Chương 90: Chapter 88 – Back Together?

"… Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you - an extremely rare find. A Dungeon-born monster, unlike anything we've seen in recent years!" The auctioneer dramatically pulled the velvet cloth off the cage, revealing Gleam. The audience gasped collectively as the small, white ant, about the size of a small dog, sat in the middle of the cage. Her ivory exoskeleton gleamed under the lights, giving off a faint, otherworldly glow. Rusty's heart - or what passed for it in his armor - tightened.

Gleam was shackled, her legs bound with strange metallic bands that prevented her from moving too much. She twitched but remained still, seemingly exhausted. Rusty could only imagine the horrors she had been through.

"This here, ladies and gentlemen, is not just a regular ant but a 'Gleaming Mana Ant' a very rare find indeed! According to our research, it has demonstrated intelligence far beyond that of its kind and can even use magic on its own - magic attuned to light, something almost no other monster is capable of!" The crowd murmured in amazement as Gleam's cage was displayed prominently on stage. Her shimmering white exoskeleton, illuminated under the lights, made her stand out from anything else auctioned that evening.

Rusty clenched his fists, the metal of his gauntlets groaning softly as he fought to keep his emotions in check. His friend, the one who had saved him, was now a spectacle for these people. He had learned to distinguish some of these people's expressions, and he didn't like any of them. His rage began to grow, to the point where his armrest started to splinter under his tightening grip.

'Rusty, calm yourself! If you damage something here, you might be thrown out before you can even make a single bid!' Alexander shouted, trying to calm him down.

'Judging by the number of guards around us, it would be best if you didn't do anything rash, Rusty. Calm your nerves before it's too late.' Aburdon agreed with Alexander for once. Although he had joked about killing everyone here when the time came, he didn't believe they would leave in one piece. There were far too many guards - many at least on Rusty's level, and some even stronger. As just an E-rank monster, even with his darkness element, Aburdon knew he wouldn't stand a chance here.

"We will begin the bidding for this rare 'Gleaming Mana Ant' with five gold coins!" The auctioneer announced, waving his hands dramatically, some of the people were intrigued but luckily most of the big spenders were already gone. He had prepared for this, gathered every coin he could, but even at the starting price, his gold could dwindle faster than expected. He knew Gleam was valuable, but seeing her displayed like this, exploited for her rarity, filled him with fury.

Before he could even lift his paddle, others already started bidding.

"Six gold coins!" A voice from one of the nearby seats called out. Rusty recognized the person from somewhere, but he couldn't place them as most humans looked too similar to him.

"Hey, isn't that one of the people from back then?" Alexander asked, and Aburdon quickly confirmed.

"His name was Eugene, as I recall. And my memory is never wrong."

"You've got a good memory..." Rusty muttered, unsure of what they were talking about as he didn't remember anyone by that name.

"Was he someone important?"

"Well, he was involved in taking Gleam out of the dungeon that one time. You were a bit preoccupied with your fury, so you probably didn't notice." Rusty tried to recall the incident, but the memories were hazy. His mind had been clouded by rage during Gleam's capture. He'd been focused on getting her back, chasing after a group of humans until he hit the dungeon's boundary. It seemed that Eugene had been one of the two non-adventurers there at the time. Now, for some reason, he was bidding on Gleam.

"Seven gold coins!" Rusty finally raised his paddle, marked with the number "45."

"Eight gold coins!" The voice rang out almost immediately after Rusty raised his paddle. His chest tightened as he scanned the room, looking for the source. It wasn't Eugene. A man in a deep blue cloak stood up from one of the private booths reserved for wealthier patrons, his face hidden beneath a shadowed hood. Beside him stood two hulking figures - clearly bodyguards, their armor gleaming menacingly under the auction house lights. Rusty hadn't noticed them before, but now they were hard to miss.

"Ten gold coins," Eugene called out, sounding confident as he matched the mysterious bidder without hesitation. The room buzzed with murmurs as the bidding escalated, and Rusty felt that this wouldn't be that easy. He had hoped to not involve many people in this bid but for some reason, there were more people interested in Gleam that he had thought before.

