that the distance would already seem immeasurable.

That was what Vernel had said.

But Stephan didn’t know that.

There was a saying that even a fortune would not be enough to escape ignorance.

"Of course, you won’t be getting it for free. We’ll settle this as a business transaction."

"W-What would you like?"

"How about transferring 80% of the shares in this auction business to me?"

"Eighty percent...? To you?"

"And I want to host this first auction."

Stephan flinched.

Ferda’s demand was essentially a case of the bear doing all the tricks while the king took the money.

On the other hand, Stephan also thought that he had no way of avoiding this deal.

With a madman holding the sword right now, merely receiving consideration in exchange for providing something that could appease him was already a generous arrangement.

At least they would retain a foothold in the business.

"Understood..."

Stephan had no choice but to hand it over to Ferda with tears in his eyes.

"Then I’ll make the preparations."

Ferda spoke to him with a satisfied expression.

***

The Red Rose Hall.

It was one of the large buildings being constructed in Hestia Village, and it was currently the name of the auction house.

It had been built out of marble for the purpose of hosting exhibitions and entertaining distinguished guests, and its interior was equally extravagant.

Its first event would be an auction of relics from the Far East.

Anyone who had set foot on the Cerdes Continent knew just how dangerous the Far East was.

And if it was such a dangerous land, how precious must the objects recovered from it be?

Collectors, magnates, and nobles all showed their sincerity by contributing development funds to the territory in order to participate in the auction.

As a result, the carriages that gathered there were magnificent, their clothes were almost entirely made up of vivid colors, and whenever the sunlight shone down, the jewels embedded in their garments glittered brilliantly.

Ferda, watching them from above, worried that he might actually go blind from the sight.

Ferda observed their behavior.

They were too busy stealing glances at one another’s clothes.

They look like nobles, but if they’re less up-to-date with trends than I am, are they trying to show off how poor they are?

Dressing themselves up with all that pomp using money covered in dirt...

Looks filled with superiority and contempt were being exchanged everywhere.

It’s a den of vipers.

They were too busy finding fault with one another, but even such people could become united for a moment.

That moment came when a carriage decorated with a peculiar pattern entered.

"It’s those Southerners..."

"A Southerner has the nerve to come to a place like this."

The people of the Southern Region of the Cerdes Continent.

Since they lived in a hot region without four distinct seasons, the nobles of the Central Region held them in considerable contempt.

That prejudice persisted even when the person in question was someone of the status of a lord.

But everything changed when the ornate carriage from the Southern Region opened its doors.

The moment they saw the person who stepped out, the eyes of every noble widened.

"Could that person possibly be...?"

"Ahmad Hashim?"

"Why would the Golden Tree of the South come here...?"

Ahmad Hashim.

He was the king of Halim, known as the city of entertainment and sin, and the lord who wielded the greatest influence in the Southern Region.

It was a place where hundreds of thousands of people came and went every day, and an enormous amount of money, reaching into eight figures and beyond, changed hands on a daily basis.

Running its affairs was literally like walking a tightrope.

Because Ahmad lived in such a precarious place, he rarely ever left Halim.

Yet he had personally made the journey this time.

I didn’t think he would actually come himself.

Ferda had sent him an invitation, asking him to attend the opening of the auction house.

But that invitation had merely been extended as a gesture of gratitude for the goodwill Ahmad had shown him.

Ferda hadn’t expected him to actually accept the invitation.

It was all the more gratifying because Ahmad’s presence demonstrated the influence of the Far East.

On the other hand, I am a little worried.

The current situation was what concerned him.

That situation was probably the biggest reason Ahmad had decided to attend.

Ahmad held his shoulders proudly and walked across the carpet.

Those who had been looking down on others with contempt and basking in their superiority immediately became humble.

Ferda politely welcomed him at the entrance.

Once he came close enough, Ahmad opened both arms wide and welcomed Ferda.

"It’s been a long time, my brother!"

