Hiding A Logistics Center In The Apocalypse Chapter 149

Hiding the Logistics Center in the Apocalypse Episode 149

Item Auction (2)

Episode 149. Item Auction (2)

“There are so many people here. I guess everyone is struggling······.”

On the way to the auction house, passing by the promotional booths of the lieutenant-level officials lined up in a row.

Elliot, a director of the Expo Organizing Committee, muttered indifferently.

He was a human with gray skin and a cynical expression. He was one of the organizers of this dimensional fair and was in charge of the item auction event.

The secretary in charge followed him closely and said.

“That is why the role of the director is even more important. It is practically the first step in determining the success of the exhibition. This time, there are quite a few dimensions that are subject to special management.”

“What’s the big deal?”

In response to Elliot's question, the secretary pulled out a document.

It was a report containing detailed information about the lower dimensions.

“There are many holders of rank······ and the Awakened ones also have quite a few magic stones, but strangely, the commission income has hit rock bottom. This is especially true on this dimension called Earth.”

Elliot frowned as he received the report.

Because the evaluation indicators for the Earth were all mixed up.

He could not tell whether the Earth was a goose carrying gold or a barn that had gone flat.

Elliott has hosted dozens of exhibitions.

He knew better than anyone what action was needed in such a situation.

“I guess I need to shake it once.”

The strategy was simple.

Emptying the wallets of the lower dimensions.

The next step was to attach aggressive investors.

Investors looking for profit will push the planet into a war, which will in turn lead to commission revenue for the Chamber of Commerce.

The two arrived at the auction house building like that.

Kkiiii······.

A thick iron gate that only authorized personnel can use.

At the end of the circular staircase there was a VIP lounge.

“Ahem.”

Elliot straightened his clothes, walked over to the terrace seat, and bowed his head.

“Why have you come to this wretched place, Count?”

“Hmm? Nice to meet you, Director Elliot.”

A middle-aged man with a broad, pale face.

Count Arbinon added with a chuckle.

“I forgot to buy my nephew a present. I thought the toys they sell here would be fine.”

“Haha, I see. That should be enough.”

The nobles had very large families.

Dozens of children born from three or four wives and fifteen concubines.

Although they all inherited the noble blood of the nobility······, not all of them could become Awakened.

Elliot said.

“There’s a lot of gear this time. I’m sure there are a few things your nephew might find useful.”

Those in power who have not awakened.

Items were one of the means by which they could protect themselves.

At the same time, the nobles were also a welcome presence for the chamber of commerce, who raised the prices of auction items.

-Wow!

Soaring prices and cheers.

The auction had just begun.

30 thousand.

40 thousand.

45 thousand.

50,000······.

As the price of sodalite helmets slowly began to soar······.

“100,000.”

The count held up the sign with a calm expression.

Soon, the auctioneer's voice was heard along with a cold silence.

“100,000! Don’t you have more than 100,000?”

Thud thud!

With a hammer's sound, the sodalite helmet entered the count's arms.

In the face of the Count's overwhelming wealth, the other bidders could only make feeble noises.

But it was still too early to regret.

Even the nobles didn't want everything.

Just as dogs eat bones left behind by their masters, fierce competition among bidders continued over the property that the count had refused.

Then, a strange look appeared on Elliot's face.

“Oh, are you an Earthling?”

The Earthling who finally won the item.

But even though he got the item he wanted, his expression wasn't very good.

And Elliot knew better than anyone why.

“Hehehe······ It’s more expensive than I thought.”

Earthlings may have planned their spending by looking at the 'starting price' and 'expected bid price' written in the catalog······.

The reality was different.

Under fierce competition, the prices of goods have skyrocketed without warning.

“I guess I’ll have to buy one······or at most two.”

A groan echoed through the crowd.

Most of them were lower-dimensional beings participating in the auction for the first time, and Earth was among them.

In short······ everything was going according to Elliot's plan.

The secretary added.

“There is a rumor that Olympus has been poisoned.”

“Those lechers? I’ll play with them until I’m sick of them······.”

As the auction continued, the lower-level bidders became increasingly desperate.

Elliot watched the scene for a while.

As if he had gotten used to it, he let out a long yawn as if he was bored.

“Well······ I think I’ve gotten rid of as much as I can.”

“Yes, it was a success, sir.”

“Okay. I’ll just finish quickly and go watch the hierarchy brawl.”

A hierarchical brawl that will be divided into 6th and 7th tiers.

Elliot especially enjoyed the fights between the Seven Ranks.

“You’ll know once you see it. He got beaten up badly at the auction house… and then he crawled into the fighting arena in such a pitiful state… how funny it was….”

As the auction was slowly coming to a close······.

Elliot poked his head out, having discovered something.

“······Wait a minute, what is that?”

Flutter!

The beginning was no different.

Because the auctioneer opened the red cloth.

Then he took out the three pieces of paper that were lying inside and shook them vigorously toward the audience.

The auctioneer's clear voice floated on the wind.

The identity of this product is······.

-Surprisingly, it's an 'Application for Registration of Dimensional Being'!

-There's one for each type: 8th tier, 7th tier, 6th tier.

-This is the first time I've seen anything like this in my auctioneer life, everyone! Starting at 100,000!

“······??”

Elliot couldn't close his mouth.

He, who was hosting the Dimension Expo, was also an employee of the Chamber of Commerce.

“······Why is that up there?”

