Lot 568
In Moncala, at night on the Conquer Sea, Doro in her nightgown sat on the sofa in her suite, gazing out at the bright moon while using a communication channel to connect with Vania far away. At that moment, she was transmitting image information to Vania’s mind, asking her to identify each piece. These images depicted various items that were set to be auctioned at the event the following day.
According to the information Doro had obtained, Edward and Sword Scale were secretly preparing for a crucial transaction at tomorrow’s auction. Sword Scale would hand over the Fountain of Eternal Youth to Edward after confirming Vania’s degree of corruption. The success of this deal would mark Edward’s clandestine return to the Abyss Cult.
After learning about this transaction, Doro was puzzled. How would Sword Scale approach confirming Vania’s corruption level? Vania was always surrounded by vigilant guards, and during the auction, she would be in her private box, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to get close. Anyone approaching Vania would be suspected, let alone conducting a poison test under such circumstances.
Thus, Doro inferred that Sword Scale’s corruption detection on Vania would likely occur without direct proximity. With this premise established, Doro further speculated and eventually connected it to the nature of the auction.
The auction was, in a sense, a public exhibition; each item for auction was displayed before all participants, garnering their attention, including Vania’s.
Since the Abyss Cult could develop symbols and designs that only slightly corrupted individuals would see and understand, why not apply this technique to the auction items? Sword Scale could create an ordinary artwork featuring those unique symbols and designs and submit it for auction.
When this artwork appeared before slightly corrupted Vania, it would instantly capture her interest. She would inquire about the item and bid on it; even if she didn’t win, she would remain interested, allowing Sword Scale to observe her reaction to confirm whether the corruption seed he had planted had taken root and if Edward’s mission was a success. Even if Vania won the item, her guards would be unable to detect anything unusual.
Using this method, Sword Scale could assess Vania’s corruption status without making contact or arousing suspicion, determining whether to give the Fountain of Eternal Youth to Edward. Similarly, as long as Doro knew in advance which item would trigger a reaction from slightly corrupted Vania, she could identify Sword Scale’s disguised identity on Moncala Island through the item’s owner.
Understanding this, Doro spent the day infiltrating the Moncala auction house, obtaining all the information about the first stage of the auction, including all registered items and consigners.
The Moncala auction was divided into two stages. The first stage auctioned off mundane items to many ordinary merchants and wealthy individuals. After the first stage concluded, the auction would be paused to let the commoners leave, leaving behind other secretive participants. The second stage would then auction valuable and extraordinary items.
Second stage items were more precious and tightly guarded. The first stage’s items were somewhat casual, but Sword Scale would definitely arrange his testing item for this stage to avoid raising suspicions from Vania’s guards. After all, Vania showing interest in an extraordinary item for no reason would also raise questions.
Thus, Doro deliberately ensured Vania ate the food provided by Edward at the banquet and read the gift books, strategically placing her in a state of slight corruption. She then showed Vania the collected item information one by one for her confirmation. Finally, when Vania viewed item twelve, she exhibited a reaction.
This was a beautifully crafted Holy Mother emblem necklace, not only made of gold but also set with a ruby in the center, surrounded by a circle of ornate patterns, resembling a meticulously redesigned religious artwork and jewelry based on a regular emblem style. Many artworks of this type existed among wealthy churches and collectors.
“This is…” Sitting in her hotel room, Vania focused on the newly projected artwork in her mind, a hint of fascination illuminating her expression, while Doro accurately gripped Vania’s condition and immediately inquired through the communication channel.
“What? Vania, is there something wrong with this photo?”
“Um, yes, this Gentle Holy Mother necklace… I feel a curious sensation. It looks similar to the feelings I had when I read that Sacred Text. This sensation is subtle; I don’t know how to describe it. I feel like if this item were before me, I would instinctively reach for it… I would really want it…”
Witnessing the scene playing out in Vania’s mind, Vania reached out her hand as if to grasp the emblem on the table before her, while Doro stroked her chin in contemplation after seeing this.
