BXBX NOVEL Chapter 50 Astral Artelier
Michaela and Maria quickly followed him to the balcony, positioning themselves beside their lord to protect and serve him.
"Maria, could you please check the list of auction items? I\'m interested to see if there\'s anything worth bidding on," Daniel requested.
"Of course, my lord," Maria responded, bowing before pulling out her tablet to access the auction item list with the address from the brochure provided by the auction hall.
"Here it is, my lord," she said, handing the tablet to Daniel before stepping back to stand by his side.
Daniel perused the tablet and saw many intriguing items on the auction list, including magic materials such as cockatrice feathers and demon horns. However, the most attractive item to him was the orichalcum mine inTessia Kingdom.
He recalled the Keeper mentioning that gold was a magic metal that was easy to find, but what about orichalcum?
As far as he knew from the knowledge he gained from the Grand Artificer card, its magical properties surpassed that of pure gold. The introduction information he received during his time in the Curtained World also confirmed this.
Unfortunately, the currency used in the Curtained World was Origold, and Daniel didn\'t have a single piece in his bank account. He continued to browse the list while pondering how to acquire the Orichalcum mine.
Then, his attention was drawn to the most highly anticipated item of the auction: the five artifacts he had created for Wrath to sell back then.
[Wait... Those five common artifacts I actualized are the most highly anticipated items? Is this Montgomery guy trying to scam someone, or is he just exaggerating for the sake of his business, like those on TV Direct?] Daniel thought, surprised. (A/N: Don\'t know if your country still has TV Direct but my country still has one, especially for the small channel.)
Daniel and Ragnar waited for only a short while before the auction began. The first item that the elven lady presented was the cockatrice feathers and its egg.
Though many people, especially magical beast keepers, and tamers, were interested in these items, none of them seemed to be willing to bid to the very end. It appeared that the items didn\'t attract as much attention as Daniel had expected.
As Daniel watched the auction for another fifteen minutes, he began to lose interest. Despite the fact that there were many items he wanted, he didn\'t have the money to bid on them. After checking the exchange rate of Origold, he discovered that one Origold was worth at least 30 US dollars to exchange. Unfortunately, he only had Tessia coins, which were far less valuable than US dollars.
With only eight items left before the bidding for the orichalcum mine would begin, Daniel felt increasingly anxious. He really wanted that mine, but he didn\'t know how he could afford to bid for it.
As Daniel watched the auction, he started to consider his own assets.
pαndα`noνɐ1--сoМ [Can I sell something I own to gain some money? Since my common artifacts are considered to be highlighted items then my uncommon or even rare artifacts should be considered a precious commodities for them. But honestly, I don\'t want my artifact to stab my back later... what to do? what to do..] he pondered.
Then, an idea struck him. [If I could form a contract with the buyer to not use my artifacts against me, that would be perfect.]
[That\'s right! A contract!] feeling a sense of relief at the prospect of resolving his current predicament. He quickly set to work on developing the details of his idea, carefully considering the terms and conditions that would need to be included to ensure his safety and protect his interests.
Excited by the possibility, Daniel moved back into the VIP room from the balcony and brought out a small artifact work table from his "Universal pocket".
He had created the table himself using the knowledge he gained from upgrading the Grand Artificer Profession card to the maximum level. With the table now in front of him, he began to work on the idea that could solve his current predicament.
As soon as Daniel began working on the contract, Michaela took up her position behind him to guard her lord. Maria followed suit, even though she was not as strong as Michaela.
The sudden appearance of the small artifact work table, the size of a tea table, startled Ragnar, who had been bored and playing a casual puzzle game on his smartphone.
Curiosity getting the better of him, he attempted to get a closer look at what Daniel was doing, but a cold stare from Michaela stopped him. He let out a wry smile and settled back into his seat.
After about five minutes, Daniel finished crafting the contract. He held in his hand a tempered magic steel plate that reflected blue and golden sheens. The plate was about the size of his palm and was adorned with intricate designs and engraved with magic circles.
The words "The Astral Atelier" were prominently displayed on the steel plate, along with other important details that Daniel had carefully engraved.
The magic circle and intricate design were not just for show; they contained the terms and conditions of the contract that Daniel had created. It was a binding agreement between him and the potential buyer, with clauses that ensured the artifact would not be used against him in any way.
[The Astral Atelier]
Artifact Customization Order Card
Artificer: Magitek
Artifact Rank: Three Stars
Artifact Type: Weapon, Gadget, Armor, Accessory, Other: ___________________
Please describe your customization request:_________________________________________
- By using this order, the customer agrees that they will not use any artifact made by Astral Atelier personnel against Astral Atelier interests, personnel, or properties. The customer\'s soul will be bound to this agreement.-
After Maria checked the steel plate for loopholes, she returned the customized order card to Daniel with a smile.
"Excellent work, my lord. But is it wise for you to personally make the artifact for them?" Maria asked.
Daniel chuckled. "I\'m afraid there\'s no one else who knows how to make such high-quality artifacts as I do."
Daniel placed the metal card and a copy of the "Spellguard Buckler" on the table beside Ragnar, waiting for him to notice. Ragnar\'s eyes widened as he felt the power emanating from the buckler. He looked at Daniel with surprise, wondering if he intended to give it to him.
As Ragnar examined the buckler, his attention was drawn to the metal card lying next to it. Suddenly, he had an inkling of what the young man was proposing.
"Are you planning to open your own workshop?" Ragnar asked, his eyes still fixed on the buckler. He marveled at its light weight and incredible strength. It seemed capable of blocking even an RPG explosion and had the power to neutralize any spell that came its way.
After a moment, Daniel replied confidently.
"Yes, Lord Stenmark. And if someone presents this card, I will make an artifact of the same quality as that buckler. Can this thing be auctioned? I happen to have an urgent need for money right now."
Ragnar\'s face grew serious, ignoring Daniel\'s question, he asked. "Wait...you made this buckler yourself?"
"Yes, I did," Daniel replied without hesitation.
Ragnar was awestruck. He picked up the buckler as though handling a priceless treasure and scrutinized it for a few minutes before gently placing it back on the table.
"Tell me, young man," he said with a mixture of shock and amazement in his voice. "Who is your teacher? This buckler could even guard against a full-power disintegration spell from Wrath herself!"
As Ragnar asked again, Daniel knew he couldn\'t avoid the question. He could see from Ragnar\'s serious expression that he wouldn\'t let it go easily.
However, he trusted Michaela\'s judgment about Ragnar\'s character, believing him to be one of the good guys within the Hightower, so he decided to have more faith in him.
Daniel\'s mind wandered back to the card he wanted for his Atlantis artifact set - "Atlanteus, The Atlantean Grand Artificer". In the lore, this character was renowned as the best artifact creator who had invented numerous extraordinary things.
"I don\'t know who he is, Lord Stenmark," Daniel replied. "He only gave me his name, Atlanteus, and claimed to have lived for a very long time."
He hoped that using Atlanteus\' name would satisfy Ragnar\'s curiosity, and he knew that technically, he wasn\'t lying. After all, in the lore of the Atlantis artifact set, all of the artifact creation methods were attributed to Atlanteus, and Daniel knew them all. In a way, he considered himself to be a pupil of Atlanteus.
Ragnar\'s eyebrows shot up at the mention of the name. "Atlanteus? The name has a Greek ring to it," he remarked, his interest piqued. He mulled over the name for a moment, lost in thought.