164 MIDNIGHT AUCTION (1/2)

AT THE top floor of the Goddess' Tower, the famous Midnight Auction was currently being held.  It was an annual auction hosted by the Temple of Gaia.  Most of the items being auctioned were religious pieces or at least had something to do with it.  Very rarely that it weren't.

The structure of the top floor was almost like an auditorium.  There was a wide stage where the auctioneer and the items being auctioned would be.  The audience could sit among three seating levels.  The lowest level was for ordinary wealthy merchants, the second level was a balcony where ordinary nobles could be seated, and the highest level was composed of private boxes where VIPs were.

Argent, Aurum, and Clay were seated at the balcony among with other nobles.  They were all waiting for the auction to start.

”Brother, do you think that snake and that ghost boy managed to get the, you know,” Aurum whispered to her brother, not really speaking straight to the point just in case someone was listening in to them.

”I'm sure they did.  Don't worry too much.  They're professionals.  They won't do a half-ass job,” Argent said.

”I just can't help but worry.  Just in case we're right and he's really Uncle Jax' you know.  So this thing couldn't go wrong.”  Uncle Jax wasn't just their mother's friend, he was like their second father as well.  In fact, he was more of a father to them than that missing guy.

Argent understood what her sister was thinking.  If that elf was really Jaxon's son, then saving him was the least thing they could do.  For Jaxon.  ”We'll just have to wait and see.”

Aurum sighed.  Well, that's really all they could do right now, wasn't it?  They just needed to wait until the finale of the auction to know if those two really succeeded.

”The Pope is here,” Clay suddenly said.

Both the twins' attention were caught by that.  They turned slightly towards the most important box on the third level.

They saw a handsome man wearing a simple but elegant priest's robe.  His hair was golden blond and his eyes were as blue as a cloudless sky.  There was a gentle smile pasted on his lips.  He turned towards towards the crowd below - who was mostly watching him in awe - and then kindly smiled.

Aurum snorted before regaining her gaze back.  ”How I'd love to tear off that hypocritical smile on that bastard's face.  Maybe I should turn his brain into mush so all these would end.  What do you think, Brother?”

”Maybe you should lower your voice first before suggesting that,” Clay commented.

Aurum glanced at him.  ”Don't tell me you're afraid?”

”Everyone knows how kind the Pope is, why would I be afraid?” Clay said with an obvious sarcasm in his voice.

Aurum chuckled.  ”True, why would you be?”

Argent already removed her gaze from the Pope.  Truthfully, just like her sister, she really wanted to slice that bastard in half.  But this was not the time nor the place.  Frankly speaking, she didn't really know when was the right time.  Maybe until she's confident enough that she could really kill him and his minions.  And that her actions wouldn't affect the people she cared about.

The whole auditorium suddenly darkened then the light centered on the stage.  A man wearing a long-tailed white suit was standing at the center of the stage.

”Ladies and gentlemen, I'm your auctioneer for tonight,” the man said.  ”Welcome to the Midnight Auction!”

Aurum furrowed her brows.  The auctioneer's voice was a bit familiar.  Wait- ”Is that the snake?”

”He is,” Argent said.  Viper probably used his real voice to let them know that he disguised himself as the auctioneer.  Doing this would probably help in getting the elf out.

”Just how many human skin masks do they have?” Aurum asked in wonder.  Since the two assassins came, she probably have seen them changed faces for three times now.

”I know you've been waiting for this, so let us start by presenting our first item,” Viper started.  Then someone pushed a trolley with a number of books on top of it.  ”As you can see, these are not just books.  They're a rare first edition of the well-loved series, 'Adventures of Lyras'.  A story about a young priest who saved a country of heretics and became a saint.  The first edition of this series is truly hard to come by.  So I suggest to all the book collectors here not to miss this chance to get a copy of this amazing series.  Our starting bid is 15,000 gold coins.”

”17,000 gold coins!” started by a voice at the first level.

Before entering the tower, they were given a crystal where they could say their bid and the sound would be amplified throughout the whole auditorium.  And once they won the bidding, the price they offered would be recorded in the crystal.  Then they had to present the crystal to the people in-charge so they could pay for it and get the item they'd won.

”20,000 gold coins!”

”25,000 gold coins!”