Master Assassin of the Ronan

Chapter 51. Tollois’s Eye (1)

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

The auctioneer’s seal fur pelt practically shook from the enthusiastic applause.

The auction for the Fiery Jade Stone had concluded successfully.

“Young Master, it’s 300 million! What exactly is this Fiery Jade Stone that someone would pay 300 million for…?”

Despite his words, Kuze wasn’t expecting an answer.

Whatever it was, they had just earned a sum that made the initial 30 million deposit look trivial.

“Even after the auction house takes its commission, it’s still an enormous profit!”

“No.”

The voice that cut through Kuze’s excitement froze him in place. Rubin was shaking his head.

“Pardon?”

“There won’t be any immediate profit.”

Kuze couldn’t understand the meaning behind those words.

As Tis Kingven’s minions, who were only there to make up numbers, poured out of the auction hall, Rubin promptly took action.

However, Rubin wasn’t heading toward the accommodation for auction consignors.

Instead, he began wandering through the exclusive area for bidders, turning down alleys here and there, until he stopped in front of a building.

Knock, knock, knock.

No sooner had he knocked than the door swung open.

Standing there was a middle-aged man who smiled broadly upon seeing the two of them.

‘Who is this?’

It was only natural that Kuze wouldn’t recognize the man.

This person had been one of the patrons of auction room 122, but all of them had been masked.

Unlike Kuze, who hesitated, Rubin entered without any hesitation. At that moment, the middle-aged man suddenly grabbed Kuze’s arm.

“What are you doing, come in already, Kuze!”

“…Do you know my name?”

Thunk.

As the door closed behind Kuze, the man let out a hearty laugh that practically exuded triumph.

“I’m 0529.”

0529! How could Kuze forget this number?

It was the number of the person who had won the Fiery Jade Stone.

This benefactor had solved the crisis the Ronan family faced all in one stroke!

But the fact that this person knew his name…

A sense of dread crept over Kuze.

As if confirming his unease, he suddenly sensed Dark Ripple emanating from the man in front of him.

“And also… a crow who safely planted a seedling at the Gillifield Arboretum.”

“Hah, as I suspected.”

So the winning bidder had been Tina all along.

Finally, Kuze understood why Rubin had said there would be “no immediate profit.”

The auction price of 300 million was meaningless. Regardless of the final bid, since it was a transaction with Tina, no money would be exchanged.

Actually, that wasn’t entirely true.

There was meaning in that they would have to pay the auction house a 10 percent commission, which ironically meant they’d end up in debt.

At that moment, a question suddenly struck him.

Why had the young master said there’d be “no immediate” profit? If there wasn’t going to be any profit, there just wouldn’t be any—why add “immediate”?

“……”

Meanwhile, Rubin was quietly checking his watch. Thirty minutes had passed since the Fiery Jade Stone had been sold.

According to auction regulations, the auction house would summon both the highest bidder and the consignor the next morning, overseeing the transaction of the remaining funds minus their commission.

But before that happened…

‘Tis Kingven will show up first.’

He had intentionally let Tina have the winning bid.

The bidder with number 7670—he was definitely Kingven.

“……!”

At that moment.

The Dark Ripple the three had spread out reacted.

A visitor was waiting outside the room.

As expected, Tis was both decisive and quick to act.

Tis had come alone.

He was glancing around, scanning his surroundings, before knocking on the door just as Rubin had done earlier. Knock, knock, knock.

Kuze stepped forward and opened the door.

“Good evening. Are you 0529?”

With a sly smile, the man asked courteously.

The man looked to be around Kuze’s age, with a face that would instantly remind one of a weasel.

“I am not.”

“Then, is that person inside?”

“Let him in.”

Rubin instructed.

Following the command, Kuze stepped aside to let the man in.

Step, step.

The visitor leisurely surveyed the room as he walked in. Then, when he spotted Rubin sitting at the table, his eyes widened.

“There’s a child here.”

Rubin chuckled slightly.

“You’re 7670, aren’t you?”

“Oh…”

“And you’re here looking for 0529?”

“That’s correct, but this is strange. When I heard the winning bid back in the auction room, the voice clearly belonged to an adult.”

Tis Kingven tilted his head, puzzled.

He had come to meet the man who had won the Fiery Jade Stone for 300 million, only to be met with a child.

“Why don’t you have a seat?”

Kingven did as he was told.

