Hippo Ancient City had never lacked customers, but after Christie's Auction House went public, the crowds in this ancient city doubled in just two hours.
Such an enormous crowd could hardly consist solely of the top factions competing against one another. Many ordinary tribes had joined in as well.
Naturally, they had no chance whatsoever of competing for the ultimate Memory Fragment. But Hippo Ancient City had never been a poor place. Calling it filthy rich would have been no exaggeration.
Most of that wealth, however, lay in the hands of slave merchants. Those who came here had only one goal.
Price!
They wanted to have their Memory Fragments appraised and secure a better price. Everyone knew these were treasures, and after all the dealings by the Goblins and Dwarves, people increasingly felt they were holding a golden goose.
No matter how high a price the Goblins offered, they believed they could earn more in Hippo Ancient City.
Shops buying fragments had already begun appearing throughout the city. Every shopkeeper solemnly promised to keep their identities confidential, insisting that no third party could ever learn about the Memory Fragments they sold.
Such promises might fool newcomers, but to veterans who had spent years struggling to survive, they were child's play. As for those from ordinary tribes, they cherished their treasures above all else and would never hand them over unless they had no other choice.
Still, plenty of people had set their sights on these commoners carrying treasures. Corpses could occasionally be seen dumped beside the streets of Hippo Ancient City, blood dripping steadily from their wounds. They had clearly died only moments before, yet passersby never spared them a second glance. This had never been a place for kindhearted souls.
Ke'er stood at the gates of Hippo Ancient City.