The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 263

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 263
Chapter 263
I never expected to encounter Duke Winchilsey here.
‘But then again, isn’t it obvious?’
Duke Winchilsey, the leader of the Aristocratic Faction.
He held the highest noble rank among all the aristocrats.
Given the numerous problems he’d faced because of me recently, it was clear he’d participated in the Grand Auction House to prove his power still remained intact.
And looking beside him.
‘The Valencia Knight isn’t there.’
Information I’d obtained while interrogating Philip.
The Valencia Knight, Duke Winchilsey’s First Knight, was nowhere to be seen.
According to rumors, Duke Winchilsey had pinned the entire incident on the Valencia Knight.
The Valencia Knight’s curse had apparently worsened so severely that scales had grown not just across his body but even in his mouth, leaving him unable to speak properly.
Though even if he could speak, his loyalty and the prohibition would make it difficult for him to accuse Duke Winchilsey anyway.
“Duke Winchilsey, what should we do about this?”
“An adventurer entering the Grand Auction House? And under a noble’s name no less!”
“A Marquis, no less—it’s absurd.”
“How could a mere adventurer dare to bear the rank of Marquis…”
The moment Duke Winchilsey appeared, nobles from the Aristocratic Faction gathered around him.
They grew bolder, raising their voices in the whispers they’d been making behind my back.
With Duke Winchilsey present, they’d found their confidence.
“….”
However, Duke Winchilsey’s reaction was strange.
With a lukewarm expression, he frowned and glared at me slightly.
“Enough. An adventurer who rules some remote territory won’t be winning any bids at the Grand Auction House anyway.”
“Y-Your Grace?”
He turned his back and left.
What in the world was this?
I hadn’t said a single word, yet they’d worked themselves into a frenzy on their own.
The nobles of the Aristocratic Faction hurried after Duke Winchilsey, leaving only Yuris and me in the space behind.
“Well then, shall we go?”
“Let’s.”
And so I too began moving toward the Grand Auction House.
* * *
“Duke Winchilsey! Shouldn’t we flatten that adventurer’s nose?”
“That’s right! How dare a mere adventurer enter the Grand Auction House! We should throw him out at once!”
“And recently, he even falsely accused Your Grace…”
“Silence.”
“Gasp!”
Duke Winchilsey was in a foul mood.
The Imperial Inspection Unit had shackled me through investigations that were nothing short of targeted persecution, and I had dumped it all onto the Valencia Knight.
Thanks to that, Duke Winchilsey barely managed to escape the investigation.
But in doing so, I lost my cherished First Knight, the Valencia Knight.
Was that all?
Philip should still be under restriction, yet somehow information had been extracted.
The Inspection Unit had investigated every illegal act Duke Winchilsey had committed thus far.
I couldn’t even count how much cold sweat I’d shed avoiding those discoveries.
I had no idea how much dirty money had been cleaned up together with the Valencia Knight.
With the First Knight gone, naturally someone else had taken his position as my escort.
‘I’m not satisfied with it.’
The replacement didn’t meet my standards.
The Valencia Knight had been at least at the level of the current Imperial Knight Orders’ Vice Commander.
With just a bit more growth.
He was someone with such potential that he might have stood shoulder to shoulder with the Knight Commanders themselves.
How could I be satisfied with a knight who didn’t even reach the Vice Commander level by my side?
When I encountered Mir at the Grand Auction House, this had bothered me greatly.
‘If it were the Valencia Knight, I could have stepped forward with more confidence.’
In this ambush, it seemed the situation had been unfavorable and I’d been pushed back.
In a direct confrontation, I could have crushed Marquis Mir and anyone else.
The current situation was no different.
If words wouldn’t work, I could have ordered the Valencia Knight to suppress them with force or drive them out.
With my current knight, that was impossible.
If I gave some careless order and got knocked out in one blow by Mir, only I would be embarrassed.
‘Moreover, if he went out of his way to come all the way here, who knows what other schemes he’s hiding.’
