Chapter 216: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1)
The seven-day summer auctions were a dreamlike time, day and night.
It was easy to see why those who participated in this seven-day festival would say that there was no happier time in their entire lives.
Cain from the previous world was too busy trying to make ends meet and had no money, so he could only hear rumors and couldn’t participate.
That’s why he was always curious whenever he saw someone say that their only achievement in life was going to the Mytilene Summer Auction.
How good could it be?
How good could it be to go to a place and buy things with your own money?
“Now I understand why.”
Today, Cain was walking alone down the main street, called Bloom Street.
“Extra, extra! The treasure of the last day is none other than━!”
Newspapers acting as the mouthpiece of the Seven Wise Men.
The extras they printed were nothing short of pamphlets, and even those who called themselves serious economic papers were busy praising them.
“Hahaha, eat, drink, and be merry!”
“To the Seven Wise Men who let us drink such delicious alcohol without limit!”
“Cheers!”
At the tables on the street, excited people were drinking and drinking, clinking their wooden cups.
The food was charged, but basic alcohol was free during the auction period.
Fwooosh—!
And that wasn’t all.
At night, dazzling fireworks continuously exploded, and during the day, pollen magic, sparkling in the sunlight, continued to scatter.
Most people lived ordinary lives.
Commoners and nobles alike.
They only saw and experienced what they saw and experienced every day.
They all dreamed of the outside world because they were so bored and tired that there was nothing much they could do.
But it turned out that people lived similar lives even if they went out.
It was a little more complicated and difficult in the city, but after a few years, it was all the same.
“Everything is for the Seven Wise Men!”
“They really have everything here!”
On the other hand, the Mytilene auction house was heaven.
Every imaginable pleasure was crammed into every alley, and things that dazzled the eyes and ears were everywhere.
‘Of course, the nose too.’
Cain took a deep breath.
Then, the scent of ‘pureum’, which cools even the lungs, entered.
Unbelievable refreshment and exhilaration.
Every building had something to put incense in, and ‘pureum’ was constantly burning.
No one felt strange.
Whether the shadow-like figures replaced the burnt ones with new ones or not, there was so much to enjoy, and the minds heightened by the scent of ‘pureum’ ignored the little things.
Just an auction.
The splendor of Mytilene constantly distracting thoughts.
“The final auction will be held soon━!”
Even the boys handing out extras shouted excitedly and jumped up and down.
Fap.
A huge projection magic was cast between the golden pollen that had been falling endlessly.
What was visible was the auction house, which was bringing in the auction items one by one, and the podium.
“……!”
The bustling Bloom Street was suddenly engulfed in silence.
Everyone had come here to somehow set foot in this place, but they couldn’t enter the auction house.
‘That’s why they must have been drinking endlessly.’
Only those whose status and assets were recognized according to the standards of the Seven Wise Men could enter the grand auction house.
So, no matter what good items came out, or how some nobles grabbed each other by the collar and fought during the auction, it was just a story from next door that they couldn’t even see.
“Wow━!!”
“Long live the auction house!”
“Long live the Seven Wise Men!”
There were rumors that the auction was broadcast live through magic, and when it actually happened, everyone cheered.
They had no money, but they had greed.
And money overflowed in that place.
Money that they wouldn’t even be able to touch even if they worked their whole lives would fly away with a single raise of a hand there.
So, they were already enjoying the feeling of freedom with the scent of ‘pureum’ and the pleasure of the Seven Wise Men’s near-unlimited support, and now that their last desire was fulfilled, they all screamed like berserkers.
Except for one.
The hero of this era.
[‘Winter’ smiles bitterly.]
Born in winter.
Grew up in winter.
Only Cain, who died in winter, walked alone towards the auction house.
To stop the Commons, who were trying to exquisitely bring down the empire, throw the continent into chaos, and burn the world with the flames of true freedom.
To stop those whose true identities no one knew.
Even if those who cheered for freedom, pleasure, and indulgence in this place criticized him, Cain walked silently, believing it was the right path.
[‘Summer’ blesses you.]
Only the passing seasons were watching Cain.
🔹🔹🔹
“Greetings, Purple.”
Nicholas bowed as if his waist were about to touch the ground.
“If you’re going to greet me like that, you might as well just bow down.”
An emaciated old man was seated on the soft sofa where Nicholas had been sitting.
He put one of the thick cigars between his fingers and brushed it in front of his nose.
“As expected, old cigars are better. The ones with ‘pureum’ and ground witches taste good, but they taste like something kids would eat, so I don’t really like them.”
“…….”
Nicholas placed a cigar cutter and an old-fashioned lighter beside him.
The old man grabbed the worn-out lighter and…
Click—
He opened and closed the lid lightly.
“Cigars have a strong aroma, but they taste best when lit with this kind of lighter fire. You’ve prepared a lot, haven’t you?”
“Thank you.”
No one dared to call the names of the Seven Wise Men. In fact, they were not even known.
Of course, aliases used externally existed. However, it was just like them hiding under the name ‘Commons’.
Therefore, when they were actually called, they were called after the seven colors of the rainbow.
From Red to Purple.
And the head of the Purple Trading Company, the de facto head of the Seven Wise Men, put a thick cigar in his mouth.
He inhaled deeply and then exhaled.
