The Golem Mage

While the city lord waited impatiently for any word from the Gordons clan, a message finally reached him, just a day before the long-awaited auction, he sat in his study, his usual spot by the window that directly faced the Gordons estate.

It had become something of a habit for him, to watch from there, hoping for a sign of unrest at the Gordons, but to his quiet frustration, the sealed gates of the Gordons had been opened, and the estate had come alive again, bustling as though nothing had happened a few days ago.

As he stared out, a knock sounded at the door, and he turned to see his son, Alistair, stride in with an unreadable expression.

“Father, there’s finally news from the Gordons clan,” Alistair announced, stopping beside his father’s chair.

Those words alone made the previously lax city lord sit up, a sharp gleam of interest in his eyes.

“Speak. What is it?”

Alistair wasted no time.

“The Gordons have dispatched envoy mages across the city, reaffirming that the auction will proceed as planned, and not only that, they are also claiming to have acquired a remarkable pill they want every clan to witness, more than that, they’ve made a special call for clans with infected mages to bring them along, insisting this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them, in fact the entire city is talking about it.”

The city lord let out a long, weary sigh.

“And no news of them being attacked? No reports of a single death from their side?”

Alistair shook his head grimly. “None, Father.”

“Tch. So those assassins failed…” The city lord muttered under his breath, leaning back with a brooding look.

“Fine. The only move left is to send someone tomorrow to attend the auction. I need eyes in that place.”

“Let me go,” Alistair said at once, startling his father, who quickly shook his head.

“I’m not sending you,” the city lord replied flatly.

“Everything you’ve tried to throw at them has fallen flat, all we can do now is send a high-level representative to maintain appearances, to show the other clans that City Hall isn’t working against the Gordons in the shadows, besides, we need eyes in that place, to see what exactly they’re boasting about that make them feel its worth enough to make the other clans stop accumulating extra merit points with corpse.”

“And tell me, what mage in the city hall ranks holds more authority and presence than I do? I’m the best option, and you know it. It’d be unwise for you to show your face there with the moves you’ve made against them, especially since we don’t know if they’re planning retaliation. If anyone’s going, it should be me, for your own safety, if nothing else.”

By the time Alistair finished, even his father couldn’t find a reason to refuse, he sat there a moment, then gave a small, reluctant nod.

“Fine. You’ll lead a squad of City Guardians to the auction tomorrow,” the city lord said quietly, the light from the window seeming to dim as evening crept in.

–

The long-awaited day had finally arrived, the day that most of the small and mid-tier clans in Estonia City had been anxiously counting down to.

A brilliant morning sun drenched the inner city in warm gold, its rays catching on the polished stone walls of the Gordons Clan’s sprawling outer estate, along the high battlements, banners embroidered with the clan’s deep brown and jet-black crest snapped in the crisp breeze, proudly declaring their presence to anyone within sight.

For days, the entire city had hummed with restless anticipation for this event, even the nearby cities, recently revitalized with fresh support from the capital, had sent their representatives.

Whispers of what rare treasures the Gordons intended to auction spread like wildfire through taverns, markets, and clan halls alike.

This event was set to become the largest the Gordons Clan had ever hosted since settling in Estonia City, and every plan, detail, and layout had been personally arranged by Alec, armed with modern knowledge and ideas far beyond what this world was used to, he was determined to turn this auction into a resounding success.

The outer region of the Gordons Clan estate had been rebuilt, but things were vastly different now.

After the last attack and the clan’s failure to respond swiftly, Patriarch George made the decision to relocate most of the clansmen into the inner region.

New houses and structures had since sprung up there, providing safer accommodations for those who once inhabited the vulnerable outer grounds.

When Alec returned, however, he brought with him a new vision, rather than leaving the outer estate abandoned, he proposed transforming it into a business district under the Gordons Clan’s direct control, a chain-like marketplace where only Gordons clansmen could trade, effectively creating a monopolized trading zone.

Though still in its early stages, locked shops built to Alec’s specifications now lined the streets, waiting for their grand opening.

At the very heart of the outer estate stood the main auction hall, a grand, imposing structure that gleamed under the sunlight.

With newly reinforced array barriers shimmered faintly in the air around it, a clear warning that no disturbances would be tolerated today.

Many were left astonished at how a mid-tier clan like the Gordons had acquired arrays of such strength, but that was another of Alec’s quietly executed plans.

The Gordons are naturally skilled in Earth-element magic, and had a few excellent builders among them.

Leveraging this strength, Alec introduced a construction design capable of absorbing the power of talismans to function as arrays without issue.

It was a Blueprint technique he had purchased from the system store, and thanks to the Gordons mages’ adaptability, it was swiftly mastered and applied, and now, not only was their outer region estate fortified, but Alec finally had a practical use for the surplus of Tier 6 random spell cards he’d been accumulating.

After installing the system in the building, Alec had asked the Third Elder to help test its capabilities, unfortunately for the unprepared old man, the moment he tried launching an attack inside the hall, one of the random spell cards activated and blasted him clean off his feet.

The good news was that the resulting force was comparable to a low Tier 7 attack, more than enough to deter any troublemakers.

And now, with over five hundred of such cards slotted into the energy transfer ports built into the auction house, Alec had turned the venue into a miniature fortress.

Clans from every corner of Estonia City, having caught wind of the Gordons’ event, had sent their finest representatives.

Rogue cultivators, merchants, and emissaries from neighbouring cities, dressed in fine robes and gleaming armour, mingled among the gathering crowd.

Carriages bearing the sigils of powerful clans rolled steadily through the now-open Gordons gates, while wandering cultivators gathered in clusters, excited voices filling the air with speculation.

The rich scent of rare incense wafted from the auction hall’s entrance, blending with the sharp tang of spirit wine as Gordon mages who are assigned to serving duties were on uniform moving gracefully between arriving guests, offering drinks and light refreshments as attendees flashed their invitation talismans and claimed their seats.

The auction hall itself was a masterpiece, wide, tiered seating arranged in a half-moon around a raised platform, where a single ancient stone table sat under the soft glow of spirit lamps.

Soon, it would hold the treasures Alec had carefully selected: rare cultivation pills, high-grade spirit weapons, and rumoured relics, each the subject of whispered conversations in the days leading up to this event.

The air pulsed faintly with restless mana as the elites of the city gathered under one roof, old alliances silently acknowledged and grudges rekindled with lingering stares, this was more than an auction, it was a show of power, politics, and quiet warfare, as everyone waited for the First item of the day to be unveiled.