Heukwol Auction House (6)

‘Let’s see, both of them have their email and personal accounts fully open. Then the question is which side I should probe to get a reply the fastest.’

Hyeonseong quickly checked the blogs and SNS accounts the two had made public. For now, both of them updated their blogs at long intervals.

There was a difference with their SNS. The Awakened who had obtained the item directly did not use SNS very often either. However, the Awakened who had bought the skein updated it very frequently. If nothing else was going on, they seemed to be living on SNS.

‘This side looks like calling them out through SNS would be faster than email.’

Hyeonseong turned her gaze back to Hyeonyeong.

“Sorry, but I think I’ll have to borrow your name again this time.”

When speaking to strangers, Hyeonyeong’s name usually worked far better than Hyeonseong’s own name.

It was not exactly something to feel bad about, but having to send every message twice or borrow Hyeonyeong’s name every time was troublesome.

“If you need it, you should use it.”

Hyeonyeong logged into her email account on Hyeonseong’s phone. After getting the phone back from Hyeonyeong, Hyeonseong wrote the email.

“Hyeonyeong, you try talking to the other side.”

She left the item buyer’s SNS to Hyeonyeong. Hyeonyeong picked up the phone and started sending messages.

‘For now… send.’

When the email was finished, Hyeonseong pressed the send button. Now all they could do was wait and hope a reply came quickly.

“How about that side? Is the conversation going well?”

Hyeonseong asked Hyeonyeong. Even now, Hyeonyeong was tapping at the phone screen as if continuing to send messages.

“Yeah, they must be online right now. The replies are coming fast.”

Hyeonyeong answered while typing. Hyeonseong peered at Hyeonyeong’s phone screen.

An SNS private message window was open on Hyeonyeong’s phone. Just as Hyeonyeong had said, the conversation between the two was continuing in real time.

‘They’re answering more readily than I expected.’

Since the questions were about the incident where the item had been stolen in an attack, she had thought the other party might feel uncomfortable and avoid the conversation.

But contrary to her concern, the other party showed no particular reluctance toward Hyeonyeong’s questions. It was impossible to know whether they had succeeded in putting it behind them to some extent, or whether they trusted the value of Hyeonyeong’s name and the stated purpose of investigating the item.

‘Anyway… they did catch the one who stole the item itself, but they don’t know what connections that bastard had, and they don’t know the item’s true identity either. Instead….’

Even the Awakened who had first bought the skein knew almost nothing. But they said there was something they had felt when they held the item in their own hands.

‘It felt closer to a demonic attribute than a sacred one….’

Since it was not phrased with certainty, they could not immediately pin down the attribute. Still, one way or another, it was information worth using as reference.

‘When I only looked at it, I didn’t feel any particular energy from it. Is it the kind of sensation you only get if you touch it directly? Did Hyeonyeong feel something different?’

Thinking that, Hyeonseong kept looking at Hyeonyeong’s phone screen, and soon Hyeonyeong finished the conversation.

“I don’t think there’s anything more worth asking now.”

At Hyeonyeong’s words, Hyeonseong nodded.

“By the way, Hyeonyeong, didn’t you feel anything when you looked at the item earlier?”

Hyeonseong immediately asked about the part that had been bothering her.

“There was something faintly detectable. It felt closer to a demonic attribute, just like this person described.”

“If you say closer, that still means the attributes are mixed, right?”

“Mm… what I meant was that the detectable attribute power was faint, so it felt that way. But now that I’ve talked to this person, I think maybe you’re right, Unni.

What felt faint may not be because the attribute power is weak, but because the attributes are mixed together.”

“Hmm… It would be nice if we had a chance to touch it with bare hands.”

She found herself thinking that maybe she should have touched it once by hand earlier when they had checked the item information.

‘Well, if I had tried to touch it then, that staff member probably would have stopped me anyway. They were practically radiating that they didn’t want to hand over the item we wanted.’

She decided to forget about what had already passed. Touching the item directly was something she could do after successfully obtaining it as well.

“But what about your side, Unni?”

This time Hyeonyeong asked.

“Good question. I did send the email earlier, but….”

Hyeonseong turned the phone screen on again.

“No reply. Is the time difference a little awkward…. Huh?”

