Chapter 240: Completely Overturned the Auction (4)

The black wings displayed within the crystal box exuded an air of majesty. The feathers seemed almost offended, as if their pride had been wounded by the mere fact that humans dared to look at them. The wings continuously emitted streams of black aura.

"Lucifer’s... wings..."

"They’re on an entirely different level from something like harpy wings."

"Are they real?"

But if they weren’t genuine, what else could they be? Could any human, or even a dwarf, craft wings of such quality? No one present could be certain.

"If everyone could calm down and take their seats, it would be much appreciated."

As Jis’s gentle voice reached their ears, the NPCs regained their senses, and returned to their seats.

"

Ahem, ahem!

"

"

Ahem

, I’ve shown an embarrassing side of myself."

"It was like being hit on the back of the head—I couldn’t think straight."

Once everyone was seated again, now wearing embarrassed expressions, Jis gestured toward the back of the stage.

"These wings are indeed the genuine wings of Lucifer. To prove their authenticity, the seller has even provided a certificate, so you can rest assured."

"A certificate?"

"Is that even possible?"

Lucifer was a fallen angel. Even if he had died and left behind his wings, there was no one who could verify their authenticity.

As the NPCs tilted their heads, staff carefully brought out another crystal box. This one was much smaller than the one containing the wings. However, as Jis continued his introduction, the NPCs found themselves rising from their seats once again.

"This is the heart of the great demon, left behind by Lucifer upon his death."

Thump, thump!

Inside the box was Lucifer’s Heart, still beating vigorously.

Parsanax’s jaw dropped, and he jumped to his feet, shouting, "Th-the heart! Is the heart for sale?!"

It had been centuries since the Demon King’s invasion of the continent. In this peaceful era, even catching a glimpse of a great demon was rare. But the heart left behind by the deceased great demon?

That’s a treasure worth buying no matter the cost!

Especially for the wizards participating in the auction, it was as if a collective fever for spending had descended upon them.

However, Jis shook his head apologetically. "Unfortunately, the seller has requested that only the wings be sold. My apologies."

"

Ugh

..."

"

Ah

..."

Groans and sighs of frustration spread among the wizards. If they could discover who the seller was, they would have been willing to pay any price to acquire Lucifer’s Heart.

But if it’s not for sale, there’s nothing we can do.

The wings. The only thing we can buy now are the wings.

I wonder how high the price will go...

The NPCs sat quietly in their seats, tightly sealing their lips and eyeing one another cautiously.

In the heavy silence, a player raised their hand, oblivious to the tension. "What’s the starting price for the wings?"

"5,000 gold."

"

Eeek!

"

In the context of a special auction, 5,000 gold was nothing extraordinary. However, to ordinary players who didn’t grasp the wings’ value, it seemed like an outrageous price. Of course, the quick-witted representatives of the Nine Guilds paid close attention to the NPCs’ reactions, and their eyes lit up.

The Duke of Barnum, who’s famous in the capital for being parsimonious, is coveting that item that much?

Sure, the wizard NPCs in MID Online are known for being crazy, so that’s understandable...

But what value do those wings hold to make the NPCs go this wild over them?

For those managing the world’s Nine Guilds, 5,000 gold—500 million won—was sometimes nothing more than pocket change, particularly in the case of Vulcan, who had hit the jackpot in the recent Zatan raid.

Zatan slowly raised his paddle and said, “5,000 gold.”

That was the beginning.

Drawn by the scent of money, Sandro of the Black Market guild quickly followed. “5,100.”

Seeing that two masters from the world’s Nine Guilds were bidding, the unaffiliated rankers shook their heads and decided to simply watch the war of the stars.

Excluding Nihonichi and Titan, seven of the Nine Guilds are participating in this auction.

And all seven guild masters drove the price of the wings ever higher.

“10,000 gold.”

“12,000.”

“13,000.”

The Warriors, Black Market, and Cheonhwa guilds, each with relatively superior financial power, were locked in a three-way battle. The other guilds gracefully bowed out of the bidding race the moment the price exceeded 10,000 gold.

Well, I can understand their reasoning.

If someone were to present those wings as a gift to an NPC they wanted to build a connection with, it would undoubtedly ease future dealings. But that wasn’t the only answer. If someone were willing to spend 10,000 gold, there were many other ways to achieve similar goals. Of course, that reasoning stemmed from not understanding the true value of those wings.

