"Hmm..."
Kord reviewed the catalog with obvious interest, his experienced eye imdiately recognizing the quality.
"These are military-grade pieces," he said. "So of them are restricted items that aren’t supposed to be available on civilian markets."
"Which is why I’m selling through the Dark Comrce District rather than legitimate channels," Rey replied. "And why I need a partner who understands the weapons trade and has the contacts to move high-value combat items discreetly."
Kord set down the catalog, his expression thoughtful.
"I can move these through the auction. My buyers specifically seek restricted military equipnt, and these items would command premium prices. But I need assurance they’re clean—if Guards trace these back to stolen military shipnts, my operation gets shut down."
"They’re not from military sources," Rey assured him. "Private collection, acquired through... unconventional ans. I’ve treated them with Null Art to remove origin signatures. You can verify before committing to the transaction."
Like Iris, Kord insisted on examining samples. Rey provided three items from his inventory, and Kord subjected them to extensive testing—mystical analysis, physical inspection, even firing one of the weapons to confirm functionality.
"These are exceptionally clean," Kord admitted after his examination. "Whoever removed the signatures was either very skilled or had access to High Sequence Null Art. And the items themselves are top-quality—I could sell these for thirty percent above their base value given the current demand for military-grade equipnt."
Rey made his offer.
"I’ll sell you the twelve items at seventy-five percent of their estimated auction value. You handle the sales through multiple identities to avoid drawing attention. Simple transaction, good profit margin for you, and I get my rchandise moved quietly."
Kord was more suspicious than Iris had been, his combat experience making him wary of deals that seed too favorable.
"Why such a generous split? You could probably find buyers willing to pay eighty-five or ninety percent if you shopped around."
"Because I value discretion over maximum profit," Rey replied honestly. "And because I’m looking to establish ongoing relationships with Houses that can handle sensitive transactions professionally. Consider this a demonstration of good faith."
Kord studied him for a long mont, clearly trying to assess whether this was legitimate opportunity or elaborate trap.
Finally, he nodded.
"Alright. I’ll take the deal. But I’m adding one condition—if any of these items trace back to sothing that brings Guards down on my operation, you make it right. Either you provide compensation for my losses, or you take responsibility publicly so the Purple Orchid isn’t implicated."
It was a reasonable protection clause, and Rey had no intention of letting the items be traced anyway.
"Agreed," he said. "The items are clean, but if sohow they do cause problems for you, I’ll ensure the Purple Orchid isn’t held responsible."
They formalized the arrangent over the next hour. The combat-oriented items would move through the Purple Orchid at the auction, sold through five different buyer identities to distribute the transactions. Paynt upfront at seventy-five percent of estimated value, with understanding that future business might be negotiated if this transaction proceeded smoothly.
Rey departed with his second network established.
But he wasn’t finished.
Through Lady Z’s resources, he identified several independent operators in the Dark Comrce District—individuals with auction access but no formal House affiliation. These were perfect for moving smaller items without creating the patterns that House transactions might reveal.
Over the next several days, Rey t with seven different independent operators, each ti wearing a different disguise, presenting different cover stories, offering different selections of rchandise.
To a wealthy collector, he sold three rare books and mystical texts at sixty percent of auction value—items the collector could resell at substantial profit while building his reputation as soone with access to unusual materials.
To a freelance Artifact dealer, he offloaded five mid-grade items at seventy percent value—pieces that wouldn’t attract significant attention individually but represented good inventory for soone building their auction offerings.
To an alchemical supplier, he sold rare materials and cultivation resources at seventy-five percent value—ingredients that would appeal to legitimate practitioners while generating solid profit margins.
Each transaction was structured differently, conducted through separate identities, with different cover stories and docuntation. No single operator received enough items to establish a pattern. No consistent thodology linked the various sales. The mystical signatures had been thoroughly scrubbed, the docuntation appeared legitimate, and the prices were attractive enough to discourage excessive scrutiny.
By the end of the week, Rey had distributed thousands of items across nine different sellers—the White Tulip House, the Purple Orchid House, and seven independent operators. Each one would participate in the auction as legitimate buyers and sellers, offering rchandise that appeared to co from diverse sources through normal Dark Comrce channels.
The Special Investigators would see hundreds and thousands of transactions from multiple unconnected entities. Even if they suspected so items might be Desgarron property, they’d have no way to trace them back to a single source or identify the common thread connecting the various sellers.
Rey had created exactly the kind of distributed, obscured pattern that would be nearly impossible to unravel.
But selling wasn’t his only objective.
Rey also needed to purchase specific items, particularly the Seed of Origin that remained his primary target. But directly bidding on such a rare item would draw exactly the kind of attention he needed to avoid.
So he established purchase networks as well.
Through Lady Z’s contacts, he arranged for the White Tulip House to bid on several mystical cultivation resources, including the Seed of Origin if it appeared at auction. They would be bidding on behalf of an anonymous client—a wealthy practitioner from another city seeking to enhance their capabilities.
The Purple Orchid would bid on defensive Artifacts and combat enhancent items that Rey wanted for his own arsenal. Again, bidding on behalf of unnad clients with specific requirents.
The independent operators would handle smaller purchases—Technique Scrolls, rare materials, specialized tools. Each one given a specific shopping list and budget, each one believing they were working for different employers with different interests.
No single entity would appear to be acquiring resources that matched a coherent pattern. The purchases would be distributed across multiple buyers with apparently unrelated objectives, all conducted through normal auction procedures.
Rey himself would attend the auction under heavy disguise, but purely as an observer. He’d make no purchases, conduct no sales, just maintain visibility that established his alibi while his networks conducted the actual business.
Lady Z would ensure he was docunted as being at a legitimate Red House function during the auction—witnesses would confirm his presence, surveillance would capture his image, records would show he was nowhere near the auction venue.
Perfect separation between Rey’s public identity and his actual operations.
The night before the auction, Rey reviewed his preparations one final ti.
Over ten thousand items distributed across nine sellers, all treated with Null Art to remove identifying signatures, all docunted with plausible cover stories.
Purchase orders placed with seven different buyers, each one targeting different categories of items, none revealing a coherent pattern.
Alibis established, surveillance accounted for, contingencies prepared for various scenarios.
’It’s as thorough as I can make it,’ Rey thought, analyzing his planning for any overlooked weaknesses. ’The Special Investigators will be watching closely, but they’ll be looking for patterns that don’t exist. They’ll see legitimate transactions from diverse sources, none of which connect to Modred Helt or reveal my involvent.’
There were still risks, of course. The Special Investigators were formidable, and they might notice details Rey had missed. But he’d done everything possible to obscure his tracks while achieving his objectives.
The rest would depend on execution and whether his distributed approach successfully defeated their analysis.
Rey sat in his room at Elara’s safehouse, the planning complete, the networks established, the auction scheduled to begin the following day.
He closed his eyes, letting his enhanced perception scan the surrounding area one final ti—checking for surveillance, verifying the wards were functioning properly, ensuring no one had detected his activities.
Everything was quiet.
Everything was ready.
Tomorrow would determine whether his careful planning had been sufficient to outmaneuver the realm’s elite investigators.
Rey settled back in his chair, controlling his breathing, preparing ntally for what was to co.
The auction would begin at dawn.
[A/N: We are slowly arriving at the climax of the second arc. It contained less action and revolved around dialogue and sches for the most part, but I hope you’ve enjoyed it thus far.]
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