CelestialShadow
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Chapter 53 - Dorbarta
🕑 Added 2023-12-15 22:52:20 +0000 UTCAdion was lying atop the moving carriage, the warm summer sun warming him and the wind cooling him down in a perfect balance. It was summer and a lovely day to boot.
When was the last time I was this relaxed? I can’t even remember.
They had been traveling for a little over a week now and would soon arrive in Dorbarta. They had stopped in some towns along the way and heard there would be an auction there tonight. Everyone wanted to see the city some before leaving for the Outskirts, and an auction sounded like a perfect way to spend some time.
But even if they had money, they wouldn’t be buying anything. Benji had warned them that they wouldn’t be having Diamond mages to protect them after the auction like most of the other participants. Adion agreed that it was an unnecessary risk. He already had something more valuable than whatever he could get at the auction in his backpack. Besides, he wasn’t exactly lacking for anything.
But seeing what it was like at an auction would be fun. Apparently, the Tyllen family had run the ‘Dorbarta Auction House’ for generations, and many family clans around the Silver Wall always showed up to take part. Now that the Tyllen family had become a Noble family, it was sure to be a livelier event than usual.
I wonder how much I’d get from an Elixir of Life. No one there could probably pay its actual worth. Not that I plan on selling it anyway, not until I can do it safely, at least.
The Elixir of Life was pretty much useless to Adion. It sounded incredible to gain more than a hundred years of lifespan, but Adion wasn’t even 16 yet. He had a long way to go.
I’ll give one to Grandpa. I don’t want him to die of old age so soon. With that and a Grand Soul Clarity Pill, I’m sure he’ll become a Soul mage without issues.
Adion continued to enjoy the warmth of the sun as he looked up at the bright blue sky.
I wonder how far away the sun is? What kind of fire does it take to warm me from so far away? And what concepts does that fire hide?
Adion stretched his hand up almost as if to grab hold of the warmth.
What about the Fire Phoenix? Just what kind of concepts hide in its fire? I would love to see it someday. Not directed at me, though. But just get a chance to witness just how powerful fire can get.
Now that I think about it, I actually got to witness the Celestial Phoenix doing magic. What concepts has it grasped? Surely something like a Deep Concept, or perhaps several. Along with an Authority over space greater than I can even imagine. What kind of abilities does it have? What are the possibilities of space?
“Adion, we’re here!” Adion was interrupted in his thoughts as Benji called out to him. He raised his head and saw the grand city wall up ahead.
Dorbarta. The Capital of the Silver Wall. It sure seems big. Every time I see a city like this, I can’t help imagining how big Cyalis must be. Or the big cities on Quemer.
“You coming down or what?” Rufus asked from down below. The carriage had come to a stop and was lined up after a few other carriages to enter the city.
“Mm,” Adion nodded and jumped down on the street.
“I will leave the carriage at Silver Service with Sahra,” Benji said, “Can you three get room for us someplace nice?”
“Someplace nice?” Rufus asked.
“Well, we’ll only be here for the night,” Benji shrugged, “And we got the money for it. Why not splurge a little before heading out to the Outskirts again?”
“Alright, that sounds nice,” Rufus nodded, “Any place in mind?”
“I’ve never been here before, but,” Benji said and went up to a man next to the carriage in front of them.
“The Silver Diamond seems to be the best place in the city. We’ll meet you there later,” Benji said as he returned from asking the man for information.
“See you later,” Adion said goodbye along with Rufus and Lomin and headed to the city gate entrance for pedestrians.
The walk took them a little over thirty minutes, but eventually, they arrived at a big, beautiful building in the city center.
“I feel out of place,” Rufus said.
“Why?” Adion asked, “I’m sure that it’s not the first time some Outskirters come here to stay the night.”
“That’s true, I guess. Let’s go.” Rufus said, and the three headed into the hotel.
They were politely received by the reception, and no one made a big deal out of their slightly shabby appearance. Rufus booked four rooms and left the description of Benji and Sahra at the reception so they would be let up into their room later.
“I guess I’ll take a bath,” Rufus said, “You guys should too. You stink. I’m sure we’ll leave for the Auction House pretty soon, so don’t slack.”
“Alright, alright,” Adion said and headed to his room. Or rooms perhaps would have been a better description as Adion’s had a bedroom, living room, and bathroom all in one. There was also a servant outside his door, ready to run errands should he need anything.
Fancy. Nice. I could get used to staying at places like this.
Adion got a bath and changed into some clothes that didn’t give the impression that he was about to fight a beast as much as his usual clothes. He thought about calling for the servant outside his room to ask for some information about the auction, but decided not to.
Benji will probably ask around on his own anyway. I’ll just spend some time meditating.
Two hours later, Benji knocked on Adion’s door and called for him.
“Adion, you ready to leave?” Benji asked.
Adion went to open the door. He was showing low Bronze strength in his aura. Even if peak Iron might have been better to avoid attention, there would probably be a few Diamond mages at the Auction house, and Adion didn’t want to risk being discovered in hiding his aura. Hiding his aura down to peak Iron was more difficult than down to low Bronze, after all.
“Ready,” Adion nodded.
He followed Benji down to the lobby, where the others were already waiting for him.