“20,000 gold,” Sandro of the Black Market declared boldly, glaring at Seol Eun-Yeong.

It was an unspoken warning for her to stop sticking like a leech and back off.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

However, Seol Eun-Yeong was not one to be intimidated by such a threat. She was about to raise her paddle and call out 25,000 gold when a voice echoed from a seat further above—from a position that most players could not sit in.

“50,000 gold.”

All the players turned their gazes toward the source of the voice. The person who had drawn their attention was a strikingly handsome young man. He ignored the stares from the adventurers and kept his calm gaze fixed solely on the wings.

“

Oh

, the son of the Duke of Barnum has bid 50,000 gold!” Jis announced with a knowing smile, praising the young man’s spending.

So, it begins.

Watching this, Kai couldn’t help but smile as well.

The players’ bidding was nothing more than a warm-up.

As Jis had mentioned earlier, the true target audience for Lucifer’s Black Wings was the NPCs, specifically, high-ranking NPCs from each kingdom.

Even though the players were already gaping at the 50,000-gold bid...

They shouldn’t be surprised already.

Kai chuckled quietly, anticipating how their expressions would change.

“55,000.”

“60,000.”

“62,000.”

The elite children of high-ranking nobles, powerful merchant families, and even the son of an academy head joined the dazzling first round of bidding.

Hmm. The price has already reached 150,000 gold in the blink of an eye.

Dang it, I’m starting to hit my limit...

I wanted to gift Lucifer’s Black Wings to my father to make him happy.

As the bids climbed higher, the participants began showing anxious expressions.

150,000 gold. That was an astronomical amount exceeding 15 billion won.

“150,000—anyone willing to go higher?”

The crown prince of the Ogon Empire had called 150,000 gold, and for a moment, silence fell over the auction house. However, it didn’t last long. His sole rival, the crown prince of the Caldaren Empire, finally broke his hesitation and raised the bid dramatically.

“200,000 gold.”

Neither crown prince could attend the auction in person, so they participated through the crystal orbs.

Despite this, the Caldaren prince’s arrogant tone carried a clear provocation that warned not to push any further. “How dare you...”

Just as the Ogon crown prince was about to raise the bid again, a familiar voice reached him.

“500,000 gold.”

The people inside the auction house gasped in astonishment at the boldness of the bid.

Even Jis, who hadn’t anticipated such success, stumbled over his words and said, “H-His Majesty the Emperor of Ogon... has bid 500,000 gold for Lucifer’s Black Wings.”

There was an old saying that childrens’ quarrels often become a fight among adults. This was precisely the kind of situation that saying referred to. Of course, the players’ minds had gone completely blank now.

N-no, I get that the wings look cool and all...

But no matter how much I examine them, I can’t see any special stat-boosting effects.

Why would anyone bid 500,000 gold on that...?

The players were left in a state of utter panic. They would never fully understand. However, Kai could vaguely deduce the reason behind such a price.

Lucifer was the great demon of hell who could barely be defeated using only Shimizu’s holy power.

The significance of the great demon on this continent was immense. All the nations of the continent had the Church of Solaris, worshipping the Solarian God Helik, as their official religion. Naturally, beings from hell were despised. Moreover, Lucifer was the only being to bear the title of the celestial traitor.

If someone purchases Lucifer’s Black Wings, they can promote their country on a grand scale.

The nation housing Lucifer’s Black Wings would become a landmark for explorers, archaeologists, and historians from across the continent. And that wasn’t all.

It also feeds their vanity, having something no one else possesses.

There was a saying that power shaped people. The higher one’s position, the more carefully they must act and present themselves in a positive light. And for the rulers of the continent’s two empires, Ogon and Caldaren, their pride extended beyond personal matters. It was no exaggeration to say that they represented the face of their respective empires.

This... This might escalate far more than I thought.

There was only one item, but the two empires faced each other. Kai was already beginning to feel troubled about what kind of criticism the empire that failed to win Lucifer’s Black Wings would face.

“550,000 gold.”

“600.”

“700.”

As expected of the emperors, who wielded absolute power.

While the kings of other nations, including the Kingdom of Rashion, were participating through crystal orbs, none of them dared to step into the duel between the two.

