Chapter 687: Banner

Breejara let the noise surrounding the Betting Favorites settle before several screens behind her folded inward, leaving the auction stage and a clean interface floating beside her. Her smile stayed bright as the audience gradually quieted, apparently familiar enough with the process to know that this part actually mattered.

"Now that we’ve all had a chance to stare shamelessly at people far more successful than ourselves, we should probably explain how you’re actually going to lose your money tonight."

A wave of laughter rolled through the hall while the bidding interface expanded, displaying a base value, an automatic increase and a separate field for manual bids. Breejara gestured toward each one in turn, there was something about the way she was speaking that made you hang onto her every word, as though every sentence held another mystery. Either that or the crowd really wanted to fuck her.

Grey was pretty sure it was the latter. Though, he really couldn’t do the whole eight hairy legs thing.

"Every lot begins with a base value determined by our lovely evaluators, and from there you can either allow the system to apply the standard automatic increase or manually enter something higher if patience has never been one of your virtues. The automatic increase changes depending on the value of the item, so please do not accidentally add the price of a continent to a spoon and then complain that nobody warned you."

Grey leaned back against the couch while example numbers rolled across the screens, the increment growing larger as the theoretical value climbed. It was simple enough to follow, and more importantly, it meant anyone with enough money could smash through the normal bidding rhythm whenever they felt like forcing everyone else to make a decision.

Breejara raised another hand and smiled wider.

"Of course, some of you didn’t come here to solve problems with money."

That immediately drew more attention.

"If a lot begins with at least ten active bidders and continues until only two remain, those final two may mutually agree to settle the matter through combat instead. The winner still purchases the lot, but only at the value where the third remaining bidder last dropped out."

Several sections of the audience erupted at once, and Grey could already tell from the reaction that some people came to these auctions hoping for that exact outcome. In fact, some were probably hoping that a bidding war between the bidding favorites would break out so they could watch a real show.

That probably explained why there were so many damn people here. There was no way there were this many items up for auction, otherwise they’d be here for years.

Breejara let the cheering continue for a moment before lifting one finger.

"Do remember the important word there, darlings: mutually. If your opponent would rather keep throwing money at the problem, you do not get to drag them into an arena simply because violence is cheaper."

That earned another round of laughter before the display changed, splitting the screen into two broad categories.

"Tonight’s lots will also fall into two groups, Free Items and Legacy Items."

The first column brightened as Breejara continued.

"Free Items are straightforward. Anyone may bid on them, anyone may win them, and once payment is verified the item is transferred without any additional conditions."

The second column glowed a deep gold, several blurred objects appearing beneath it.

"Legacy Items are where things become more entertaining, as winning the bid only purchases the right to attempt inheritance. The Legacy itself still has to accept you, which means you can spend an obscene amount of money, win the auction, stand there looking very proud of yourself, only to then discover that a certain dead renaissance man thinks you’re worthless."

Grey’s eyebrow rose slightly.

Breejara’s smile turned sweeter.

"And if the Legacy rejects you, you still owe fifty percent of your winning bid."

The laughter throughout the auction hall changed immediately, and Grey couldn’t help chuckling as several sections of the audience reacted like they’d just been personally robbed.

Grey grinned

Amunet glanced toward him. "You looked impressed."

"I am. I need to take notes on how to properly screw people. I’m a pauper right now."

Breejara folded two hands together in front of herself while the screens displayed a smiling skull beside a pile of coins.

"Think of it as a stupidity tax. If you’re willing to gamble your fortune on the affection of an ancient weapon, inheritance, bloodline relic or temperamental dead master, then our organization believes you should have enough confidence to let the gamble hurt."

Grey actually liked that rule more the longer he thought about it. It stopped rich idiots from buying every Legacy they could find just to test compatibility, and it gave people with actual confidence in themselves a reason to take the risk.

Breejara let the display fade before her expression became a little more serious.

"One final rule before we begin, and this is one our organization takes very seriously."

The change in her tone quieted the hall more effectively than shouting probably would have.

"Intimidation tactics directed toward other bidders are strictly prohibited, and we maintain a zero-tolerance policy for violations. Threats against bidders, their families, territories, Races, pets, servants, allies, lovers, or that one childhood friend they swear they stopped caring about years ago will result in immediate removal from the auction and whatever additional punishment our security staff finds appropriate."

Grey laughed the instant she finished.

Sabrina looked over at him. "What?"

"That rule is adorable."

"It was probably written for people like you."

Grey thought about that for a moment, then gave a small shake of his head.

"Me? I’m innocent as can be."

Breejara continued into several smaller details involving payment windows, transfer periods and registration procedures, but Grey’s attention had already started drifting. He understood everything that mattered, and until his blueprints sold he didn’t have enough Blue Cyber Cores to participate in any serious bidding anyway.

He still wasn’t 100% sure if his blueprints would go high enough to cover his costs. Though, he could probably do a wealth transfer based on his status as a headliner. He almost certainly had a credit line he could take advantage of.

His gaze wandered across the auction complex instead, moving from the private bubbles to the enormous banners hanging beneath the central platform. He hadn’t paid much attention to them earlier, but now that he actually looked, the emblem stitched through the fabric pulled at something familiar.

Grey leaned forward slightly.

The symbol was stylized enough that he might have ignored it under normal circumstances, a looping crest contained inside a clean geometric frame, but the longer he stared the more certain he became that he’d seen it before. Once the memory clicked into place, his expression slowly tightened.

Muse Incorporated.

Grey’s eyes narrowed as he looked across the auction hall again, this time noticing the same emblem repeated in several places he had dismissed as decoration.

The banners weren’t advertising the auction.

They were branding it.