Chapter 134 – The Value Of A Sword (3)

The sword called Blaze.

Listening to the presenter’s explanation, Marquis Valentino immediately recognized how valuable Blaze was.

‘The true value of Blaze is not simply because of its level 10 reactivity. In the meantime, many famous swords were sold in the Adelian Auction House, but not one of them had level 10 mana reactivity. Needle was just 7. It did get a high value for it, but the symbolism of reaching level 10 is something not every weapon can achieve.’

It was the first and the rarity alone fueled his desire to bid. However, the host said that it increases the ability of aura along with its mana response, and if that were true, it could display a shocking performance.

A sword could only be used as a weapon. Unless magicians had put something on them, they could not exert their effects beyond the role of the sword.

Sword and magic sword.

It is the dilemma of a swordsman.

In order to use their aura with all their might, they had to weild a pure weapon. But in the case of mediocre weapons, the magic sword was preferred more as it could maximize the effect. One popular magic sword that enchanted its wielder was Sharpness.

However, when a swordsman reaches the level of a master or a ranker, the existence of a treasure sword that could fully utilize the aura is more worth it.

‘This is something that any aura swordsman would want to covet, even if it means selling all their assets. And the first one of this type means a lot. If the craftsman who made this sword sends a second and third to the market, the value of Blaze, which is his first work, will increase even more. A collection of his recognition for its symbolism of being first and not lacking in levels of ability.’

It was the result of careful consideration of numerous factors, and Marquis Valentino had a strong desire. He wanted to get Blaze as a collector in Cairo.

‘If such a sword is included in my collection, I would be quite happy.’

There was no reason to hesitate. The winning bid was 600 gold. Just as everyone was looking at each other, Marquis Valentino gave the signal.

“Ahhhh! No. 53 said to double the winning bid. 1,200 Gold! This is truly an unprecedented winning bid in the history of the Adelian Auction House!”

1,200 Gold.

It was an overwhelming amount. Except for the shouting host, everyone was at a loss for words, and even No. 12 couldn’t hide the shock.

Double it?

This didn’t mean that the amount was increased but that his opponent had expressed his will to win the bid at any amount offered. It meant he could outnumber his bid at any time.

1,200 gold or more was judged to be the right amount for the sword, and he couldn’t act out when the opponent was Marquis Valentino.

He was a greedy collector. He knew that if he confronted that man here, there would be blood.

In the past, a person who had been recognized for his wealth in Cairo went to fight with Marquis Valentino with the bids, and he won at a ridiculously high price.

If that ended normally, he would have just won as the man with the highest bid, but then Marquis Valentino put financial pressure on the man to get that item back.

The wealthy man who had already spent so much on the auction had suffered from overwhelming financial pressure and eventually sold the item he won at a low price and walked down the road of despair.

And it was that same Marquis Valentino who was here. When he showed such a strong will, it felt right to take a step back.

Finally…

Bang! Bang!

“Guest No. 53 had bought it for 1,200 Gold!’

The owner of the sword Blaze, the treasure that made the Adelian Auction House noisy, would now be Marquis Valentino, a wealthy man from Cairo.

The auction was over. In order to receive the winning bid, Marquis Valentino moved.

With the huge purchase of 1,200 gold, Maurice smiled brightly at him.

“How do I proceed with the payment?”

“I will pay you right away. That way, I will be able to take Blaze back with me.”

“I understand.”

It was a way to live up to his reputation. Usually, if the winning bid is high, it takes money to bring money, but Marquis Valentino didn’t have to do it.

One signal and his men brought a box of gold coins. Pointing inside the golden box, Marquis Valentino looked at Maurice and said,

“It is 1,300 gold to be exact.”

“The payment is 1,200 gold.”

“How can I not know it? 1,200 gold is the price for the Blaze, and 100 gold is my personal payment for you. I am a clean trader. I know that the Adelian Auction House follows anonymous sales pretty strictly, but with people like me, you have to be flexible until the end in order to keep me around. Can you tell me who the craftsman is? I would like to meet them in person. As long as he doesn’t find out that I have anything to do with the Adelian Auction House, he should be fine talking to me.”

It was the devil’s whisper. A condition for the extra 100 gold. Marquis Valentino wanted to meet the craftsman. He had nothing to do with him. It was just out of curiosity about the man who created Blaze.

Just how….

…how could this person make such a sword?

“…I apologize.”

Shh.

Maurice pushed the box away.

100 gold.

He had greed.

In fact, anonymous ones could buy and sell their items, and they could sell their information too, but this case couldn’t be included in it.

Think. The owner of Blaze trusted the Adelian Auction House and sent the sword. The fee of this transaction would be 120 gold to their house, so if they kept the trust with this unknown person, they might send more goods to be sold.

This was a matter of profit and loss. Even if it meant losing someone like Marquis Valentino, he believed that the person who made Blaze would trust the auction house and send more.

With a determined attitude, Marquis Valentino took a step back.

“Hmm. I can’t do anything if you say that.”