"Thirteen gold coins." The man in blue said in a calm yet somewhat threatening tone. Rusty's hand tightened around his paddle. He had enough to go higher, but his resources were finite. For some reason, these people sounded quite confident but perhaps he was mistaken.

"F-fifteen!" Eugene's voice was no longer calm as he raised the bid by another two gold coins. It was clear he had exceeded his self-imposed limit and was likely dipping into his reserves. The other person in the booth, though potentially wealthy, didn't have limitless funds - a fact Aburdon had taken note of.

'Those people have bid on several other items and won a few. That last one must have really strained their coffers, they shouldn't have much left.' Rusty could only hope his nosy guide was right. For now, he waited, watching as the two bidders continued their battle.

"Sixteen!" One of them called.

"Sixteen and a half..."

"Eighteen!" As the bid reached eighteen gold coins, the auction hall began to fall silent. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

"I hear Eighteen, will I hear Nineteen from the nervous gentleman there? If not, I'm afraid this incredible creature will be sold to the discerning bidder in the blue cloak!" Rusty felt that this was the moment to go in, he still had a chance. Eighteen gold was already more than he had wanted to spend, but this was his only chance to get Gleam back. With a deep breath, he raised his paddle once more.

"Twenty gold coins!" A murmur rippled through the crowd as all eyes turned to him. The auctioneer grinned, clearly pleased with the sudden escalation. For a moment, the room fell silent. Even Eugene glanced over, clearly surprised at the boldness of the bid. Rusty could feel their gazes on him but his disguise was sound and as long as the money was there, he would be safe. The man in the blue cloak shifted slightly, his posture tense somewhat tense. One of his bodyguards leaned in, whispering something in his ear.

It seemed that there was something to Aburdon's words. They were cleary starting to count their coins, perhaps already over the limit.

"Twenty gold coins, going once… going twice…" The auctioneer's voice echoed again as he stretched out his words. He was there to sell the items for as much as he could. Doing this was done by giving them some time to decide, while also keeping it short to push them over the line and in this case, it seemed to show some results.

"Twenty-one!" The man called out while sounding a lot more annoyed than when he was bidding together with Eugene. Rusty took it as a sign that they also didn't have much money left and continued with confidence. He knew of bluffing during bartering at this point and his voice was produced by a deadman's corpse, it would never be any nervouisness in his voice as it was produced by his possession skill.

"Twenty-two gold coins." The man in blue paused again and the auctioneer tried to yank a bit more out of his two targets.

"Twenty-two and five silver…"

"Twenty-Three." Their back and forth continued with longer pauses as his opponent tried scrunching for more money. Eventually, he declared his final price of twenty five and finally, the battle had been won.

"Going once!"

"Going twice!"

"Sold! To the gentleman with paddle number forty-five!" The auctioneer's final call rang through the hall, and with that, the mallet came down. Rusty's grip on the paddle loosened as he had almost crushed it. It was over. Gleam was his again. The crowd clapped politely, some casting curious glances in his direction, but he paid them no mind. All that mattered was that he had won.

"Congratulations, if you wish to take your prize, please follow our staff to finalize your purchase or remain here as there are still other items to bid for!" The auctioneer said with a courteous nod while his people placed the cloth back over Gleam's cage and rolled her out of the auction. He knew the procedures and there was nothing more that he was trying to bid for. All of his money would be gone after he paid for Gleam and robbing others would probably not be possible for a while but he didn't care.

All he wanted was to get his friend back, their adventurers were only starting as the world was their oyster.

"Now then, for our next item…" Rusty instantly stood up and followed the auction staff through the hall's back entrance. He had spent nearly every coin he owned, but he was about to get Gleam back, and that was all that mattered. The grandiose atmosphere of the auction house faded as he passed through dimly lit corridors, descending into the building's storage area where the goods were collected after the sale. All the glitz and glamor vanished, replaced by a gritty, more practical environment.

The storage area was lined with shelves filled with items, guarded by auction house staff standing watch over the various treasures. Rusty's focus, however, remained solely on Gleam who had been carted out a few moments before he was allowed to leave the auction.

