The original tables and chairs in the conference room had already been cleared out. Now, the room was filled with folding chairs with red cushions. In front of the wall where the terrace was located, there was a high mahogany platform with a table on it, which the auctioneer would use later.
The auction items were arranged around the room. The rhode cards Xia De was interested in were placed near the door, clearly not the main attraction.
"Let me see."
He stopped in front of the glass display case, looked at the card on the red velvet lining, and then smiled:
"A special card of the Queen suit, how interesting."
【History of New World Exploration · Wind of Exploration】, Queen suit. (Note)
When this card is drawn, randomly select and draw one card from the remaining deck. If it is a Sun suit, then 【History of New World Exploration · Wind of Exploration】 is considered a King. The drawn card's effect is nullified and it is discarded, not re-added to the deck, and is considered a normally drawn card.
"The Queen suit itself is only smaller than the King and 21 points, so the Queen becoming a King doesn't mean much."
Unlike other special rule rhode cards, there was a line of small text written in both delarion and carson rick below the rules:
【Commemorating the great geographical discovery of the New World, this is a turning point for civilization. May the wind of exploration blow across the world.】
The "History of New World Exploration" series of cards was first issued about half a century ago and reissued every 5 years thereafter, but each reissue featured different special cards, hence they were also known as "History of New World Exploration I," "History of New World Exploration II," and so on. The series of cards was produced to commemorate the discovery of the New World. The initial fifteen special cards were not sold but given to the fleet that discovered the New World many years ago.
The Queen suit card that Xia De was currently looking at, due to its commemorative significance, would normally sell for well over 80 pounds. As it was a charity auction, most of the starting bids for items were inflated. The current listed starting bid was 85 pounds and 12 shillings, but it was clear that the final price could potentially exceed three digits.
"That's really good."
Xia De looked at the silhouette of ships coming and going in Dagong Port, a famous port in the New World, on the card face, his eyes slightly narrowed. He had always been frugal, and apart from Ring術士-related expenses, he had never spent more than 100 pounds at once. But this card looked truly tempting...
"So, are you going to buy it? Indulge yourself for once?"
A whisper sounded in his ear, her tone very gentle.
"No."
At least three seconds passed before Xia De shook his head firmly:
"I must control my desire. Even though I have a lot of savings recently due to the differential engine blueprints from the spy case, my future expenses are still very high, so I can't spend money recklessly."
Though he said this, he still looked down at the card.
"Is this a form of asceticism?"
"No, it's just planning for the future. And look, when have you ever seen me spend money for pleasure? Oh, what I spend on Mia doesn't count; that's Gaode's remittance."
He took another look at the card, then turned and left. But he didn't leave the room; instead, he stayed to see what its final Sold Price would be.
There were still fifteen minutes until the auction began. A few people had already taken their seats on the folding chairs, while Xia De had wandered over to the easels in the southeast corner of the room. Under the light of the specially erected floor-standing gas lamps, these artworks looked quite good.
These were not antique paintings but donations from locally renowned artists. The starting bid for each piece was 10 pounds, and only the buyer would know if it was worth that price.
Xia De paused in front of the easels and saw that these oil paintings depicted themes of heroic epics and myths. The three paintings closest to him were "Brave One Slaying the Demon," "Girl Holding Fire," and "Phoenix in the Sky."
All three paintings used large areas of red as the background color, though the first was dark red, the second was alternating red and black, and the third was a striking crimson.
"How does it look?"
A voice came from beside him. Xia De turned slightly and saw a thin, short man wearing a red beret and a small mustache.
"The epic sense is well depicted, but I don't quite understand. This one is about the legend of a brave man defeating a demon, and that one is related to the local fire worship tradition. What does the one in the middle mean?"
The oil painting in the middle was "Girl Holding Fire." A small girl with white robes and gray hair sat barefoot by a bonfire, her eyes closed and head tilted, holding a slender flame in her scorched hands. The background was a very abstract red and black scene, and Xia De couldn't discern the meaning of the painting.
"This is a story I heard from my friend, a professor of folklore, about the Original Fire. It's a legendary flame, the first wisp of fire after the world was born. The prosperity of the flame symbolizes the prosperity of the world. It's an interesting story, isn't it?"
The man in the red hat held his chest with his right hand and stroked his chin with his left.
"Sir, are you the painter who created this work?"
Xia De asked, and the latter nodded, trying to control his proud expression:
"Yes, that's why I came specifically to see who would ultimately appreciate my artistic skill."
"But according to the locals, the local fire worship tradition is related to the Phoenix. Is this legend of the Original Fire also related to fire worship?"
Xia De was almost certain that the "Original Fire" the other party had heard of was likely the flame in Sister Devlin's hand.
"No, no, the Phoenix legend is the origin of local customs, while the Original Fire is an ancient myth passed down throughout the world."
