Second Realm

by Michael Chatfield

  “I will thank you ahead of time then.” Nguyen looked to Lu Chiao. “Three hundred and five.”

  “Sold to Alchemist Nguyen,” Lu Chiao said with a beaming smile. Why wouldn’t he be smiling? He got a part of the sales and seeing that the first potion had sold for so much, he could only imagine what he would gain from the thirty or so potions that were listed on the auction guide.

  “Thankfully, we have the same potion of the same quality. Instead of raising the price, we will be holding it at three hundred and five,” Lu Chiao said.

  “What?” People in the room yelled while Alchemist Nguyen staggered slightly.

  The other three who had lost to Alchemist Nguyen had a new fire in their eyes as they leaned forward.

  “I’ll buy it!” Disciple Zhang said.

  “I’ll buy it too! Three hundred and ten!” Elder Vuong said, not willing to lose again.

  “Three hundred and twenty,” Elder Yan said.

  It was as if their auction had only taken a pause instead of stopping with one of their number bowing out.

  “This—they have more potions of the same?”

  “How is this possible?”

  “These must be made by a Master alchemist!” someone else said.

  The second went to Elder Vuong for three hundred and seventy gold.

  “Congratulations, Elder Vuong!” Lu Chiao said. Even though he said that they were willing to sell the potion, with the bidders starting up their own war, Lu Chiao was happy to take their gold.

  Young Master Tan was in a state of shock. This kind of gold was more than all the gold he had saved up in his entire life! As he wanted to buy it to establish greater connections with the elders in his sect, it was beyond his reach!

  “Now we have another Age Rejuvenation potion of the mid-Journeyman rank, this one reaching forty percent efficacy!” Lu Chiao said.

  “What...what is going on?” someone in the VIP section asked.

  “There are more? How is this possible?” a disciple asked.

  “Get an auction guide!” Elder Rou hissed to the disciples behind him.

  Deeming the auction as nothing more than a plaything, they had failed to read the auction guide, only arriving in time to show off their power and pass the people of the Second Realm and enter the VIP suites. They were interested in the auction but they didn’t think that a treasure such as this would appear!

  “Next we have a Journeyman-level iron dagger. It has an innate effect of Stamina drain and has the room for a formation but one has not been placed on it. We will start the bidding at twenty gold coins!”

  All of those who were connected to formations leaned forward as the bidding started in earnest. It seemed that the auction had finally reached the white-hot stage.

  “Seventy!”

  “Seventy-five!”

  “Ninety-five!” The last woman’s voice finished the bids. The price was higher than it needed to be for the weapon, but for those who had the formation skill, what was money compared to Experience and increasing their skill?

  “We have a blank set of Journeyman cuirass crafted from Mortal-grade iron. It has been further enhanced, giving it an innate Fire attribute! We will start the bidding at fifty gold!”

  Chapter: Alchemist and Blacksmith Duel

  “Lu Chiao, may I ask how many potions there are for sale?” Disciple Zhang asked with a strained voice. There had been several items since the last potion but now another had appeared once again.

  Lu Chiao cleared his throat as everyone looked to him. “In this auction, there are seventy-three potions, with four different bundles and thirty individual rejuvenation potions. All of these rejuvenation potions have a minimum threshold that I can’t speak on. This information is in the auction guide,” Lu Chiao said easily. “We will start the bidding for this potion at four hundred and fifty gold!”

  People rushed out of the auction hall. Disciples from the higher powers were no longer lofty as they returned with auction guides, the different powers flicking through the book.

  “Didn’t they read the auction guide?” Rugrat asked.

  Others might not hear them, but Erik chuckled and shrugged. “Guess not.”

  This potion that they were competing for so viciously was actually the weakest potion? This thought rang through the heads of those in the VIP sections.

  On the ground floor, the people were stunned to learn that those in the VIP sections hadn’t even taken the time to review the auction guide! They didn’t dare to say anything out loud but neither could they hide their amusement at seeing these arrogant fellows being tripped up by their actions.

  People opened up their guides and started to look through the descriptions of the items that were for sale.

  The people on the ground floor and those in the VIP sections seemed to grow in excitement. There were more potions coming up in the auctions.

  Alchemist Nguyen paled when learning this information. “High-Journeyman potion with an efficacy of sixty percent.” These words escaped Nguyen’s mouth.

  “For that, they must be a high-tier Expert or even Master alchemist! It would be impossible for a Journeyman-level alchemist to make concoctions of that grade!” someone said in the crowd.

  “How are such items available in the Second Realm?” one of the disciples asked with agitation.

  Lu Chiao cleared his throat. The noise passed through the Blue Lotus and returned the hall’s calm. “If there are no bidders and the minimum is not reached, then I can only take away this item. It must be known that the next auction these potions will go to will be in the Fourth Realm.”

  Lu Chiao’s words doused their spirits but also raised their will to fight. He was telling them that this was their only turn to try to claim one of these potions. If they didn’t grab this opportunity now, then they wouldn’t be able to get another in their life!

