The Old Wood Ship Auction

After a simple meal, Arthur and Leo sat off to one side, chatting about interesting things that happened at sea.

Scholar Leo showed great interest in tales of the sea.

"Scholar Leo, with your knowledge and qualifications, you could serve as a diplomat in the Old Continent or work as a translator at a port."

"Why are you so interested in stories about the sea?"

Arthur asked tentatively. Many people yearned for the sea, so his question was a little obvious.

Still, it might prompt Scholar Leo to give an unusual reason.

Scholar Leo let out a long sigh and wore a troubled expression. "Oh, Lord Arthur, you mean that?"

"My professor wants me to learn about the ocean so I can accompany him to the New Continent as a translator in the future."

"God of Storms above! I haven't even been to the North Sea or the Midland Sea, and now I'm supposed to travel all the way to the New Continent!"

Arthur was a little surprised. Leo was a graduate scholar specializing in linguistics, and Arthur remembered that he was qualified to teach.

"Scholar Leo, couldn't you apply to become a translator at a port yourself?

"Or find a job teaching linguistics in Fog City, Cavendish County, or Yorkshire?"

Leo let out another long sigh, his heart heavy with sorrow. He lowered his voice and said:

"My professor is a leading authority on Tudor linguistics. Without his recommendation, the nobility won't hire me as a private language tutor, and I can't get a government job either."

"If you don't mind me asking, Scholar Leo, which ancient language are you studying?"

Leo felt as though two more swords had pierced his heart. "Back when I started, I thought the Age of Navigation and the opening of the Grand Route would lead to sea trade with the New Continent.

"The language of the New Continent was sure to be in demand. But after I studied it, I discovered..."

"The nobles just hire interpreters to deal with language barriers."

"Interpreters?"

It was a very academic term. Arthur had never heard it before, but it probably wasn't much different from a translator.

Leo glanced around before speaking cautiously. "They're natives wearing copper collars, forced to learn the language of the Old Continent.

"Then they use them to communicate. I heard from my professor that if they make a single mistranslation, they have one of their toes cut off."

Considering the cost of training them, these interpreters were indeed cheaper than hiring a professional scholar like Leo.

And they could be replaced at any time, without anyone having to worry about their feelings.

"Did you come to the Old Wood Ship Auction because there's something you're hoping to buy?"

"No, I couldn't afford a high-end collectible like this."

Leo explained, "My professor is a special scholar invited to the Old Wood Ship Auction. Many items from the New Continent have inscriptions containing specialized terms.

"I came here on his behalf to inspect the auction items and make sure no precious objects are sold too cheaply."

Arthur pondered this, then began talking about life at sea, sharing a few interesting tales.

As evening fell, Governor Drew invited everyone to move to the grand hall. "Ladies and gentlemen, please make your way to the grand hall. The Old Wood Ship Auction is about to begin."

The guests started filing in.

Leo was asked to go backstage to inspect the auction items and make sure nothing had been overlooked.

An attendant led them into the hall. As a newly elevated lord, Arthur had been assigned a seat in the middle of the third row.

In front of him sat representatives of some of the most prestigious and influential nobles.

In the first row sat Arina Stuart, a central figure among the highest-ranking nobility.

The man seated beside Arina in the middle of the first row wore an extravagant formal outfit embroidered with a golden rose and set with blazing red rubies.

His outfit alone was worth around 100 gold coins.

Arthur didn't know the man's name, but he knew his family name.

Lancaster, one of the oldest and most noble names in the Tudor Dynasty.

Even though Arthur knew little about Tudor history, he had heard of the connection between the red-rose Lancasters and the white-rose Yorks during the "Wars of the Roses."

As far as he remembered, the Yorks had won the Wars of the Roses. Had the Lancasters not been wiped out?

Clang, clang, clang.

An old man wearing a white wig and a black, tight-fitting, double-breasted coat walked into the grand hall, his leather boots clacking against the wooden floor.

His wig had yellowed noticeably from years of wind and sun, and the wooden ship ornament on his chest marked his identity.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Old Wood Ship Auction."

"I'll be hosting today's auction. You may call me Old Peter. The rules are simple."

"Bids on each item must exceed the starting price by at least 1%."

"We have precious collectibles from the Grand Route and the New Continent up for auction today.

"If anyone challenges the authenticity of an item and provides compelling evidence, the Old Wood Ship Auction will give that guest priority to purchase it for 70% of the final bid!"

Arthur listened as Old Peter explained the rules.

The Old Wood Ship Auction encouraged bidders to challenge items. That could damage the auction house's reputation, of course, but it also meant fewer buyers would snag bargains.

From the perspective of collecting commissions, the auction house was guaranteed to profit.

"Now, our first item comes from the far end of the Grand Route, from the Sea of the Brave, known as the 'Pirate Chessboard.'

"Blue Mountain Coffee from the highlands of Gaya Island, picked and processed by the most delicate local maidens.

"Each jar contains about 100 grams. We've brought back ten jars this time. The starting price is 100 gold coins!"

A maid brought out ten earthenware jars, each about the size of a palm.

"Oh! The precious Blue Mountain Coffee!"

"I still can't forget the civet coffee I had last time, with its rich, earthy fragrance. I'd love to taste it again! I bid 110 gold coins for another taste of that unforgettable bitterness."

The early items up for auction were mostly food and drink. After the Blue Mountain Coffee came lobster from the Sea of the Brave.

After listening for a while, Arthur had a rough idea of where the Sea of the Brave was: it was probably the Caribbean, also known as Widow Bay.

The Scholar Potion he was hoping for was worth around 10,000 gold coins, so it would probably be one of the final items at the Old Wood Ship Auction.

As time passed, Arthur grew drowsy.

Suddenly!

He heard Old Peter say, "The next item comes from ancient Aztec. We don't yet know its exact history."

A jade-like bone was brought out on a tray, resting on a piece of spotless white cotton.

"This rare piece bears some very precious ancient writing. Although it hasn't been deciphered, it was kept by an Aztec chief."

"The starting price is 100 gold coins."

Arthur glanced casually at the jade-like bone. A line of small characters had been carved into it with some kind of tool, the writing deliberately stained with blood to stand out against the bone's jade-white surface.

He ran the words through his knowledge of Sea Race Language and roughly worked out what the sentence meant.

His eyes widened, and he couldn't help sitting up.

Drawing a deep breath, Arthur closed his eyes, then opened them again. He wanted to tell Arina to bid on the item.

Tapping the wooden armrest of his chair, Arthur suddenly spoke. "I've seen similar writing at a friend's place."

The moment he spoke, the grand hall fell silent. Every gaze turned to Arthur.