Rosie's Games

Chapter 323: Federico's Maps

"These are the list of things that will be an auction in a while," Mr. Pratt said. He was sitting next to Rosalind in one of the private rooms in their auction house. Next to him sat Mr. Montgomery and next to Rosalind was Magda.

"Is there anything unique or rare?"

"None. I do not see anything. As usual, we are auctioning cursed weapons and some maps as well as some long lost books — rare books."

"What maps?" Rosalind read the booklet and quickly found what she was looking for. There were actually maps of ruins.

"I heard that the ruins had been… I mean dark mists engulfed those places. This is not just in one ruin, but all of them. This has made it very hard for most adventurers to visit those places; the excavations have been stopped as many people died when they tried to venture further into the area. The maps that we have are said to be something that were obtained after the death of ten people who tried to explore the area," Mr. Pratt explained.

"This is the ruins near the black forest? In Dreaston?" Rosalind could feel goosebumps skittering over her body when she thought of the things that had happened in her past life. In that timeline, Dreaston was at war with Turith. What followed was the battle between families and many Kingdoms would fall because of this war.

The most notable places that would be involved, aside from the Empire of Dreaston and the Empire of Turith, was the black forest.

Now, out of nowhere, Federico suddenly joined an auction where a map like this could be found. Despite the beasts knocking on his door, the man chose to come here to join an auction!

Was it just a coincidence? josei

"Yes. It is in the Black Forest."

"You said that dark mist covered the ruins. Does it include the black forest?" she asked.

"No," Mr. Montgomery was quick to answer. "Not the Black Forest."

Rosalind nodded. "I guess we shall wait and see?" If Federico really wanted those maps then, did that mean he had something to do with the upcoming war that would happen? Rosalind was serving the Queen in her past life, but she knew nothing about this! She knew close to nothing about relics and she knew nothing about the ruins.

Wasn't she simply pathetic?

Another knock interrupted them. One of the attendants that serve the VIP area informed Mr. Pratt that Federico wanted him to join him in his private room to watch the auction. Almost immediately, Mr. Pratt frowned. However, this was business and he had no other choice but to serve a VIP client like Federico.

"Me shall guard Miss Lin. Me will make sure that she is safe. There is no need to worry about it."

"I— I am actually not worried about that." Mr. Pratt gave Miss Lin a weird look. "The ones who have dared to make enemies of Federico have… disappeared. Most of them vanished, never to be seen again. The others… just suddenly fall from their pedestal. Please keep that in mind."

Rosalind smiled. Honestly, she liked smart people and Mr. Pratt was definitely one of the smarter ones that she met in this lifetime. "I will keep that in mind. Thank you."

Just like that, the auction started.

…

"Mr. Pratt, your auction house has always baffled me. This place is akin to a treasure trove," Federico was giving Mr. Pratt a cordial smile as he enjoyed his sweet tea— something that Federico preferred over the well-known bitter tea from the North.

"You are praising us too much, Your blessedness. It just happens that many merchants and adventurers trust us. Of course, we are very grateful for their trust and never-ending support."

"Ah… a humble man. I like it." Federico smiled. "The ones who know how to think and know where to place themselves are always the best people to be around. Don't you agree, Mr. Pratt?"

"I agree, Your Blessedness."

"So, let us talk about business."

"Business?" A knowing smile appeared on Mr. Pratt's face. "How could I help you, Your Blessedness?"

"Good… Good. It seems that coming in here was definitely right."

Mr. Pratt nodded with the same smile on his face.

"I want to buy all the maps that you have."

"Maps? May I—"

"Of the ruins. Every ruin that we can find in this continent. I want all of the maps that you have."

"All of them?" Mr. Pratt acted surprised.

"All of them."

"Those maps are part of our auction, Your Blessedness. As much as I would like to help you, you must understand that the black market has a different set of rules," Mr. Pratt said. "Those that are already listed for auction will be auctioned for everyone to bid on; there can never be an exception."

To Mr. Pratt's surprise, Federico smiled and nodded. "No. I am not talking about the current maps that you have. I am talking about the ones that you will receive in the future. Those maps… should be about the ruins that had been wrapped by a strange dark mist. I want all of them. Name your price and I will give it to you."

Mr. Pratt did not flinch. However, the smile on his face turned even wider. As a businessman, this was an opportunity to establish great connections with someone powerful like Federico Lux. Sadly, Mr. Pratt was not born yesterday. He was not that naive.

He knew how to read a situation and was well-versed in discerning which person would give him the most benefit. Right now, Mr. Pratt knew that Miss Lin was far more valuable compared to the Lux Family.

"What can you offer, Your Blessedness?" Mr. Pratt asked. Despite his previous analysis, he also knew that he could not offend this old man. So, with a huge smile on his face, he waited for Federico's answer.

"Gold, houses, forbidden books, relics that you have never heard of. I can give you everything that you want, Mr. Pratt. As long as you give me all those maps, you can have whatever it is that you want."

Mr. Pratt continued smiling.

"Ah… would you look at that? This current item is actually something that you want, Your Blessedness. Why not… try to bid for it?" Mr. Pratt said. His message was clear. He is not going to help the old man obtain the current map.

...

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