Chapter 8: “Heirloom” Treasures, the Wind of Glory

Having obtained the elemental crystals and iron ore, Donald stayed in his room for two days without going outside, reducing his meals to just one per day. During that time, aside from instructing his butler, Cord, to use the remaining money to buy a carriage and two medium-sized horses, he took no other actions.
Cord had heard some rumors about mages’ habits and quirks, so he didn’t mind his young master’s strange behavior; in fact, he was secretly pleased. His only concern was that the master might overexert himself during training and harm his health. Therefore, he spent a lot on meals, hoping the master could gain more nutrition. In this way, the three or four gold sols left quickly dwindled to just a few silver moons.
But Cord didn’t care about this—once the master completed his training, he could earn as many gold sols as he needed.
Another day passed, and Donald, who hadn’t gotten proper sleep in two days, stepped out of his room feeling refreshed. After using two second-tier crystal cores to summon Soul Walkers twice and successfully meditating, he had become a mage apprentice, able to initially control his mental energy and cast simple spells—such as making a small feather or leaf float in the air or lighting a candle out of thin air. These were level 0 spells with no offensive power, often referred to as tricks or apprentice spells. Once one’s mental energy reached a certain level and could be used skillfully, they could learn these spells on their own.
The effects of meditation meant he remained full of energy despite not sleeping for two days. Meditation itself replaced some of the effects of sleep, and coupled with his high spirits from good fortune, he appeared particularly energetic.
After enjoying a hearty breakfast, Donald took Cord to the deserted backyard, where he did something unknown. Then, the master and butler emerged mysteriously, carrying a long gray cloth bundle.
After returning to his room and getting dressed in the newly purchased clothes, Donald boarded the carriage with Clinton and Cord, ordering George and Bush to drive them toward Stone City.
On the journey to Stone City, the three of them sat facing each other in the carriage.
“Cord, you remember the plan I mentioned before, right?”
Cord glanced at his young master with a mix of excitement and strangeness before answering, “Yes, master. Cord has remembered every word!”
Donald smiled upon hearing this.

“Alright, once we get there, we’ll plan our actions!”
Cord glanced at his young master, hesitating for a moment before ultimately saying nothing.
Meanwhile, Donald, who had already spoken, closed his eyes and focused on mastering his newly acquired mage abilities.
Half an hour passed. This private carriage was much faster than the freight cart Donald had taken last time, and soon they arrived in Stone City.
Before long, an unremarkable black carriage stopped in front of Goldenthorn Auction House, the largest and only auction house in Stone City. The black carriage and its ordinary horse worth fifty silver moons paled in comparison to the lavishly decorated entrance of the auction house. Even the other carriages parked near the entrance were exquisitely adorned; those of lower quality dared not stop there and had to squeeze into the nearby alleys.
Clinton and George outside carried the long gray cloth bundle out of the carriage. Before getting off, Donald heard shouts from outside: “What are you doing? This is Goldenthorn Auction House, not a place for you country bumpkins! If you want to buy farm goods, go to the market in thecommoners district! There are noble lords’ carriages coming soon—get lost! Don’t be an eyesore here!”
It turned out to be two auction house servants who saw Bush, unarmored, parking an ordinary carriage in a prominent spot in front of the entrance. Another driver turned back into the carriage to get something and couldn’t help but scold them.
After all, those who were waiting outside to greet guests hoped to guide some important figure to a parking spot and earn a generous reward!
Now, this shabby carriage had taken up the only available spot in front of the entrance—wasn’t that cutting off their source of income?
So, relying on their status as auction house employees, they started shouting at the seemingly unimportant driver. After all, such carriages were only used by rural peddlers, so they didn’t fear offending anyone important.
Cord, the butler still inside the carriage about to get out, became furious upon hearing these insults. If it had been him in the past, he might have endured such insults, but since they also insulted his young master, it was something the loyal Cord could never forgive.
Pushing past George and the others carrying the bundle, Cord stormed out of the carriage, furious, and started scolding the two servants.