The painter spoke eloquently:
"I also traveled throughout the Old Continent for research and heard many interesting stories. In areas with fire worship traditions, you can mostly hear ancient myths related to the 'Original Fire.' Middelburg, however, rarely hears such stories. The custom of worshipping the Phoenix has suppressed the 'Original Fire' myth, which should be considered folklore triumphing over myth."
Xia De nodded, his eyes fixed on the slender flame in the little girl's hand in the oil painting. If the "Original Fire" was truly the so-called first wisp of flame, then this relic could also be considered an item from the first epoch.
Ultimately, the 【History of New World Exploration · Wind of Exploration】 that Xia De had taken a liking to was bought by a Carson Rick merchant for the exorbitant price of 132 pounds, which completely dashed Xia De's hopes.
After the auction ended, he thought of going to the rhode cards venue to play cards with the local players. But as soon as he descended from the second floor of the castle to the first, he was called away by Aurora's maid.
They were still in the lounge where they had met a few hours earlier, and both Witches were present. Seeing Xia De enter, they motioned for him to sit down and talk:
"Someone from the Truth Society appeared here?"
The Old Witch spoke first.
"Hmm? Oh, the Church discovered them, right?"
Xia De was not surprised at all.
"Yes, but that's not important. Let the Orthodox Church handle such matters."
Aurora said:
"I called you here for another matter. About twenty minutes ago, someone in Auction Hall One paid a high price for an antique."
Grandma Cassandra handed Xia De a black and white photograph, which turned out to be a metal sarcophagus, its surface covered with patterns of branches, leaves, and vines, and a silver cross in the very center of the sarcophagus lid.
"According to the seller's information, this is an antique excavated in 1054 common era from the northern side of the Cameron Mountains, in the area of what is now the Principality of Set. It was put up for auction by that foreign antique dealer, with a starting bid of 1200 pounds. Then, it was directly bid up to 6000 pounds and bought."
"6000?"
Xia De was truly shocked. He had just been reluctant to buy a rhode card for over 100 pounds:
"Is there a problem with this transaction?"
"I checked all the antiques at the auction beforehand. This is not a relic."
The Old Witch said with certainty:
"When that transaction was completed just now, I smelled a strange scent from that buyer. He doesn't seem to be human."
Jialinna had said that Grandma Cassandra was an expert in demons and Xenomorph, so it was normal for her to detect this.
"Jialinna said that you have a perception of relics that exceeds that of a normal Ring術士. The sarcophagus hasn't been delivered yet, and we hope you can take a look at it."
Aurora looked at Xia De:
"Although this is unrelated to the Council, any anomaly in Middelburg now is worth noting. Especially an item like a sarcophagus, which has too strong a connection to death."
"No problem, I'll go now. But who is that buyer? To be able to pay 6000 pounds at once, his identity must be quite prominent, right? And this money must have been prepared in advance."
Xia De asked again.
"He's not a local. He's a Viscount from Carson Rick. He's a distant relative of the Anjou Family of the Carson Rick royal family, very distant. He's famous for his family's vineyards and wineries in the south, and he came to Delarion this time for the wine business."
Grandma Cassandra said.
Xia De nodded, then suddenly looked up;
"Wait? Carson Rick? Wine? Is the wealthy person who bought the sarcophagus named Armand Bernhardt?"
"Yes, Viscount Bernhardt."
Aurora nodded in surprise:
"Detective, do you know him?"
"I..."
He was about to say he knew him, but then he remembered that he had attributed the crimson anomaly in the sky when he entered the Gap to a Vampire and said that he had only seen it from afar and did not know the name.
"After that, I should have met him once more..."
Then he remembered meeting the uncle and nephew at the Sicar Inn, but that time involved the Gray Headed Eagle.
So he immediately shook his head:
"No, I don't know him. I just ran into this gentleman while wandering around the city, helping people solve problems."
"It seems you've had a very fulfilling autumn here."
Aurora smiled:
"Jialinna even said you were working very hard."
"Then I'll go take a look at that sarcophagus first. As for Bernhardt's matter, we can discuss it later."
He stood up, hesitated, and then asked:
"What's Viscount Armand Bernhardt's reputation like in Carson Rick?"
"A very good upper-class gentleman."
Aurora said.
"I understand."
Xia De pushed the door open and left, while the two Witches continued their conversation:
"I also met this Mr. Bernhardt in Carson Rick. He rented my ship to transport wine to the New World. He's also a pitiful person. His parents died young. Although he inherited the title, he has few people he can trust around him. It's said he was married, but his wife passed away very early."
"Are there no other members of the Bernhardt Family?"
The Old Witch asked curiously, and the young Witch with curly hair recalled:
"The Bernhardt Family has never been prosperous. In modern times, Armand Bernhardt has no other relatives of the same surname apart from two uncles and an underage niece."
PS1: Thanks to reader @Dai Tianshi, the name of the rhode card was provided by him in the rhode cards collection thread.
PS2: Revised a detail in the previous chapter: Iluna's dance invitation time has been changed to 9 PM.