Through this incident, Duke Winchilsey had come to understand one thing.
That Mir possessed cunning far superior to what I had imagined.
The very reason he came here might be to make me lose face once more.
As long as I didn’t know Mir’s purpose, there was nothing to gain by provoking him.
Having judged it thus, Duke Winchilsey turned his back first.
“Duke Winchilsey….”
“Then we should just leave it alone…?”
“Don’t bother yourselves with some adventurer. At most, he’ll just buy some trinket and leave.”
So I silenced the troublesome nobles.
To restore my tarnished image, crushing Mir would be ideal, but that wasn’t possible right now.
So Duke Winchilsey sought to restore the image I’d lost while evading the investigation through the Grand Auction House.
I would win the bid on the finest item among those up for auction and make it known that I was still in good standing.
Above all, I had heard that this auction featured an item I truly coveted.
‘A Mythic-grade protective accessory.’
I had no idea who would sell something like that.
A Mythic-grade protective accessory that anyone could equip regardless of level had come up for auction.
Duke Winchilsey, exposed to as many threats as his lofty position commanded, could not help but covet such ornaments.
And that was.
“Have you heard? It’s a secret, but apparently a Mythic-grade protective ornament has come up for auction this time.”
“M-Mythic-grade? Then it would be difficult for us to equip it.”
“There are no equipping restrictions, I hear. It’s an item we can use too.”
“Unbelievable!”
“Are there still people who don’t know about it? Look over there—those wealthy magnates have already gathered after hearing the information beforehand.”
“Is that so?”
“Nobles and influential figures and wealthy merchants who had no particular interest in this Grand Auction rushed to participate just to see that item.”
“My goodness. I can’t even fathom how expensive the final bid will be.”
The other NPCs participating in this gathering felt the same way.
* * *
I had expected the Grand Auction House to feel like a night market.
It was nothing like that.
Since nobles and influential figures were participating, the atmosphere was arranged like an outdoor party rather than a street market.
Since the auction hadn’t started yet, I found a suitable seat.
“Which champagne would you prefer, sir?”
“Ah, champagne isn’t really necessary…”
A server approached and offered me a glass.
I wanted to focus on the auction that was about to begin, so I didn’t want to drink and risk gaining the ‘Intoxicated’ status or higher.
– …gulp.
“…Something reasonably popular then. Could you bring a bottle instead of a glass?”
“A bottle…? Ah, understood.”
“This should do, right? Luke.”
– Thank you, Master.
I received a bottle for Luke and dropped it, and the champagne disappeared along with Black Flame.
The food was the same.
“Luke, is there any food you’d like to eat?”
– I’m content to simply eat what you leave behind, Master…
“I’m not particularly drawn to anything. Are you really not going to eat?”
– …I would like the white deer steak, please.
“That’s enough?”
– Ideally, I would like to try everything at least once.
“You should have said so from the start. Everything here is complimentary anyway, so there’s no problem. We still have time before the auction, so eat as much as you’d like.”
– Thank you so much, Master…!!
I heaped food from the table and handed it to Luke.
Though I say I handed it to him, once I serve it, it’s treated as my possession, so Luke simply ignites Black Flame and devours it on his own.
People were somewhat taken aback, but I didn’t mind.
There was no need to hide my identity any longer anyway.
With time to spare, I filled my satisfaction alongside Luke.
And so it came to pass.
“The Grand Auction will commence shortly!”
The time for the Grand Auction had arrived.
I set down my meal and entered the colossal Colosseum-shaped Grand Auction House.
The sheer number of seats was nothing short of miraculous.
I found myself thinking how wonderful it would be to have such an entertainment venue in Kalbera Territory as I took my assigned seat.
Not long after, the auction commenced.
“Thank you all for your patience!”
“First, I must express our deepest gratitude to those who have come to participate in Labelt’s Grand Auction!”
“So many have generously sponsored this Grand Auction!”