It was just as she was about to put the phone back down. An icon appeared on the screen showing that an email had arrived. Hyeonseong immediately unlocked it and opened the email.

It was a reply to the message Hyeonseong had sent just moments ago.

“They say speak of the tiger and it will appear.”

“What does it say?”

At that question, Hyeonseong checked the contents of the email.

The email was short. It contained no answer to Hyeonseong’s question, only a question asking why she had sent such an inquiry.

“They’re asking this. Is it a good thing that they didn’t just ignore or block me outright?”

Hyeonseong said while showing the phone screen.

“It is. It means there’s room to talk. Should I handle it from here?”

At Hyeonyeong’s question, Hyeonseong thought for a moment and then shook her head.

“If the tone suddenly changes, they might find that strange.”

The way the two of them spoke was not drastically different, but there were definitely subtle differences in habit. If the other side was on guard, they would notice even that slight difference right away.

“If it starts looking bad, give me advice from the side.”

Saying that, Hyeonseong wrote her reply. She answered honestly that the purpose was to investigate ‘Thread Soaked in Sacred Blood.’

She sent the email and waited a moment. This time the reply came back quickly.

[That is not in my possession right now. I heard it is in a state where its whereabouts can’t even be traced. Do you perhaps have it?]

[We do not have it either.]

[Then where and how did you learn of that item? It has been missing for quite a long time, so I would think it would be difficult to know about it these days.]

This time the question was one that made her think a little before answering. Hyeonseong cast a sideways glance at Hyeonyeong.

“Would it be better to mention the black-market auction? If you just search the item name, you can find out it’s going up for auction soon anyway.”

“Just say only as much as you just said, Unni. There’s no need to bring up first that we’re planning to participate in the auction.”

Following Hyeonyeong’s advice, Hyeonseong sent the email.

[As you said, there’s a post about the auction. I suppose that was the ending one might expect from the moment it went missing. In that case, are you investigating the information because you intend to buy it at auction?]

A question she had dodged once came back as a straight fastball. Hyeonseong had to think again.

‘Come to think of it, is this person interested in the item’s whereabouts?’

Hyeonseong reviewed the contents of the emails the other party had sent. Judging by the way they talked, it seemed they were secretly still concerned about where the item had ended up after leaving their hands.

‘Maybe I’m just reading too much into it, but… if I’m right, then that’s probably where there’s room to dig.’

Hyeonseong replied that yes, that was the case. While she wrote and sent the reply, Hyeonyeong stayed quiet and did not interrupt. It seemed that from Hyeonyeong’s perspective too, it was not an answer with any major problem.

[Is that so? Then it seems you can simply confirm the item information after purchasing it. Since a long time has passed since it left my hands, any new information could have been added by now. Since this too is a kind of connection, I hope you succeed at the auction.]

The next email that arrived looked like a reply meant to wrap up the conversation. If she failed to come up with something that could catch the other party’s interest, the conversation would end here without yielding any useful information.

[Sorry, but the item information is still completely blank.]

For now, Hyeonseong decided to buy some time.

[The information is still blank? How can that be?]

[I don’t know. And that is why I contacted you like this.]

[I also know nothing about that item. Even if you ask me like this, I have no answer I can give you.]

[I have no intention of asking directly about the item information. I did include that question in my first email, but honestly, even when I wrote it, I wasn’t expecting much. The important question is not that, but the part about the dungeon you cleared.]

This time the reply did not come back immediately. During the short lull, Hyeonseong reconsidered how best to persuade them.

‘As expected, I’ll have to prod at the fact that they’re still interested in the item. But if I guessed wrong on this point….’

As she was thinking that, another reply arrived. Hyeonseong stopped thinking and opened the email.

[Even if I were to provide you with information about the dungeon, there is in truth no benefit in it for me. That item has already left my hands. Even if I were to learn some new fact now, it’s not as if I could sell it for a higher price anymore. That is why, from my standpoint, there is no particular reason to provide you with information. However, if there is something I could gain by providing information, then the story might change.]

“So basically… doesn’t this just mean they want money?”

That came from Haesu, who was peering at the screen from the side.

“That probably isn’t entirely absent from their intentions.”

“…Does that mean money isn’t the only thing they want? Then the conditions sound like they’ll be even harder.”

At Hyeonseong’s answer, Haesu frowned slightly.

