Rubee’s bids had already launched passed 100 gold and reached several hundred gold before I could even get my mind together. She was completely outside the cost I could afford. Her price kept climbing until the point where even if I hadn’t given all my money away, affording her would be impossible. My expression grew white.
“Why does this slave cost so much?” I asked out loud.
“Her jobs were recently appraised.” Someone nearby spoke up. “She may look young, but she’s a dwarf so she actually could be a lot older.”
I gave a wry smile at that point. He was right, she was older, but still only in her twenties. As far as dwarves go, she was actually extremely young!
“Do dwarves normally go for this much?”
“They do when they’re blacksmiths. Not just blacksmiths! You weren’t here for her introduction? She has the jobs Blacksmith, Magic Blacksmith, and Mineral Appraiser. It’s Mineral Appraiser that is making people go nuts. There are only a handful of people in the world who have that job.”
“Is it that incredible?”
“Being able to identify mineral veins? Absolutely! Any lord that had a Mineral Appraiser under their belt is all but guaranteed to succeed!”
I considered Terra. She had already earned the Mineral Appraiser job. I didn’t think it was useless, but I had no clue that it possessed such a value. I was thinking more along the lines of being able to tell what mineral something was made out of, like a Jewelry Appraiser or something. Apparently, this was already a well sought out job.
Either way, my Magic Blacksmith ended up slipping through my fingers. She ended up settling for just under 3000 gold. Even if I hadn’t given a large lump of my money to Chalm, it still wouldn’t have been enough to buy her here. Instead, I was left with nothing.
As to her unfortunate situation being wronged by the lord, there was nothing I could do about it. At least, as a Mineral Appraiser, she’d be appreciated. She might even find herself able to practice her blacksmithing skills again.
The final bidder was a stuffy looking servant. He whispered something to the slave trader, who nodded and stepped aside, allowing him to take the stage.
“This Mineral Appraiser is quite valuable, which is why I procured her as the prize for winning the upcoming gladiatorial match. Any man who still desires her, perhaps you should look for a slave with sufficient fighting skills. Bet with their lives in the ring, and you will have a chance to win this woman. This match is open to the public, and the top ten will be able to earn gladiatorial rights!”
This declaration created an uproar of excitement as people discussed the possibilities of winning both a Mineral Appraiser and a gladiatorial right. For any noble with land, these both held almost as much value as the Hero job.
In this world, a noble’s worth and rank were determined by merits. With enough merits, a non-noble could become a noble. After that, the more merits a noble earned, the higher their rank and the more respected and well known they became. Clearing a dungeon was considered a merit. So was becoming the Hero of a village. Earning gladiatorial rights was another merit for low-level nobles. While owning a Mineral Appraiser might not be called a merit, it is a potential source of income for a territory, which is also important.
Suffice it to say, it sounded like a lot of people were very interested in this competition.