The two servants saw a middle-aged man in the appearance of a manager coming out of the carriage, and they both felt a sense of guilt. They were merely the lowest-ranking servants in the auction house, responsible for the grueling tasks of carrying goods and leading guests’ horses to parking spots. Their status was not even comparable to that of the guards, let alone the servants who attended to the nobles, who spoke to them in a condescending tone.

The position of guiding guests to parking spots in front of the door was a privilege they had obtained by bribing a higher-ranking manager with two months’ worth of wages.

Yet the more humble one’s status, the stronger their pride. When facing those of higher status, they would hide their pride out of humility, but when dealing with those of similar or lower status, they would exaggerate their insults to emphasize their own superiority.

So despite feeling guilty, upon seeing that Cord might be a manager from some small shop and thus of higher status, they still mocked him harshly, relying on the backing of the powerful Goldenthorn Auction House, one of the largest commercial forces in Stone City.

Cord was furious. After the Merlina family declined, he had raised the young master alone through many hardships, never allowing him to suffer such humiliation.

But as a noble steward, Cord couldn’t retort angrily to those two slave-like servants. He could only stand there, speechless with anger.

Seeing that he didn’t speak, the two servants thought he was powerless to argue and laughed even louder.

At that moment, a manager who had just escorted two guests to their seats inside the auction house heard the noise and hurried back outside.

Upon seeing the scene, this middle-aged manager, who resembled a scholar, immediately frowned.

Unlike the superficiality of the two servants, as a manager responsible for receiving VIPs, he naturally wouldn’t judge people by appearance alone. Many powerful professionals had peculiar habits; there had even been cases of them disguising themselves as beggars at the entrance. He had heard the tragic story of a manager from a major shop in the capital who insulted a high noble in plain clothes, only to end up as the lowest-ranking slave.

This story served as a warning to many shop managers, and he, as one of the managers at Stone City’s largest auction house, was no exception.

However, the person these two servants were mocking didn’t seem like a high-ranking figure—most likely just a small merchant interested in the auction house’s recent salon. And such gatherings were not meant for small merchants anyway. A few words would suffice; it wouldn’t affect the auction house’s business.

Thus, the manager decided on how to handle the situation in his mind.
“Why are the two of you making such a racket here? Do you not want to work?”
Seeing the manager arrive, Kord was overjoyed and wanted to complain about the rudeness of these two servants. But before he could speak, the manager said, “Recently, many important people have come to our auction house, so we’re not handling small transactions. Please send this customer away!”
Those words left Kord speechless, his face turning red with anger.
At that moment, Donald stepped out of the carriage and stopped Clinton and the others from taking action against them. If they had attacked, they could easily have beaten the other party half to death, but that would make things worse.
Donald didn’t take the mockery by those two servants seriously. As a mage apprentice with a secret weapon like the Book of Truth, he would eventually become a revered figure. Even now, as a quasi-noble, though down and out, he was far above those two servants—there was no need to get upset over them; it wasn’t worth it!
However, he hadn’t expected that just a few words would turn things into this state. If he didn’t take action soon, not only would their mission fail, but his butler would also suffer unjust insults.
This was something Donald, who regarded Kord as a family member, could never forgive. Today, he had to use his power to assert dominance!
“How dare you! Has your firm’s power already reached the level of the Celt royal family? A mere servant dares to insult a noble heir and his servants? If that’s the case, then I’ll have to go to the noble council and the royal court to seek a just judgment!”
These calm words spoken by Donald instantly silenced the once-arrogant two servants and caused the manager great concern.
From the moment that young man stepped out of the carriage, the manager had felt a chill in his heart, realizing things were going wrong.
Although the handsome young man wasn’t dressed in fancy clothes, he was wearing the formal attire of legitimate noble men—undoubtedly a true noble or noble heir. Even if he were a minor noble, he was still of high status, not someone ordinary like them should provoke.
Insulting a noble as a commoner could result in flogging—his body couldn’t withstand twenty lashes!