“……”

“I am not the winning bidder, 0529. I’m 6321.”

“6321…?”

At first, he thought he had simply come to the wrong room. But soon, he realized he was mistaken.

6321… that would mean…

“You’re not the bidder, but the consignor?”

Tis Kingven pressed his lips together tightly, unable to understand the situation.

Rubin extended his hand, belatedly offering a handshake. Kingven grasped the boy’s hand.

“Pleased to meet you.”

Rubin’s next words were brief, only two phrases.

Just two phrases, but their impact was enormous, shattering Kingven’s calm.

They were words that made him leap to his feet, even knocking his chair over.

“So, we finally meet, Tis Kingven.”

“……!”

Kingven’s astonished face was a sight to behold.

The so-called “businessman from the future” was surprisingly poor at controlling his expression. Or perhaps, the surprise had just hit him that hard.

For a moment, Kingven’s lips moved, but no words came out.

“I didn’t expect you’d be traveling alone, Kingven. Ah, but being the renowned Tollois, I suppose it’s understandable.”

“…Do you know me?”

“I can’t say I know you, but I can’t say I don’t, either.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“That’s not what matters. Anyway, I’ve been waiting for you. You came because of the Fiery Jade Stone, didn’t you?”

“That’s correct.”

“So, why don’t we sit back down and get to the negotiation?”

At that moment, Tina stepped out from behind Kingven. She was still in her 0529 persona and made her presence known by clearing her throat.

With the real winner now appearing, Kingven quickly pieced the situation together. He soon concluded that he’d been caught in the consignor’s trap.

‘They already knew about me. And what I was after…’

A helpless laugh escaped him.

“It feels like I’ve walked right into a trap.”

“A trap? Do you think I plan to kidnap you?”

“Then…?”

“I just want to sell the Fiery Jade Stone at a ‘reasonable price.’ Preferably to someone who actually needs it.”

Selling it to the person who needed it at a reasonable price?

In other words, the 300 million rilk from the auction was not a reasonable price.

Naturally, Kingven agreed. If more competitors had joined the bid, it might’ve even gone past a billion.

Rubin spoke.

“I know why you stopped at the 300 million threshold. Kingven, you wanted to gauge how much the other bidders and the consignor knew about the Fiery Jade Stone’s true worth, didn’t you?”

A precise observation. If even two other people besides Kingven were aware of the Fiery Jade Stone’s value, then he would need to reassess its market value.

He couldn’t risk having competitors in his plan to control the world’s money through the Fiery Jade Stone.

However, judging by the boy’s demeanor, it was clear he had an intimate understanding of the Fiery Jade Stone’s value.

“Kingven, you know the benefits of the Fiery Jade Stone, don’t you?”

“…….”

“And you’re aiming for mass production. A few years from now, Fiery Jade Stone will create an enormous stir across the continent as a construction material.”

Who was this boy?

He was becoming more frightening by the moment.

How much did he know about him?

The boy even knew Kingven’s intention to name this construction material “Fiery Jade Stone.”

That name hadn’t been shared with anyone; he had only written it down in a small notebook.

“6321, if you understand the uses of Fiery Jade Stone, is there even any point in negotiating?”

“A reasonable point.”

“…….”

“But I’m not here to negotiate the exchange of the Fiery Jade Stone. I’m proposing a negotiation that also includes the right to mass production, which you desire.”

At this, Kingven fell silent in thought, and Rubin waited quietly.

As a businessman, Kingven would know how to weigh gains and losses.

“…….”

Kingven’s gaze lingered on Tina for a moment.

‘Just as I filled the auction house with people I had bought, that winning bidder is nothing but this boy’s puppet. If that’s the case…’

If the bidder were a third party, Kingven wouldn’t have taken the negotiation seriously, but if there was only one person who knew the Fiery Jade Stone’s value, the negotiation was worthwhile.

“Please give me a moment.”

“Understood, Kingven.”

In fact, Rubin had no loss in this. He’d never had any blueprint for the mass production of the Fiery Jade Stone. Business wasn’t his interest.

His main goal was to prevent the collapse of Roincrow. And to establish a secret fund for his revenge.

As a precaution, he had also kept a single Fiery Jade Stone aside.

Now, the only priority was to secure as much profit as possible.

Ten billion? Twenty billion? No, what Rubin wanted was far beyond that.

After some thought, Kingven asked.

