Iya Continent: Card God

The closer the street was to the auction house, the more crowded it became, with people coming and going.

Buyers and spectators of all kinds, dressed in various styles and of all races, gathered here. Those with a keen business sense set up stalls on the roadside before the auction even began, starting their sales. Such haphazard stall-setting was normally forbidden. Duke Brandon disliked nothing more than chaos in his city. These unidentified stallholders were the source of the disorder.

However, not today. His Highness the Duke did not want to send knights to publicly expel them on such a day. It would cause many travelers to misunderstand him. After all, the reputation of the Vasquez family was still very important in the Kingdom of Mordley.

"Let's take a look!"

"This is love potion, a real gem. Those who know, know."

“Hey dwarf, look at this! Eating it will make you grow taller… Hey! Don’t touch it…”

Walking alongside the goblin stone in the forest tower, he stared intently, looking back and forth repeatedly.

The streets were bustling with an unprecedented level of activity, far more so than usual. Moreover, there were many things I had never seen or heard of before.

The goblin Bruce Stone didn't even glance at it, instead giving it a disdainful look and saying, "Just listen to it, don't believe it. It's either fake or junk. If it were really good, it would have been sent to an auction house long ago."

Linta knew perfectly well that if there were truly valuable items, they wouldn't be here. The auction house was bustling with buyers today. Items that normally fetched 1 silver coin could be bidding up to 20 silver coins, more than 20 times the original price.

Thinking about this gave Linta a headache.

His entire fortune amounted to about 170 silver coins, which is equivalent to 70 silver coins for every 1 gold coin. For a silver-level adventurer like himself, without any power or family, this was considered quite wealthy.

However, those who came to bid were the wealthiest of the wealthy. They were either counts and marquises from various families, or thriving merchants. There were also professionals with various skills and considerable wealth. Compared to them, he paled in comparison. More importantly, what if they wanted the same thing as him? How could he compete?

"Boss Stone, you must be very rich, right?" Lin Ta asked with a grin.

Goblin Stone pushed up his round-framed glasses and said softly with a hint of melancholy, "I don't have any money. I only run small businesses."

Linta chuckled and said, "I'll only borrow a little, not too much. The silver-grade magic skill book I'm bidding on is about the same price as a fine-grade item, so it won't cost much. Besides, I don't necessarily need to lend it."

Goblin Stone shook his head slightly, sighed, and said, "100 silver coins, that's the most I can lend you."

Linta smiled broadly, "That's enough, that's definitely enough. I absolutely won't be interested in anything else."

My purpose in attending this auction is very clear. And yesterday, I received the list of items for today's auction from Miss Daisy Greene. What I need is already on the list.

He didn't even glance at those high-quality magical weapons, gold-grade magic potions, or magic skill books.

Auction house.

Linta and the goblin Stone arrived at the auction house and, seeing the surging crowd, had no choice but to squeeze in.

The short, green-skinned goblin felt utterly helpless in the face of a group of tall figures. Whether he moved or not was not up to him, but rather decided by the beings in front of and behind him. He was simply being pushed around.

"Drink...it's so crowded I'm dying..."

The goblin stone, finally squeezed in, grumbled.

Linta, who followed them in, frowned and bit his lip slightly.

"What happened? Was your money stolen?" the goblin asked, puzzled.

Linta shook her head and said, "No, I suddenly remembered that Miss Daisy told me I could use the VIP passage through the back door..."

The goblin stone's face darkened, and he jumped up and down, yelling at Linta.

As the largest and best auction house in Sandell County, it's impossible for everyone to use the main entrance. Especially those prestigious families with close ties to the Greene family.

For example, the Vázquez family.

"Long time no see, Uncle Brandon." Daisy, the girl in the red dress, greeted the middle-aged man in front of her with a bow.

These distinguished-looking individuals before me are all powerful members of the Vázquez family.

Especially the smiling man at the head of the household, Brandon Vázquez, the ruler of Sandell County and the Duke of the Kingdom. He inherited his father Harvey Vázquez's title and became the current head of the family.

“Daisy, it’s been a long time since you’ve visited our home,” Brandon Vázquez said with a cheerful smile.

Daisy smiled and said, "The auction house is very busy, and I really can't spare the time. I will definitely pay you a visit after this big auction is over."

Brandon chuckled, "Soon, Tim will be on break from academy. I'll have him learn a lot from you. Haha..."

The other elders of the Vázquez family also chimed in, saying the same thing about Tim.

Daisy nodded and smiled.

She understood perfectly what these people meant; they were intentionally trying to bring her and Tim together, to forge a connection between the Vázquez and Greene families. However, she only considered them as a younger brother and friend.

Furthermore, after this large-scale auction concludes and Tim returns, after we've had a brief meeting, I'll complete my training in Sandel County and return to my family in the capital. There won't be many more opportunities to meet him in the future.

“Uncle Brandon, are we missing one?” Daisy suddenly noticed the Vazquez family member who had come over.

The man named "Ted Vasquez" was not among them.

A family member said, "Ted, we called him. We told him he can relax today and not be so tense every day."

“He will come if he wants to, Miss Daisy, you don’t need to worry about him.”

Brandon added, "Let's take our seats."

Daisy nodded slightly, her eyes sparkling.

I've met Ted Vázquez a few times. From his demeanor, I can tell he's a capable man, unlike the rest of the family. Unfortunately, though, he doesn't hold a very high position in the family because he doesn't belong to either of the Vázquez's lineages, the two pillars of the family, Harvey and Edward.

Daisy Greene stopped thinking about it and quickly came to her senses to receive the Duke of Vázquez, the Greene family's most important friend in Sandel City.

At the auction, the best and most luxurious seats were specially arranged for their family.

Linta and the goblin Stone arrived relatively early, but most of the good seats were already taken, so the two of them had to squeeze into the back.

While waiting, the exciting roar at the scene went from light rain to a storm.

It was impossible for Linta not to notice; everyone was exclaiming in surprise at the appearance of the Duke's family.

"It's His Highness the Duke!"

"That's Brandon Vazquez?!"

"With such an air of authority, it's no wonder he's the head of a prefecture."

Linta focused his gaze on the group of elegant and wealthy nobles.

"That guy is... Tim's father..."

The goblin stone muttered, "Brandon Vasquez, and the family's henchmen. These guys always do the same thing."

Linta sized up Duke Brandon, frowning slightly.

I had a feeling that the Duke, the head of this prefecture, was... not so great...