8 Trials Deep

CHAPTER 4: MONEY MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Time ticked too slowly, like the seconds were made up of years. RF-13’s hands began to sweat.

It was only when he heard a voice from the rows behind him did he look interested.

A glance confirmed that M-6 was the bidder. Of course, the auction house only accepted alliance currencies.

“So that was what he wanted,” RF-13 murmured.

“It could come in handy in many of his rather colorful transactions,” remarked Leta.

However, M-6’s intents were quickly foiled.

“8,000,000,” an elderly man voiced gruffly. He was one of the few who had no information augmenting his figure.

“Simon of the Symian Industries,” Leta helpfully whispered. RF-13 understood, he owned one of the leading network security industries. He probably wanted to crack the Coder to understand how the Horseman worked.

“10,000,000,” a woman on the front seat out-bided.

“10,500,000,” Simon hit back.

The woman, who was apparently one of the Pontus dignitaries turned towards Simon and said, “Simon dear, you don’t really want to play with us, do you?”

Simon turned white but said nothing, reduced to clenching his teeth. Although he and his corporation established their influence in the Visus metropolitan, Visus wouldn’t back him on this. They also wanted the Coder for themselves. It was a veiled threat from one of the four giants, he couldn’t retaliate even as he desperately wanted to.

The woman smiled when she saw that Simon sat fuming but silent on his seat.

She seemed to be saying, 'Good doggy'.

She turned to the man on the stage, “12,000,000.”

The auctioneer smiled amiably, inside he was boiling with excitement. If they could not keep the Coder for themselves they might just as well juice it all they could. Just a while ago, as soon as he finished speaking, the bids had flooded and continuously risen that he had no opening to insert his bid calls at all. This was one of his best auctions. The current bids far exceeded their projected amount.

He called, “12,000,000 by the lady-“ his call was prematurely interrupted.

“15,000,000,” M-6 pitched from the back.

The auctioneer’s hands slightly trembled as he gripped the gavel. One could hear a pin drop in the auction room.

It was the woman’s turn to grit her teeth now, M-6, though not as notorious as the Horseman was known for being as slippery as a street rat. They could catch him every now and then but he would still find a way to slip out of their hands.

“15,500,000,” the woman said through clenched teeth. That was the highest she could go, the Pontus would not allow her to bid any higher. Though ranked as second only to the Visus metropolitan, Pontus government was known for being close-fisted. If one of honeyed-tongue described them, they would be referred as pragmatic. They simply did not tolerate spending so much for contraband from an infamous fugitive.

Seeing the woman at her limit, M-6 fanned the flames by throwing her a sneer before raising the bid higher, “16,000,000.”

The Pontus dignitaries who came just marked M-6 on top of their priority wanted list. M-6 ignored the dagger eyes they were directing at him, he wanted that coder.

By now the auctioneer was already eager to slam the gavel. He called the last bid about to finalize the transaction when a woman, who was two seats left of the Pontus woman, spoke, “20,000,000.”

Unlike the Pontus dignitary, she was well past her prime. Still, she carried a dignified figure: no hair out of place, nails polished in classy white colors, clothes conservative but stunning and red lipstick applied flawlessly.

When she spoke, everybody, including M-6 bitterly resigned themselves to the loss of the Magus Coder from their grasps. She was the Visus Metropolitan dignitary. No one dared oppose her, or so they thought.

RF-13 had been tapping at his MA for a while now, looking disinterested on the cold war in front of him.

An attendant, who had been standing at the sides and monitoring the auction tracker screen, stepped towards the stage on the stage. Everyone eyed him. This was unusual.

The attendant leaned towards the auctioneer and whispered a few words the people on their seats could not hear. But they could clearly see the auctioneer’s eyes subtly widening before he pasted on a professional smile.

“A bidder called with an offer neither the Bonds nor the Horseman can refuse,” the auctioneer announced in a tone that indicated the winning bid had been made.

The incredulous onlookers all turned their gaze towards the Visus dignitary. But the woman kept her silence. She was already contemplating the identity and manner of offer the call bidder floated. To be able to securely tempt the Bonds and the Horseman with just one call, the identity of the person probably wasn’t so simple.

The following auctions were also remarkable but not as dramatic as the opening act. RF-13 was growing impatient every passing minute. Finally when the auction had lasted pass half an hour, the auctioneer motioned to some attendants standing below the platform.

They turned and came back with as a girl following them.

RF-13 drew a sharp breath when he saw his sister being led on the stage. As soon as the face recognition locked on her face, a few short lines appeared on top of her head:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Auction ID number: X-534587

Gender: Female

Class Origin: Commons

Age: 20 yrs old

Initial Appraisal: 500,000

Place of Origin: Regiis Kingdom

Additional Commodity Details: In prime health

5’4’’, 50 kgs

Literate and fine-tempered

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RF-13 harshly took the auction glasses off his face and threw it on the floor. Except his companion, no one noticed his actions.

The auctioneer said a few words, all of which RF-13 did not hear. He was scanning the girl on the stage, myriad of thoughts racing on his mind.

