In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 83

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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This Life, I Will Become the Clan Head Episode 83

A small space in the corner of the Imperial Economic Bureau Office in the Imperial Capital.

The room contained nothing but a platform set up at the front and about ten rows of chairs lined up.

Here today, just like any other day, a public auction was being held.

The ‘public auction’ was mainly used when nobles or wealthy merchants wanted to safely sell their property.

By paying a small commission from the sale price, the entire process proceeded under Imperial protection, so it was a preferred method since no unnecessary gossip would arise.

The government official looked through the auction documents he had to oversee with a bored expression.

Some noble from the northwest had put up an unused mine due to debt.

What a fortunate life indeed.

Having so many possessions that when short on money, they could just dispose of them one by one like this.

It was an ordinary day with tedious thoughts passing by.

Especially since today’s auction was a simple bidding method where you just wrote your bid in an envelope and submitted it, there wasn’t much more to prepare.

“I just hope it doesn’t go unsold…”

Since public auctions were held so frequently, there were occasionally cases where no bidders appeared and items went unsold.

Moreover, an old mine at that.

The item up for auction was also quite lackluster, making him even more worried.

If it went unsold, they’d have to hold another auction, increasing the workload.

Click.

Just then, as if to dispel that worry, the sound of someone opening the door was heard.

“You can sit toward the front here…”

The auctioneer, who had been giving mechanical guidance, stopped speaking.

“Ah, Angenas…”

“That’s right, he’s from the Durak Guild.”

It was Croiton Angenas, the guild leader of the Angenas Family’s trading company.

After the huge success of the Koroi-Yung business throughout the Empire, he had become so famous that there wasn’t a person living in the Imperial Capital who didn’t know him.

How much wealth radiated from him.

His skin seemed to glow, and even the quality of his clothes was different from ordinary people.

“H-here, please sit here.”

“Thank you.”

While quickly offering the frontmost chair, the auctioneer was bewildered.

After that, there were several representatives from small and medium trading companies, but they all had the same reaction as the auctioneer.

“Why is Angenas here…?”

Everyone whispered from a distance, not daring to come close.

Seeing Angenas participate, conversations arose wondering if the Lira Mine had more coal remaining than expected.

The Durak Caravan Leader, as if enjoying such reactions from people, simply sat with his arms crossed and eyes gently closed, wearing a satisfied smile.

Then, the door opened again.

The auctioneer, who had been blankly staring at the Angenas guild leader and casually turned his head that way, widened his eyes as if they might pop out at any moment.

“Huh!”

He was so surprised that he couldn’t make a sound and just swallowed his breath.

And that same reaction came from the other people in the auction hall.

“Am I dreaming in broad daylight right now?”

“No, I, I’m seeing it too…”

Murmur murmur.

A commotion arose in the narrow auction hall.

The Durak Caravan Leader, who had been enjoying all the attention, slightly opened his closed eyes.

“Hmm. They’ve come.”

What had just entered the auction hall were people from Lombardi.

It was Romasie Dillard, the leader of the Lombardi Guild, and Bestian Shultz from the mining company.

The attention that had been focused on the Durak Caravan Leader until just moments ago instantly shifted over there.

The Durak Caravan Leader was a bit disappointed, but since he would gain greater benefits shortly, he didn’t mind much.

He simply stood up from his seat and greeted the two people.

“Good day to you both.”

“Oh my, meeting you here.”

“It’s been a while, Durak Caravan Leader.”

Romasie Dillard laughed heartily and shook hands.

Meanwhile, Croiton and Bestian secretly exchanged glances.

It meant they should proceed with the plan as they had discussed beforehand.

Bestian nodded his head while pretending to greet.

Although there had been an incident a few days ago where their conspiracy was almost discovered, Bestian didn’t change the plan.

Judging from Pirenthia’s reaction, he believed she hadn’t heard anything.

If she was hiding something, a young child couldn’t possibly smile so innocently.

“I don’t know what this is about…”

“Indeed. Angenas and Lombardi. It seems the Lira Mine is much bigger than we thought.”

“Damn, today’s auction is a bust.”

After Lombardi appeared, everyone gave up on bidding in the auction altogether.

While they might somehow compete with the Angenas Guild, Lombardi was an opponent on a different level.

They knew well Lombardi’s method of calling out several times the amount to get what they wanted no matter what.

Similarly, the auctioneer who had been blankly staring at Lombardi and Angenas sitting side by side stood up.

Although there were still a few minutes left until the auction started, with even Lombardi in attendance, there was no point in waiting longer.

As signs of the auction starting appeared, the murmuring interior also became quiet.

Clunk.

The sound of the door opening was heard again at that moment.

The person who entered the auction hall alone was a tall, handsome man.

The man, who briefly surveyed the interior, stepped inside with leisurely steps.

Unlike when they saw the famous representatives of the two families, people were indifferent.

But an unexpected reaction burst forth.

It came from the people of Lombardi and Angenas.

“N-no!”

“How are you…”

“Cleribane Pellet?”

Unlike the three people who were startled and fidgeting in their seats, Cleribane was completely calm.

