Chapter 536: My Auctioneer’s Guildhall
It was over for the Auctioneers and Alþjófr.
On the nape of the dwarf was a runic magic circle denouncing his free will and turning him into a slave. It was a similar tattoo to the one that he applied to the previously captured member of the Auctioneers but better. Upgraded to earn him the ire and the complete loyalty of this dwarf and consequently the whole of the Auctioneers. No matter where Dasha was in the Underground, Alþjófr had to obey.
That did come with a minor downside, that being he could not visit the Heavenly Tower for as long as he could not improve the range. At least until he acquired a Slave Contract.
His first questions were simple: "How do you rank the Auctioneers?"
After a loud gasp and grunt, Alþjófr explained it to him. There were Provers, thieves who were to prove their might and had specific training and tasks to complete. It took ten or fifteen years for a Prover to be promoted to the next rank. This next rank was Courier. Middle of the pack, those that were acceptable in their work. Finally, there were the Masters. Master Thieves were assigned only the best of tasks.
"How many Masters are there?" Dasha then asked.
"O-only two now. I lost...I lost many of them."
"What kind of authority do they possess? Will they threaten my control over you?"
"N-no, likely not. They are, ngggh." Alþjófr did not want to speak the truth yet did. "Those with too much talent and not enough control are killed. I-I...it is partially my fault that I have too few Masters. I have, haanngh, too paranoid."
Dasha did not expect anything like less. The Auctioneers, though mighty, were nothing compared to the Whispers. They were a mid-tier guild that stole within their region and only seemed to rarely go beyond it.