And although he hadn’t been involved himself, he could shift all the blame onto those two reckless servants. Still, if word got out, it would surely affect the auction house’s reputation, and then his job would be in danger. The boss wouldn’t risk offending a noble just for a minor issue, even if it was a down-and-out noble with no money or power. Looking at those three drivers earlier, they all appeared to be strong, muscular attendants—by no means ordinary drivers. With such attendants, this noble must be quite powerful as well. Fortunately, no one was around, so no outsiders saw what happened. As long as he won over this noble youth and his servants, things would be much easier. At worst, he could just have them attend the upcoming noble salon; after all, assigning them seats in a secluded room wouldn’t draw much attention. Immediately, the manager put on a smiling face and kept bowing, saying, “I’m truly sorry! These two servants were foolish enough to insult this lord. As the manager of Goldenthorn Auction House, I will surely punish them with the harshest penalties!” “Honorable guest, please follow me to the guest room to rest for a while. Our auction house will be holding a salon shortly—perhaps you’ll be interested!” With that, he bowed and led Donald inside. Donald nodded indifferently. Seeing how a single sentence from his young master could change the attitude of the manager of the largest auction house in Giantstone City, Kord felt both relieved and somewhat confused about his master. Unable to figure it out, he attributed it to the fact that his master had become a great mage. As for Clinton and the others, they didn’t think much of it; in their minds, everything their master did was reasonable. Unbeknownst to them, although Donald had been a homebody in his past life, he now had enough confidence to act pretentiously in front of others without revealing any flaws. Of course, this was also because of his strong abilities—he wouldn’t have been caught off guard otherwise, especially by someone as perceptive as Manager Barrow. Leading the butler and Clinton, with George and the other two carrying the long gray cloth bundle, Donald stepped steadily into the auction house with the manager. In a separate guest room, Barrow ordered the servants to serve Donald exquisite snacks, then instructed two of the auction house’s guards to take those two foolish servants away and ask Donald for his decision on how to deal with them.

Donald paid no mind to such trivial matters and waved his hand, letting Codd decide for himself. As a kind-hearted and lenient man, Codd ultimately did not punish them severely, sparing the two servants and simply dismissing them. Otherwise, they would have at least suffered physical punishment, and even if killed, it would be in vain—no one would stand up for two poor servants who had offended nobles.

With the earlier unpleasantness resolved, Donald gracefully took a sip of his milk tea and then smiled at the steward, Barrow, saying, “I have a business deal I’d like to pursue with your auction house. I wonder if Steward Barrow has the authority to make a decision?”

Barrow glanced at the composed young man in surprise. At such a young age, he was so steady in handling matters—his background must be extraordinary. Had his initial assessment been wrong?

He quickly replied, “For ordinary business deals, Barrow can make a decision. If it’s something you’d like to entrust to Goldenthorn Auction House, I can offer you a favorable price!”

“Hehe! Thank you for your kindness, Steward Barrow. But this item is not ordinary, and it’s not for direct sale either—it’s meant to be auctioned. You’d better take a look yourself before making a decision!”

Donald gave Codd a signal, who stepped forward immediately and spoke as instructed by the young master: “Our young master has recently become an apprentice mage and needs many elemental crystals for his training. Therefore, he had to reluctantly decide to sell our family’s ancestral treasure, hoping to retrieve it once he becomes a full-fledged mage.”

With that, he pulled back the gray cloth in his hands and placed it on the table, revealing the item that had been covered all along.

It was a long sword, almost twice the length of an ordinary two-handed sword, lying quietly on the table. It featured exquisite guards, a sword body with faint inscriptions, and a razor-sharp blade that gleamed brightly.

Upon hearing that the young man before him was a mage, the steward was overjoyed that he had handled things properly and hadn’t offended this noble among nobles. Then, upon seeing this magnificent sword that didn’t resemble a weapon at all, his astonishment was even greater.