“Thank you for understanding my situation.”

“No. It is a natural reaction from an auction house. However, next time that the same person’s items come up, do inform me first.”

“I understand.”

The transaction was completed smoothly. The money was paid. After receiving the item, Marquis Valentino checked the condition of Blaze once again.

“Amazing.”

A true art.

The ability to craft smooth blades and mana. Even Marquis Valentino, who had collected numerous treasured swords, had never seen such work.

So he called his men and ordered them.

“From now on, spread the word through Cairo. No matter how great a sword is, its value only increases when its greatness is known to people. And it is fine to invest money, so find the person who made Blaze. Perhaps, considering that it was the first trade to the Adelian Auction House, it might be necessary to check in with the Dmitry House’s blacksmith first.”

“I understand.”

The greedy collector.

Such a name wasn’t given for nothing. He would surely find out the identity of the craftsman, and he would do anything to build a good relationship with him.

Such pure desire.

But what he expected from it wasn’t that great.

Anonymous owner.

Lucas showed a bewildered reaction to the winning bid amount of 1,080 gold, excluding the fees.

“… This much.”

Before the auction, he checked the market price of the item.

There was a case about a rapier named Needle being sold for 300 gold, so he thought maybe three times the amount would do, so around 900 gold. He made that judgment knowing how great Blaze was.

He thought that it might drop to around 800 gold considering the financial condition of the people, but Marquis Valentino had shown his willingness to offer even more than 1,200 gold.

He earned 1,000 gold in an instant. Considering the fact that the Barco family collapsed because they couldn’t pay back the debt of thousands of gold, the value of this sword was unbelievable.

‘What is the limit of the Lord?’

Roman Dmitry—the monster who defeated Butler. However, even with such monstrous abilities, the man made a sword that no one could make, even with decades of effort.

At first, he thought it was due to the blood of Dmitry. However, no matter how hard he tried, being able to increase the aura was a skill that Dmitry couldn’t have developed, implying that Roman himself invented it.

As time went on, the limitations this man had couldn’t be found. If Roman Dmitry wanted to succeed as a blacksmith, Dmitry would face a new era of revival.

‘The Lord told me to use the money I would get from selling the sword to the information guild, but 1,000 gold isn’t an amount I can take. As soon as the Lord ends his closed training, I will inform him about this and return the winning bid.’

He didn’t know. Although he clearly hid the identity, the fact that the Dmitry family was famous for their blacksmith skills would be the reason why people could be stomping on their tails.

In the meantime, a lot happened outside during Roman’s one month of training.

The tournament was drawing near, and there wasn’t much time left. As time went by, Chris worked even harder to prepare for it.

Huk!

Right ahead, the sword passed right in front of his face. Henderson aimed for Chris’s loopholes and attacked, but Chris didn’t waver.

“Such a reckless attack.”

Tak!

Thud!

He stomped on Henderson’s feet, making him roll on the ground in pain, but he managed to get up quickly, only to have the wooden sword pointed at his neck.

Henderson had a sad expression. No matter how many times they dueled, he couldn’t smile, and it was hard to accept the fact that he was defeated so helplessly rather than experiencing some pain in his body.

“… I lost.”

“Putting in effort is quite nice, but you always lack sharpness when you attack. When you are in a fight, you should never forget that your opponent could always be baiting you.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

The fight was over.

Seeing Henderson retreating back at a slow pace, Chris said,

“Next.”

A fortnight ago, Roman foresaw the results of the oncoming tournament.

The beginning of war.

After participating in the war against Hector, the men who had nowhere to pour out what they had learned and felt on the battlefield, had spent their entire time attempting to be the six people to participate.

By far, Chris has dominated others. He had nearly secured the position, and he compensated for his weaknesses by training with the others.

‘The only people who have been confirmed apart from me are Kevin, Volcan, and Pooky.’

Two positions were left, and nothing was sure yet. It was unclear who would be chosen, and Chris didn’t want anyone who could bring down the honor of Roman to be selected.

“I wish you good luck.”

The next was Volcan. The person who challenged the enlisted recruitment and was defeated. One of the people who rapidly developed and could certainly push Chris back.

An explosive attack came from his huge body. He continued to push without a break as if wanting to push Chris out, but it was Chris who was more developed than the others.

Iron wall.

The attacks didn’t work. After experiencing war with Roman, Chris reached a different state.

Tak!

Taktak!

Chris broke Volcan’s defense by slashing the sword in front of him with simple movements. As he quickly retrieved his sword, he tried to attack the side of Volcan this time.

And it was then,

Kwaang!

Rumble!

There was an explosion at a distance. At that moment, Chris felt himself go stiff. Explosions in their town were common because they operated with mines, but the problem was that the source of the sound was in the area where Roman was doing his closed training.

“Everyone stop! Head toward the Lord right now!”

Everyone rushed to follow his order.

Roman.

Chris rushed to the area where Roman was without even looking back.

Chris and his men had no idea what had happened to Roman, who hadn’t appeared before them for a while now.