The Golem Mage

After two of the spirit equipment sets had been claimed by the Lanzt and Aegisborn clans, the competition for the remaining two rose to an entirely new level, of the last two, one stood out instantly—completely dark, as though it had swallowed the light around it.

Its presence radiated an ominous charm, and the intricate craftsmanship made it clear this was no ordinary set.

It was a four-piece spirit equipment set: a full body armour that extended to cover the hands like gloves, boots that reached the knees and merged seamlessly with the armour, a long, shadowy cape affixed to the back, and a broad sword as the final piece.

This set was known as the Umbral Dread Regalia, and the bidding for it surged rapidly, led by the Darkbliss clan, who had long been waiting for something that matched their shadow affinity.

The price escalated until it reached two hundred and thirty Tier 6 bodies, at which point no one dared to bid higher.

With that, the Darkbliss clan finally secured a prize of their own as the Patriarch was forced to bid that high to keep others away.

Some mages and clans from visiting cities, who had attempted to snatch the set away, were visibly disappointed, but this wasn’t their territory. Despite being informed of the auction’s medium of exchange, many hadn’t come prepared with as many bodies as the native factions.

They had learned a hard truth today, next time they attend the Gordons auction, they’d better come fully stocked, or leave empty-handed once again.

Without wasting time, Alec moved toward the fourth item, another spirit equipment set, this one aligned with the water element.

It consisted of five pieces: body armour, knee-high boots, a cloak, and a unique ninja-style mask designed to cover the mouth and nose.

A thin fabric was attached to the mask, wrapping around the head and leaving only the eyes visible, its primary weapon was a whip, which led many to assume it was crafted with a female mage in mind.

Still, many visiting clans felt hopeful about this one.

Because unlike the other elemental sets, Estonia City had only one clan known for its water affinity, which is the Coral Clan, and if the previous bidding rounds had taught anyone anything, it was that the Coral Clan had only made a single attempt at bidding earlier before dropping out, allowing the bidding to continue until the Lanzt Clan to won that round.

Since then, the Coral Clan hadn’t bid again, leading most to believe they lacked the resources to compete for a high-tier spirit equipment set.

Everyone waited eagerly for Alec to announce the starting bid, but what he said next stunned the entire room.

“This spirit equipment set is not for sale, so I won’t be going into detail about its abilities or the affinity it augments, the Gordons have decided to gift this to the Coral Clan for their service in the Blood Moon War.” Alec announced.

“They have always stood firm when others faltered, always rising to defend the city when asked of them, and many mages from their clan have fallen, and in the last Blood Moon War, they lost their final high-rank mage.”

“The city should never forget the sacrifices of such clans, and so, on behalf of the Gordons Clan, I gift this to your clan, with the hope that it helps restore your strength and retain your legacy.”

Inside the booth where the Coral Clan sat, soft whispers and quiet sobs could be heard.

Alec’s words had stirred painful memories, the loss of their last elder still weighed heavily on their hearts, now, only the Patriarch remained, a lone Tier 6 mage leading a clan whose strength had drastically diminished.

And yet, the Gordons still treated them with respect, as not only had they been offered a booth of their own, but now Alec had gifted them a Tier 6 spirit equipment set, it was a deeply emotional moment for many within the clan, though the Patriarch alone managed to maintain his composure.

“I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Gordons Patriarch for this grand gesture, this humble one will never forget your grace,” the Coral Clan Patriarch said, turning toward the fifth booth and cupping his hands in sincere gratitude.

“You don’t have to thank me—this was all the doing of that little rascal on stage,” the Gordons Patriarch replied immediately.

Though he wouldn’t have minded accepting the praise, however, he didn’t want the Coral Clan Patriarch to misunderstand and assume there was any political maneuvering behind the gift.

Hearing those words, the Coral Clan Patriarch turned toward Alec and offered a slight bow, which Alec returned with a nervous chuckle.

He hadn’t expected the gesture to garner so much attention.

His intention had simply been to give the Gordons Clan a favourable image, one that would get people talking about how they were doing things the City Hall never considered, especially for clans that had loyally defended the city.

In truth, this entire auction was beginning to show the mages that bidding at the Gordons auction offered far greater value than exchanging corpses with the City Hall for paltry merit points, points that took far too long to accumulate and barely afforded them anything of meaningful rank to help protect or strengthen their clans.

Just one auction had been enough to make the mages of Estonia City reconsider ever returning to the merit system.

What had started as a test quickly became a revelation, after witnessing first-hand what the Gordons auction had to offer, they were more determined than ever to abandon the old ways.

“Now, for the final round of the auction, I have five pill bottles of different realm here, and I want you all to know their effect, they cure zombie infection before it fully turns a human into one,” Alec announced, finally dropping the bomb he had been holding back.

The auction hall, which had been buzzing with conversation moments ago, fell into utter silence.

They had already been stunned multiple times during the event and believed nothing else could surprise the, but once again, Alec left them speechless.