The Path of Ascension 3: A LitRPG Adventure

28

“Wouldn’t their Talents be set by their species? Like Aster?”

Liz rotated her hand back and forth and said, “Yes and no. They have human minds, so they have unique Talents, but they tend to be somewhat related to their racial Talents. Although, completely different Talents have been known to show up. It’s a practice that’s become somewhat taboo, but it still happens.”

After they recovered from their massages, the three of them wandered around and snacked on the various samples of food that the shops were offering. After an hour or two of eating, drinking, and lounging, they moved to their assigned auction box, and Matt realized why they had one already set aside for them.

As he leaned out of the box to inspect their surroundings, he saw that their box and all of the surrounding ones were covered in screens showing highlights of the golem war’s battles. He and Liz were featured on their box, with clips of them shredding golems cycling on the screens in a short, repeating scene.

Matt was profoundly embarrassed by the display but had to admit that the entire stretch of boxes decked out and displaying the kingdom’s top fighters from the golem fight gave off an imposing air.

He retreated into the box and activated the privacy barrier that the area was equipped with.

Emily gave them s**t for nearly five minutes, until Liz flicked water at her and started a mini-war, with the plate of hors d’oeuvres serving as ammunition.

Conor, Annie, and Aster came in shortly before the starting time. As they entered, Annie looked at Matt and grinned at him, which he reciprocated. He didn’t think Conor was a creep, and Annie seemed to like him, so he moved seats so they could sit next to each other.

As the time ticked down, a man with a magnificent beard came on to the stage.

His appearance was projected to a smaller pad in their room, but they had an unobstructed view from their box.

“Good afternoon, my young friends. I am Javier, Tier 29, representative of the Empire auction house, Deep Sky Auctions. We are the ones who provided the structure you are in now.”

There was a clatter of applause, which he smiled through. Once it died down, he said, “We could not do this alone. We are partnered with a number of local auction houses from the kingdom, and one from the queendom. Please, give them your thanks when you see the number of smaller auctions after the main event. They were gracious enough to provide those items and have each broken into their own vaults to bring out some truly scintillating prizes.”

The cheering was much louder after that proclamation.

“Ah, but let me also thank the king and queen for attending at my humble request.”

The view on their pad transferred to a shot of a man in expensive-looking fabric sitting with Prince Albert. The man looked like an older version of the prince, with the same eyes and hair color, and similar shapes to their faces.

The queen was a woman with silver and pink hair, surrounded by four other women sitting slightly behind her. Princess Sara was next to her, clearly indicating her status as the heir.

Javier continued, “Many wonder why the vassal countries are going to such lengths for this small Tier 6 planet. Perhaps this will serve as an answer.”

Two cases were brought to the stage, both covered in a blanket of each county’s colors.

“The Emperor, in his wisdom, had these items custom made for each respective ruler if their side earned enough points during the war. He wished these to serve as an incentive for preventing the war from stalling out or becoming stagnant.”

With a motion of Javier’s fingers, the first cover was knocked off.

“First up is the kingdoms item; a staff of Tier 37 make. It will multiply all manipulation skills’ effects in both a damage boost and an equal reduction of mana cost. It also acts as a storage device for materials of the wielders choosing.”

The staff was made from metal and what looked like liquid darkness in a swirling pattern that made Matt’s gaze slide off the weapon.

The announcer tapped his nose and added with a wink, “It does a few other things, but I won’t spoil them. Let’s just say, the good king should enjoy them.”

The king in question had leaned forward as if to get a better look at the staff and had a smile on his face that appeared chiseled on. He glanced at his son, who nodded at his father’s look. It was apparent that he wanted the item and was making sure that the prince knew it.

“The queendom’s item is no less impressive.”

A repeated flick of his fingers caused the other cover to go flying.

Under the cloth was a gauntlet made from what looked like forged and solidified light.

“We have here a Tier 37 sun gauntlet. It was forged from the remnants of a dying sun. This little gauntlet will condense and store light for future use. Along with the amplification of all light-based skills and spells channeled through it. As with the king’s weapon, it has a few more functions, but we’ll let the queen figure them out.”

Princess Sara’s mother licked her lips and flexed her right hand as if she was already wearing the gauntlet. The naked desire on her face was a clear indication that she was just as interested as the king had been.

Both items vanished with a wave of Javier’s hand.

“Finally, the reward for winning the war.”

The clamor of the previous items vanished, as a heavy weight seemed to press on everyone at the auction. Both vassals’ rulers were intently watching the auctioneer, who seemed unbothered by the Tier 35’s scrutiny.

With a wry smile, the man said, “As you can see, they haven’t seen the rewards yet either.”

When no one laughed, he continued on. “Unlike the other two weapons, this reward is slightly different. It has not been made yet. No, no. The reward for this war’s winner is an item crafted to the exact specifications of the victorious ruler, fully financed by the empire and expertly fabricated by none other than Madam Renaissance herself!”

Matt didn’t know what that meant, but by the changes in the king’s and the queen’s faces, it seemed important.

Javier laughed at their expressions. “For my friends under Tier 25 or so, Madam Renaissance is the Empire’s best crafter. Her detractors say she is only the best-known crafter, but do not let those criticisms distract you. Hidden masters aren’t making items for anyone. Madam Renaissance is a Tier 46 crafter, proficient in everything from smithing, to tailoring, and enchanting. She can do it all. Her items have massive markups, and the wait time to even get on her list is counted in thousands of years.”

Matt whistled. That sounded impressive.

“To prove her skill, allow me to say just this. She has Tiered-up through crafting seven times. Yes, I said seven. Seven times she has Tiered-up through inspiration. That includes her last two Tiers. All achieved through her crafting. She is a woman of prodigious ability!”

On the pad, both rulers looked to their heirs with naked command. They both needed to win the war, and Matt could see that neither would accept a loss, especially with the rewards now revealed.

Matt turned to Liz and asked, “Is all of this as impressive as I think it is?”

Everyone turned to Liz, and she laughed. “More, probably. Madam Renaissance is more of a crafting legend than anything else in the capital. I’ve heard rumors of her crashing classes and giving impromptu lectures. Rumor has it when she did it last, half the class had inspirations during it. The other half had one within a year. When Javier said that the wait to get on the waiting list is measured in thousands of years, he wasn’t joking. I heard they actually need to stand around and wait in a line. They do it happily! Even though the cost is said to be an arm and a leg, sometimes literally.”

Matt tried to picture that. If the woman was that good of an all-around crafter, it didn’t surprise him that her time was so valued. He tried to think what it would be like to wait in line for thousands of years, but he just couldn’t wrap his mind around it.

After a long pause, Javier smiled at both rulers and said, “With appetites and desires aflame, let the auction begin!”

A woman brought out a flower of purple and yellows, and Javier kicked off the auction. “Our first item! The Tier 8 Flower of Miraculous Life. Anyone who eats this little beauty will gain wood-aspected mana. If you can find a skilled alchemist, it serves as a key ingredient for a potion to obtain the much rarer life aspected mana. The aspect is desired by healer and growth specialists everywhere. We’ll start the bidding at 200 war contribution points.”