The sun over the sea was huge and round. A fine sweat covered Zul'ra Jin as he walked out of the hot, humid auction house empty-handed. The harbor breeze cooled him slightly, but when he looked up and saw the enormous statue of Gazlowe standing in the bay, he could not help cursing under his breath, "Greedy little green-skinned dwarf."
Zul'ra Jin could hardly help being angry. He was short of money, and aside from comparing prices at different places during this trip to Booty Bay, he had brought some of the Amani's stockpiled treasures to sell at the auction house—some magical artifacts hidden away in Zul'Aman.
Unlike the weapons Zul'ra Jin had seen that had been simply and temporarily enchanted by Elves or humans, the treasures stored in Zul'Aman were all high-end goods. They possessed peculiar magic and considerable historical significance. Some had been passed down through Troll history, while others were weapons seized from Elves.
Because he urgently needed money, Zul'ra Jin had unearthed those long-sealed treasures from Zul'Aman and sent them all to the Booty Bay auction house. The auction had gone better than expected. The five treasures had sold for a total of 11,320 gold coins, but before the money even reached his hands, the Goblins had deducted a fifteen-percent commission.
The commission came to a full 1,698 gold coins, leaving him with 9,622. Not only did those Goblin accountants have no intention of waiving the odd amount, they even asked whether he wanted to pay the deposit for Insect Dung Saltpeter in advance, as though they had no intention of letting him leave with any money at all.
The auction house belonged to Gazlowe, and so did the Insect Dung Saltpeter business. Zul'ra Jin had chosen delivery with payment upon arrival, and the Goblin accountant