“Then, could you guarantee your words in a reasonable way? For example….”

“A certification from Tollois?”

Kingven nodded.

If Tollois Auction House certified their contract, it would be legally bound under imperial law, regardless of the identities of the two parties.

If one of them breached it, they would face pursuit by the imperial army.

“That would be sufficient. In that case, I’m willing to pay up to thirty billion rilk for the Fiery Jade Stone.”

A businessman, indeed.

He had anticipated Rubin wouldn’t be satisfied with twenty billion and started right off with thirty billion.

‘Kingven’s upper limit should be at least fifty billion.’

Rubin thought about it calmly, but the two others were not so composed.

At the mention of thirty billion rilk, Kuze focused all his energy on maintaining his expression, while Tina abandoned the attempt entirely.

Her mouth hung open, dry with shock.

But.

“That’s too little, Kingven.”

Tina blinked in disbelief, doubting her ears. Didn’t the Ronan children endure ascetic childhoods? Had he been so restrained that he didn’t understand what thirty billion was?

“Are you saying thirty billion is too little?”

“Your limit is probably around fifty billion. But even that’s not enough.”

In fact, Kingven had been thinking of fifty billion as his upper limit.

Rubin had pinpointed this accurately, thanks to what he remembered from the records of Tis’s life.

Taken aback, Kingven covered his face with both hands.

‘More than fifty billion rilk is too risky.’

That amount exceeded what he could immediately mobilize.

While he was sure of the Fiery Jade Stone’s worth, the problem lay in whether mass production would succeed.

Gambling on a business with such a high possibility of failure was reckless.

“Do you find it too risky? Well, I understand. That’s why I’ve prepared an alternative.”

“……?”

“Kingven, if you agree to my conditions, I’ll let it go for thirty billion.”

“…I’m almost afraid to ask what those conditions are.”

Rubin smiled faintly and continued.

“I want to negotiate not a lump sum but an equity stake.”

“An equity stake?”

“Please give me a twenty percent share of the profits from the Fiery Jade Stone business.”

“Hmm….”

Again, Kingven fell into contemplation.

He understood what Rubin was asking. Thirty billion rilk, plus twenty percent of the future income generated by the Fiery Jade Stone.

‘Is he confident he’ll succeed in mass production?’

The balance in the boy’s mind seemed peculiar.

On one side was fifty billion rilk, while the other held thirty billion and uncertain future earnings.

What confidence could he have to forego twenty billion and invest in the future?

The future was, as it literally meant, time that hadn’t yet come. Without knowing if mass production would succeed, the boy was unmoved by the substantial sum right in front of him.

“Surprising, Kingven.”

“……?”

“You’re not very sure of yourself, are you? I thought your capacity would be much greater.”

“Hah….”

Once again, Kingven buried his face in his hands, chuckling softly.

He never expected to hear such words from a boy around ten years old.

Predicting the future was, ironically enough, something Kingven himself could say with more confidence than anyone else on the continent.

‘Could he be of the same kind as me?’

A sudden premonition flashed in Kingven’s mind.

There were unique people in this world who possessed special abilities.

Kingven was one of them, but he was unlike anyone else.

It wasn’t aura or mana.

Nor was it the shapeshifting of the Blood-Transformation Tribe or the giant transformation of the Blood Giants.

It was an eye that could discern the true value of people and things.

Junior appraisers in Tollois determine an item’s worth by accumulating knowledge and information.

Meanwhile, senior appraisers use “appraisal magic” to discern the true nature of an item.

They were, in essence, wizards.

Then what about Kingven?

His ability didn’t fall under any category.

It was a pure power unique to him, free from magic.

Since birth, he had possessed the ability to see hidden values that even magic couldn’t reveal.

“…….”

Finally, Kingven locked his gaze with Rubin’s piercing black eyes.

The manifestation of his power required precisely three seconds.

Just three seconds of staring.

In that instant, smoke visible only to Kingven began to rise.

The smoke started to swirl around Rubin.

It wasn’t an actual phenomenon but something that appeared exclusively in Kingven’s field of vision when he focused.

“……!”

“Are you alright?”

Kuze, standing nearby, asked cautiously.

Kingven, who had been looking into Rubin, suddenly staggered. His face was filled with astonishment, as if he had encountered something entirely unexpected, something he shouldn’t have seen.

‘…How could this be!’