Clock (5)

The Capital Merchants’ Guild.

It is smaller than the Wizards’ Guild, but still well-known, second only to the Mercenaries’ Guild. I headed straight to the Merchants’ Guild.

“I’m here about the auction.”

“You’re here about the auction? Which guild are you from?”

“It’s a new guild from a place called Greek City.”

“Greek City?”

The man frowned, clearly unfamiliar with the name. It was unusual for a noble to frequent the Merchants’ Guild, so it was awkward to send the Greek boy. I had to come myself.

“It’s a small city in the provinces. It recently merged with Dedran City, so it’s grown a bit.”

“Ah, I think I’ve heard of it. I’m Doron, the manager of the Merchants’ Guild.”

The man who called himself Doron extended his hand for a handshake.

“Hello.”

“A new guild, I see. Please fill out this registration form and pay the membership fee. However, the items you wish to sell need to be reviewed.”

“Reviewed?”

“Yes, since you don’t have a track record, we need to ensure you’re not offering items that won’t meet the nobles’ standards.”

“Hmm.”

“Alternatively, you can pay a deposit. You can put your items up for auction, but if they don’t sell, the deposit is forfeited to the Guild. We always make commemorative items to compensate for disappointing the nobles.”

It seems to reflect the nobles’ absolute authority.

It didn’t matter. I wasn’t attached to the small money. I paid everything as instructed and registered the item.

“I doubt anyone would buy this wooden cabinet, but are you sure you want to spend money on it?”

“Yes, you never know.”

“Well, that’s up to you.”

The manager waved me off, and I left the Merchants’ Guild.

Having to pose as a merchant from a small provincial city with no connections, I couldn’t expect better treatment.

“Greek Guild?”

“What’s that?”

“I heard it’s a new guild from Greek City.”

When the manager reported this, the Guildmaster shook his head in annoyance.

“Hey, why are we accepting entries from some provincial guild? Did they bring something amazing?”

“I glanced at it. It just looked like a wooden cabinet.”

“What?”

“But they paid a hefty deposit and, more importantly, brought a letter of recommendation from Count Medlinne. They’re not just some provincial nobodies; the Count is well-regarded here. We couldn’t just turn them away.”

“Count Medlinne? Damn, that’s inconvenient. Put them first in the auction and get it over with quickly. They might have connections, but auctioning off a wooden cabinet? That’s just a nuisance.”

“True, but they did pay a hefty deposit. They must have some wealth. We can charge them membership fees, annual fees, and whatnot. Might as well see how it goes.”

“That’s fair. Being first, the nobles won’t expect much anyway. Fine.”

“Yes, Guildmaster.”

On the day of the auction.

Nobles began to enter through the grand entrance. The auction was an event on par with a ball, and social gatherings often followed.

Thus, everyone entered the auction hall elegantly dressed, arm-in-arm with their spouses.

“Oh, Duke Taemuran, you’re here.”

“Yes, are there any good items today?”

When Duke Taemuran arrived, the Guildmaster and other officials flocked to him, bowing deeply.

“There’s an interesting perfume from a foreign kingdom at the end.”

“Is that so? My wife might like it.”

“Oh, what kind of perfume is it?”

When the Duchess showed interest, the Duke shook his head.

“Let’s keep the details a surprise for the auction, haha.”

In this manner, the Guildmaster was very busy.

In the waiting room, merchants were fervently boasting about their items.

“Did you see the first item up for auction today? It’s some kind of cabinet.”

“Yeah, it’s some provincial guild, right? They must have a lot of time on their hands. I heard they put down a hefty deposit.”

“Hahaha.”

“Brother, why are you laughing?”

When the representative of Mandara, the largest guild in the capital, laughed loudly, the attention of other guild representatives was drawn.

“Don’t be too harsh. They seem to have a lot of money. We should get along with them. There’s a lot we merchants can take advantage of if they have deep pockets.”

“Really?”

“That’s right.”

“Hahahaha.”

With the clock stopped, the merchants had no idea what kind of item it was and continued to laugh and chatter.

I had to wear a mask. It wouldn’t be appropriate to send the noble Greek boy here. Randol, the dwarf, was not suitable either. Sending Rurin would result in a disaster in seconds.

In the end, wearing a mask was the only solution. Duke Taemuran and the other three dukes would surely recognize my face.

Being first in line was their way of quickly dismissing what they thought was a trivial item. However, it was advantageous for me, as I wouldn’t waste time.

“Why the mask…?”

“I have scars that might offend the nobles. Please understand. Previously, I sent my subordinate, but today, I am here as the guild’s representative.”