“Is she scared?”

“Is she hurt anywhere?”

RF-13 wanted to go up the stage and tear-off the restraints on his sister’s hands and neck. But he had to calm himself. If he followed his impulse he would be thrown out the auction immediately.

“She seems to be alright,” Leta whispered to him, trying to distract him from doing anything rash.

Hearing this RF-13’s eyes focused. Yes, she seemed to be fine. Except for the lost look on her eyes and the shackles and restraints, there were no bruises or cuts on her.

Legally, his step-father held her custody. The law did not consider his long years of absence and his shirking of responsibilities. In their eyes, she was underage and he was her father. The documents he transferred to M-6 were the same as saying she was nothing but a property being transferred from one owner to another.

RF-13 needed to make sure he obtained the documents as well.

“1,000,000,” came a prompt bid.

“1,500,000,” another bidder seating a row behind him followed.

“2,000,000,” that was RF-13’s first bid.

Someone raised it to 3,000,000.

RF-13 looked at the child on the stage. Though she may not understand the whole weight of the situation, it was clear she understood she was being sold off. His sister was intelligent.

“3,500,000,” RF-13 countered.

Some bidders turned to look at him. It was not surprising to see an overweight middle-aged man have this kind of interest, but they derisively thought he didn’t have to be so blatant.

RF-13 felt like his stomach would turn at the thought of these people’s assumptions. He had seen and encountered quite a few things but nothing could come close to their normalization of servitude and trades of the flesh.

“4,000,000,” a man, who looked like he was in the same age as him threw the bid. He looked like a pampered prince.

RF-13 closed his eyes and concentrated on taking deep consecutive breaths. That was the highest he could bid. Unlike the people in the auction room, he was accustomed to butterflies making a home on his wallet. He saved and scrimped everything he could but that was as much as he could save, locked as he was in the academy.

“Do you want me to bid for you?” Leta asked.

“How clean are your funds?” RF-13 wanted to make sure.

“As clean as a few codes and creeping bots into the biggest alliance bank.”

“That won’t do. I need to obtain her documents the legal way so there can be no next time for a situation like this occurring in the future.”

Somebody raised the bar again and threw in a 4,500,000 bid.

However, the pampered prince still got the winning bid on 5,000,000.

Just as the auctioneer motioned to gladly finalize the bid, all the bidders received transmissions on their auction glasses. RF-13 had prepared the transmission before he immersed himself into the virtual community.

He had asked Leta to transmit it into the bidders’ smart glasses. She did not actually need to hack into the Bond’s connections. She just programmed RF-13’s transmission into a format that all the eye wears could recognize and receive. When the devices did receive it, it was promptly displayed for their wearer to see.

The pampered prince blushed then indignantly stood up and walked out of the auction room when he finally understood the transmission. Three men followed the figure silently, probably his bodyguards.

The transmission clearly presented in evidence that the commodity in auction was still underage. Of course most of the bidders already knew this. But like the one who walked out, having everybody know that you are aware you are purchasing bondservant contraband and still do it in front of the sneering eyes of everybody, not one of these dignified personalities would do that. It was fine to do it in the dark, not in the open.

One by one the bidders stood up and left the auction room, some doing it silently while some did it dramatically –strutting out of the room like peacocks with feathers in full array.

The auctioneer and the attendants were not wearing the auction glasses and thus were left gawking at the mass walkout. Seeing that his attempts to acquire the Magus Coder and make money out of his merchandise were all foiled, M-6 marched into the stage and dragged the clueless girl with him.

RF-13 silently watched the two disappear then he stood up and proceeded to the room behind the curtain. He had something to retrieve.

Outside the Knight’s tavern M-6 lugged the girl towards a waiting private spherocopter. The passenger on the vehicle caught the girl as M-6 pushed her into the airlift without preempt.

After ordering the girl to sit on a corner of the airlift, B-5687 contemplated whether to ask his master what drove him into a foul mood. However, he opted against it and chose to remain silent.

After a few minutes of the airlift on standby in front of the Knight’s Tavern, M-6 finally spoke.

“Connect me to M-89.”

B-5687 quickly tapped on the vehicle’s glass window and navigated it to seek a connection within the Bond network. As if expecting the communication call, the request instantly connected. The bonded assistant tweaked some controls on the vehicle and activated the projectors. The vehicle’s see through glass windows tinted to black.

An elegant figure sat back opposite M-6, it was the projection of M-89.

M-89 was one of the pillars of the Bond system. He had become one of the richest individual in the Regiis Kingdom through investing in the Bonds. With the right price or offer, he became M-6’s connection and insider.

“Tell me who spilled the commodity’s information,” M-6 demanded.

The projection’s eyebrow arched, “Are you sure you should be taking that tone with me?”

M-6 paused for a moment, as if having come back to reality. He was not talking to B-5687 or to an equal. Though they were both merchants, M-89 was still above him in the merchant hierarchy.

He had no choice but to lower his head and voice, “You’ll get an additional 10% share from the usual on the next commodity that I trade.”

The opposite figure smiled as if to say, Now we’re talking.