Ahmad approached Ferda familiarly and shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear.

It was not common for him to call someone his brother, either.

"It has indeed been a while, Lord Hashim."

"There’s no need to be so formal. We are close allies, aren’t we?"

Still, was there really any need to make such a fuss and draw everyone’s attention?

Either way, this benefits me.

Just look at the gazes around them.

The lord of Halim, the largest city in the Southern Region and the place where all the roads of the South converged.

A great magnate counted among the richest men on the entire Cerdes Continent.

And he, a lord of such stature, was calling the Regent of the Far East, who was practically a foreigner to them, his brother.

Ferda spoke politely once again.

"I am deeply grateful that Your Excellency has accepted my invitation. Please come inside. I will have some tea prepared for you."

"I’ve been curious about the tea of the Far East. I’ll gladly have some."

Ferda and Ahmad walked side by side toward the VIP reception room.

In the perfectly furnished reception room, Ferda spoke with Ahmad.

"I didn’t expect you to come personally after accepting the invitation, Lord Hashim."

"Haha. How could I possibly refuse after hearing that valuable goods had been recovered from that utterly wicked Land of Demons? Rather than fiddling with useless heirlooms belonging to other people, I need new things."

"Did you bring enough funds?"

"I brought enough to buy this entire auction house if necessary."

Ahmad laughed heartily as he joked.

After taking a sip of tea, he spoke again in a quieter tone than the boisterous manner he had displayed when they first met.

"I’ve heard about the current situation in the Empire. The Emperor really died in the most absurd manner imaginable."

"Yes. That’s what happened."

"I had my suspicions, but how is the situation in the Far East? According to rumors, despite the bloodshed sweeping through the Empire, the Far East remains remarkably calm, almost like the eye of a typhoon."

"Exactly as you said. Grand Duke Golt has verbally agreed not to interfere with us."

"Is that a promise you can trust?"

Ahmad asked worriedly.

"Fifty-fifty... would be an understatement. I’d say I trust it somewhat more than halfway."

"If it’s more than half, then it’s a favorable game. I suppose there was no need for me to put on such a show."

The reason Ahmad had called Ferda his brother and deliberately attracted the attention of so many people had been to reveal Ferda’s position.

Ferda took the opportunity to ask Ahmad.

"How is the Empire currently viewed in the Southern Region?"

"What can we do when they say the house across the river is burning? They’re already thinking about how to sell weapons."

Ahmad continued with a grin.

"And several people calling themselves the pro-Emperor faction came to me asking for help. They said the Emperor’s murderer had violated the natural order and thrown this land into chaos. Do you know what they offered me in exchange for putting an end to that chaos?"

"What?"

"They said they would give me half of the Empire. The same bastard who was going on about the natural order took less than a minute to offer me half the Empire."

"What did you do?"

"I handed them over to the Empire immediately. If I listened to any more ridiculous nonsense, I felt like smoke would start coming out of a chimney that wasn’t even burning."

The Empire might have been weakened, but this was a period when its military power was reaching its peak.

Who would willingly step forward based solely on the absurd promise of receiving half the Empire?

"And while it’s true that the lands of the Central Region are tempting, I have no intention of obtaining them at the cost of my people’s blood. I swore before Set, the god of the desert, and in my father’s name, that I would protect my people. So for now, all I can do is look for ways to profit from the situation."

Ahmad put on an appropriately sinister expression.

It suited him strangely well.

"So what does the Regent intend to do about the Empire’s current situation?"

That question was the decisive reason Ahmad had participated in this auction, and the reason Ferda had invited him.

"Would it be all right if I answered that a little later?"

And Ferda knew of another person who had come here for a similar reason.

"There’s one more person who has agreed to come."

"Oh? Who is it?"

"If Lord Hashim represents the Southern Region, then this person could be considered the representative of the North."

The other guest Ferda had invited.

It was none other than Duke Purity.

Read more here - Apexnovelhub.com