“Hmm, I see. Well, that’s fine. But if it doesn’t sell, the deposit is forfeited.”

The manager’s greedy eyes pressured me to agree. So, I nodded roughly and went inside.

“So, what’s the starting price?”

The starting price.

At the beginning, it must appear valuable to attract bidders. Nobles don’t hesitate to spend on quality items.

That’s why I made a special edition covered in gold, different from what will be generally distributed.

“The starting price is 10,000 runes.”

“What? 10,000 runes?”

That’s about 10 million won. The manager’s surprise was understandable.

“There’s no way it will sell for that price. Listen, even if it’s covered in pure gold, that price is ridiculous…”

“If it doesn’t sell, I’ll just lose my money. Isn’t that fine?”

“That’s fine, but…are you sure you’re not being absurd? Name a reasonable price.”

“I refuse. That is the appropriate amount.”

I answered firmly. The minimum price was 10 million won. This is the first clock of its kind in this world, and it certainly has that value.

In the waiting room, other guild representatives sat. They must have overheard the conversation and were whispering and chuckling among themselves.

To them, this looked like just a wooden cabinet. It couldn’t be helped.

If our positions were switched, I would also think my actions were insane from their perspective.

I didn’t approach them and just waited for my turn. There wasn’t much to wait for. The auction would start as soon as the manager announced it.

“The first auction item today is a wooden and gold cabinet from Greek Guild. The starting price is… 10,000 runes? Oh, I’m sorry.”

The auctioneer looked at the manager. The manager signaled that it was correct. The auctioneer then bowed to the nobles.

“Ah, 10,000 runes is correct. Let’s take a look at the item first.”

The auctioneer resumed the auction, and the Guild staff placed the item in the center of the stage. I also moved next to the clock.

“Hello. I am the representative of Greek Guild.”

Temporary, but for now, I’m the representative. Once it becomes popular, I’ll collect royalties from each sale and leave the rest to sales professionals.

Of course, that’s irrelevant right now.

“Everyone must be questioning the price of 10,000 runes.”

Murmurs spread.

The nobles began to look incredulous. Some were even starting to jeer, so I prepared to explain, but the auctioneer suddenly proceeded.

It seemed the manager had given some kind of signal.

“So, is there no bid for 10,000 runes? 10,000 runes?”

At that moment, the auction hall fell silent. Naturally, no one raised their hand.

Only Medlinne looked very troubled.

“If there are no bids, we’ll proceed with a no-sale. Then…”

I shook my head at the auctioneer who was about to move on.

“Wait a moment.”

“Yes?”

“An explanation was missed.”

“What explanation? Isn’t this just a cabinet?”

“It has another use. Just give me a moment.”

I asked the auctioneer for understanding and looked back at the nobles.

“Your Highnesses! Are you familiar with the sundial in the Royal Palace? This clock is hundreds of times more accurate than that sundial.”

“What do you mean by that?”

A noble sitting in the second row stood up. I didn’t know his name or title, but it was important that he started to show interest.

I turned the clock and opened the back panel, showing the complex interlocking mechanism as I had done with the dwarf.

The auction hall became noisy, the complete opposite of earlier.

I quietly turned the clock back and began a lecture on how to read the hour and minute hands, and the importance of the clock.

“…So the current time is 9:20 PM. This doesn’t just tell time. It greatly aids daily life. It allows precise meeting times for banquets and court sessions and enables the military to plan operations accurately.”

“I saw the internal mechanism earlier. Can such a thing be mass-produced?”

“Yes. With the help of Count Greek, the Lord of Greek City, we have set up a mass production system in the factory.”

“Hmm, such a thing…”

“However! The clock brought to today’s auction is a special limited edition. It is made exactly like the one presented to His Majesty, covered in pure gold, and will not be produced again after today. That is why the starting price is 10,000 runes.”

Now the hall turned into a noisy market. The murmuring turned into a commotion, and a noble in the back row immediately raised his hand.

“Fifteen thousand runes!”

Then a noble in the next row raised his hand.

“Seventeen thousand runes!”

“This is ridiculous. Those guys can’t have it. We’ll take this limited edition. Fifty thousand runes!”

A noble right behind the duke in the front row raised the bid dramatically.

“How petty. Sending subordinates to bid…”

Then Duke Taemuran, sitting in the front row, stood up calmly.

“I’ll take it for 100,000 runes.”

With those words, the hall fell silent. The other guild representatives waiting their turn, the manager, and everyone else were stunned into silence, unable to react.