WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Occult World’s Coveted Blacksmith ◈
Chapter 32: How High Does It Go?
──────
Auctions in the Occult World had always been festivals for the great houses.
House Hae.
They were merchants to their very bones, a family that boasted one of the greatest fortunes among the Twelve Great Houses.
They had no hands capable of crafting Spell Artifacts themselves, but they possessed an innate talent for buying and selling them.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Occult World's money flowed through their hands.
The largest auction house in the Occult World, the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures, was run by House Hae.
Normally, it was little more than a marketplace where minor Spell Artifacts, spiritual medicines, and the like changed hands.
But once a year.
There was a time when the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures drew the attention of the entire Occult World.
The Hundred Flowers Festival.
During this limited-time event, workshops directly affiliated with each house displayed their finest works from the past year all at once.
It was an auction in name, but in truth, it was a contest of pride between house workshops and an exhibition for showing off the year's achievements.
Which workshop's item would fetch the highest price?
That became the industry's ranking for the year.
This year's highlights had been decided early.
Rumors said that master painter Yoo Cheong-wol of House Jujak would unveil a new masterpiece painting Ritual Implement for the first time in ten years.
Cheonhwa Hall had also announced the debut of its ambitious top-tier Byeong-tier line, 『Crimson Lotus』.
The top of Byeong-tier.
That alone should have been enough to make the festival exciting.
Eul-tier?
Hardly anyone expected something like that in the first place.
Even an Eul-tier artisan could not churn out Eul-tier works at will.
They had to devote their entire lives to honing their craft, then spend years more on research to squeeze out a single masterpiece containing the essence of it all.
That was Eul-tier.
Would they leave behind one work in their lifetime? One every ten years? If they were lucky, one every five years?
Even the artisan crafting it could not know.
That was why people talked about it all year whenever even one Eul-tier item appeared at the Hundred Flowers Festival.
Yet this year, there were three.
And they had not come from a house workshop.
They had been submitted under the name of an outsider from who knows where.
* * *
[Karmafire Dagger - Eul-tier]
[Thunderbolt Bow - Eul-tier]
[Vast Sea Necklace - Eul-tier]
Exhibitor - Tianshan Sect, Master Do.
When the Hundred Flowers Festival entry list was revealed, the response was explosive.
[HOT] LOL holy shit, Do Emperor's on another level!!!
└ I just saw the Hundred Flowers Festival entry list and doubted my own eyes.
└ ??? Is this for real?
└ Three Eul-tier items submitted at once???
└ Damn, so Do Emperor really was Eul-tier.
[Question] What are entries one through three at the Hundred Flowers Festival? Who's Tianshan Sect's Master Do??
└ ? What's this now?
└ You don't know our Do Emperor?
└ Then who is that?
└ Half the posts here lately have been about Do Emperor. How do you not know?
└ -_- So who is he?
└ Wow, Do Emperor's insane.
It made no sense.
Three Eul-tier items.
Even a famous house would need several years if its entire workshop threw itself into the task.
Naturally, suspicions began to rise.
└ LOL, Eul-tier my ass. Bet they're Byeong-tier once we see them.
└ People keep hyping him up as Eul-tier, so he must think he really is Eul-tier.
└ Is Eul-tier some dog's name? Putting out three at once is obviously a scam, yeah.
Then an artisan from a workshop with some name recognition made a statement in a pretentiously dignified tone.
- I have heard that this Master Do of the Tianshan Sect is a mere youngster, perhaps only twenty years old.
Eul-tier is something one cannot guarantee even after devoting an entire lifetime to the craft, yet someone whose training and origins are entirely unknown has displayed three works at once.
It is simply lamentable that the current climate has been swept up by an unverified artisan claiming to be Eul-tier. I hope the Hundred Flowers Festival does not make the foolish choice of damaging the authority of its own auction.
In short, they were saying he might be a fraud.
It sounded plausible.
Public opinion quickly began to tilt in one direction.
└ Ah, then he's definitely a scammer LOL. How's a twenty-year-old making three Eul-tier items?
└ What, he was a scammer? Figures. Ugh.
└ He went around doing a ton of viral marketing after fixing one sword and calling himself Eul-tier, and now he's finally committing fraud.
└ ???: Ah, I was gonna make a killing and head home. What a shame.
It was a scam.
That Master Do from the Tianshan Sect had to be up to something.
Public opinion was already reaching that conclusion.
Yet despite all that.
The day before the auction opened, the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures released a single line with its official appraisal results.
[All three are genuine Eul-tier items.]
Merchants might lie, but a merchant's scales never did.
Needless to say, the forum erupted.
* * *
Cheonhwa Hall headquarters.
Han Ye-rin's expression was grim as she entered the deputy head's office.
Han Ye-rin, deputy head of Cheonhwa Hall.
Reports had been pouring in nonstop since morning.
All because of the absurd news that someone called Master Do of the Tianshan Sect had submitted three Eul-tier items to the Hundred Flowers Festival.
And of all times.
"…You called for me, Deputy Head?"
One of Cheonhwa Hall's chief artisans had been summoned to her office.