At that moment, the Emperor of Caldaren provoked first, “I hear the Ogon Empire’s borders have been pushed back significantly lately. Perhaps it would be better to spend that money on equipping and supporting your soldiers instead.”

“Thank you for your concern, but we’re fine. Ruling the continent’s largest territory comes with such responsibilities.”

Their voices sounded soft, as if they were genuinely worried for one another, but the sharp tension in the air said otherwise. In the space where even breathing seemed to pause, the two giants resumed raising the bid.

Then, a stretch of silence followed. The back-and-forth exchange of meaningless numbers between the two felt endlessly long. Just three minutes had passed, yet the perceived time felt like over three hours. And during that time, the bid had surpassed 1,500,000 gold.

Oh my...

150 billion won. No matter who won, Kai couldn’t help but smile at the outcome. However, the numbers continued to climb higher.

It was then that Parsanax, seated beside Kai, muttered quietly, “This is trouble. You can’t even split Lucifer’s Black Wings in half for them... If this keeps up, whoever wins, there’ll be a bloodbath at the borders. Well, I guess that’s what makes a treasure a treasure—it’s valuable because there’s only one of it.”

A bloodbath over something like this?

Kai looked terrified as he thought of the NPCs who might lose their lives because of this auction. But then, he reconsidered Parsanax’s words.

Only one treasure exists?

Kai’s gaze shifted to the stage. What he saw were two crystal boxes. One contained the wings, and the other contained the heart.

Wait a minute, could this be...?

Kai’s mind began to race fast. Currently, the rulers of the two empires were quarreling over a single item.

But if there are two treasures...

Lucifer’s heart was in no way inferior to the wings. Still beating, the heart held immense academic value as well.

If I sell that too, everything will be resolved, won’t it?

Both emperors would preserve their pride, and Kai would benefit from the doubled money. If this wasn’t a win-win situation, what was?

Having quickly made up his mind, Kai wiggled his left finger and muttered, “Mimic.”

Summoned quietly in its slime form, Mimic wriggled at Kai’s feet. Making sure that Parsanax was entirely absorbed in the standoff between the two emperors, Kai cautiously transformed Mimic into the shape of a rabbit.

“Secretly deliver this to the staff behind the stage.”

Placing a note in Mimic’s mouth, Kai gently tapped its tiny ears. With that, Mimic disappeared swiftly.

“

Hm?

”

Moments later, a staff member stepped onto the stage and whispered something into Jis’ ear. At the same time, Jis’ face brightened immediately.

Resisting the urge to look toward Kai’s seat, Jis slowly began to say, “May I ask the emperors of the two empires to pause their bidding for a moment?”

At that point, the bidding had already reached 2,100,000 gold.

“... What is it?”

“I was just starting to enjoy it.”

Picking up on the sharp undertones in their words, Jis swallowed nervously and continued, “I’ve just received word from the seller. If it is agreeable, they wish to honor both Your Majesties, whom they admire, with wings.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Surely you’re not suggesting we split the wings in half, are you?”

“Not at all. The seller has expressed a willingness to also offer Lucifer’s Heart, which they had originally intended not to sell.”

“... Lucifer’s Heart?”

“

Hm

.”

The two emperors fell silent, likely running calculations in their heads. The result, of course, was obvious.

“In that case, I bid 2,100,000 gold for Lucifer’s Heart.”

“Then I will claim the wings for the same price.”

The Ogon Empire, which pursued magic, desired Lucifer’s Heart. The Caldaren Empire, which revered martial power, wanted Lucifer’s Black Wings. Their interests aligned perfectly, so there was no longer any reason to prolong the auction.

Mindful of the participants who had been holding their breath for some time, Jis quickly concluded the auction, “This concludes today’s auction. Once again, I extend my heartfelt thanks to all participants.”

As the curtain fell, the glowing crystal orbs began to dim.

I-it’s over.

The two emperors appeared to be in good spirits, satisfied with their purchases, making it unlikely that any bloodshed would follow.

But...

Not from Lucifer’s Heart this time, but Kai’s own heart pounded. The wings and the heart. The two items were sold for a combined 4,200,000 gold. It was an amount made possible only because of the mythological significance attached to them.

4,200,000 gold...

That was equivalent to a staggering 420 billion won in Korean currency. And within less than two hours, that unbelievable amount was deposited into Kai’s inventory.