The Old Nobility despised the New Noble. The Old Nobility and the New Noble despised the Nobles of the Outer City. And all three despised Nobles from outside the Royal Capital.
The much-discussed, "arrogant" King of the North sat near the bottom of that pecking order. You rarely saw Nobles so united—even during the Ratfolk Invasion, a few would turn up to side with them.
"330 Gold Coins!"
A Noble gritted his teeth and raised the bid on the "Dwarf Ale Barrel from the Elf Calendar," which had opened at 30 Gold Coins. This was his limit. If anyone bid again, he would...
From the VIP Box came Annan's "furious" voice. "You dare fight the King of the North for it?" Then he fell silent. Ellis's name rang through the auction hall as the winner.
They had shown the King of the North what true Noble heritage looked like. He was just a country Noble from the North.
The bidding Noble got his moment of glory, the cheering guests got a boost in morale, the auction house earned its commission, and Annan collected his reward. So who had lost?
Bola Silma might have known, or might not have. It didn't matter.
What mattered was that today's sales had exceeded those of the monthly grand auction.
"I apologize for my prejudice..."
The young Noble had only wanted to cover a 500-Gold-Coin shortfall. Now he had done that and earned over 200 Gold Coins besides. The Goddess of Wealth's power had made his priorities crystal clear: money.
"A pleasure doing business with you," Annan said.
The young Noble hesitated, then nodded. "A pleasure doing business with you."
Before Annan left, the owner of the Black Gold Auction House invited him back. Annan declined. "The Nobles are foolish, not stupid..." Pull this trick