The very person who, a few days ago, had turned away Ishihara's sword after receiving the repair request.
Han Ye-rin tapped the tablet on her desk with her fingertip.
The screen displayed the article that had thrown the industry into an uproar over the past few days.
[Return of the Sword Demon! Shaking Up the Korean Occult World Rankings]
Sword Demon Ishihara.
The legendary swordsman who had ruled the Japanese archipelago a generation ago.
Even decades after his death, there was no one in Japan's Occult World who did not know his name.
Han Ye-rin had recognized the sword in the photo at a glance.
The sword in his granddaughter's hands.
A sword that cut Spell Formulas.
It was the beloved sword that had made Sword Demon a legend.
And for the past few days, every forum had mocked Cheonhwa Hall for being unable to touch that sword and sending it back.
"So… something of this caliber came to us on its own, and you turned it away yourself. Is that what you're saying?"
"Th-That…"
The man lowered his head, cold sweat running down his face.
If the sword had fallen into her hands, things would have been completely different.
She would have made some excuse about it taking time because it was Eul-tier.
Then, while keeping the item in her possession, she would have leisurely analyzed the internal structure of its Spell Formula.
If possible, she would have tried producing a replica.
If that proved difficult, they could at least have aimed for a new product line that applied a fragment of that technology.
They could have even made the granddaughter an exclusive model and used her as the face of Cheonhwa Hall.
"Cheonhwa Hall has revived the legendary Sword Demon."
That single line would have been the perfect opportunity to elevate Cheonhwa Hall's reputation not only in Japan, but overseas as well.
All those possibilities.
This incompetent fool before her had personally thrown them away.
"Deputy Head… There was absolutely no mention of it being Sword Demon's sword…"
"…Enough. I don't even want to look at you. Leave."
The man repeatedly bowed as he fled the office.
Once the door closed, Han Ye-rin leaned deeply into her chair.
"…And they call someone like that a chief artisan."
She trailed off, then gave a short, hollow laugh.
Still, who could she blame?
It had been a long time since there were any capable people left to recruit. This was the reality of the industry, where they had to lower their standards again and again just to fill positions with people like that.
'…Well, there's no undoing spilled water.'
The problem was the person who had taken that spilled water for himself.
Tianshan Sect's Master Do.
She had known for some time that an artisan from outside had been making a name for himself lately.
She simply had not paid attention.
The higher-ups among the houses already seemed to have their eyes on him, so she had assumed they could leave him alone and he would soon be dealt with.
Even if he had wrapped himself in the Tianshan Sect's name, how could he retaliate when he would not know which house had acted against him?
There was no reason for her to get her own hands dirty.
But.
'…Three Eul-tier items?'
At the same time, no less.
That was an entirely different matter from repairing one sword by chance.
'…If that's the case.'
There was only one answer.
This Master Do was likely no more than a respectable-looking figurehead.
In truth, the Tianshan Sect's hidden artisans must have crafted those items and put that young man forward to release them to the public.
What were they plotting?
'…Well, that isn't important right now.'
This Hundred Flowers Festival was meant to be the debut stage for 『Crimson Lotus』, Cheonhwa Hall's top-tier Byeong-tier line that had taken three years to develop.
It was Cheonhwa Hall's biggest event of the year, with every reporter interview already scheduled.
And some nobody from who knows where was about to ruin their celebration.
At this rate, the spotlight would be stolen outright.
'…I can't let this happen.'
Han Ye-rin picked up the receiver on her desk.
Before the signal even rang twice, the other person answered.
- Oh my, the deputy head herself is calling. What can I do for you?
It was an Executive Director of House Hae who oversaw the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures.
"Hoho, nothing in particular. I just called to check in."
Han Ye-rin smiled softly.
"Still, the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures has been quite noisy lately. …You put items of uncertain origin right in the middle of the celebration, didn't you?"
- Ahaha… Well, the appraisal results were so definitive. And we are merchants, after all… I hope you understand.
"Director."
- …Yes.
"You don't need me to tell you how much House Hyeonmu contributes to the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures every year, do you?"
She heard a dry swallow through the receiver.
- …Of course.
Han Ye-rin turned her gaze toward the window and added in a cold voice.
"Should we withdraw all our items? Ah, and keep in mind that Cheonhwa Hall's items won't be the only ones withdrawn."
- Th-That…
The Executive Director hurriedly chose their words.
- …Wh-What would you have us do?
They should have been this cooperative from the start.
"That is how celebrations work, isn't it? When an uninvited guest ruins the mood."
The corners of her lips curved.
"The host cleans up."
* * *
When the auction began, the Goblin Fire Community was ablaze.
[Live] Karmafire Dagger bid has already passed 1 billion, holy shit
Where did all the people calling it a scam yesterday go?
└ Damn! I was sick of the Four Great Houses hogging everything for themselves. Serves them right.
└ They acted so high and mighty, then got completely wiped out by Do Emperor. Can't do anything, can you?
For freelance sorcerers who had grown tired of the houses' tyranny, the incident was a cathartic release, like clearing ten years' worth of indigestion.
