Bird took a step forward, but Number 14 pushed past her. Noah couldn’t see his eyes, but he could tell from a glance that the man’s gaze was solely fixed on the Rune Imbued into the Catchpaper before him.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what the man was thinking. He’d probably been confused at first – it wasn’t like he could understand the Rune, so it would have looked like a bunch of squiggles.

He’s going to think the Rune is fake and will want to touch it to feel the power in it. That’s the easiest way to verify it’s got actual magic.

Sure enough, the man brought the back of his hand up to the Catchpaper, brushing it across the Rune. His arm stiffened and he pulled back, his masked face raising to look up at Noah.

“What is this?”

“I told you. A Monster Rune,” Noah said, not even bothering to hide the smugness in his tone. It fitted the role he wanted to play perfectly. “It’s Rank 3.”

“That wasn’t what I meant,” Number 14 said. “How is this possible? I can’t read the Rune. What does it do? Where did you get it?”

“Those are a lot of questions,” Noah said smoothly. Down on the stage behind Noah’s back, Rin was calling out information about a new Rune. Noah paused for a moment to listen to the pitch, but it didn’t catch his interest. “I take it that means you’re interested?”

Number 14 grunted. He crossed his arms and took a step back, gathering himself – but it was too late. He’d overplayed his hand, and they both knew it. Shaking his head, Number 14 let out a chuckle. “Yes. I’m interested. I think that’s plain enough. The question is not of my interest, though. It is of the quality of the goods for sale.”

“An object is only as valuable as someone’s desire for it,” Noah countered. “And you aren’t going to be finding something like this anywhere else.”

“Which is precisely why I wish to know how you got it.”

“And that is the exact reason why I’m sure you’ll understand that I’m not sharing such information,” Noah said with a shrug. “It was not easy for my group to procure this. I was unsure if I wished to sell it at all, to be frank.”

“And yet you do – which means you can get more.”

“Logically.” Noah inclined his head, then waved the Catchpaper. “But for the time being, this is the only one on sale. It’s a defensive Rune called Chitinous Spine Armor. A Rank 3, as I previously mentioned.”

“You can read it?” There was even more surprise in Number 14’s voice.

“I am a man of many talents.”

And reading this isn’t one of them. That’s all Lee.

Number 14 didn’t respond for several seconds. He studied the Rune on the paper, as if trying to memorize it. Noah was pretty sure that was a faux pas, as Runes could be replicated if you knew how they looked and had enough of their matching energy to draw one, but he wasn’t concerned.

If Number 14 wanted to steal the Monster Rune, he’d need to find another one with matching energy. That wasn’t a problem for stealing a Fire Rune or the like, since anyone with enough gold could buy a Fire Rune.

Good luck finding another Monster Rune that matches this one any time soon.

“Okay,” Number 14 admitted, his fingers twitching as if he wanted to take the paper from Noah then and there. “I am incredibly interested. I will not beat around the bush – but I will also be forthright and say that, no matter how fascinating this Rune is, it is a long-term investment and will likely provide me little in the near future. As a Rank 3 with unknown quality, I would not be willing to overspend on it.”

Bah. I get the feeling that you’ve got so much money you don’t know what to do with it. This is just damage control to save face after you spilled all the beans.

“I understand, but I obviously wouldn’t be willing to part with something as rare and expensive as this for an inadequate amount. Rank 3 or not, it’s still completely unique and incredibly rare. You can get a Master Rune by hunting down a Great Monster. When’s the last time you saw a Monster Rune, though?”

Number 14’s fingers drummed on his thigh. Bird shifted behind him. She was still scanning the room in search of anything identifiable, but nobody else was talking and they hadn’t brought anything with them other than the clothes the Troupe had provided. There was nothing to find.

“Never,” Number 14 admitted. “But I have responsibilities. I cannot allow myself to spend frivolously on something that may turn out to be worthless or even detrimental. I do not know what will happen if someone uses this Rune, and I suspect you are not offering any guarantees.”

“I am not. It is an untested Rune, and should be treated as such.”

“As I thought. Would you be willing to share your Trade Pact with me? I have no doubt of your ability to procure items like this, but I am hesitant to offer up much without knowing that I am buying from a reputable source.”

Oh, shit. I figured that the only people that were invited to this thing would all be big boy nobles, so the whole trade restriction thing wouldn’t be a big deal. I obviously don’t have anything to show there, but refusing will be suspicious, won’t it?

“We’d like to avoid revealing our identities at this time,” Moxie said, walking up to join Noah. “While we’re not opposed to working together in the future should you find this item appealing, it’s too easy for knowledge of our procurements to go public. I’m sure you understand.”Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Damn. Nice one, Moxie. Even I believed that for a second.

“Understandable, but I’m sure you must know that limits my willingness to overspend,” Number 14 said, a smug note entering his own voice.

Noah suppressed an annoyed grumble as he realized what the other man’s goal had been. He’d never suspected that Noah wasn’t a big time noble from a large family – he was just banking on their hesitance to share information to try and haggle the price down.

He knows what he’s doing. Can’t say I’m surprised.

“Well, if you’re concerned about being unable to afford this, then I won’t force you. I could always auction it with the Troupe,” Noah said with a small shrug. “I’d imagine it would sell for considerably more that way, though I do prefer the idea of keeping this Rune’s existence a little quieter.”

Noah did mean that. If he sold the Rune to a single family, he doubted information on it would come out for some time, and when it did, it would be much harder to trace. Selling it at an auction would mean everyone knew of the Rune’s existence and there would almost certainly be some prick that tried to figure out the identities of everyone that had attended the auction tonight.

