—— Point of View: Anneva ——
As the two of them made their way to the Royal Auction House, Anneva can't help but be nervous. Why did it have to be at the auction house of all places? It's a place where people of the first ring and renowned people from the 12 Stargate Cities gather. She also caught wind that even the 12th Master of Gemini is attending.
Soon, the two of them arrived at the entrance of the establishment. The sun already went down making way for the luminosity of the Lumos [¹] used as lighting to be seen. Lumos is a material used in every building at this city, making even the night time lively that can be seen due to the bustling crowd out and about.
The front of the auction house was decorated with simple but elegant patterns carved on the pillars and walls of the establishment. The entryway was a large double doors carved with the similarly impressing carvings representing the Antlantean Royalty. After the two of them entered, what greeted both of them was the huge statue of the first king of Atlantis, Adam. The sculpture was elaborate and lifelike. It gave the statue a breath of life and made it imposing to the people viewing it.
The front hall was not that crowded as most of the guests have already entered and reserved their rooms. During these times it was highly probable that they wouldn't get a room and just join the normal guests at the theater. She doesn't know if Sol can indeed get a private box like she said earlier. Anneva doesn't want this little miss embarrass herself while she's drunk as there's a high chance she'd pick a fight and make a commotion. The two of them made their way to the receptionist area with Anneva feeling nervous.
"Welcome. How many I help you two misses?", the receptionist greeted them with a smile as she talked.
"We would like to participate in the auction. Preferably as one of the VIPs."
Sol's words made her even more nervous. It also seemed like the receptionist also noticed that she was drunk by the looks she was giving her. In response to her questioning gaze, Anneva just nodded and the receptionist sighed in understanding making her sigh in turn due to relief.
"I am extremely sorry, dear guest. I think all the VIP boxes are already occupied except for Box 1. But the price..."
"The price doesn't matter beautiful lady. I can buy even the moon if I wanted to just to offer it to you."
Anneva tried to fight the urge to face palm in embarrassment. Looking at the receptionist's face that maintained that professional smile, she can see her lips twitching as she fought the urge to maybe laugh. She can understand her though as she has been experiencing the same thing since earlier. If this young lady was left alone to wander while drunk, Anneva knows for certain that she may be taken advantage of.
"Then miss, if you want Box 1, it will be 10 white gold coins or 1000 gold coins."
As soon as I heard the amount of gold coins it takes just to use Box 1 during an auction, my eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Normal quality products sold at the trade center has an average price of about 5 silvers, that is equivalent to 500 coppers that can feed a family of 4 for a week at the third ring. One gold is equivalent to 100 silvers and the price of their restaurant's food was 1 gold per dish, and that was the lowest price as other dishes may cost more.
Sol herself ate a the VIP room at their restaurant that costed 110 gold coins along with the food she ate. The most expensive thing she bought at their restaurant was two bottle of Deep Sea Embers that costed about 150 Gold each. But the price of 10 white gold just for attending the auction as a VIP is befitting of the Royal Auction House.
"Do you have a CC scanner?" [²]
"Yes, miss. Local or foreign crystal?"
"Local Atlas Crystal. Here."
When I saw Sol take out a black Atlas VVIP crystal card, my eyes widened like saucers. Atlas was the Atlantis City Vault and they are the most reputable vault keepers in the world due to the use of Annukazian space folding technology and others that makes their vaults extremely safe. A black VVIP card from there will mean that you are among the top 13 most prioritized customers of the vault. She only knows of it's existence because her father has one.
It also seemed like the receptionist noticed the design of the card and was also shocked. But her shock was only temporary as she immediately regained her calm and respectfully took the card from Sol before scanning it at the CC scanner.
"Thank you for your patronage. Let me guide you young misses to Box 1."
I nodded at the receptionist's words absent-mindedly and followed in a daze. Thinking about what Sol said at the restaurant and also that black Atlas card, she thought that Sol may indeed be an important retired military veteran. But... she's too young! She knows that there are many young people in the military but all of them are about 15 at the youngest when they entered service if she remembered correctly and achieving the rank of Major General within 3 years is impossible unless you had a major contribution during the final war.
Anneva thought about it and it was indeed logical. If Sol had a major contribution during the final war, being promoted to the rank of Major General is not that far fetched. She surmised that after Sol was promoted she continued fighting at the frontline [³] and only retired recently due to the increasingly serious damage her body has.
"We are here. This private box has a wine cabinet and a large hologram display that shows the auction live right below us on the theater. If you want to bid, you can press this button here and your voice will be transmitted to the theater. If you have more questions, I will call someone to stand by at the door and you will just need to call upon her. I will be taking my leave."
Without her noticing it they arrived at the private box where they can view the auction. Right in front of them was a few couches facing the huge holographic display crystal that shows what's happening in the theater. It seems that the auction hasn't started yet. Sol casually made her way and sat at the couch while gesturing towards her to come sit beside her.
"Why are you acting like a statue there, Anne. Come sit beside me don't be shy."
Hearing the overly casual nickname she gave me, I can't help but roll my eyes to hide my embarrassment. We only met today and she's already this defenseless against me. This girl really has little to no such thing as caution in her vocabulary. But I guess this is just because she's drunk.
As I sat beside Sol, I saw her stand up again and grabbed a bottle of wine at the wine cabinet before making her way back to the couch. She then sat down with the bottle in her hand and stretched her left arm over my shoulders with familiarity.
"Care to open this for me, honey. You see... I only have one hand."
"Umm... Miss Sol, can you please go back to calling me Anneva? This is..."
"Too fast? You wouldn't have come here with me if you didn't have interest in me at all, dear."