Barrow stammered, “Is, is this a knight’s greatsword?”

“Exactly! I wonder if your auction house would be interested in this ancestral treasure of ours!”

Hearing the noise, Baro came back to his senses and said respectfully to Donald, “My lord, this treasure is beyond Baro’s control. However, recently, our Golden Sol Auction House has invited all nobles within the Giant Stone City to attend its annual half-month-long auction salon, where rare artworks and magical items are put up for bidding. Most of the famous nobles are currently in the city. If you can persuade our chief administrator, it won’t be difficult to auction this treasure tonight!”
“Oh? That’s quite convenient. Then please inform your chief administrator! I must participate in this auction!”
Upon hearing this, Baro bowed and left the reception room.
Watching Donald’s calm demeanor, Cord couldn’t help but ask worriedly, “Young master, do you think that chief administrator will agree to auction our knight’s sword? And I heard this auction house has quite significant backing. Do you think they might have ulterior motives?”
Donald reassured his butler, “Don’t worry, Uncle Cord. I’m quite confident in my abilities. Auction house administrators are usually very discerning and should be able to appreciate the value of this treasure! If not, we can go to another city. Can they just take it by force?”
Cord, who was straightforward, agreed and settled down to wait.
Not long after they finished speaking, there was a knock at the door.
“Come in!”
A round-faced man in even more luxurious robes than Baro’s, looking like a friendly merchant, pushed the door open and entered. Behind him were Baro and an old man with a long beard.
After entering, Baro introduced him to Donald first. “My lord, this is Bert, our chief administrator at Golden Sol Auction House, and this is Mr. Orchi, our chief appraiser!”
At that moment, Cord, as the butler, stepped forward and said, “Chief Administrator Bert, Master Orchi, allow me to introduce you to my young master. His ancestors were granted hereditary knight titles in the kingdom. I am Cord, his butler!”
Bert and Baro were slightly shocked and quickly bowed. “Good day, Sir Knight!”
Donald waved his hand and said, “I’m not yet of age and haven’t passed the knightly trials. I’ll wait until I officially inherit my family’s title before using that title.”
He never expected that the young man before him was not only a mage apprentice but also an heir to a knightly title. If he had his own fiefdom, he would be a noble with status equal to most of the nobles in Giant Stone City.

Although many noble titles are higher than that of a knight, as long as there is no master-subordinate relationship, local nobles under the royal family generally hold equal status. Of course, according to the four ranks of nobility, an hereditary knight is usually one rank below a baron and two ranks below a viscount who governs at least one city; when they meet, the former should offer a greeting first, and the latter should return a half-greeting.

Generally, nobles with higher titles also possess greater lands and power, so they must learn to be humble when facing nobles stronger than themselves.

Compared to the two stewards, Barrow andBert, as soon as the chief appraiser, Orchi, entered, his attention was entirely drawn to the giant sword on the table, and he kept exclaiming things like “Exquisite! It’s absolutely beautiful!”

Regarding Orchi’s rudeness, StewardBert apologized awkwardly, saying, “Please forgive Mr. Orchi, Sir Knight. He has dedicated decades to appraising treasures and is inevitably somewhat obsessed. As for the auction of your item, we can discuss it after Mr. Orchi has appraised it!”

Donald replied nonchalantly, “It’s fine. I understand the feeling of loving something and being amazed by a precious treasure! After all, my ancestral knight’s sword, Glory Wind, is a rare treasure in the world, so it’s normal to take some time to admire it!”

Then he explained to the three of them the fabricated origin of his ancestral treasure.

Kord, who stood respectfully nearby, almost laughed at the story the young master had made up to inflate the value of the sword. He knew very well that the sword was merely obtained in exchange for a cartload of iron ore from Goldthorn and had only been forged a few hours ago—there was no such thing as a thousand-year legacy or participation in holy wars!