  Erik hid his excitement, wishing to give this Lu Chiao a resounding round of applause for his words. That’s it! Gimme your gold—I have expenses!! With this, I can get the items I want from the auction! Including the dungeon guides! I could really do with a beer to watch all of this. Erik laughed to himself as the price increased.

  ***

  “Next up, we have a short sword made from regular iron. Its grade has reached half-step Journeyman as well, though this one contains a formation to increase the user’s Agility. The innate effect decreases the weapon’s overall weight. We will start the bids at fifteen gold.” Lu Chiao quickly started the next auction. People’s blood was boiling at seeing the Age Rejuvenation potions.

  In their emotional state, it was easier for Lu Chiao to bring out their competitive side and empty their pockets faster.

  Erik and Rugrat watched the auction as it continued, the different items they had created making a frequent appearance.

  Finally the auction seemed to be lagging as people were recovering their senses, bringing an end to the bidding war as hundreds of gold were exchanged.

  Lu Chiao took a drink of water as a new item was rolled onto the stage.

  The curtain on the item was lifted. A snow globe appeared on a cushion.

  “This is a traveling forge, utilizing Mana formations to seal the forge as well as a few select larger tools to be used in formation creation and smithing. The furnace has a Common Mortal-grade magical flame taken from the green fire lizards found in the Nazeel plains.

  “This item can be bound to the user. Its craftsmanship places it as an Apprentice-grade formation while the equipment contained within could be used by a half-step Expert smith or formations crafter.” Lu Chiao touched certain parts of the snow globe. A spell formation appeared around it before the items inside the snow globe started to expand. Once they passed through the surface of the snow globe, the rate that they grew only increased. As they settled down on the ground, a forge appeared on the stage.

  The furnace flickered to life, with its green flame raising the temperature around it rapidly.r />
  “The traveling forge can consume monster cores, or Mana stones to power it.” Lu Chiao looked over the audience. A smile appeared on his face as he saw all of their eyes gathered on the forge.

  “I need it,” Rugrat said beside Erik.

  “We’ve made eleven hundred gold so far—don’t use it all. I’m pretty confident that we can get at least one of the dungeon items with what we have left,” Erik said.

  “The traveling forge will start at seventy-seven gold,” Lu Chiao said.

  Hearing that price, Erik couldn’t help but cringe.

  Those in the second tier of suites and below had sour looks on their faces as they looked higher. The starting bid was too much for them to even try to bid on.

  “Eighty-nine!” a woman on the third floor called out.

  “Ninety-seven!” an older-looking man from the Kerose Institute said from the fourth-tier seats.

  “One hundred and seven,” another man said calmly from another one of the fourth-tier seats.

  The man from the Kerose Institute looked over at the new bidder, his eyes thinning as the bidder returned a calm smile.

  “Well, looks like there is something going on there—big boys playing power games,” Erik muttered to himself.

  “One hundred and twenty-seven,” the Kerose Institute man said.

  “One hundred and fifty.” A new voice, Rugrat’s voice, entered into the fray as the two bidders looked over to the sealed suite. Both of them seemed to be trying to see through the formation on the window.

  “One hundred and sixty,” the second bidder called.

  “One hundred and seventy-five!” the man from Kerose called out, his eyes daring the other two bidders to bid again.

  “One hundred and eighty-five.” Rugrat’s hands turned into fists. “Come on, that should be good,” Rugrat prayed out loud.

  “One hundred and ninety!” the man from the Kerose Institute snarled.

  Rugrat’s prayer was in vain. “Two hundred,” Rugrat said finally.

  “Two twenty!” The Kerose man looked to be challenging Rugrat directly.

  “Two forty!” Rugrat yelled out.

  “Should we not know if the person who is hiding their identity has enough funds for this auction!?” the Kerose man asked, his frustration clear.

  “Is there a new bid?” Lu Chiao asked with a frown, picking up his hammer.

  “Is it not the right of us to know who our opponents are to make sure that they aren’t purposely driving up the price of an item without funds they have?” the man demanded.

  Although he was being unreasonable, people seemed to agree with him. The Kerose Institute was the leader of this city; if the bidder could make them look foolish and drain them of funds, wouldn’t they be a laughingstock?

  Lu Chiao looked to another booth on the fourth floor. It was a private booth for the people of the Blue Lotus’s management and their friends. Pan Lim and Ban Tong were in that suite, as were Su Wei and Juko.

  Su Wei stood and bowed toward Erik and Rugrat’s booth, looking a bit embarrassed before he faced the man from the Kerose Institute and the bidders in the hall. “I can assure you that the bid is true and that they are not looking to drive up the price of items without need,” he said in slow, measured tones.

  The man from the Kerose Institute might have been rash, but he wasn’t idiotic. He stood and bowed to Su Wei. “I am sorry for disturbing Manager Su Wei,” he said with a respectful voice.

  Su Wei sat back down as the man came up from his bow.

  “Two hundred and forty-five.” As he finished his bid, his eyes shot over to Rugrat and Erik’s booth.

  “Two hundred and fifty,” Rugrat said in a voice that was neither fast or slow.