‘An item used to test Vania’s reaction… it turns out to be a holy emblem necklace? Haha, those guys are quite thoughtful… to create something like this…’
As these thoughts raced in her mind, Doro quickly recalled other registered details regarding the holy emblem necklace. Soon, she confirmed who submitted the necklace—it was a Northern Ufeiga merchant named Ilugu.
‘Ilugu… Is this the hidden identity Sword Scale is using in Moncala? Even if it’s not his, it could belong to one of his subordinates…’
Finding Sword Scale’s disguised identity made Doro’s heart race. She then responded to Vania.
“Well done, Vania. Next, let’s pray to Akka to help you with poison recognition…”
Upon hearing Doro’s words, Vania took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began to pray to Akka as usual. After the prayer, Doro immediately assisted her in clearing the poison recognition effects.
“Thank you, Lord…”
Feeling a wave of clarity in her mind, Vania murmured her prayers, and at that moment, Doro responded.
“You still have trace amounts of the drug’s effects in your body, but don’t worry; I have a way to negate the effects of the cup medicine. Once we leave Moncala, I will find a chance to detoxify you. For now, get some rest; tomorrow’s auction will be the main event.”
“I understand, Miss Doro. Good night, may Akka protect you…”
Vania softly said in her mind to Doro before rising from her seat to prepare for rest, while Doro took out her “Navigation of the Literary Sea” and placed it on the table.
“Phew… It looks like I’m going to have to work a bit late tonight…”
Sighing, Doro opened the book and flipped to the page for communication with Little Fox.
…
The bright moon hung high, lights dazzling, and the sea breeze blew.
In a certain part of Moncala at night, a carriage was traveling down an empty street. Detective Ed, dressed in a trench coat, sat inside the carriage, quietly waiting for their arrival at the destination. In front of Ed sat a petite figure cloaked and masked, accompanied by a vigilant black cat beside her.
“Ugh… It’s so late; do you have anything else to investigate?” The girl named Shariya yawned sleepily, fatigue evident in her expression, and Ed immediately responded.
“Yes… we’ve uncovered some important clues, and now we need Miss Fox’s abilities to expand our findings, so we’ll have to trouble you.”
“Important clues… Can’t this wait until tomorrow night?”
“No, tomorrow night is the auction; some matters need to be clarified tonight.” Ed said seriously to Shariya, who looked somewhat bewildered.
“Who are you investigating this time? Someone from Edward’s side? Or the Abyss Cult’s?”
“No, neither. This time it’s just an ordinary person.”
“An ordinary person?”
“Yeah, an ordinary person who might possess important clues. Alright, we’ve arrived at the location. My puppet is already in the target’s room providing you with sight. Pray to Akka now while I connect that sight to you.”
Finally, as the carriage slowly came to a stop, Ed said to Shariya. Hearing his words, Shariya perked up and closed her eyes to begin praying. Soon after, an unusual scene from another perspective appeared before her eyes; it depicted a man sleeping under a blanket in his room.
Watching this man, Shariya used her ability to enter his dream. Shortly later, her consciousness transformed into a white little fox, appearing in a lush green park. Upon entering, she observed the dream’s owner leisurely feeding pigeons on a park bench.
The little fox surveyed the dream scene before jumping in front of the dream owner, scaring away a flock of pigeons he was feeding, prompting him to exclaim.
“Hey, where did this little fox come from?”
“I ask you, what is your name? Who are you?” Ignoring the man’s reaction, the little fox promptly questioned him. After a brief pause, the man replied.
“You ask me a question without answering mine… Fine, I’ll tell you. My name is Allen, and I work as a registrar at the island’s auction house.”
The man named Allen truthfully answered everything he knew, and at that moment, Doro began guiding the little fox’s questions through the communication channel.
“Do you remember a consignor named Ilugu?”
“Ilugu… I don’t seem to remember. I generally don’t pay attention to the names I encounter while working.” Allen thought for a moment before speaking again, and the little fox swiftly responded.
“Well then… do you recall anything?” As she spoke, a gentle glow emanated from the little fox’s body, and she began using her ability to evoke fragmented memories that might be forgotten even by Allen himself, yielding excellent results.
“Ah… now I remember. That Ilugu was apparently a Northern Ufeiga person. He consigned a holy emblem necklace, and it has been put up as item twelve.”