"This is where you'll finalize the payment, sir." The attendant who he was following gestured him to a desk. Behind it, another old man sat with piles of papers and a large ledger. Behind him stood two armored men, both with hands on their weapons and ready to attack.

"Please give me your number sir."

"Here." Rusty knew the procedures thanks to Alexander. He gave the man the paddle that he bid with and this prompted the man to look through his paperwork.

"Ah yes, Lesser Silvery Magical Gleaming Ant, good choice sir, that will be, twenty-five gold coins." The auctioneer didn't pronounce Gleam's full evolution form, but this man clearly knew it. It was really happening. He had spent nearly a month down in the dungeon to free himself from the Dungeon Heart, and another three weeks to finally gather enough money to save his friend. If he had stopped at the twenty gold coins Alexander had proposed, this wouldn't have been possible.

Nor would it have worked if he hadn't continued with the robberies or joined the thieves' guild.

"Do you have the money? If not…" The man asked, and as he spoke, the two guards stepped forward. Rusty knew that anyone who couldn't present the gold immediately would be captured. It was forbidden to bid without having enough money. The payment had to be made on the same day as the auction, and no one was allowed to leave the premises until the debt was settled. These rules were in place because of previous robberies and people changing their minds after spending too much money.

Rusty reached into the pouch strapped to his belt and slowly pulled out a heavy sack of coins, the metallic clink echoed through the room as he placed it on the desk. The attendant just nodded and took the sack into his hand. He undid the bit of twine that tied it together and poured out the contents on his desk. A cascade of coins spilled across the desk, gleaming under the dim light. Not all of them were gold as some were silver but he knew that there was exactly the sum they required of him.

"Hm… 25 golden coins, It seems everything is in order. Congratulations on your purchase." The man didn't need to count as he had a skill that did it for him. With one glance he could tell that the total amount of the contents added up to exactly twenty five golden coins. He then gestured toward one of the armored guards, who left the room to retrieve Gleam. Rusty felt a flood of relief. Soon, he would have her back. Moments later, Gleam's cage was wheeled into the room.

Her pale, silvery-white form shifted weakly in the confines, her antennae twitching as if sensing Rusty's presence. Despite the shackles, her glow seemed to brighten slightly at the sight of him. Their connection had been cut but he knew that their bond would be reignited if he touched her.

"Now then, you're free to go once you sign the ledger, we will provide you with a scroll to end this monster's previous bonding contract, free of charge. With this key you will be also able to open the cage whenever you wish, the enchantments are temporary but they can restrain the monster for a few more days." Rusty used Albert's memories to replicate his old handwriting and sign off in his name. He didn't need the scroll, but he could always sell it later.

Now, with his old friend standing before him, strange emotions welled up from his metal chest, barely contained. Without the contract being triggered, he couldn't understand what his friend was saying. But at last, the moment had come for it to be renewed. The bonding contract with 'Gleam' is being reestablished please wait… The moment Rusty heard the system message and saw the window appear before him, he could barely contain his excitement. It only took a moment, but soon his status was updated.

The previously grayed-out letters representing his bond with Gleam shone brightly once again. Congratulations the bonding contract with 'Gleam' has been reestablished.

"..."

"......"

"(ó﹏ò)" It took a moment, but after touching one of Gleam's antennae, he finally rekindled their connection. His small, silvery friend was in distress, but she was okay. Her body was bound to the box, and she had been restrained, which only made things worse. However, it was all manageable now - his friend was there, and all he needed to do was get them both out of there. As Rusty gently caressed Gleam's antennae, she seemed to relax.

He could feel her confusion, fear, and exhaustion, but underneath it all was a spark of relief. She knew she was safe now. Rusty picked up her cage with both his hands and started walking, the exit to the auction house being quite near. He was let outside by a few guards and the door was closed behind him as he found himself in an alleyway behind the auction house but something fell off.

"We need to leave, now!" Alexander's voice resounded in his helmet as he shouted. Something was indeed wrong and it seemed that someone had been waiting for him.