  He sounds cool but he’s nearly out of his damn seat! Erik couldn’t help but look at Rugrat. He was on the very edge of his seat, his entire body tense as he held up his balled fists, as if he were watching his favorite team playing in the finals.

  Lu Chiao looked to the man from the Kerose Institute. He shook his head bitterly and looked away from the other suite.

  “Sold!” Lu Chiao slammed his hammer down.

  The forge shrank and entered the globe again as the next item was brought out.

  “Woohoo! Yeah, take that, you stinking bastard!” Rugrat exploded off his seat as he laughed and did his own version of a celebration dance.

  ***

  “I am sorry. This price is still below the minimum bid,” Lu Chiao said apologetically. This was the sixth Age Rejuvenation potion to be sold off so far.

  The numbers had risen from one hundred to five hundred. Now the sixth potion was at eight hundred but it didn’t meet the minimum! There were thirty of these potions but just under a fifth of them had been sold!

  Many of the people’s faces contorted as they wondered what the level of the last potions would be. The auction guide only gave a name for each item, and the order that they would come out.

  That information was only brought out as Lu Chiao began talking about and describing the items. This kept people’s attention and would allow them to get the feeling whether they were to discover a treasure.

  None were able to compete for the sixth potion. Even using the money that a few of the elders had gathered, their funds weren’t enough. Many were kicking themselves for not bringing their entire wealth down to the Second Realm.

  “We will continue with the nameless low-Journeyman sword. It is imbued with a core of the wind wolf to give the user a great boost of speed and the howling wolf to increase its sharpness!” Lu Chiao said.

  Although the people’s spirits were dashed with such a blade in front of them, Lu Chiao expertly pulled them out of their depression and incited their anger once again.

  “I must have this sword!” someone called out, looking at the object.

  In this way, they were directly competing with the disciples from the other sects and showing off their power for all to see. In just a few objects, the atmosphere had brightened and the furious bidding war was going on.

  “That’s right.” Rugrat leaned forward. The auction had turned into a competition now, one where Rugrat and Erik were fighting to earn the most gold. “Come on! Beat out those silver potions!”

  “You know we’re both on the same side, right?” Erik complained.

  “The winner is the one who gets the pile of gold! I have expenses, you know!” Rugrat yelled as the bids increased.

  “Sixty-five!”

  “Seventy!” The different groups that had formation Masters in their ranks had entered into the bidding.

  They’ve already gone through half of his stock, but all the remaining items are of high-Journeyman quality and they’re not selling any more of my potions!

  “How is this fair? You have more items than me!” Erik complained.

  “Sucka!”

  Chapter: Snake in the Auction

  “These potions and pill bottles were recovered from an ancient ruin! It looks like it was owned by an alchemist of high standing. He was a Master-level alchemist by the items in his home. We have been unable to find out what these items are, be that their effects, strength, or name,” Lu Chiao said.

  His words interested the more adventurous, who started to lean forward.

  “May I ask a question?” Alchemist Nguyen asked. He was the first one to acquire an Age Rejuvenation potion and had forced the other competitors back with just his words.

  “Certainly.” Lu Chiao smiled.

  “Do you know the age of these potion and pill containers? Can you verify that the content still retains a medicinal efficacy?”

  Lu Chiao’s smile became difficult to maintain as his expression lowered. “The potion and pill containers are believed to be one hundred and fifty years old and we cannot verify that they maintain medicinal efficacy as we have not opened them.”

  With a simple question, Alchemist Nguyen had removed most people’s interest in the Master alc
hemist’s leftovers. Over a hundred and fifty years old? What potions could possibly weather that amount of time? As for pills? How much had their medicinal efficacy dropped? Were they anything more than chalk to be chewed on?

  With his words, most people had lost interest in the strange-looking pill and potion bottles.

  “We will start the bidding at twenty gold,” Lu Chiao said.

  For some time, no one said anything, thinking of Alchemist Nguyen’s words.

  “I will pay twenty-five,” Alchemist Nguyen said, as if giving a favor to the Blue Lotus.

  “Thirty,” Erik said simply.

  Even if they had lost their medicinal efficacy, if he was to consume samples from these bottles then he could gain knowledge on how to make them, the different processes used, and advance his own knowledge of Alchemy.

  ***

  “Dammit, who is this person?” Alchemist Nguyen hissed as he looked at the covered suite. It was the same one that had received Su Wei’s bow.

  Su Wei might be polite to them but doesn’t he bow and scrape in front of me, too? Some hidden factor shouldn’t be that important.

  He had bid on a few things but after a certain point, he hadn’t pushed himself to truly compete with everyone, either overruling them with the wealth he had or letting them take the item. Now they’re bidding on items that they couldn’t possibly understand. Do they sense the Expert-level potion?

  Alchemist Nguyen was running low on gold after purchasing the first Age Rejuvenation potion.

  He had meant to pick up these items easily, bluffing both Lu Chiao and the people in the room so that he could get them cheaply. They would think that he was only doing it out of graciousness and the Blue Lotus might even look favorably upon him.

  Although the others in the room had no interest in the old pill and potion bottles, Alchemist Nguyen noticed a sight he hadn’t found in a long time. It was the Heart Calming elixir!