"One hundred and fifty thousand a night," she murmured. "That's highway robbery."
"That's how it is this time of year," Odin said. "Once the auctions start in a few days, prices will go up even more. We might not even be able to book a room and have to rent a house on the outskirts instead."
Ponzu turned back to him. "So we're only staying for a week?"
"Yeah," Odin said. "We'll get familiar with the area first and see how things look at the auctions."
Ponzu nodded, then turned back to the window.
The setting sun shone on her face, tinting her skin orange-red.
Cars and pedestrians still moved along the street below. In the distance, lights began coming on among the buildings of Auction Street, one after another, until they joined into a sea of light.
"It's so lively," she said.
Odin walked over to stand beside her and looked out the window too.
"Want to go for a walk?" he asked.
Ponzu nodded. "Let's go."
They went downstairs, left the hotel, and followed the street toward Auction Street.
The streets were crowded. Some people hurried along, some browsed at a leisurely pace, and others stood by the roadside chatting.
All the shops were open, with all sorts of things displayed in their windows.
Several people stood outside one shop, arguing about something.
An old man crouched outside another, examining a stone through a magnifying glass.
Ponzu looked around as she walked, then stopped outside one shop.
A row of glass jars sat in the window, containing all sorts of preserved specimens-a huge beetle, a long, slender snake, and something that looked like a lump of meat.
"Are these all rare specimens?" she marveled. "Just what you'd expect from an auction city."
Odin took a look. "Pretty impressive."