...
anwhile, inside the private room of the Duvelle family, Burake slamd his fist onto the armrest of his seat.
Burake bore a striking resemblance to Shateur Duvelle, the head of the Duvelle family; however, he looked to be in his early seventies with a slightly hunched posture, a long gray beard and wrinkled skin.
"It just had to belong to Kroma family of all people..! Can it be they found out what we’re up to and are actively trying to interfere in our plans? It was supposed to be your job to make sure that everything stayed on the correct path, Black Fox." Burake said sowhat anxiously as he stroked his beard and shifted his gaze to his side.
Standing next to Burake was a cloaked entity with their face and hands hidden by a dark purple mist. Because of this, it was impossible to see any physical features or even tell what race they belonged to.
"I don’t know why the family head entrusted this matter to so outsiders. They’ve proven to be sowhat usable, but it’s hard to trust them with their intentions being hidden so deeply. Perhaps it’s a good thing Black Fox ca along, after all. If things end up falling apart, I can shift the bla onto them for their incompetence." Burake thought to himself with a sharp gaze.
"That is impossible. Our recent moves may have exposed our plans to gain influence within the profession guilds. However, that much has already been taken into consideration. It helps to keep everyone’s attention away from our true goal." Black Fox stated in a distorted voice that sounded as if it had been altered by magic.
Burake let out a heavy sigh as he shook his head and returned his gaze forward.
"There is nothing I can do about the Ore of Dreams. If it were so rcenary or even the Golden Treasure House itself, I could apply so pressuring using the Duvelle family’s na, but we cannot afford to make enemies of the Kroma family quite yet. That aside, what do we do now? Without the Ore of Dreams, our plans will face a setback. Hmph, this is all the fault of that Supre Elder of the Fourth Pavilion...! When I get my hands on them, I’ll make sure they know the price for offending and ignoring the Duvelle family’s na!" Burake scowled.
"The solution to our problem is rather simple. As long as we uncover the identity of the Fourth Pavilion’s Supre Elder, we can find a way to acquire the Ore of Dreams. Of course, it would be ideal if they willing chose to accept our offer. But, if it can’t be helped, even if it ans that we have to use sowhat forceful thods—we will obtain the Ore of Dreams." Black Fox stated coldly.
"What if the Kroma family interferes on their behalf?" Black Fox inquired curiously.
"The Kroma family is nothing much. If we do not take their life, worst case scenario, they may file an official protest. After all, those stubborn fools are too busy trying to maintain their neutrality. Still, we can’t afford to draw the attention of the person backing them, the Grand Duke Harpe. If the Grand Duke catches wind of our plans, it will be rather troubleso to deal with what follows. So make sure you don’t make any reckless moves without my approval. Our plans must not go to waste because of your useless sense of pride. Do I make myself clear?" Black Fox said firmly.
"Daring to give orders—this outsider is too arrogant..! If it weren’t for the family head’s orders to cooperate with them..! Hmph! Just wait until our family becos the new rulers of Danaharpe City..! When that ti cos, you too, will pay for the price of your arrogance!" Burake thought to himself as he clenched his fists tightly.
"I don’t need you to remind of what must be done! I’m not so shortsighted as to overlook our goals. You just worry about finding out the identity of the Fourth Pavilion’s Supre Elder. Once you do that, I can prepare a suitable ’gift’ for them to receive." Burake stated with a grin.
He then continued, "For now, I’ve already sent the signal to so of the rchants to stir things up a bit. And, before you say anything, you can relax. It won’t lead back to nor the Duvelle family."
"Do you truly expect such a useless trick to work?" Black Fox scoffed lightly.
"Whether it works or not does not matter. If it works, it will be to our advantage. If not, it can be used as fuel for spreading so rumors here and there. For example—the Kroma family is secretly backing the Fourth Pavilion and the reason no one has heard of this new Supre Elder is because they are from the Kroma family. With a few well placed seeds and whispers, it might be possible to make the Kroma family take heavier asures and ensuring everyone of their neutrality. The more they sit back and do nothing, the more my Duvelle family has to gain." Burake explained.
"Oh? You’re capable of sowhat using your head. How surprising." Black Fox comnted.
...
After the Kroma family withdrew the Ore of Dreams from auction and paid a hefty price, a brief intermission was taken.
Under normal circumstances, once an item had been placed up for auction, it could not be removed by its owner due to a contract that was established with the auction house itself. Furthermore, the Amaharpe Kingdom had its own trading laws when it ca to how auctions must function.
Although the Kroma family did not technically remove the item from the auction, in a manner of speaking, they purchased their own item. This was also not allowed; therefore, a few rchants who traveled far to attend the auction filed an official protest to the Golden Treasure House.
"After a thorough review, it has been determined that the Kroma family has not broken any trade laws or rules of the Golden Treasure House’s auction. The official trade is listed as the Ore of Dreams in exchange for the lifesaving services of the Fourth Pavilion’s Supre Elder. The 15,000,000 gold coins given to the Golden Treasure House as compensation is not counted as a bid. Nor was it used for a direct or indirect purchase of the Ore Dreams. As such, the bid has been finalized. Once again, I would like to congratulate the Supre Elder of the Fourth Pavilion on acquiring the Ore of Dreams." Lady Kesa announced with a glowing smile.
The rchants who filed the protest looked disgruntled. Since the Golden Treasure House had made its decision, the matter could no longer be pursued unless they went through the Chief Administrator Office’s Resource Managent Division’s Chambers of Comrce. However, whether they were in the right or wrong, going through such a grueling process required a hefty amount of gold coins. There was also a fine and possibility of a lawsuit if their protest failed. Naturally, none of the rchants were willing to go that far.
’I didn’t expect a few people to file an official protest against the legitimacy of my bid. Regardless, it seems that everything worked itself out. With the Ore of Dreams, it may be possible to transform the Sword of The Storm into a pseudo-divine weapon. Even becoming a true divine weapon is within the realm of possibility.’
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