Ville Zentra’s Auction Week – Part 02

The artwork the Church had brought to Ville Zentra was consigned to a top-tier auction house, the Golden Whale. It had been carefully cataloged, given a starting price, and prepared for bidding.

The starting price alone was roughly three times the amount Egra would have paid the archpriestess.

Hikaru asked Egra how much he had intended to mark it up, but Egra just shrugged.

“The archpriestess wanted spot cash,” he said. “And she agreed to it, didn’t she?”

Since he hadn’t actually committed any wrongdoing himself—though Hikaru suspected he might be complicit—there was nothing more to argue. Dealers like Egra probably just crossed risky bridges when they saw them.

And so, the first day of the auction arrived.

Hikaru had secured tickets as a general bidder. The Church’s collection would go on the block in a VIP-only hall, where he would attend as Silver Face.

The general auction started in the afternoon. Even for a regular