He nodded his head in greeting, then sat anywhere in the empty middle seats and crossed his legs.

“Oh my…”

Romasie Dillard in particular was so surprised by his son’s sudden appearance that he even half-stood up.

The Durak Caravan Leader and Bestian, who had briefly exchanged silent glances, frowned.

“Th-then let’s… begin the auction.”

The auctioneer, who had been reading the room, checked the time and declared with a trembling voice.

“The auction minimum price is 700 gold.”

Each person attending the auction was given a blank piece of paper and an envelope.

It was a simple method where they would write their bid amount, seal it in the envelope and submit it, then the auctioneer would check and award it to the person who wrote the highest amount.

Neither the Durak Guild, nor Lombardi, nor Cleribane had anyone who pondered how much to write.

As soon as they received the paper and pen, they immediately wrote numbers and sealed the envelope.

The people from Angenas and Lombardi, especially Bestian, kept glancing at Cleribane, but the person receiving the stares only looked straight ahead with dignity.

A moment later.

The auctioneer collected all the envelopes.

Only the rustling sound of opening envelopes could be heard, while a strange tension and silence flowed through the auction room interior.

“I will… announce the results.”

The auctioneer announced the three bid amounts that were close to winning according to procedure.

“First, the Durak Guild… 2000 gold.”

Bestian looked at the Durak Caravan Leader with only his eyes moving while keeping his smiling face.

He had clearly told him that 1800 gold would be sufficient.

The timid Durak Caravan Leader, who didn’t trust Bestian, had stubbornly written down 200 gold more.

“And second, Lombardi Guild with 1600 gold.”

The inside of the auction hall became noisy again.

“Then did Angenas win?”

“That’s right. They put out 400 gold more.”

“For Lombardi to have their item stolen by Angenas…!”

Since everyone knew about the subtle rivalry between Angenas and Lombardi, the reaction was even greater.

Romasie Dillard looked at Bestian with a reddened face and asked in a small voice.

“What is the meaning of this, Lord Bestian?”

“Well…”

Bestian just shook his head as if troubled, as if he couldn’t understand the reason either, acting naturally.

“1600 gold was more than enough…”

“Let’s discuss this later.”

Romasie Dillard was clearly angry, but since they were in front of people, he could only suppress his boiling insides.

“The announcement isn’t over yet. Finally…”

The auctioneer raised his voice.

“Finally, Pellet Trading Company.”

The auctioneer who saw the number written on the paper gulped.

“Pellet Trading Company… 2050 gold.”

The auction hall was engulfed in shock and silence.

“Th-therefore, I declare that Lira Mine has been… awarded to Pellet Trading Company.”

Thud, thud!

The cheerful sound of the gavel rang out, but no one made a sound.

Time seemed to freeze as everyone stiffened.

“Th-this is…”

Especially Angenas’s Durak Caravan Leader was so shocked he just opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish out of water.

Screech.

Then Cleribane stood up from his seat, his chair scraping the floor.

The startled eyes of Bestian, the Durak Caravan Leader, and his father Romasie Dillard looked at Cleribane in turn.

Standing up and brushing his clothes with an indifferent face, Cleribane finally gave them a glance.

One corner of his mouth slightly rose.

“Well then.”

Nodding once more, Cleribane moved his long legs and strode out of the auction hall.

“No!”

The Durak Caravan Leader screamed and grabbed his head.

Following Cleribane, until the auctioneer quickly returned to the office with the documents, no one easily left their seats.

* * *

The jewelry business went smoothly.

Exactly two months after winning the bid for Lira Mine, the first raw stone revealed itself to the world.

Cleribane personally took it to Croily of 【Aivan】, and just as I had said, when faced with ‘a raw stone he had never seen in his life,’ the craftsman was ready to kneel and beg ‘please let me craft this.’

But polishing wasn’t easy.

The hardness of the gemstone was so high that all the tools Croily had used until then were useless before the new raw stone.

However, the more difficult it was, the greater the craftsman’s obsession grew.

And another two months later.

Pellet Trading Company’s jewelry store opened in Sedacunaga.

“The gemstone doesn’t have a name yet. What would you like to call it, Lady Pirenthia?”

To Violet who asked this, I gave my answer.

“Diamond. Let’s call it diamond from now on.”

Of course, diamonds sold like hotcakes as soon as they were revealed.

Despite being ten times more expensive than regular gemstones, advance orders to Croily continued endlessly.

It couldn’t be helped.

The beauty of diamonds was something that had never existed in this world before.

When we presented the largest and most beautiful diamond among the first gemstones Croily crafted to the Emperor, Yobanes’s laughter could be heard even outside the Central Palace.

“Ah, this is good.”

Sipping cool fruit juice while looking at the diamond sales report, this was nothing short of heaven.

Perhaps because I had stolen it from Angenas, it tasted even sweeter and more satisfying.

I reluctantly put down the empty juice glass and muttered while looking out the window.

“Now, shall I dig into Bestian a bit?”

The man who loved Shannet most in the world and was a gentle father to the twins, and the Lombardi traitor who gripped my shoulder as if to shatter it while contorting his face.

It was time to see which of the two was his real face.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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