“Let me first extend our thanks to the great Emperor of the Baltika Empire, His Imperial Majesty! And subsequently, I wish to convey our gratitude to all our sponsors!”
*Whoosh!*
“We shall now commence Labelt’s Grand Auction!”
The curtain concealing the stage rose.
What came into view was a vast platform, and upon it, an expansive mana screen spread wide.
It appeared they had prepared this enormous mana screen for those seated too far away to examine the items in detail.
“Let me inform everyone that the original highlight of this Grand Auction was indeed what is called the ‘Astra Flora’—the starfall crystal.”
Several nobles nodded at the auctioneer’s words.
However, some nobles scoffed at those who nodded.
As if mocking them with the thought, ‘Haven’t you heard the news yet?’
As if to prove this, the auctioneer’s eyes gleamed as he continued.
“But! An extraordinary item has arrived that will capture your attention far more than the Astra Flora!”
“Something surpassing the Astra Flora?”
“What on earth could surpass the Astra Flora?”
“Haha, so many still haven’t heard the news.”
“Information travels so slowly these days.”
The auctioneer’s words caused the murmuring in the auction house to swell.
Watching this unfold, I found myself wondering.
‘Could he be speaking of the item I submitted?’
This was no mere arrogance speaking.
Given the circumstances, the likelihood that the auctioneer was referring to my item felt remarkably high.
And indeed, I was right.
“Behold—a Mythic-grade accessory set! The ‘Silver Wind Guardian Accessory Set’!”
The accessories I had crafted began to appear on the mana screen.
The bracelet and necklace, including the Silver Wind Guardian Ring.
Simultaneously, exclamations of wonder echoed from all corners.
“How beautiful.”
“From an aesthetic perspective alone, one could place considerable value on it.”
“That craftsmanship is reminiscent of the works of the Dwarf.”
“I’ve heard that Dwarves don’t particularly favor accessory crafting, so it’s unlikely to be their work. How intriguing.”
“By the way, a Mythic-grade accessory?”
“Mythic-grade, you say….”
NPCs could recognize item grades and distinguish between them.
Naturally, they understood just how valuable Mythic-grade items truly were.
The audience was already astounded by this alone, but the auctioneer’s subsequent explanation left them even more breathless.
“The ‘Silver Wind’s Guardian Accessory Set’ has no equip restrictions! These are Mythic-grade accessories that anyone here can wear!”
“Oho.”
“Accessories with no equip restrictions.”
“This is quite desirable.”
“Even high-performance accessories often had such stringent equip conditions that they could only serve as display pieces.”
No equip restrictions whatsoever.
While some nobles trained to increase their strength, most nobles spent their days seated in chairs, meaning they were typically low-level.
In such circumstances, items with no equip restrictions were cause for genuine celebration.
Moreover.
“First, let me explain the ring. With Mythic-grade power, it generates silver currents that automatically block incoming attacks!”
“W-what?”
“A Mythic-grade protective effect!”
“I’ll give it to my daughter.”
“I’ll be heading to the Border Region soon! With just this, I’d feel so much more secure!”
“The second accessory, the bracelet, is…!”
“Ooooooh…!!”
As the descriptions of the accessories continued, exclamations erupted from all corners.
Well, it couldn’t be helped.
After all, I had crafted these specifically to sell at exorbitant prices to NPCs at the Grand Auction House who understood the value of their own lives.
Most everyone here was likely thinking these accessories were perfectly suited for them.
Then.
“These remarkable items will be presented in three separate lots throughout the Grand Auction! Now then! The first item to kick off the Grand Auction is none other than!”
Whoooosh—.
Something began rising from beside the auctioneer.
Bathed in brilliant lighting and encased in glass, the first item of the Grand Auction revealed itself with gemstone-like beauty.
It was none other than.
“The Silver Wind’s Guardian Ring! We shall now commence the auction!”
“Uooooooooooo!”
The first Evil God accessory I had ever created.

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