Chapter 31

After two more days on the road, they finally arrived in Kastoria, the kingdom’s capital. It was as magnificent as John expected. The city sat at the top of a hill, making it rise high above the nearby landscape. Layers of large walls surrounded it. The massive castle that occupied a tenth of the entire city space stood proud, visible even from a distance.

Kastoria had three walls in it. The first wall divided the center of the city, the castle, from the inner layer, which housed prominent nobles and rich merchants. The second wall divided the inner layer from the outer layer, where the average people lived. The third wall protected the city from the outside world.

The carriage brought them to the market near the first wall. This was the area closest to the castle. They could see the building standing behind another layer of walls. After disembarking, John checked the location of the next chair. The key pointed in the direction they came from.

“We didn’t miss a stop, did we?”

“No, I checked all the villages on the way, which meant the next chair must be in the capital.”

That was surprisingly convenient.

“It would be nice if we could get the next chair before the end of the day…” Leyla murmured as they walked down the streets. The capital’s street looked like a highway when compared to the streets of the villages they stopped by. It was massive. A large crowd of people filled them, everyone busy with their own things. Some talked about the latest trends, others had a more intellectual discussion. There were other carriages passing by as well.

Since they were in the inner layer, this area was full of wealthy people, their status visible from the clothes they wore and the carriages they rode. Their attire and the merchant’s carriages were nothing compared to the merchants they rode with.

“I wonder why the merchants took us here.”

“Maybe they sold stuff to rich people? The more money you have, the more you're willing to spend, after all.”

“You have a point… If we rode on those instead…” John whispered while looking at a passing luxury carriage. It looked much more comfortable compared to the merchant’s wooden carriages.

“Even then, I'm still surprised the merchants go this deep,” Leyla replied. They certainly looked out of place. “Anyway, the key?”

John checked the direction and guided them through a small hallway. It ended up on a different street. They crossed the street into a different hallway. After navigating the complex streets, the key finally pointed toward a building.

“It’s… here?” The key pointed downward, toward the ground.

“Could the chair be in this building’s basement?”

“But… where's the entrance?”

There was no door facing the alleyway, and the building seemed to be one large structure. It had the same color, and there was no visible separation. It didn't seem like a regular residential building.

John and Leyla walked around, looking for the front side. There were several alleyways, so navigating the area took a bit of effort. Eventually, they arrived in the street in front of the building. The front looked much more magnificent than they expected. It had large pillars and a massive chandelier hanging above the entrance.

“... An auction hall?” John read the sign above the entrance.

“So we'll need to buy the next chair?”

“There's a chance the chair isn't for sale, though.”

Even if the chair was available for auction, that didn't make things easier for them. They watched wealthy people come into the building. People wearing fancy suits and elegant dresses, each with their own attendants. Even with the money, there was no way they could outbid these people.

“Let's just try it first.”

They had no way to know whether they could or not. John braced himself and entered the building. They stood out in the field of well-dressed people, but luckily, no one stopped them. An usher showed them to the auction room. Maybe because of what they wore, the usher guided them to the rearmost chairs. The stage itself was still visible, so that posed no issue.

“When you want to put in your bid, you raise this.” The usher gave them a card with the number fifty-two on it.

“Alright, thank you.”

The usher left. It would still be a while before the auction began. John used this as a chance to observe the people coming in. Many looked their way and immediately averted their gazes. Some send sneers their way. There was no law that prohibited them from entering, but the people must have thought of them as an eyesore.

John did his best to ignore them. They weren't important to the mission.

“How high are we willing to go?” Leyla asked. Dealing with nobles would be a huge pain, so it's best if they get the chair straight away. At the same time, they couldn't spend all their money. They didn't have a job. There was no telling when they would get their next coins.

“Let's leave enough for us to live a week, at least.”

“Alright.”

John hoped it wouldn't go that high. He didn't want all the money they gathered to go for a single chair.

Well, I guess I technically didn't earn that reward.

He technically didn't complete the quest. Leyla and Isak were the ones who did it. Still, he stayed until the last floor. It would be sad to see his ‘effort’ gone in an instant.

“So, if it goes higher than that, we'll forfeit?”

“I guess, maybe we can make a better deal with the new owner?”

“I honestly doubt that.”

Just then, a man in a suit stepped on stage. He turned to the audience and gave them a bow.

“Esteemed guests, I welcome you to this afternoon's auction. As usual, we have exquisite merchandise that will surely catch your fancy.”

Reserved claps echoed throughout the space. John glanced left and right. The two of them were the only ones seated in the last row of the auditorium. They may not be part of the ‘esteemed’ guests group.

“I shall not waste your time any further. Let us begin.”

What followed was a series of various items. Most of it was stuff the nobles liked. Painting, ancient tableware, and some furniture as well. Some from distant times in history, others from famous craftsmen. They weren’t the kind of things John could buy. Hearing how high the bets get made, John worried. There was simply no way they could compete. He glanced at Leyla.

“What do you think?”

“This is bad, very bad.” Not a single item was within their budget. They couldn’t afford them, even if they put everything into the table. That made sense, considering the fact that this was an area full of wealthy people.

The chair had yet to come out, but if this continued on, they might need to pay less attention to the auction and more to the winner itself.

“And for the last item, we have these gold-plated plates.” A staff member brought the next item onto the stage. Relief washed over John and Leyla. The chair wasn't among the things up for auction. This meant they wouldn't need to fight nobles in a battle of money.

A staff member approached the host and whispered something in his ear. For a split second, John noticed his expression changing into one of confusion. But, being a professional, he returned to a smile and began bidding right after. These plates again reached a number John and Leyla couldn't afford.

With the auction over, they began preparing to leave, but the host's next words stopped them.

“I apologize, but there seemed to be a mistake. We have one more item up for auction.”

The staff member pulled out the first and only chair of the day. A red chair. John tapped the key, and it pointed straight at it.

“That's the chair!” John whispered.

The two of them tensed up.

Unlike before, the host didn't explain the background of the chair. He didn't mention the predicted year it came from, nor did he mention its creator. He went straight to bidding. “And, the starting price is…”

The price mentioned was their exact budget. John almost pulled his hand up when Leyla stopped him.

“Wait.”

No one bidded. The entire room went silent. The host seemed confused. He tried promoting the chair, but they didn't know where it came from or who made it. For the people of this world, it was a regular chair. A simple, unremarkable red chair.

And then the price began going down. Every time no one bid, the host would continue offering lower. None of the nobles seemed interested. It probably didn't match the aesthetics of their mansions.

After going down a couple more times, finally one person bid, and John lifted his card after that. The winner was quickly determined.