In his confusion, Arran stared blankly as Trapp and Sadie bickered with each other while waiting for someone to explain to him what the hell was going on. At that moment, Jon, who had been silent ever since I came over to stand beside Arran and joined him in watching the show. There was a moment of silence between them until eventually, Jon spoke up and said to Arran. "Just now, Trapp put us up to it. He made us pretend to be angry at you for ditching us and going off to have fun on your own. In fact, Sadie and I are not really upset at all. We know for a fact that without you, we might not have gotten to where we are now in the auction house, so we could care less if you are not around. Even if you wanted to disband the group, we wouldn't have any grievances. Probably only Trapp is annoyed at you because he is left to babysit us while you run off to who knows where." Arran listened to Jon's explanation of what had happened. As he learned that it was only an act that the three of th
"What? Who, me... why would you ask me that sort of question? Of course, I wouldn't know who you are talking about." Trapp shamelessly deflected Arran's blatant accusation, denying any involvement in the matter at all."Did somebody actually plan something like this? Don't worry Arran. Wait until I get a hold of him and they will be sorry." Trapp continued righteously.There was a moment of silence as Arran and Trapp exchanged looks with each other. The air developed a subtle change as they both focused on each other. Suddenly, in the next moment, the two of them actually burst into laughter in unison."Hahaha!!""I guess there's no fooling you in the end. After all, we are the same kind of people," Trapp said to Arran."That's right." Arran agreed."Although I wouldn't say we are the same kind of people, it's true that you couldn't possibly fool me with that sloppy act of yours. You should save it for a damsel in distress as they are more your speed."Arran and Trapp laughed together
"You already know about the 900th and 1000th floors. now let me tell you what's special about the 800th floor." madame Veera started.Arran and the others perked up to listen to her words carefully."The 800th floor is the true core of the auction house, where special and otherwise forbidden items are traded.""You know that most of the items that are sold in the auction house come from the wormhole located in the station. This wormhole leads to many alternate dimensions, realms, and space zones scattered all around the universe. It is almost impossible to tell the exact origins of these items. Most of what comes through the wormhole is of little value, and only occasionally would there be valuable items that will later end up being sold in the auction house. Other than the items that come from the wormhole, a large percentage of things that go through the auction house are commissioned by others for sale. That is how things work here."Next, what I am about to tell you is an absolute
Apart from Arran, Sadie and Jon were also fired up. They naturally understood the kind of opportunity that had been given to them. Without Arran, they wouldn't have come had the chance to come in contact with a universal grade item possibly in their entire lives. They naturally wanted to cherish this chance.Of course, there was no doubt that they wouldn't be able to go home with an item of this level. Not even Arran would be able to. At most, they could only see and broaden their horizons.Trapp, on the other hand, no one knew what he was thinking. His hood hid his face and Trapp's body was calm, unlike that of Arran's and the others, who were fidgeting with excitement. There was no telling what was going through his mind.Madame Veera only took a glance at Trapp, who appeared calm on the surface before turning her head to Arran. Wary as she was towards Trapp, there was nothing madame Veera could do as he was part of Arran's group. madame Veera could only be vigilant and ask people t
Arran, Trapp, Sadie, and Jon, along with a very groggy and tired Elena, followed madame Veera as she led them out of the tent. Sometime during the previous conversation, Elena had woken up from her deep slumber and joined Arran's group. As madame Veera was usually very busy with matters concerning the auction house, she wouldn't be able to entertain Arran any further, so the responsibility fell on Elena's shoulders naturally. Despite her fatigue from the previous night's activities, Elena still had her perform her duties. As the group was heading to the exit of the tent, they suddenly bumped into somebody who had just entered inside. Upon seeing this person, the faces of madame Veera and Elena changed as they looked at her in surprise. Arran caught the changes in their expression and was confused. Turning to look at the newcomer with interest, Arran wondered who she was. During his stay in madame Veera's tent, apart from madame Veera herself and Elena, Arran had not seen any other
Arran, Trapp, and the others did not know about the drama that ensued as soon as they left the tent. under Elena's lead, they made their way toward the location where the secret auction was being held.As its name entailed, the auction for universal grade items was kept secret and, as such, was held in a secret location. This secret location was also on the 800th floor, but was only accessible to a few special groups of guests.In order to attend this auction, one needed to receive an invitation from Fort Crawford personally. of course, there was only a short list of groups of organizations qualified to receive this invitation.While Elena led the way, Arran went to Trapp's side and walked with him. They walked at a steady pace and in silence for a few moments before Arran eventually said to Trapp."So, the newcomer we brushed shoulders with on our way out of the tent, she seemed to recognize you. Is she a friend of yours?"As soon as Arran asked, Trapp turned to look at him silently.
"So this is the secret auction... incredible!"After passing through the door, Arran and his group finally entered the secret auction. What appeared before their eyes was more than what they were expecting.The group stepped into what looked like a lounge with dim lighting hanging overhead and spare furnishings scattered around the place. There was a bar to the far right in which a couple of bartenders cleaned and sorted the tumblers and bottles of drinks.To the left, there was a virtual announcement board kinda like a smaller version of the ones present on the other floors that were visible in the sky.There were a few people gathered in the lounge, sitting together in small groups as they relaxed and chatted leisurely. Occasionally, servers would go around attending to these people as soft music could be heard playing around the whole room.Arran looked strangely at this scene. It was not entirely what he expected. What Arran expected to see was rows of chairs gathered together in
The people watching Arran were the same ones who had been present when he arrived. After a few minutes, the people they had sent off had returned, and they were whispering something into the ears of their various employers.Arran didn't know what they were saying, but he could venture a guess. It was most likely that he and his group had been investigated and the guests in the lounge were being informed of the results of the investigation.When you thought about it, it made a lot of sense. Typically, it was impossible for anybody to be able to investigate the identities of others in the auction house unless one possessed a special identity. For people with powerful backgrounds, it was easy to examine the information of others. This was the advantage of backing. In that case, it wasn't surprising that Arran's identity was exposed... not that he intended to hide it in the first place.Of the group, only Arran was worth these people's attention. That was why, while receiving the report o