“What is this place? It looks so creepy.”
Vivi asked Luna and Sienna. The trio along with the other rich kids had gathered at a private property. It was a simple yet large house located at the suburban end of the city of Nilaami.
The house had a wooden flooring that would produce creaking sounds whenever someone walked over it. The large hall boasted a chandelier at the rooftop that was decorated with spiderwebs. And one could see that some parts of the house had been gathering dust for a long time.
There were signs of recent human activities. But it was obvious that nobody bothered to renovate or clean the house and just used it as a means to conduct their business. That’s why Vivi found it uncomfortable to be at the place.
“There are auction houses for hire in this city. They are maintained by the city administrations. Although maintain won’t be the right word to describe what I’m saying, you get the gist.
Edward Jener is going crazy. He is trying to give a professional touch to a deal that should stay under the table. What was he thinking by asking us to come here? Let’s just hear what he has to say before getting the hell out of here.”
Sienna answered in an irritated voice.
The city of Nilaami was one of the closest cities to the city of Lionhearts. A colt ride would normally take up to five hours to cover the entire distance.
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The city of Nilaami was famous for its auction events. It would act as a host for such events organized by trusted authorities and shady organizations with equal and impartial attitudes. The city would just charge city tax with every transaction that has been made in such events, and rake revenue from it.
In exchange for such a partial tax process, the city of Nilaami, for the most part, would try to look the other way when it came to buying and selling goods with questionable origins. The house that had been selected for the gathering was often rented for similar events in the past by a lot of out-in-the-open and hidden organizations. So it didn’t feel strange that “Edward Jener” had selected the same place to summon the LA students with deep pockets under one roof.
Another reason Eren had selected the city of Nilaami instead of the city of Lionhearts was that the latter was under the protection of the academy. The security in the city of Nilaami was pretty lax, something he had been seeking for his coming event.
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“Glad to see you all here, dear students. Hope you didn’t find it troubling to travel to this beat down place. Hehe!”
Eren addressed his fellow LA students with Edward’s voice and face. It had been some hours since he had killed the original Edward. And now he was using his identity to execute what he had planned for Sienna and her friends.
“Eddy, what is the meaning of this? You could have kept this event inside the city of Lionhearts. I would have arranged a safe place for you if you had just told me. What are we even doing here in the city of Nilaami as if you are conducting a professional auction?”
Sienna voiced her opinion as soon as Edward was done greeting the students. It looked like she was very unhappy with the way her servant-like lab-in-charge had created discomfort for her.
“Hehe! I’m using this place for another event that will come up as soon as I’m done with you. I’m trying to be cost-effective, you see. I have paid a lot to the city administration to get the assurance I need in conducting my business here. So I’ll request your patience. Hehe!”
Edward explained his position and that convinced a lot of students in the crowd. They didn’t mind coming here as long as they could be selected for the Master Ranker’s classes after all. Sienna still has her complaints. But she kept them to herself for now. It was better she let the event proceed and get away from this place as soon as she could. Her womanly intuition was telling her this place wasn’t safe for her.
“Alright. You guys must have heard about a Master ranked potioneer coming to LA for their professorship, yes? Well, this news is true. As far-fetched as you might think, I was the one who had made it happen by giving the master ranker the ingredient they needed.
The reason I gathered you guys here was to conduct an auction for the twenty places Master Ranker is planning to fill with talented students. They are not going to bother to individually test you for your talents. So I will be left in charge of the selection.
You know what that means, right?”
Edwards flashed a cunning smile that the students had expected but never seen on Edward’s face before. One of the students couldn’t help raising his doubt:
“Edward, even if we buy those 20 seats, wouldn’t it still be dangerous? It is a Master ranker after all. What if they get unsatisfied with all our talents and question your claim that we were the cream of the crop in our year?”
Edward seemed unfazed after hearing the student’s question. He nodded at him before replying:
“It is indeed a valid concern. But I’ll not be handing the seats to you without creating a spectacle out of it. I’ll introduce a rigged test for these 20 places and give other students the impression that you have been selected through a natural process.
As for the Master ranker’s dissatisfaction, don’t worry. Do you think a Master ranker keeps track of every generation’s talent that comes after them? They’ll just think that your generation has regressed in talent and conduct their classes as per your level. So fret not. Everything will be alright as soon as you sign the anonymity contract.”
Edward handed them the anonymity contracts and asked the students to sign them.