The heavy smoke, as if you could grab it, made Nicholas’s office cloudy.
Nevertheless, the cold eyes between Purple’s wrinkled eyes did not waver.
“I heard the Empire and the Holy See are in an uproar.”
“Yes…….”
Nicholas politely put his hands together.
He had said that he would deal with it in his own way, but he was afraid of what this inhuman Purple would say.
Purple put the cigar on the ashtray and opened his mouth.
“Good job.”
“Thank you!”
Nicholas bowed his head again.
He knew how stingy he was with compliments, so he was even more proud.
“At least in your own way.”
However, they say to listen to the end of the sentence, and a sharp needle followed, piercing Nicholas’s lungs.
“Well, it’s not a big picture for you to see. It seems like there’s one mean and smart bastard over there.”
The moment Nicholas heard the words ‘mean and smart’, he thought of the golden goblin Lesbos, who was once their foundation.
He devoted himself to them like a fool, but according to the stories passed down, Lesbos was exactly like that.
In addition, the symbol of the trading company led by Purple, who ordered Lesbos to be abandoned, was a goblin.
“Well, we can just switch to the second prince anyway.”
“…….”
Nicholas belatedly realized that the second prince of the Empire was on this island.
He had wondered how such a big shot could be here without his knowledge, but it made sense when he thought that Purple had made a move.
“What about the hero?”
It had been quite a while since he had received a report that the hero Cain was on this island. However, there were no further reports on his whereabouts.
Purple looked at Nicholas with cold eyes.
“T,That…… Since he appeared in earnest from the Empire and the Holy See……”
“You lost him?”
“……Yes.”
“He’s definitely on this island?”
“Yes. I saw him talking to Prince Estilt the other day.”
“So.”
Tap.
Purple expressionlessly grabbed the cigar again. He took a deep drag and spat out the words along with the smoke.
“You’re saying that you tracked down the second prince, but the hero is impossible.”
“……Yes.”
Cain was impossible to catch.
It was amazing how he could avoid them on Mytilene, where they had spread magic devices and people like a net, to keep watch.
“Today?”
The last day of the auction.
The day to reap the fruits of ‘pureum’, which made the nerves excited, and the pleasures that the Seven Wise Men were constantly feeding people.
Today, to sow the bait to guide the empire that will be shaken and the chaotic world to their liking.
“That…….”
Nicholas knew how important the last day of the auction was.
But there was no way to know where Cain was.
“He’ll be at the auction house.”
Purple asserted.
Nicholas’s eyes widened and he said.
“Everyone is thoroughly checked for identification. No matter how much of a hero and Sword Master he is, he can’t come in without being caught by our eyes.”
Seven Wise Men.
No, Commons’ main force had already entered the Summer Auction, which was drawing attention from all of them.
The Apostles of the Commons, whose true identities were not all revealed.
The Twelve Sisters of Dawn who were not on a mission.
Daybreakers, who would take care of the actual military power.
And, of course, the mercenary group 〈Caballeros Rebellion〉, as well as the private forces hidden by other Seven Wise Men, witch hunters, and wizards brought from the magic city 〈Lil〉.
All of them were invested because they saw this Summer Auction as an important watershed that would determine the future of the continent.
That was what Nicholas believed in.
Purple smirked at his confidence.
“Do you know where the weakest point is when protecting something?”
“……?”
“It’s the part where you think it won’t be. Maybe the hero won’t come in so recklessly with force.”
“It’s impossible to disguise himself as someone else.”
They had checked everyone who set foot in the grand auction house, from the participants in the auction to the cleaners.
Purple shook his head at Nicholas’s attitude.
“Then he must have already entered. There’s always a loophole in what humans do.”
Nicholas was dumbfounded by Purple, who didn’t seem to trust him, but Purple had never been wrong.
“Then how…….”
“Well. I can’t predict all of their plans either.”
Thud.
A bit of ash from the end of the cigar fell to the floor. Purple rubbed the area with his shoe.
However, the gray ash did not disappear, it only spread. Purple muttered as he looked at it.
“If ‘He’ returns, everything will be accomplished in the end, it’s just a foolish struggle.”
🔹🔹🔹
“Delivery.”
Cain, dressed in shabby clothes, stood at the back door of the auction house, holding a wooden basket in both hands that looked like it could be taken on a picnic.
“I didn’t hear that a delivery was coming.”
The burly gatekeeper frowned and looked down at Cain. The same goes for the one next to him.
“And I’ve never seen a delivery man like you.”
His appearance was luxurious.
It was so strange to see such a luxurious delivery man that the gatekeepers had no intention of letting him in.
Cain smiled bitterly and pointed his chin at the top of the grand auction house.
“……Don’t you know? Things like me can’t enter publicly.”
A pathetic remark.
The feeling of not wanting to go but having to.
As if they understood the situation, the two gatekeepers began to open the door with a smirk.
“Tsk, tsk. He looks like a plaything of the higher-ups.”
“Why don’t they let these kids in together? They always make us take a look. Ugh.”
As if they had seen something they shouldn’t have, the two spat on the floor and looked away.
Like that.
[‘Summer’ is surprised by Cain’s obvious acting.]
[‘Winter’ says there’s nothing our kid can’t do.]
Cain lightly entered the auction house.
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