Oliver couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face in the dark room. This auction had gone even better than he could have expected. While he hadn't gotten everything he wanted, he knew that was an unrealistic hope to begin with. But, between the Arcane Awakening Potion, the Universal Translator Bracelet, and the ton of credits he had received from the other lots, it was undoubtedly a success.

And he still had one item left to sell.

Silk(Host): Our last lot for the night is an interesting one. Not only is this item one that could easily see some use, it being a weapon of war, but it is one that possesses an interesting story!

Silk(Host): I present to you... a Cannon!

Silk(Host): This ten foot long behemoth of a weapon is designed to fire a heavy metal spheres as projectiles using an explosive powder to rain destruction upon your enemies- and that is only the most basic ammunition available for it!

Silk(Host): This lot, aside from the cannon, balls, and explosive powder, also includes two other varieties of ammunition that can be used: grapeshot- a small canister filled with small metal pieces, intended to wound and maim enemy combatants- and chain shot- which is primarily used in naval battles to rip apart rigging and cripple the enemy vessel.

Silk(Host): As for the story behind it...

Silk(Host): As part of my wandering, I found my self sailing across the sea as part of a deal to assist some local royalty...

Silk(Host): As many of you can no doubt imagine, there are many dangers to such an endeavor... Not the least of which would be pirates!

Silk(Host): Inevitably, we found ourselves in a troublesome spot: Two pirate ships waited to ambush us!

Not wanting to wake Poli or Jal, Oliver quickly suppressed the snicker that wanted to escape him- he could almost imagine his potential buyers hanging on every word. While the story wasn't really necessary, and, in some ways, giving away so much information could be a risk- as small as the possibility was, there was still a chance someone would try to use the information to track him down to gain some sort of advantage or benefit...

But what were the odds that someone would actually be able to use these little details to track him across the Multiverse?

In the end, he decided it was worth the tiny bit of risk it posed if his story could hype up the bidders and potentially increase his profit.

Silk(Host): While the ship I sailed on, and the men and women who crewed it, were certainly capable of holding their own in a fight... Two on one odds is never the best choice.

Silk(Host): Thankfully, our collective minds had the wisdom to predict such a possibility! So, naturally... We flipped the script.

Silk(Host): Assembling a small, elite team from among the crew-

Covering his mouth, Oliver struggled to muffle the chuckle that escaped him at his own joke- that 'elite team' was really just him and Ram, but there was no reason to broadcast that fact... Better to keep what he was capable of in reserve, just to be safe.

That, and if he said he did it all alone it would just sound like bragging and be wholly unbelievable.

Silk(Host): We managed to infiltrate the enemy ship and rig it to explode, escaping with only minor injuries.

Silk(Host): Of course, we naturally had to 'liberate' them of a few supplies- including this cannon, which I took as my 'spoils of war'.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Silk(Host): And now I offer it to you as the final lot of this auction. While it isn't the most advance weapon in existence- something I know from personal experience- that fact is as much an advantage as anything!

Silk(Host): As is a common warning in my auctions, the items I offer may encounter problems due to different environments, atmospheres, or simple shifts in physics or magic between realities... In some places, more advances weapons may simple refuse to function!

Silk(Host): And that is why I offer the variety that I do! There is always the possibility of finding something you need, and something that works for you!

Silk(Host): As with every sale, my usual warnings do still apply...

Silk(Host): And with that... Do we have an opening bid?

Admiral Thk-Thk bids 5,000 credits.

The Pacifist of Tal'drin: Dealing in weapons? I had hoped for a more... civilized... auction.

Quill the Enchanter bids 20,000 credits.

A small sigh slipped out at the random comments from people not even bidding- it wasn't really surprising to Oliver, as people everywhere like to comment on things that weren't even there business... Especially annoying was them doing it in the middle of his auction, where it could potentially affect the bids.

And it was a bit rude, calling his auction uncivilized... But not quite rude enough for him to ban them- unless they continued to do it. One comment by itself was just annoying, though.

Admiral Thk-Thk bids 25,000 credits.

Quill the Enchanter: As much as I enjoy a good auction, and a good bidding war, there are other matters I must attend to... So, I do apologize for escalating things in such a manner.

Quill the Enchanter bids 80,000 credits.

Admiral Thk-Thk bids 85,000 credits.

Quill the Enchanter: A person of few words; I can respect that...

Oliver held his breath, as this easily had the makings of a bidding war. While he had expected the cannon to sell at least reasonably well, this was already more than he had anticipated... And certainly had the potential for more.

As long as they kept pushing at each other...

Quill the Enchanter wishes to bid (Beginner's Tome of Talisman Creation).

Beginner's Tome of Talisman Creation: A grimoire used teach the reader how to craft Rank 1 Talismans, as well as the specialized paper and ink used in their creation. (Talismans are single use enchantments capable of reproducing the effects a single spell upon activation.) Includes 10 blueprints of Rank 1 Talismans. Requires Intelligence 11+ to use.

Estimated Value: 200,000 credits

Accept Bid? (Yes/No)

Oliver wanted to curse- not only from the silence that followed the bid... But from the fact that the Tome was just too good to pass up.

And the fact that taking it threw another kink in his plans.

It was an incredibly good tome. Assuming Talismans worked like they did in some of the books he had read, it would take time to not only learn how to craft them, but also to actually make them... But each Talisman was basically another spell in someone's repertoire- one whose mana was supplied at the time of its creation rather than at the time of its use.

But it also wasn't something he felt suited him. In many ways, it was like a crafting profession in a video game, requiring the person to spend a lot of time planning what to craft, the materials needed, the time required...

He could do it. He had done it in video games, and he knew he had the patience to do it in real life... But it wasn't something he really wanted to do, or felt drawn to. And he knew his girlfriend well enough to know that Polina wouldn't be that interested in it either. Though he did know someone that would dive into it without hesitation...

Marty.

But that was a problem in itself. While Marty was the clear best choice for learning about Talismans, he only had the one Arcane Awakening Potion... And, unlike the first Tome Oliver received, this one made no mention that it would 'unlock the mana sub-attribute'...

But giving both the potion and the tome to Marty meant that Poli wouldn't be able to start learning magic... Unless he could get another potion somehow...

Maybe the Mad Scientist had another that she would be willing to trade away?

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