Chapter 240 – Episode 26. Revenge, Alliance, and Auction
The auction location was one of the skyscrapers in the middle of New York. Since it was a blackout auction, I thought it would be held in a back alley or slum, but it’s quite bold to hold it in the middle of New York.
Of course, if you have a plus level to participate in the auction, you must be a fairly high-ranking person in society or have considerable financial power, so if you suffer harm in an insecure back alley, it would not be good for the dealer, so you would do it in the middle of the city.
As we entered the building, an unexpected person greeted us.
“Hello~! “It’s been a while~!”
Eve greeted us at the information desk. That’s two people. Eve A was wearing a purple tailored jacket, and Eve B was wearing a white suit and dark tie. Today, both of them were wearing round-rimmed glasses, making them look a little more intelligent.
Since Eve was a guest at the dark offline branch at the same time, there could be as many people as holograms here as well.
“First of all, I would like to say thank you to Ryuta. “You saved Yuka.”
Both Eves bowed to me and greeted me.
“I don’t have good feelings about Kurotsuki-do either. “Also, Yuka Otagi would have helped me.”
“Still, I am grateful. “Yuka, since she went back to Japan, she will say thank you from there.”
I told Eve as if I had done something indifferent, and she greeted me again. Yuka Otagi came to America to seek her revenge, so her return to Japan would mean that she would have dealt with the undercover head of the New York branch.
“It’s not long until the auction starts, so I’ll show you the room first. Would you like a glass room where you can see the real thing? Or would you like a room with a screen?”
“What do you want to do?”
I preferred a glass room where I could see directly. Even if I look at the auction items on the screen, I won’t be able to buy good items because my ability to know the information about the item won’t be activated. Still, since I came with a colleague, I asked the others about their opinions.
“It’s better to see it in person.”
“Huh! “There are things you can’t see on the screen.”
Fortunately for me, Fitzgerald and Aris seemed to prefer seeing it in person, perhaps because of the insight they gained while playing the phantom thief François. Mimatachieri was looking at her phone as if it didn’t matter which room she was in.
“Then please make it a glass room.”
“Yes! This is because the number of glass rooms where you can directly see items is limited. “You chose well.”
After Eve finished speaking, a drawer-like thing came out from the information desk, and a key with a number written on it came out. He was then given a key and a tablet to use to attend the auction.
“Please go to room 007.”
I took the key and went in the direction Eve pointed. Room 005, Room 006… Number 007 came out right away, opened the door with the key, and went in.
The room had glass on one side, and there was a stage right in front of it displaying auction items. Also, there was a screen on one side so that the auction items could be viewed in detail, and in the middle, a sofa was placed facing the glass, and in front of the sofa were finger foods, wine, and champagne that you could eat with your hands.
The remaining wall without a screen or glass wall had a door, and when she asked Aris, she said it was a bathroom/shower room. Since one person can come with you and it is an enclosed space, many things can happen. The bathroom and shower room are there for cleaning up afterwards.
Since we arrived just before the start time, the auction started immediately. Lights came on on the stage outside the glass wall, and Eve, wearing a white suit, black shirt, and pink tie, appeared like a ghost.
Eve could also be seen on the screen, but Eve was shown closer to the screen.
“Hello~! It’s been a while since I had an auction in New York! “I am Eve, whom all the customers know☆”
Even though it was a stage, the audience was watching through glass walls or on a screen, so there was no cheering or reaction to Eve’s greeting.
“Before we start, I’ll start by advertising our partners for a moment~!”
The stage lights went out again and an advertisement appeared on the screen. But the advertisement… There was something strange about it.
-The streets are becoming increasingly scary. Will we be able to return home alive?
A scene showing a slum appeared and a man’s voice was heard, heightening the sense of crisis.
-In scary situations like this, what you need is a pet that can protect you! Now, look at this cute Shih Tzu!
There was a scene where a cute Shih Tzu appeared, jumping up and down and showing affection to its owner. The Shih Tzu shown in the advertisement was the ideal Shih Tzu. She had long eyelashes, deep eyes, and the right color combination for her fur, making her look cute enough to appear in a food advertisement.
Then, a robber wearing a mask that completely covers her face appears, and when he points a gun at the owner, she rushes at him with great force, jumps, and bites the robber’s neck. It was definitely a cruel scene, but because it was done by a cute little Shih Tzu, it seemed a bit unrealistic.
With blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, the fur of the Shih Tzu standing proudly peeled away, revealing its steel skeleton inside. In fact, it wasn’t a Shih Tzu, but a robot that looked like a Shih Tzu! It was a scene.
– A pet that keeps its owner safe and does not shed fur or need to be fed! With the latest AI specifications, it looks no different from a cute pet! The best safety provided by our cancer dealers! Depending on the customer’s order, everything from appearance to system specifications and specifications can be tuned in detail! Book now! Released after October!
The advertisement ended with a QR code appearing. This is the steel pet we decided to do business with. Suddenly, my phone rang and I saw that there was a message from Eve on the dark app.
EVE: Did you do a good job advertising our business? First, I’m going to sell it to Dark Plus members in New York.
Ah, it seemed like they were advertising it in advance since there was an auction and customers had gathered.
竜太: It was well made, but if you want to do something, please tell me in advance. You were surprised.
EVE: I kept sending messages, but 竜太 didn’t reply. So, I contacted Yoo-kyung, who I work with, and got permission.
Huh? Did you keep sending messages? When I went to the message box of the Dark App, there were several messages from Eve. Can we make an advertisement for our business item in this auction? This was the content. When I looked at the time the message arrived, I saw that I had just returned to the Fitzgerald Mansion and was sleeping.
竜太: I was sleeping at that time. I guess you can get in touch with Yu-kyung?
EVE: Yongtae connected us at that time, and Han Yu-kyung also knew about the darksang, so we contacted him through the darksang app.
At that time, when she said they were going to work together, she gave Han Yu-kyung’s contact information, so it seems like they have been in contact since then.
Rita: I understand. Advertisements are fun.
Although it was scary to see the Shih Tzu with her blood dripping from her mouth.
EVE: We already have 30 pre-orders!
Oh that’s amazing. Since it was a product sold to the rich rather than to the public in large quantities, the price point was to be set as high as possible. I haven’t set the exact price yet, but I thought there would be a significant profit if there were 30 cases.
竜太: That’s amazing.
EVE: The auction will start now, so that’s the end of the story!
Tae-tae: Yes. We can talk about it in Tokyo later.
After chatting with Eve, I looked at the stage again and saw that the stage was lit up again and there was a diamond necklace with a huge chunk inside a glass tube. It doesn’t seem like it was a necklace with any kind of power, but it was a necklace that increased charm by 6.
“This necklace contains a whopping 100 carats of diamonds! During the Renaissance…”
Eve was explaining the story about the necklace, and Alice and Fitzgerald were listening to Eve’s explanation as if they were absorbed in it. When I looked at the customers inside and outside the building earlier, there were many noble ladies, so it seemed like there would be a lot of competition.
No matter how much my charm went up by 6, I couldn’t wear that gorgeous diamond necklace, so I wasn’t planning on participating in this auction. Aris and Nae Fitzgerald were talking to each other about who would participate in the war, and surprisingly, Mimata Chieri, who was not particularly interested in accessories, was not very interested.
“Ruler! Prices start from 5 million points! Let’s get started!”
The tablet we were given when we came in had a picture of the item, the current price, and a button to raise the price. Five million points were worth almost 650 million yen, or 6.5 billion won, so it was quite expensive from the start.
Of course, I thought it was expensive, but after receiving Aris’ concession, Fitzgerald said, “Oh, I have to buy this!” He was pressing down on the tablet screen with an expression on his face. Looking at that reaction, it looks like the starting price is quite cheap?
The auction is linked to the Dark Market app, so you have to use the points you have, so I was able to participate by earning a huge amount of points in return for selling Ai materials to Eve. However, I and Fitzgerald are also participating, so there is no need for me to go in and raise the price.
“Thirty million points! “Do you have any more?”
Looking at Nae Fitzgerald’s relaxed expression, it seemed like he had put 30 million points on Nae Fitzgerald.
“30 million point winning bid!”
“At the beginning of an auction, people tend to save money because they don’t know what’s coming next. “At this rate, I bought it cheaply.”
After Eve declared the winning bid, Fitzgerald shrugged his shoulders and explained it to me. Next was, of course, a work of art. After a few items I wasn’t interested in passed by, the sixth auction item appeared.
“Uh?”
What was up for auction was a statue of a goddess standing on countless cephalopod legs, a sculpture made of something black and solid.
