When Did I Become An Artifact Dealer?!
Chapter 122 - 123: Provocation

Chapter 122: Chapter 123: Provocation

"But gradually, the powerhouses got used to it. Some of them would even prepare outfits to outshine their rivals. Overall, it was good." Hal was also a bit helpless. Saying that seemed to make the mystery vanish. It smelled of capitalism.

Gradually, others also arrived. Hal spoke to the point that his mouth went dry. If this were strangers, then he probably wouldn’t have done this. Despite being calculative, he did have a soft spot for his teammates.

Finally, a powerhouse who doesn’t need an introduction arrived. It was the Chairman. Beside her is a girl wearing a veil. Like snow, the two of them were wearing white that looked almost indistinguishable from their skin.

"Oh, Sellene is here." Clea spotted her and recognized the veiled girl immediately.

Her face isn’t visible but based on her steps, she seemed to be still weak. The Chairman was supporting her as they walked through their seats.

Others were looking at them, so did Cail. It wasn’t because of something else but the red string on her wrist.

She seemed to have an attachment to it. Bored Cail had an idea, but not for now.

Finally, after everything settled down, there was a huge bang inside the pavilion. If this was a normal place then they would have thought that a bomb exploded, but no... well, it wasn’t really any different because the organizers set off fireworks inside the pavilion.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

It didn’t harm anyone, but the smell of sulfur told Cail that it was ordinary fireworks. Of course, it didn’t show its full potential; the moment it hit the ceiling, everything was a mess.

There weren’t any reactions from others. It seemed that they were used to the pavilion’s shenanigans.

Then, a man wearing a clown get-up appeared on the stage. "WELCOME MY DEAR FRIEND! Are your stashed items ready? Because if that’s the case, then let’s start! But for those newbies, remember, you need to pay first before retrieving the item. If not..."

He pointed at the ceiling. "Like that fireworks, your head will go kaboom!"

The whole speech was barbaric and lacked the typical shrewdness of the auctioneer. No one commented; they called the shots. The powerful ruled.

"If that’s the case, let the bidding begin!" The clown slammed the hammer.

"First! We have here a rare void creature. They live in the deep sea rift 288. Do you know their characteristics?" The auctioneer had a wide grin on his face. His eyes darted to the room where the Chairman and Sellene are.

"White. White hair that resembled their snow-like skin. Pale skin, and pearly eyes... Guess here, does it ring a bell?" The clown was clearly attempting to make a discord. "Open mics now! If you guess it correctly, then I’ll give you a lucky point."

There is no such thing as lucky points. It was just something the clown made up. They knew it, but there are people who hate the Chairman.

In room 109, a voice was heard using the mic, "It looks like that abominable white man from Lepa country? What else could it be but the pearl fairies — a calamity bringer."

The clown clapped, "CORRECT! HERE! GOOD LUCK POINT FOR YOU." He gave room 109 a flying kiss.

Inside room 104, Sellene clutched her father’s hand. "Dad, is that okay?" She felt anger. This was also her first time at the auction, but she never expected to be shamed like this.

No one really dared mess with the most powerful void-user in the country’s daughter. Sellene had never been treated like this.

Her father looked unconcerned. "Why are you getting worked up? This is not even the harshest treatment hybrids have ever faced." His eyes glancing at room 109.

Sellene wasn’t convinced. "Dad! Let’s buy the pearl fairy."

Soon, the pearl fairy really did arrive.

This time, everyone gasped — not because of amazement, but because of surprise. The pavilion really dared?

Why did they react like that? It’s because the pearl fairy that was brought to the stage was dead. Its skin was peeled, and its muscle was sliced, revealing the internal organs. It looked like a frog dissection, but this time, it’s a humanoid creature.

The pearl fairy was dead. It didn’t die peacefully. Its eyes were wide open, bulging in pain. Its mouth was agape as if letting out a scream. It died from agony.

"How dare they!" Bram saw it and slammed his fist on the table. The Chairman is the ’signboard’ of their country — the representative. This is obviously a provocation. What happened to the normally fair pavilion?!

"This..." Hal also recoiled in shock. The pavilion was rude, but they had never crossed this line before!

Idris had other concerns. "Should we leave? It doesn’t seem to be safe here anymore." They dared mock their strongest; they must be prepared to wage war.

"We can’t leave. Not until the auction ends." Hal’s face looked ugly. It’s not that he is careless, but this Golden Pot operation had been going for almost a thousand years now. Why did it suddenly go crazy this time?

While they were excited, Cail was loving it! This is too good! Worth it! When he heard that Hal said no one could leave until the event is over, he had an idea.

He got a contract with the plunderer... Maybe he could put it to good use.

The clown didn’t care about their reaction. He was happy that the shock factor was a success. He asked, "The bidding starts! The base price is 1 Nu." The cheap pricing added to the slap in the face.

This time, the Chairman couldn’t sit still. If the mocking before was mild, bringing the distorted corpse here was obviously a provocation. It was dripping with malice.

Sellene also panicked a bit. If they dared to clash with them like this, it meant they were prepared. She turned to her father and asked, "What’s going on?"

The Chairman also had no idea. He didn’t seem to provoke the pavilion, right? They were very normal before — why did they suddenly go crazy?

There were no conflicts between them. Waging war for nothing is suspicious... unless there is something more to this.