Blade Over Magic

The Auction II

’I finally got him to react properly.’ Samuel smiled slightly behind his mask when he saw Xander’s posture change

’Now that his ”palate” has been sufficiently teased and the real items roll out, I’ll get the chance to see the things that catch his interest, giving me an easier time in getting him on my side. Granted, this Phoenix Blood should be something he wants, considering how combat style. I can also feel out his financial situation this way.’ He mused as he watched Xander closely, but outwardly, he behaved like he was more interested in the item being sold.

Meanwhile, Xander mused.

’Body refining, huh?’ He would have rubbed his chin if his mask wasn’t in the way. ’Considering the path I’m following, strengthening my body is a priority, so getting it wouldn’t be a bad idea, however...’ He frowned.

’I have no way to ascertain its effectiveness. Is it better than the method I already use? If so, by how much? I could potentially ask the auctioneer about this, but...’ He glanced as the otherwise demure Samuel. ’He’s obviously probing me to see what things I would desire.’ Xander was pragmatic, but he wasn’t stupid.

’Then again, he has already seen that I like cold weapons. And there’s no way I’d come to an auction to buy things I don’t want, simply to throw him off. At the end, he will probably achieve his goal.’ A clever trap set by Samuel, but Xander wasn’t particularly mad about it.

Instead, he weighed the pros and cons of getting the phoenix blood, but eventually, he decided not to.

Considering that body refining was probably an afterthought in this world, chances are that the effectiveness of the blood wouldn’t be that insane. His method already worked for him, too.

Lastly...

”Sold for 350,000 credits!” The gavel was struck, and Xander smiled bitterly.

That was expensive!

”Are you sure you wouldn’t want that Phoenix Blood? Maybe the body refining aspect could help with that height of yours.” Xander suddenly whispered to Samuel, making his freeze.

’This guy...’ Samuel’s eye twitched behind his mask, but he somehow kept his voice polite.

”Unfortunately, my height isn’t exactly a negotiable issue. And I’d not spend my money on something that doesn’t affect my capabilities.” He replied, but Xander clicked his tongue inwardly.

’You think height doesn’t affect skill? Damn, these mages really are disillusioned.’ He thought about Curtis and his large stature. He could just picture someone like that wielding a larger weapon like a Zweihander and sighed in his heart.

’... He would be a monster when dealing with crowds in close range... Maybe in another universe.’ With that thought, the next item was brought onto the stage, and Xander raised a brow.

’That’s...’ When it was unveiled, what sat there was what looked like a roll of white string.

”This time, the item we have here is quite unique, but undeniably simple in its abilities.” He picked it up and held for everyone to see.

”An artifact discovered in an ancient ruins, it has aptly be named the Eternal String. And it does exactly what the name implies.” His smile broadened. ”As long as the user continues to supply mana to it, the string will continue to increase in length without end. Moreover, the mana cost is almost negligible, and the strings is exceptionally durable.” He explained while pulling one part of the string taut.

To prove his latter point, one of the attendants came with a dagger and swung at the taut string, but instead of cutting through it, it simply bounced off with a series of sparks.

The display was met with a series of exclamations. Samuel rested his chin against his palm, seemingly thinking, while Xander folded his arms.

’It’s useful, that’s for sure. I can think of more than a few situations where I’d like something like that. From setting traps to bypassing certain situations. Hm.’ As he mused, the auctioneer stated the price.

”The starting bid is 25,000 credits.” He stated and people immediately began bidding for it.

Despite its simplicity, it was clearly quite popular, as the price quickly reached 80,000 credits, with even Samuel raising the price once or twice.

Eventually, when the bidding started to slow down at 92,000 credits, Xander raised the price by 3,000 credits.

Someone in front of him, number 8, pushed back, and there was a brief bidding battle between them, but it seemed like the latter person wasn’t too keen on spending too much on the string. So at a price of 101,000 credits, Xander got the Eternal String to his pleasure.

’Bidding is pretty fun... When you have the money.’ He smiled behind his mask.

’Hm, his interest is purely out of pragmatism. Not true desire just yet.’ Samuel leaned back into his seat, still discreetly watching Xander.

The next two bids passed with even more fervor than the last, the items being particularly attractive to pure mages, and Xander found himself getting a bit excited. What exactly would appear that would truly spark his interest?

He got his answer soon.

”Our next item is, admittedly, going to be a bit of a hit or miss.” That caused everyone to raise a brow, and the mischievous look on the man’s face told them that what was going to appear wouldn’t be very simple.

The item was wheeled onto the stage, and when the cloth was pulled back, everyone was a bit surprised to see a single transparent block about the size of an ingot...

’Wait a minute. That is an ingot.’ Xander blinked. He’d initially thought it was glass, but as he focused his senses on it, he realized that, other than the transparency, the block was almost certainly the ingot of some material.

’... How does that even work??’ Xander was baffled. However, while he was confused, quite a few people around him seemed to turn agitated.

’This should do the job.’ Samuel intertwined his fingers. He could sense Xander’s confusion, but he was certain that would change soon.

”Hm, seems like quite a few of you are familiar with what this is.” The Auctioneer nodded calmly. ”Still, for those who are not aware, I will give a brief explanation.” First, he picked up the ingot with one hand, and he seemed to strain visibly, demonstrating its weight.

Then, with his other hand, he chanted softly, and a ball of compressed wind formed above his palm.

Everyone watched intently as he brought the ball of wind close to the ingot, and the moment the two touched, the ball of wind... simply dispersed.

’... Huh?’ Xander blinked, then his pupils constricted.

’Wait... hold on.’ He focused his mana perception on the ingot, and he was stunned to see that it was just... empty. Like a vacuum of Mana.

That’s when he understood.

”This material is something called Empty Metal. It has the property of being completely empty of Mana. So much so that when it comes into contact with any external mana source, it simply absorbs it until there’s nothing left.” He explained briefly.

’... Well, isn’t tat just a god tier item then? Who wouldn’t want something like that?’ Xander frowned.

And how would something like that appear in a place like this.

”But,” The Auctioneer continued. ”It has the downside of also absorbing the mana of the user. As such, using it to create armor isn’t wise, and using it as the base to create staffs or wands also isn’t very smart as it will simply suck any mana you would want to use and cast a spell.” Hearing this, Xander finally understood.

’Ah, I see...’ He smiled to himself.

The effects were incredible indeed. However, to mages who relied on mana to do everything, it was practically useless.

Like the man said, making armor with it would just slowly drain your mana. Same as if you used it to make a staff or want. You can’t even use it as a catalyst because the moment your mana reached it, rather than getting amplified, it would just get absorbed.

So for all intents and purposes...

’It’s useless for ordinary mages. No wonder he said it was probably going to be a hit or miss.’ Xander spread his perception, and indeed, the body language of most people around him displayed reluctance...

Except Samuel, who wasn’t even trying to hide his stare. But Xander didn’t really care, because his eyes were gleaming.

’Problems only arise if someone holds it directly or uses it to cast. What if I simply coat one edge of my sword in the stuff? Moreover, how would it interact with channeling that’s fundamentally different from casting? And even if there was no difference...’ He grinned behind his mask.

’It would allow me to cut through Mana. Properly.’