(Disclaimer: I Posted the chapter in the wrong order. The chapter that you should be reading has the title "The Auction Begins". This is the second chapter after that. So, in order to prevent any misunderstandings, please read the chapter after this first then return to this one. Thank you!)
"2,500!"
"3,000!"
"5,000!"
"10,000!"
"10,000!" Dorra shouted. "Going once… going twice… sold! Congratulations to Number 69! Feel free to claim your Crystal Sword after the auction is over. Everyone, we will need a bit of time to prepare the next batch of items to be auctioned, so we are going to take a short break!"
With the sixth item being successfully auctioned, the tension inside the Auction House was starting to rise.
Because of this, Dorra decided to take a short break, so that people would calm down a bit before the bidding for the next batch of merchandise started.
Thirteen, also made a bid for the Crystal Sword, but the budget that he had set for himself was only 5,000 Silver Coins.
Since someone had bid 10,000 Coins for it, he no longer made an effort to outbid his competitor and just waited for the next item to appear on the stage.
Cristopher, who was seated by his side, asked the question that had been nagging on his head ever since he arrived in the Barbarian City.
"Young Master, I noticed that they only use Silver Coins here as a currency," Cristopher said. "Don't they have Gold Coins?"
Norris and Adira both smiled after hearing the chubby boy's question. However, the two of them didn't answer and waited to see if the seven-year-old also knew why Gold wasn't used in the Sumatran Kingdom.
"They don't have Gold Coins, but the Sumatran Kingdom has a lot of Gold Deposits in it," Thirteen replied.
"Eh? Since they have Gold, why don't they use it as currency?"
"It's because they can't use it," Thirteen answered. "Hundreds of years ago, when the Sumatran Kingdom was still the Valbarra Kingdom, a great plague spread across the land.
"This plague threatened to wipe out all the living things within the three Main islands of the Valbarra Archipelago. Things were very dire back then, and the people, who were desperate to find a cure, asked Forneus for help.
"Although the Sea Monster was an unruly being, it was capable of showing mercy to those who worshiped it.
"Because of this, it went out of its way to seek out the help of the Deity of Plagues, Wormwood, to ask it to cure its followers from the plague.
"However, Wormwood rejected Forneus' request because it didn't find any value in agreeing to the Sea Monster's Request, who did nothing but throw tantrums whenever it wanted, drowning entire civilizations in the process."
"As the Deity of Plagues and Pestilence, Wormwood, could cure any disease in the world. But, it was a very moody Deity. When it wanted to help, it would gladly do it. When it didn't want to help, it would be very hard to make it think otherwise.
"Since Forneus only used strength, and violence to make others see reason, it was unable to convince Wormwood due to the fact that Wormwood helped it once in the past."
A faint smile appeared on Thirteen's face when he remembered the Giant Sea Monster, whom his host had seen twice during his lifetime.
He could still remember that domineering form, and although he didn't want to admit it, he felt that Forneus was a kindred spirit, who wanted to defy the order of the world, and do things that it wanted, regardless of the consequences.
"You see, Forneus would not hesitate to offend all the Deities, but it didn't dare offend Wormwood," Thirteen continued his explanation.
"There was a time when the Deity of Plagues and Pestilence helped it when it was seriously injured after the Sea Monster fought against two of the Seven Celestials. Since then, Forneus never sought trouble for Wormwood, making it the only Deity that was exempted from Forneus' aggression."
In Solterra there were Fourteen Deities who shared control over the world.
They were divided into two groups, which were the Seven Celestials, and the Seven Fiends.
These Deities weren't really at war with each other, and even helped one another during times of need.
Forneus was considered to be the Black Sheep of their family because it didn't give a hoot aboutwhat the Celestials and the Fiends had to say.
If one of them annoyed it, the Sea Monster would fight tooth and nail against them, so most of the Deities just don't want to get themselves involved with Forneus, who would bite anyone who dared to touch it.
Even so, the Sailors as well as those who lived near the sea, worshiped Forneus alongside the Deity of the Sea, Rahab, because they were the two beings who shared dominion over the vast Seas and Oceans of the world.
"After getting rejected by Wormwood, Forneus decided to seek out another Fiend, whom it believed had the connections to help its followers. The one he sought was another member of the Seven Fiends, and it was none other than the Deity of Greed and Wealth, Mammon.
"As you may already know, all the Merchants, and businessmen of the world worship Mammon because although it was a Greedy Deity, it was also the Deity that introduced currency to the world, allowing all races to have a common ground when it came to trade and commerce.
"Surprisingly, Mammon agreed to help Forneus, on the condition that all the Gold in the Valbarra Archipelago would belong to him. The Sea Monster was a creature that had no need for Gold, so it readily agreed to Mammon's condition.
"After coming to an agreement, Mammon went to seek the help of one of the Seven Celestials, who was also known as the most intelligent among all the Deities.
"Its name is Braman, and with its help, they were able to devise a plan to convince Wormwood to produce a cure to help cure the plague of the Valbarra Archipelago. I will not go into details on what that plan was, but after getting the cure, the Islanders were all cured, and even developed a very strong resistance against plagues and diseases.
"Mammon then made a declaration that all the Gold in the Valbarra Archipelago belonged to it, and anyone who tried to steal its property would suffer a fate worse than death.
"Since then, no one in the Archipelago dared to mine any Gold, or use it as currency. The Merchants and Traders, who also visit these islands don't bring any gold with them, and only use Silver Coins to trade with the people living in these islands."
When Thirteen finished his explanation a clapping sound echoed inside the room.
"Well said, Zion," Norris said after he finished applauding the seven-year-old. "How did you know this story?"
"Do you remember the old man I mentioned a while ago?" Thirteen asked. "He is the one that told me this story."
"I see, I would like to meet this old man one day." Norris smirked.
"Same here." Adira smiled.
Thirteen faintly smiled because he could tell that the two adults were willing to overlook his bullsh*t.
Suddenly, Dorra's voice once again spread in the Auction House, which meant that the second round of bidding was about to commence.
"Sorry for the long wait!" Dorra shouted. "Now, instead of weapons, we will be auctioning Slaves and Monsters. So, those of you who are interested, make sure to open your purses wide because we have a good selection of slaves, waiting for all of you to bid for!
"Now, to spice things up, the first Monster that will be up for auction is the Chad Skunk! As you may already know, this Monster is not native to the Sumatran Kingdom, and is only found in the Main Continent!
"It is capable of unleashing a stinky spray that extends up to twenty meters! So, if you don't want to smell like a pigsty and rotten eggs combined, you should not be at the receiving end of this Monster's anger!"
The Barbarians all laughed after hearing Dorra's explanation. The majority of them didn't know if it was a good Monster to bid for or not. Only the intelligent ones understood its strategic value, and these people were raring to go once the bidding started.
Thirteen also focused his attention as he looked at two-meter-
tall Chad Skunk, who was bound by special chains, preventing it from escaping its Slave Trader that was tasked to present it to the people in the Auction House.
Norris and Adira both smiled because they knew that this was one of the two things that Thirteen wished to get in the Auction.
As to whether the seven-year-old would succeed to bid for it or not, the two adults were looking forward to seeing what would happen next.
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