Maria Market’s auction house isn’t very spacious; it feels like a dimly lit small theater. Rows of seats ascend in a tiered formation around a central ’stage,’ but these are seats for ordinary guests. Encircling the walls of the ’theater,’ luxurious silk and satin-adorned boxes stand side by side, totaling three layers. Each box houses a brass telescope mounted on a mahogany stand, enabling nobles to carefully scrutinize the items placed in the center of the stage.
The Limp Man had managed to arrange a box for Brand, but the young man refused. His purpose wasn’t to attract attention; participating was secondary. He came merely to see if there might be any unexpected gains.
The group picked up their numbers at the entrance and then seated themselves accordingly. Although Brand appeared relaxed, beneath his knight’s attire, he always had a rapid-fire hand crossbow tied, loaded with curse crossbow arrows crafted by Tama, and ready to face sudden occurrences.
Vaun’s hand crossbow is a precise and intricate device, its aiming mechanism resembling a standing box, making it challenging for newbies to wield efficiently. However, Brand’s ’mercenary’ profession endowed him with the ’familiarity with weapons’ skill. This skill manifested knowledge in his mind, enabling him to use the sophisticated weapon like a seasoned mercenary—he even crafted a simple aiming device on his ring, improving his accuracy during actual shooting.
Brand had just sat down, and the trading hadn’t started yet when the Limp Man, disguised and clad in a long cloak, arrived at their side and sat down. He cautiously glanced around and then said, "Lord, the poisoned dagger and those potions have been sold—The Brotherhood took a liking to the dagger, don’t worry, they’re generous, a dagger for two thousand five hundred Tuo, without even asking about the seller."
In the underground trade, not every transaction occurs at the auction. Most trades are actually done privately, with sellers and buyers negotiating through intermediaries like the Limp Man—sometimes there could be several intermediaries, making transactions safe and secretive—just requiring a small fee for the intermediary’s service and confidentiality.
In Brags’ grey domain, no one’s mouth is bigger, and no one’s mouth is tighter than these people; everything is relative.
"What about the potions?" Brand pretended to be interested in the staff setting up under the stage, but was asking unrelated questions. He knew the rules of underground trades; items like poisoned daggers and mana potions, often marked as fake magic items, wouldn’t normally be showcased.
"Potions are a bit tricky; the Star and Moon Tower’s leaders have been inquiring about the potion creator, hinting that the method for creating mana potions hasn’t been circulated outside for a long time—They said: ’The Wizard Union welcomes professional alchemists to join.’" The Limp Man spoke while observing Brand’s reaction with his small eyes.
He wanted to see how Brand would respond; if the young man found the information useful, he might praise him a bit—whenever his standing in the group solidified, it put him more at ease.
If Brand found the issue troublesome, the Limp Man would feel a sense of vengeful satisfaction. Though they were in the same boat, apart from fear and envy, there was also a hint of resentment.
The Limp Man might not share the exact same thoughts as Antitina, but seeing Brand, he hoped to prosper following him, though a part of him secretly wanted to see Brand falter.
But Brand merely shook his head subtly and replied, "My friend isn’t interested in this, just explain the transaction details, Limp Man."
It seems he hadn’t misjudged; mana potions were indeed far rarer in this world than in ’Amber Sword.’
"Each potion for a thousand Tuo, totaling thirty thousand Tuo." The Limp Man did not let his disappointment show on his face.
Brand nodded; the dagger’s price was twenty-five percent higher than his estimation, and the mana potion’s price far exceeded his expectations—the moonlight grass, black mage, and fluorescent moss were just ordinary magic materials, yet with this price, the profit for each mana potion surpassed two hundred percent.