“Up next is a set of Runes!” Rin’s voice echoed, interrupting Noah and Number 14’s bargaining. “This one was a particularly fortunate collection that came from an overly ambitious mage that tried to challenge above his weight class and met an unfortunate end. It includes a broken Master Rune by the name of Enveloping Dark as well as two Moonlit Shadow Runes and three Light Runes. He was Rank 4, with the majority of his Runes being around fifty percent full around conception. Bidding will start at eighty thousand gold.”

That sounds perfect for Lee. The Light Runes are useless, and I’m not sure what a Broken Master Rune is in comparison to a normal one, but she needed some more Shadow Runes to finish up her combination. I better make sure she doesn’t –

Lee’s head had already snapped toward the stage, betraying her desire. Noah suppressed a groan. He didn’t blame her – ever since Lee had been able to come clean about who she was, she’d clearly gotten used to being herself and not worrying about what others thought. Unfortunately, when they were in the middle of a major bargain with someone who he had almost gotten the upper hand over, showing weakness was less than ideal.

“Should we pause for a moment?” Number 14 asked. “One of your party seems interested in the lot that just went up.”

Fuck. We can’t afford it.

“Oh, I didn’t want it. It just sounded interesting,” Lee said, but it was too late.

“Please, please. Go ahead,” Number 14 said with a magnanimous chuckle. “I wouldn’t want to stand between you and something you desire. I am a patient man.”

The price of the set of Runes had already raised to ninety thousand and was continuing to go up.

“I, however, am not,” Noah said, thinking furiously as he tried to find a way to spin things in a way that wouldn’t weaken his position. “Since you’ve been so honest with me thus far, I will return the favor. I am trying to hide some of my purchases today, and although one of my compatriots would indeed benefit from those Runes, playing our hand too early would be less than ideal.”

Number 14 tilted his head to the side, then nodded. “Ah, yes. I know the feeling. That would explain your earlier purchase of the flawed Rune. Perhaps I could aid you?”

“Oh? How so?”

“I’ll buy that set of Runes for you and throw it in as part of the deal for this one,” Number 14 said. “With handling fees, of course.”

Noah nearly choked. He’d been planning to try to get fifty thousand gold for the Rune, but clearly, the numbers he was thinking in were very different from the ones Number 14 had in mind. It took everything he had to keep himself from nodding so furiously that his head flew off.

I need to slow down. What if he wants me to pay him a bunch of gold on top of everything? That would be bad.

“I suppose that would be acceptable,” Noah said, delaying as long as he dared. “Your kindness is appreciated. In that case, we should get down to what you are willing to pay for this Rune.”

Number 14 thought for a moment. The bids on the set of Runes were slowing down, and it had started to approach one hundred thousand gold.

“I will give you one hundred and fifty thousand gold, minus the cost of the set that is about to sell,” Number 14 said.

Noah damn near said yes on the spot. His heart clenched as he forced himself to freeze in place and put on the air of considering the offer.

“Two hundred thousand.”

“One hundred and seventy-five, but you will promise me another such Rune in the future at a reasonable price, should I request it.”

“How would that work? We are anonymous.”

“We are,” Number 14 agreed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small leather patch. It had a small cross embossed on its front, and it was clearly made from a single piece without any seams or cuts. “This will prove your identity to me. It is merely a unique piece of cloth with no Runework or Imbuements on it. All the power will be in your hands – and I will take the risk to trust that you reach out as agreed upon.”

“And how will I find you, should I agree?”

“One from my family will demonstrate the powers of the Rune I purchase today,” Number 14 said. “That will make it abundantly clear.”

Noah didn’t dare delaying any longer. He simply took the patch from Number 14, exchanging it for the Monster Rune. Number 14 handed the Catchpaper over to Bird and extended his hand. Noah clasped it, and they shook.

“A pleasure doing business with you,” Number 14 said. “I look forward to a very fruitful partnership. Bird, would you acquire the set on sale before some bumbling fool makes away with it?”

“Yes, sir,” Bird said. She raised a hand to her temple. A moment later, a new bid echoed out through the dark amphitheater, this one coming from the platform right to their left.

“One hundred thousand.”

There was a moment of silence. Then a woman on the other side of the room started to speak.

“One hundred and–”

“One hundred and ten thousand,” the voice from the platform to their side echoed out once more, not even letting the other woman speak.

The challenge was clear, and the price had gotten high enough that even the other nobles were hesitant to bring it any higher when someone wanted it that badly. The silence lasted for a few more seconds before Rin clapped his hands.

“Sold for one hundred and ten thousand to Number 12!”

“That’s my man,” Number 14 said. “It was a pleasure. The attendant on my platform will transfer the remaining sixty-five thousand gold and the set of Runes to your vault in the form of a treasury note. I trust that is sufficient?”

Kind of like a check? Works for me. I assume the Troupe can cash it, so I can use that money to bid.

“It is.”

“Then I wish you a good day. Until we meet again.” Number 14 raised a hand to his head in farewell, then strode out the door. Bird hurried after him, only pausing to gently close the door behind them.

Moxie waited until they were gone to speak again. “Damned Plains. What are you, a used flying swords salesman?”

“Hey, don’t complain. We’ve got an extra sixty-five thousand gold to play with, and I fully plan to blow all of it on getting a few more Runes for myself. I knew this was going to be fun.”