SMASH or PASS

The venue was located on a street three blocks away from the upscale district along the wall.

There was no sign. Only a single brass plate was fitted next to the door.

[Elysion]

"It used to be an opera house," Karen said as she got off. "It closed down 20 years ago, and Linnet bought it."

"Linnet?"

"She’s the owner of this house. You’ll know when you meet her. She’s the kind of person you’ll never forget."

At the entrance, I was made to hand over my coat and weapons.

Two female attendants, both wearing matching black uniforms, presented me with a deposit tag on a silver tray. The deposit tag was made of ivory.

The mercenary looking woman in front of me had a look on her face like it was the end of the world when she handed over the sword from her waist. I understood how she felt. Letting go of your weapon in this city is more unsettling than taking off your clothes.

"What about Fenra?"

"You are permitted to bring her into the private room," the attendant said, glancing at Fenra and choosing her words for a moment. "Please put a muzzle on her..."

"That’s Vellmont’s seat."

With just one word from Karen, the word "muzzle" vanished into thin air.

I climbed the stairs. There was a red carpet. Framed catalogs lined on the walls, listing past auction items and their winning bids in gold lettering. The number of digits in the catalogs increases with each step I take.

"Impressed?" Karen asked with a smile.

"...Yes."

"Naturally. On the surface, it’s a consignment shop for works of art. But in reality... well, you’ll see when you go inside."

"...?"

◇◇◇

Inside... it was excessive.

There were three chandeliers, all lit by candles, with at least two hundred flames. The ceiling was covered in golden vine carvings, red drapes divided the space, and golden decorative cords wrapped around every column. Colorful bottles, cups, and candlesticks lined the table, and the air was saturated with perfume.

The first floor is open seating. Long tables are lined up, and merchants, mercenaries, and brokers sat shoulder to shoulder.

The second floor consists of private box seats. There are twelve seats on a semicircular balcony overlooking the stage.

The third floor has a balcony with curtains. I saw the shadow of a figure behind the curtains, but I couldn’t see their face.

"Ours is over there," Karen said, pointing to the left center of the second floor.

The booth seating was larger than I had imagined. It was carpeted and had two armchairs. A small table already had a snack cart set up with two bottles of wine, a cheese platter, and some fruits.

There was a dedicated female attendant. She greeted us and pulled out a chair for us.

Fenra lay down beside my knees.

Her ears slowly swept across the entire hall. Her nose twitched, registering everyone in the room by scent.

From what I can see, there are over 200 people here. Almost all of them are women. There are three men in the corner of the first floor, but they are all accompanied by bodyguards. I might be the only man sitting freely in this building.

◇◇◇

"Now then," Karen pointed to the first floor with the tip of her fan. "It’s time for our little lesson~ You like those kinds of things, don’t you?"

’...?’

"Lesson about what?"

"Who’s sitting where, and what that means. Your eyes have been reading that all this time."

...She saw right through me.

Oh well. If free informations are coming right to me, there’s no reason to refuse.

"That woman in the black dress, to the right in the foreground."

"Viscountess Harrow. She owns the city mining rights," Karen’s voice changed to that of a teacher... I don’t dislike it. "And next to her is Guildmistress Oswin, the head of the Copper Exchange."

She laughed. "Sitting openly next to someone like that is like putting up a sign saying ’I’m in loan negotiations.’"

"They don’t hide it?"

"If they keep it a secret and their deal didn’t work out, rumors will spread that the deal has been broken off, right? but If they show it from the beginning, they can just say, ’We’re still considering it.’ Releasing information upfront is like insurance in this town."

I didn’t quite get what she was talking about, but I felt that I understood a little.

Information disclosure acts as a form of insurance. It’s the same structure as the donations we talked about earlier.

...I guess.

"The men and women sitting together at the back of the first floor..."

"Count Westcroft and the first widow of Baron Fairmont. They pretend they’re not fucking, but the two of them should smell of each other. Right, little doggy?"

Fenra did not answer. But her nose twitched twice in that direction with a disgusted look on her face.

...Apparently she’s right.

"And then, on the other side of the second floor, the third box. The red haired woman in the wine colored dress."

"Marchioness Selvane. A collector of alchemical antiques. She’s the one who mostly ignites the bidding wars in those events~"

"And then there’s the person next to her who’s covering their mouth."

"Sister Ostrey. She’s a high-ranking priestess in the Covenant of Purity. She’s afraid of being seen as rich, so she bids through an agent. Everyone in the auction knows who the agent is, though."

The rich don’t want to look rich, but everyone can see through their efforts. Isn’t this auction structurally designed in a way that makes it impossible to conceal information?

"The balcony on the far right of the third floor. the women sitting there alone."

"The Silken Claw’s agent"

Karen’s voice became just a little bit more businesslike.

"It’s a logistics company. They transport anything. Livestock, antiques, people, and everything else. My father is also under contract with them."

Silken Claw?

I heard that name somewhere before...

"So, what about that balcony straight ahead...the one with the curtains still drawn?"

I pointed to the most prominent balcony. It was in the center of the third floor. The curtains were completely closed. While the other balconies had at least some gaps, this one wasn’t even slightly open

"That place..."

Karen folded her fan.

Her red eyes stopped laughing for just a moment.

"Not asking too much about others is the proper etiquette in this city. Privacy is important you know?"

Oh really?

There are seats that even Karen doesn’t touch, apparently.

I couldn’t help but get more curious about who might be behind those curtains.

◇◇◇

After a couple of minutes, the hall lights dimmed.

The murmuring subsided.

Several candles were extinguished simultaneously by the attendants. The fanning stopped. The sound of glasses being placed down ceased.

Fenra’s ears were locked onto a single point on the stage.

"It’s starting," Karen said, opening her fan again.

A smile played on the corners of her lips. "Look closely, Noel~"

A woman emerged from the wings of the stage.

She’s tall.

Taller than anyone else in this venue. Even from the second floor box, you feel like you’re looking up at her.

She wore a black hat with a wide brim that cast a shadow over one eye. Her other eye was amber and she wore a pearl choker around her neck with a cream-colored fancy dress.

There was a thin pipe between her fingers.

When she stood in the center, the hall fell silent.

"Welcome to Elysion, everyone."

Her voice was soft yet reached even the corners of the theater.

"Today, our rules are as follows: Sales are absolute. Gold coins must be weighed on a scale. And any lingering resentment must be left at the entrance along with your coat."

Multiple chuckles spread throughout the hall.

"Today’s offerings include three small surprises. And after that—" She took a puff from her pipe, slowly exhaling the purple smoke. "I will reveal today’s main attraction."

The system suddenly activated.

[SMASH / PASS]

[Target: Linnet]

[Tier: ???]

[Race: Human(?)]

[Rank: Unmeasurable]

[SP Cost: 2400]

...2400.

Helena was what? 20? This is a hundred times higher, the highest I’ve ever seen.

And the (?) in the race column...

What does that mean?

[A human. Probably?]

What do you mean "probably," system? You’ve never put a question mark next to anything before.

Yet no answer came from the system this time.

However, the "Unmeasurable" in the rank column is subtly the scariest part.

"Isn’t she amazing~?"

I looked at Karen next to me. She was watching Linnet. Her expression was that of an audience member. Neither fear nor awe. It was the face of someone enjoying the appearance of their favorite performer.

"...Ah. I’m not sure if ’amazing’ is the right word to describe it... how much do you know about her?"

"I’d rather not talk much about Linnet. No one who tried to learn more about her was satisfied."

"...I see."

For some reason, I couldn’t help feeling a chill while looking at her.