“No, if my guess is right, I don’t think it’ll be as difficult as it sounds.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Haesu looked puzzled.

“This person… I guess you could say they still seem attached to the item they sold off. That was the impression I got.”

“…And?”

“And I thought if we let them find out about that, they’d be fairly satisfied….”

“You don’t sound very confident.”

“Well, that’s because… if I’m wrong, it’s the sort of thing that would be a little embarrassing, right?”

Hyeonseong gave a light shrug. If she had completely missed the mark, it was exactly the sort of guess that would invite ridicule about where all that confidence had come from.

“No, it doesn’t look bad to me either.”

Hyeonyeong spoke up.

“When they mentioned the item in the email, just like you said, Unni, they really did seem like they still had lingering attachment to it. And… even if you’re wrong, it’s not like we lose anything besides a moment of embarrassment.”

“That’s true. We haven’t exchanged anything with that person yet anyway.”

There did not seem to be any need to think any further. Hyeonseong wrote a reply.

[Of course we intend to pay the price for the information. In addition to the standard compensation, we’ll add a reward that should be to your liking.]

As soon as the email was sent, a reply arrived quickly.

[A reward to my liking, you say? I understand that the standard compensation means money, but something to my liking….]

[You regret that item, don’t you? I understand. It was an S-rank item, after all, and you had to sell it off without even knowing what kind of item it was.]

[You speak as though you know my circumstances extremely well.]

[I inferred it from the published interview article. If I’m mistaken, then I apologize.]

[You’re not wrong. I was a little surprised, but if you read the interview article, I suppose it’s something you could figure out. What you said is correct. Honestly, even now I still regret it. Circumstances were what they were at the time, so I couldn’t investigate further and sold it off early, but after selling it like that, I couldn’t stop thinking about what kind of thing it might have been.]

[Because if you knew that, you could dispose of it for a higher price?]

[I can’t say that has nothing to do with it. But that isn’t the only reason. If it’s an item of that level, wouldn’t anyone grow curious about its identity regardless of its monetary worth? I think most people would be like that….]

‘Well, that’s true enough.’

Hyeonseong inwardly sympathized with the contents of the email. She too often found herself unconsciously curious about the history of objects that had high prices or ranks attached to them.

[Thank you for the explanation. In that case, there should be no problem with us offering the compensation we prepared.]

[The compensation you mentioned earlier that would be to my liking?]

[Yes. If you explain the dungeon where you obtained the item, and the circumstances at the time you obtained it, then later we will share with you the information we uncover about the item. And in addition, we will make it possible for you to see the item actually being used.]

After writing and sending the email, Hyeonseong waited. She had clearly laid out the terms of the exchange, so now the only thing left was to hope the other party would answer positively.

[I have confirmed the conditions. From a common-sense standpoint, they are absurd conditions, but… it is also true that they are rather interesting. However, there is one fatal problem with these conditions. If the item is scheduled to be put up for auction, doesn’t that mean there is a possibility that you may fail to get your hands on it? These exchange conditions only stand if you succeed in purchasing the item. If you fail to buy the item, then I will neither receive the information sharing nor be able to see it being used.]

The reply came faster than expected. It was a point she could easily have anticipated.

‘It’s about time I told the real situation.’

[To tell you the truth, I can buy it directly without going through the auction. The only condition is that I have to bring back some direct information about the item.]

[That does not sound like a very believable story…. If it is that kind of auction house, wouldn’t it be faster for them to simply sell it off however they please, or refuse the sale entirely, rather than attach such conditions?]

[I think so too, but somehow the situation ended up like this.]

The email conversation paused for a moment. Apparently the contents of the reply sounded absurd.

‘There’s really no other way for me to explain it either.’

[If the situation truly is as you say… then the odds of your purchase succeeding would indeed be higher if I help you. That way, I too would be able to receive the full price of the information.]

[Exactly. Ah, and just in case, I should mention that for the cash portion, I’ll pay you some amount in advance first. Even if we fail, you’ll still be able to receive money.]

The email did not come immediately again, perhaps because they were thinking it over. Hyeonseong stared fixedly at the phone screen and waited.

[Understood. I will tell you everything you asked about.]

A little later, Hyeonseong was finally able to hear the answer she had been waiting for.