The item pages at the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures were close to crashing from the flood of traffic, and people got a rush watching the bids rise in real time.
They stayed glued to those screens all day.
Whether they were working or eating, they refreshed the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures price pages.
Every time a number jumped, the forum stirred.
And as time passed.
[Shocking] Current bid for one dagger > Combined total of the entire Crimson Lotus series
Is this real? LOL It's supposed to be Cheonhwa Hall's ambitious work this year.
└ Cheonhwa Hall? …Ah, you mean those mediocrities who can't even make three Eul-tier items?
└ Hey, Cheonhwa Hall still has a Gap-tier artisan. It's a genuinely prestigious establishment.
└ If they have a Gap-tier artisan, why didn't they put up Gap-tier instead of Byeong-tier? LOL
└ You think making Gap-tier is easy? LOL
The bids rose and rose again.
They showed no signs of stopping.
└ Wow, how high is this going to go?
└ But how much are all three worth combined…? Are they really going to set the all-time highest price at the Hundred Flowers Festival?
└ Damn… This is the real rush. Lately, the first thing I do when I get to work is open the price page.
The three Ritual Implements were crushing the prestige the houses had spent lifetimes building.
In just a few days.
And then.
Just as the star of the celebration was about to change completely.
* * *
"…Huh?"
On the morning of the fourth day, everyone refreshing the price page as usual was met with the same screen.
[This item does not exist.]
The dagger.
The bow and the necklace.
All three had been taken down without a trace.
[????? Why are all the auction pages down?]
The bids were coming in fine just a moment ago??
└ Damn, I was about to scrape together every last penny to buy one. What a shame.
└ What the hell happened??
Soon, a dry notice appeared on the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures' announcement board.
[Notice] We regret to inform you that the registrations for the three submitted items have been canceled due to insufficient verification of exhibitor qualifications.
└ What does that mean? You said they were Eul-tier.
└ LOLLLLL I knew it. They were fake listings from the start LOL.
└ So he really was a scammer.
└ What are you talking about? Looks like the higher-ups got upset.
The forum became a complete mess in an instant.
Shock and confusion, criticism toward the houses, and mockery aimed at Do-hyeon tangled together indiscriminately.
The festive atmosphere that had been in full swing cooled as if someone had thrown cold water over it.
* * *
Clang. Clang.
Between the sounds of hammering, a phone call could be heard from one side of the workshop.
"Yes. …Yes. Insufficient verification. Oh, of course. If those are the rules, what can we do? All right. Take care."
Seo Ji-an ended the call and looked down at her phone with a grin.
As I pushed the heated chunk of iron back into the furnace, I asked, "Was that the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures?"
"Yes. The official notice just came through. All three registrations have been canceled."
She shrugged, then added, "…Just as expected."
That was right.
From the day we put them up for auction, Seo Ji-an had said there was a good chance this would happen.
The Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures belonged to House Hae, and House Hae was also in a position where it had no choice but to defer to the Four Great Houses.
Besides, the Hundred Flowers Festival itself was originally an event for workshops directly affiliated with the houses.
It was a place where they displayed the new works they had crafted over the past year, made them compete against each other, and drove up their prices and reputations as much as possible.
House Hae was a merchant that set the table for that feast in exchange for collecting fees from the winning bids.
So no matter how high the bids on our items climbed.
They could not turn away the major clients who would keep filling their banquet table in the future just for a few immediate fees.
Merchants never did business that cost them their biggest customers.
"It's a miracle they lasted four days."
Seo Ji-an smiled.
The Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures itself had declared them genuine.
And now they were claiming "insufficient verification."
It was far too lazy an excuse.
"Thanks to that, only one thing is going to stick in people's minds now."
Master Do of the Tianshan Sect.
He was real enough that the houses had to desperately shut him down.
"Hehe…"
Seo Ji-an covered her mouth and gave a wicked laugh.
"Now then. Shall we move on to the next step?"
* * *
A few days later.
A post appeared on the Goblin Fire Community forum.
[??? Have you guys seen this?]
It's the entry list for Gyeongseong Auction's regular auction this month, the special modern and contemporary crafts exhibition.
Lot 77. Unknown artist, Blue Crystal Necklace.
Starting bid - 3 million won.
└ What's this?
└ Gyeongseong Auction is that place where ordinary people buy and sell paintings and ceramics, right?
It was an ordinary post.
It concerned an online auction site frequented by ordinary people with no connection to the Occult World.
Antiques, crafts, things like that were traded there.
└ ???? So what about it?
└ Zoom in on the photo.
└ …?
└ Uh… huh?
└ …Wait a second.
└ Isn't that obviously the thing?????
└ Holy shit…!
In the photograph.
At the center of the necklace sitting quietly on an old display stand.
Was a blue Spirit Stone, round like the moon.
One of the three items that had caused such a stir in the Occult World for four days.
[Vast Sea Necklace - Eul-tier]
And from that day on.
That necklace, which looked like nothing more than an antique accessory to ordinary people.
Began receiving a suspiciously large flood of bidding inquiries.
Footnotes:
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