“You also got yourself a pretty lady waiting outside the room?” Rufus asked with a smirk.
“No,” Adion answered, “It was a middle-aged man.”
“Haha!” Rufus laughed, “If you saw the girl they had serving me, you’d die of envy.”
“Sure,” Adion said hesitantly.
“Alright, let’s go,” Benji said.
The team followed Benji out onto the street, in the direction of the Auction House. It didn’t take long before they saw the grand building with a crowd of people outside of it. They made their way to one of the lines leading into the building. It wasn’t very long. Most people around the Auction House were just normal people who had come to get a look at some local powerhouses.
“I’ve looked into some details about the auction,” Benji said, “We could afford a private booth on the upper floor, but it would probably be best to avoid doing so as it would draw some attention. Some people might gather information about all the VIPs, who knows. And it’s not like we’ll actually bid on anything, so seats in the main hall will do fine.”
No one objected to Benji’s reasoning, and the group soon paid the entrance fee and got inside the building. It was a spectacular view, but Adion’s attention was pulled by something other than the architecture of the building.
An elven girl, around Adion’s age, she had long, deep crimson hair and eyes like rubies. Adion had never seen anything like it before. She was dressed more like she was in the Outskirts than a fancy auction.
Cute.
“Checking out the girls?” Rufus asked with a grin, “She’s pretty, alright. You need some help coming up with what to say?”
“I’m-” Adion didn’t get to finish as Benji cut into their conversation.
“You’re not approaching any girls here, Rufus,” Benji said with a strict tone, “We don’t know the background of any of these people.”
“Oh, you’re too worried,” Rufus continued, but Adion tuned out their conversation to look back at the girl.
Unfortunately, she had already disappeared, so Adion focused on the structure of the building instead.
“First time here?” Adion heard a voice ask.
Adion turned around to see an old man next to a young man a year older than Adion. The old man was a Gold mage and had a kind, grandfatherly smile. The young man was low Bronze and had a smile, looking so much like the old man that Adion could spot their relationship immediately.
“Yes,” Adion nodded.
“Do you and your friends have a booth?” The old man asked.
“No,” Adion shook his head again, trying to figure out what the old man’s intentions were.
“Why don’t you join me and my grandson in our booth? We have traveled here from Ellia, and Prago here hasn’t had a chance to talk to anyone besides me for months now.” The old man said.
“Oh?” Adion looked to the young man.
“Hi, I’m Prago Delhelm,” the young man said as he stretched out his hand out to greet Adion. He had an awkward smile on his face, and Adion’s first impression of him wasn’t too bad.
“I’m Adion,” Adion said and returned the handshake.
“No family name?” Prago asked, surprised.
Before Adion could answer, Benji had noticed the situation and cut in with an answer of his own.
“Sorry, Adion here didn’t bother you, did he?” Benji asked with a smile, “I’m Benji Merond, from Rellen. This here is my cousin, Adion Merond.”
That’s pretty obviously a lie. But I gotta hand it to Benji. He hid his lie pretty well. That old Gold mage might have seen through it, though. Oh well, it doesn’t matter much.
Adion had understood from Benji and the rest of the group that it was pretty standard to hide the parts of your aura that reveal intention and lies among stronger mages. It would be a bother if it were considered impolite to not speak the truth all the time after all.
“Oh, well, my grandfather and I would like to invite you to share our booth. We don’t really know anyone from here. And we have gotten pretty tired of each other after journeying for so long,” Prago said with a polite smile.
Adion saw that his grandfather nodded along beside him.
“I’m Termon Delhelm,” The old man introduced himself, “It would be our pleasure to welcome you to our booth.”
“What do you think?” Benji asked the group.
“Sure, sounds nice,” Sahra said.
“Alright, thank you very much for the hospitality, Senior Termon,” Benji said.
“Just Termon is fine. Senior makes me sound so old,” The old man chuckled.
He is surely a hundred years old, though?
“Termon it is,” Benji said with a polite smile.
“Follow me, and I’ll take you there,” Termon said.
Adion and his team followed Termon and Prago up a flight of stairs and down a corridor until they reached a door that Termon entered through.
“This is it. Make yourself comfortable,” Termon said with a smile, “And ask me if you’re curious about anything. I have a pretty good eye for treasures.”
“Thank you, I’ll certainly do so,” Benji answered.
The booth was the size of a room at a typical inn, with an open view of the grand auction hall below. Adion could see that the seats below were filling up fast. he also had a clear view of the other booths around the hall.
“Not much privacy,” Adion commented.
“You can draw the curtains here,” Prago said, “And still see the auction through this small glass window. But most people prefer the open view.”
“I see,” Adion nodded, “You looking for anything special?”
“Well, not exactly,” Prago shrugged, “But there is a rumor that an artifact will show up tonight.”
“An artifact?” Adion asked, shocked. An artifact was a runic device left from the Age of Wonder. He never thought such a thing would show up on an auction.
“It’s just a rumor, it’s probably not true,” Prago said, “If it were, the auction house would openly advertise it. But since they haven’t, it’s probably something else. But it could still be interesting.”
“Mm,” Adion nodded.
Perhaps even I will be impressed by some things auctioned here.