"But—"
Just as I was about to say that I only came because I can't leave a drunken woman wandering alone in the night at the streets because even if this is the second ring and not the fourth, there's still some degenerates that will take advantage of her if she was seen alone, Sol just shoved her finger to her lips and talked with a sharp glint in her eyes.
"Shhhh. Let's just enjoy our date. If you make me mad... I will eat you whole tonight."
After she said that, the room was engulfed with silence. It was awkward. It felt like that to her but she doesn't know if Sol feels it too based on how she just popped the cork of the bottle off with her teeth and drank directly from the bottle like those drunkards at the piers of the fourth ring. This silence lasted with only the sound of Sol occasionally chugging wine down her throat like a thug until the auction finally started.
A beautiful young lady can be seen to be making her way out of the backstage and in front of the people. She held an elaborately decorated necklace. But its most distinguishing feature was the large ruby carved to form the shape of a six pointed star. As she showed it to the audience, the man at the lectern finally talked and introduced the first item for auction tonight.
"What a beautiful lady. Say, Anneva, don't I look hideous?"
Just as she was focusing on the auction and trying to ignore their awkward situation, Sol suddenly spoke and asked my opinion about her appearance. I looked at Sol and accidentally looked her in her eyes. She was serious about that question.
"You aren't."
I kept my answer short and concise. I don't want to sound like I am currying her favor but it is truly what I think about her. Her beauty remains unmarred by her scars. If she knows her face before she had those scars, for sure Anneva will be awed. That is how she feels.
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes. Just a few scars can't ruin your beauty."
"If you truly mean what you're saying, look me in the eyes and repeat it for me."
To prove that I am true to my words, I directed my gaze to her face. Her clear black eyes stared at me with anticipation waiting for the words that will leave my mouth. As I focused on her face I began to notice things I didn't notice at first. Left eye has a scar running across her eye till her cheeks along with a large burn mark that ran from her right forehead down to her right cheek. She cannot fathom the things she went through and experienced to the point of ruining her beautiful face.
"You are beautiful, Sol."
Just as she finished saying those words, she was suddenly taken aback by the sudden wet sensation she felt on her lips. She suddenly went blank with her eyes widened in shock. The moment she realized what happened, Sol already broke the connection and gave her a genuine smile. She felt her cheeks turn hot and she immediately covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. Thi-this one is on the next level! Aren't we moving a bit too fast?!
"You look cute when you're embarrassed, dear."
"You—! Why did you suddenly k-kiss me?! Also, call me Anneva!"
"Because you looked cute earlier and your lips looked so tempting, asking me to kiss them, Anneva darling."
This vulgar young woman can really say anything she wants to say with a straight face huh?! Her annoyance has peaked and she deserves to be ignored for the whole date! I also already told her to call me Anneva but she sure is persistent. Just looking at her now makes her blood boil in anger and shame.
"Hey dear, why are you looking away? Are you angry?"
Isn't it obvious?! Who in their right mind would kiss someone they just met a few hours ago. Being drunk is not an excuse. Now that she thinks about it, would she just kiss anyone out there that she thinks is good looking when she's drunk? She looked at her with a glare as she thought about it.
"I'm sorry, dear, it seems like I was indeed pushing my luck too much. It was my fault."
Now you know that what you did was too much huh! I have decided that I will ignore this insufferably shameless woman for the rest of the night. But I will keep an eye on her lest she goes out and find other people to kiss. That can't do. After this auction ends I will accompany this naive lady home or I will see her coming out of a brothel in the third ring someday if I didn't go with her.
Anneva turned her head and ignored Sol for the rest of the auction. Even after she went and called her, she just ignored Sol and watched her rant about being ignored. The rant only stopped when Sol saw something "interesting". She says that anything that looks interesting and was cheap with nobody looking to buy it is definitely a rare treasure. She saw what Sol brought and she was sure it was indeed just an antique music box even though the auctioneer said otherwise.
But after she bought that for a hundred gold, she then went on a rant about the true nature of the item she brought. She thought about many absurd things like it being a miniature zero-point something I can't understand and more. This went on for quite a long time even on the way to her house, if it can even be called a house.
Sol's home was at the 1st Ring. I can't say I'm surprised because I kind of already expected it after she brought out that black Atlas card. But her 'house' is already on the level of a mansion. It was even bigger than the mansion she bought after slaving away years being a waitress. I guess this is the reason why my father was so adamant about keeping family traditions.
We entered after Sol was recognized by the guard at the gate. The guard just glanced at me and didn't seem to have any questions as he just let me pass and assist Sol. Soon we made our way upstairs to her room. Sol was mumbling something under her breath and she was already close to passing out cold due to how drunk she is.
As they arrived at her bed and she laid her down, she took her blanket and tucked the young miss so that she can sleep peacefully. But just as she was about to leave after heaving as sigh of relief, she was suddenly dragged down making her yelp. Without being able to fight back due to her fear of disturbing Sol's sleep, she finally relaxed and didn't struggle anymore finally accepting her fate to be used as a substitute for a stuffed toy tonight.
I looked at her peaceful sleeping face and can't help but tuck the hair that was covering her eyes behind her ears. She is so defenseless.
"You better give me a huge tip tomorrow."
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-- Author Explains Things ( ╹▽╹ ) --
[1] — A crystal that the Annukaz brought to Terra from their home planet. It is a crystal that reacts to change in temperature by glowing. This made it an easy source of light to use.
[2] — A Crystal Card Scanner was made to scan the unique patterns engraved on the Crystal Vault Card. Every card incorporates a modified fingerprint pattern of the owner so that it is ensured to be unique. But sometimes there will be cases of same fingerprints but this only happened once in the 167 years that the cards has been used.
[3] — The so called Frontline is the exosphere of Terra.
Next chapter will be next week. I will post about an average of 2 chapters per week here at Webnovel.
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