<Application for Dimensional Existence Registration>, also known as the 'Hierarchy Application'.

The application for a hierarchy wasn't something you could get with money.

Because it was a symbolic object created by the Chamber of Commerce to give hierarchy to those in power.

Usually, it was common for them to be selected as a courtesy to powerful nobles or as a form of cooperation, like soybeans sprouting in a drought.

Of course, since it was also a type of commodity, it was not that it did not appear in the market from time to time······.

“······.”

It has never been up for auction at a fair.

Count Arbinon jumped up from his seat and approached Elliot.

“What are you trying to do······?”

“I’m sorry, Count. This is a completely free auction······.”

The real-time free auction that Dimension Expo is proud of.

Anyone, anything could be uploaded in real time if it passed through emotions and its value was recognized.

But even so, there was another reason why the Count was so angry.

“How dare you… That paper should never be given to lower-dimensional monkeys.”

Applications for rank were the exclusive domain of the nobility.

That such an item appeared in an auction held at a fair where many lower and middle-level people participated.

The fact itself was a twisted thought for the Count.

100 thousand.

150 thousand.

170 thousand.

175 thousand······.

The bidders looked very flustered at the appearance of the hierarchy application form.

But because they knew its value, the price began to rise quickly.

As the price of the submitted application for hierarchy increases as if climbing a ladder······.

“400 thousand.”

Count Arbinon kicked the ladder away in one breath.

Not because they wanted it······but to draw a line between the lower classes and their own nobles.

-400,000! Don't you have any more?

– Auction! Auction!

It's because everyone has no money.

Because no one expected that such a large sum of money would be exchanged at a mere trade fair auction.

Thanks to that, even though I bundled up the application forms for the 6th, 7th, and 8th floors, the price was only 400,000 won.

Elliot could only click his tongue as he watched the auction house sink in an instant.

“I don’t know who it was, but they really threw away money… It would have been better to just take it to the black market.”

Elliot chuckled.

It was fun to watch someone suffer losses in real time.

I was starting to wonder who the idiot was who put the hierarchy application up for auction at the fair······.

"······what?"

The laughter quickly turned to goosebumps.

Just when I thought it was over, three more applications for promotion appeared on the stage.

“Why is that coming up again?”

"shit!"

Boom!

Count Arbinon, who had slammed the table, picked up the sign again.

But no matter what, the magic stone was not infinite.

As the money I had brought was slowly drying up, I tried to draw the line at the boring price of 200,000, but······.

210,000!

225 thousand!

240,000!

That wasn't enough to stop the ladder.

In the end, he had no choice but to risk bleeding again, and as a result, the Count was able to win another certificate of rank for the meager sum of 270,000.

“······.”

Count Arbinon, breathing heavily.

As a high-minded noble of this dimension, the mere fact that I was 'competing' with lower-dimensional beings was enough to blow the lid off······.

“······You’re coming up here again?”

The applications for hierarchy continued to pour in.

-170,000!

-185 thousand!

Another ladder of succession being built.

But even as a count, he no longer had the strength to kick it.

Eventually, the application for promotion was awarded to a lieutenant.

“What the heck is this!”

The enraged count threw the ashtray against the wall.

Wow!

Glass ashtrays flying in all directions.

The fallen pieces evenly filled the floor.

***

The auction house was filled with noise.

Yun Yang added in admiration.

“It’s selling really well······?”

“Because it’s not something you can get easily. You can resell it for money.”

All week long, I've been thoroughly reading through the fair's auction rules booklet.

Thanks to this, they were able to fully exploit the 'free auction' nature that they love.

Security booths are set up around the auction house for listing items.

Inside, there was a device called 'Minerva' that could appraise items and register them for auction, and any item worth more than 10,000 magic stones could be delivered to the auction house in real time.

“I see, Miss Kim is now······.”

By now, Kim Sol, who has become a postman, will be madly shoving papers into Minerva.

Although to me it was nothing more than a scrap of paper printed on copy paper, it was selling like hotcakes at the auction house.

The prices continued to soar, not only for the first time, but also for the second time.

In the third, people finally started to get agitated, but even so, the bidding signs continued to move.

“I can’t not buy it.”

As the auctions continued, the prices of the applications plummeted rapidly.

Because bidders' balances were limited, while applications were pouring in endlessly.

But despite this, bidders had no choice but to flock to the applications like moths to a flame.

-Now, wait…then doesn't it get cheaper the later you buy it?

-Nonsense! How long do you think I'll keep acting like that······?

-If you go to the black market and resell it at the current price, it'll cost at least double! You have to buy it no matter what!

Bidders' reactions were heard in real time.

Everyone scraped their wallets to buy application forms, and even the snobbish VIPs held up white signs as if they were at an idol concert.

Even though they knew they had to stop, no one could stop them.

Yunyang asked me as if he was worried.

“Is this even okay? What the heck······.”

“Of course it’s okay.”

Hierarchy was the clearest indicator of the distinction between upper and lower levels.

The unique language of the Chamber of Commerce that separates invaders from victims, and gives birth to empires and colonies.

This time, I decided to eliminate the distinction altogether.

That is, by eliminating the hierarchy itself.

“It’s already the same, isn’t it?”

Everyone is the same.

From the guy sitting in the VIP seat and donating 400,000 magic stones to me······.

Even the lower-dimensional commoners who just happened to win the bid for 20,000 magic stones.

“Sarah, Sarah.”

Everyone is the same.

Everyone is stupid.