Golden Lion Auction House and the Bronze Key (Seeking Follow-up Reading)

"Going to broaden your horizons wouldn't be bad. Aim will be hosting this Auction, and William will go with you."

Earl Arthur was not surprised by Chen Mu's choice.

He also knew that his youngest son had been feeling cooped up after staying at the Manor all this time.

In Earl Arthur's eyes, Vieri had changed quite a bit over the past few months.

It was as if he had emerged from the grief of his mother's death and become someone who could not sit still by nature.

Thinking of Chen Mu's mother—his own wife—Earl Arthur's gaze grew somewhat complicated.

"Father, does our family hold an Auction every year?"

Chen Mu asked. The original owner's memories truly contained nothing about auctions.

"Large-scale Auctions are not held every year. It is normal that you do not know, since you rarely pay attention to such things.

The Golden Lion Auction House holds small auctions every month. Large-scale Auctions are generally held once every three years, but this year's was moved forward."

Earl Arthur explained upon hearing Chen Mu's question.

As for why the Auction had been moved forward, he did not say, and Chen Mu did not ask.

"Father, is there a list of items for this Auction? I'd like to take a look first."

"There is. Aim is in charge of that. If you are interested, you can ask him."

Earl Arthur did not suspect anything after hearing this and answered casually.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the final day before the Auction began, Chen Mu and William arrived together at the Golden Lion Auction House in the Far East Territory.

The Golden Lion Auction House was a large auction house owned by the Golden Lion Family.

Its architectural style somewhat resembled the medieval European architecture Chen Mu had seen in his previous life.

The defining feature of such architecture was its splendor, with lavish decorations on a grand scale.

From the outside, the auction house resembled a massive enclosed cage.

The entire auction house had three floors, all built from marble and granite, radiating an ancient, rustic air.

The outer walls were decorated with exquisite carvings and reliefs. One could tell from a distance alone that they had cost a fortune.

Chen Mu now understood just how glorious the Golden Lion Family had once been.

The present-day Golden Lion Family probably could not even afford to build something like this.

Once inside the auction house—

Compared to the splendor visible outside, the interior was not at all restrained. If anything, it was even more luxurious.

The interior design was exceptionally elaborate, with countless carvings and murals, while the ceiling was adorned with highly decorative fixtures.

Ancient-looking chandeliers hung from the lofty ceiling.

At the center of the first floor stood a large auction podium.

Numerous seats surrounded the podium for those attending the Auction.

This large-scale Auction would be held on the first floor of the auction house.

The second and third floors contained stages, concert halls, art exhibition rooms, and small private rooms.

They were places for Auction attendees to appreciate, study, and rest.

The Golden Lion Auction House could be called a perfect fusion of architecture, art, and culture.

Even Chen Mu could not find a single fault with it.

Inside a small private room on the second floor, Aim handed Chen Mu a list.

"Young Master, this is the list of auction items you requested. Everything in this Auction is listed here."

Seeing Chen Mu take the list and begin examining it carefully, Aim did not disturb him and went to chat quietly with William nearby.

Meanwhile, Chen Mu focused intently on the list of auction items.

He examined every item one by one, making sure not to overlook anything.

"Found it!"

Chen Mu's expectations had not been in vain. One of the items on the list was precisely what he had been looking for.

Item No. 42: Bronze Key

Description: Its age is unknown and ancient. Its design and craftsmanship are extremely exquisite, and it bears unknown writing and patterns. It possesses considerable collectible value.

Estimated price: 500 Gold Coins, or it may go unsold.

"That's right. This is the Bronze Key."

After reading the description, Chen Mu was certain that this was the Bronze Key he had been searching for.

After all, there were no other keys on the list.

Judging from the written description alone, the Bronze Key did not seem special in the slightest. At most, it was an artwork with some collectible value.

Its estimated value was also low. Compared to the other auction items on the list, it was insignificant.

It might even go unsold, making it seem as though the Golden Lion Family had simply thrown it in to pad out the Auction.

However, having gone through two simulations, Chen Mu knew that this key was the target of the Black Robe Pathseekers Society.

After finding what he was looking for, Chen Mu did not hesitate. He called Aim over and said quietly, "Sir Aim, I'm quite interested in this Bronze Key. Can the Auction be canceled and the item kept for me?"

Aim was somewhat surprised upon hearing Chen Mu's words.

Still, he took the list from Chen Mu and looked at item number forty-two. He found that it was neither valuable nor particularly unusual.

Though he was puzzled about why Chen Mu was interested in the key, he did not ask.

As the second young master of the Golden Lion Family, Chen Mu had that much privilege.

Not to mention one item—even if Chen Mu wanted several items withdrawn, Aim would not refuse. After all, everything on the list belonged to the Golden Lion Family.

Thus, Aim said, "No problem, Young Master. I'll have the auctioneer withdraw this item and set it aside for you. Actually, you could simply bid for it at the Auction."

Aim felt that since this was Chen Mu's first time attending a family Auction, he could experience the feeling of bidding, so he mentioned it in passing.

"No need, Sir Aim. By the way, will the list of auction items be disclosed before the Auction begins?"

Chen Mu naturally refused.

After all, bidding directly would make things the same as in the simulation.

"No. The items are kept confidential throughout the entire process. Before the Auction begins, I am the only one who has this list. Now, you do as well, Young Master.

Since a few items are sometimes added or withdrawn before an Auction starts, the list is not actually fixed.

Just like how you requested that one item be withdrawn this time, another item will be added temporarily before the Auction begins."

Aim explained to Chen Mu.

Chen Mu nodded after hearing this.

Only after Aim explained it did he realize that the auction items were not disclosed in advance.

In that case, could it really have been a coincidence? The Black Robe Pathseekers Society had attended this Auction, then unexpectedly discovered the thing they had been searching for at the Auction?

That was far too much of a coincidence.

But if Aim had betrayed the Golden Lion Family and leaked the list beforehand, that did not make sense either.

Leaving aside Earl Arthur's absolute trust in Aim—

Even if Aim truly had betrayed them, obtaining the Bronze Key should not have been difficult.

After all, Aim himself was responsible for this Auction. Secretly withdrawing one auction item would have been far too easy.

Moreover, when Chen Mu had told Aim that he wanted to keep the Bronze Key, he had paid close attention to Aim's reaction.

Aim had not reacted like someone who knew the key was special.

After a while, a guard handed a box to Aim, and Aim then handed the box to Chen Mu.

Chen Mu opened the wooden box. Inside lay a bronze-colored key.

From its appearance alone, it was an utterly ordinary copper key.

The key even bore greenish copper rust.

At most, the petal-like pattern on it was somewhat unusual, but Chen Mu could not see what was special about it.

It did not feel like some treasure from the novels of his previous life at all.

With the Auction about to begin, Chen Mu rubbed the Bronze Key in his palm.

PS: I didn't expect anyone to actually send Monthly Passes. Xiao Mie is so touched. Thank you to Xiuxian An for the Monthly Pass—I love you! Please keep up with Follow-up Reading~