The Booty Bay Auction

Three days later, Big Goldtooth opened his cabin and carried his cargo, crate by crate, down to the dock. He then hired several laborers to haul it all to the auction house in the center of Booty Bay. After being fleeced by the others over the past few days, even paying a few silver coins for the laborers made his heart ache.

Andy hadn't been mistreated these past few days. Big Goldtooth didn't want him to grow thin and fetch a lower price; that would only mean a loss for himself. Still, he added Andy's upkeep to the price he planned to ask. He wasn't about to make a losing deal.

Andy sat in the hold, his hands and feet bound, and watched Big Goldtooth's misfortunes with amusement. It wasn't that he couldn't break free of his ropes. At first, the ship had been at sea, and the other side had strength in numbers. Now, there was simply no way out. He'd been brought deep into the pirates' lair. What could he do?

"Get a move on! Hurry!" Big Goldtooth stood on the dock, directing the workers. "Hey, watch my cargo! Handle it carefully!" After all the commotion, his goods had been delivered to the auction house. Today was his special auction!

The auction house held a private auction for just one client each day, but all its staff were from Booty Bay. Booty Bay was a town the Goblins had built around a harbor, and at first, it had no entrance from the land. Later, however, the town gradually fell under the control of a force known as the Blackwater Raiders. For the sake of their own growth, they opened an entrance from the land, though it was extremely well hidden. Only Booty Bay's biggest clients knew where it was.

Those big clients were all members of powerful families or wealthy clans from various races and kingdoms. They came to Booty Bay at set times to buy goods and all manner of treasures and slaves. They also posted all kinds of jobs, anonymously, of course.

Beneath the auction stage were rows of seats, including ordinary seats and premium seats near the front. At the very front stood three chairs. One belonged to Rivaz, the boss of Booty Bay and leader of the Blackwater Raiders. The other two were reserved for today's two distinguished guests.

As the owner of the goods, Big Goldtooth couldn't take a seat. He had to go backstage and arrange the order in which his goods would be presented. What made the Booty Bay auction exciting was its unpredictability. Buyers had no way of knowing what would be auctioned that day in advance; everything was kept under wraps until the live auction.

Andy was backstage as well, his head covered by a black hood so no one could recognize him. It was a precaution Big Goldtooth had taken to protect the grand finale of his auction. The faint murmur of the crowd reached Andy's ears. With the hood muffling the sounds outside, he might not have understood what anyone was saying if the Monster Spirit hadn't amplified them for him.

"Quick, take this one up. It's the first item!" Big Goldtooth ordered.

Andy couldn't see what Big Goldtooth's first item was. He could only judge its value by the crowd's reaction beneath the stage. But from what he knew of Big Goldtooth, the Goblin didn't have anything particularly valuable.

Big Goldtooth stepped onto the stage and set the cloth-covered item in his hands on the auction stand. Then he bowed deeply to Rivaz and the other distinguished guest below. Rivaz nodded, and Big Goldtooth returned backstage. He didn't recognize the other guest, and one chair was still empty, which meant the last guest hadn't arrived.

Andy listened as the crowd outside went from utter silence to quiet murmuring. Then, after the host made an announcement, the murmurs turned into loud laughter. Big Goldtooth's face burned backstage, but he gritted his teeth and thought, Just wait. You'll be amazed in a moment.

Even the auctioneer wanted to laugh, if his position and circumstances had allowed it.

"What is that?" someone in the crowd called. "Why is it a giant seashell?"

"Exactly! At least a necklace made of rare shells would make sense!" someone else said.

The crowd below the stage erupted into a commotion. Rivaz frowned. This had happened to Big Goldtooth more than once. Why had he never learned? Would Rivaz have to revoke his auction privileges for good before he finally got the message? As he wondered this, he gave the auctioneer onstage a signal.

The auctioneer nodded and called out, "Everyone, please, quiet down! Since this item is rather unusual, let's invite its owner, Mr. Big Goldtooth, up to explain it!"

Big Goldtooth was gritting his teeth backstage when he heard the auctioneer call his name. He walked to the front, his face flushed. After clearing his throat, he did his best to make his voice ring out. "Everyone, this is what it really is!" As he spoke, he took a small knife from his pocket, wedged it into the seam of the shell, and pried it open with a forceful twist.

A lustrous black pearl rested quietly inside. The crowd gradually fell silent and turned to look at it. Big Goldtooth's face was no longer red, and he wasn't panting anymore. He calmly put away his knife and slowly returned backstage.

The moment Big Goldtooth stepped backstage, his legs went weak, and he nearly fell over. He hadn't actually known there was a pearl in the shell. He'd only guessed based on his experience. The best he'd hoped for was a white pearl. Who could have known there'd be a pearl inside—and not just any pearl, but a rare black one? It wasn't very large, but its rarity made up for that. The people who came to Booty Bay had seen every kind of treasure. They came looking for things that were rare and unusual.

Next came the auction of the pearl. In the end, a wealthy merchant bought it for fifty gold coins and gave it to his mistress on the spot!

Aside from the unexpected black pearl, there was nothing else among the goods worth mentioning. Big Goldtooth's ship was fit for little more than panning for gold along the coasts. As for raiding, he was better off forgetting it! When the final item came up, the distinguished guest sitting beside Rivaz spoke. "I'll take this."

Rivaz nodded toward the stage. When no one below objected, he declared the item sold. The auctioneer was surprised that a distinguished guest would show interest in a yellowed, tattered sheet of paper. What they didn't know was that it was actually a blueprint for an engineering machine.

The slaves were auctioned off last. Big Goldtooth had only a limited supply, so he had no particularly good stock. He sold them all at especially low prices. Calling it an auction of slaves was a stretch; it was more like a wholesale sale!

Just as everyone thought the auction was over, Big Goldtooth and two Goblin pirates brought out a tall figure wearing a hood.

"What's with that?" Rivaz asked, puzzled. He thought that on his own turf, Big Goldtooth hardly needed to go to such lengths to hide someone.

Big Goldtooth said nothing. He smiled faintly, thinking, Just wait until you're shocked. Then he yanked the hood off Andy's head. Andy's long, pointed ears were instantly exposed to everyone. Everyone in attendance, except for the distinguished guest, who showed no reaction, drew in a sharp breath.

"An... elf!" Rivaz murmured, drawing out the word.