Allen exclaimed as realization dawned on him, and the little fox pressed on.
“Show me what this guy looks like.”
After her request, a vision of a traditional, slightly overweight Northern Ufeiga merchant dressed in robes and a headscarf materialized next to him. Upon seeing this, Doro immediately compared it with her memory of Sword Scale, realizing there was a significant difference; this Ilugu was most likely one of Sword Scale’s subordinates.
“Do you know where Ilugu lives?” The little fox continued questioning Allen while looking at the manifested figure, to which Allen shook his head.
“I don’t know that. During registration, this guest refused to provide his address on the island, saying only that the money from the auction would be stored in our bank, to be collected later. We can’t force him to disclose it.”
Allen replied, and after hearing his response, Doro furrowed her brow. She then guided the little fox to ask him further.
“Is there anything special about Ilugu?”
“Anything special? I don’t think so. If I had to say, when registering his auction item, he specifically asked for his item to be arranged for an earlier auction. But since everything else was already scheduled, we placed him as number twelve.” Just then, it seemed he remembered something and continued.
“Oh, yes! If there’s anything to note, shortly after he registered his items, another person came in named Geide, a Faraluo person, who also specifically requested that his items be placed later in the auction sequence, specifically after item twelve, even agreeing to pay extra if needed. Quite a peculiar person.”
“Must be after item twelve…”
Listening to Allen, Doro raised an eyebrow, sensing the relevance, and she urged the little fox to inquire further.
“What does Geide look like? What is the item he’s auctioning?”
“Here, take a look.”
Allen replied to the little fox, and in front of him appeared the silhouette of a standard middle-aged man in a suit with blonde hair, accompanied by a well-crafted little crystal bottle hovering beside him.
“Item seventeen, the Vic Palace Crystal Bottle, is what this Mr. Geide registered for auction, and it comes with a small bottle of palace dew.”
Allen explained to the little fox, while Doro keenly focused on the dream’s small crystal bottle through the little fox’s perspective.
“Let me ask one more question. Are all the auction items that have been registered currently in your auction house?”
“Some are, some aren’t. Some guests believe they can better safeguard their items and prefer to keep them themselves, as long as they provide us with the items half an hour before the auction. For instance, this seventeen item crystal bottle is one such case; it’s still in its owner’s possession. He can wait until item seventeen is up for auction before giving it to us, as long as he leaves us enough time for confirmation.”
Allen responded to the little fox. Hearing his reply, a satisfied expression emerged on Doro’s face, and she instructed Ed to switch locations and individuals for the inquiry.
“Miss Fox, we’ve asked just about everything we need here. Now let’s change places and talk to someone else.”
“Ah… Where are we going next? Who will we ask?”
“Old place, familiar face… I need to review that Tonik’s memory again.”
…
Not long after, Ed brought Shariya back near the secret prison. With Doro’s assistance, Shariya once again successfully entered Tonik’s dream and found herself on a dream ship, where she once again encountered the dream version of Tonik.
In this scene, the little fox posed the question directed by Doro.
“I have one more question to ask you: after Sword Scale confirms Edward’s success, how will he deliver the Fountain of Eternal Youth to Edward? Will they meet face to face for the exchange?”
“I won’t know how Sword Scale intends to deliver the Fountain of Eternal Youth until he notifies me. But I can assure you that Sword Scale absolutely will not meet with Edward in person. Edward is known for his duplicity and changing loyalties. If Sword Scale were to unexpectedly reveal himself on Edward’s turf, there’s a chance Edward might change his mind and set a trap to capture him, using the Fountain of Eternal Youth to redeem himself at the Sacred Summit.”
“Given that Moncala is Edward’s territory built over a century, if he suddenly decided to turn against Sword Scale in a face-to-face transaction, it would put Sword Scale in a very passive position. Therefore, to be safe, Sword Scale will definitely devise a method to transact the Fountain of Eternal Youth without directly meeting Edward, ensuring he retains the initiative throughout the exchange.”
Tonik answered the little fox earnestly, and as he spoke, a faint smile formed on Doro’s face in the distance.
At that moment… she had already found a way to manipulate events at tomorrow’s auction amidst these Red Tiers.
