Master Assassin of the Ronan

Chapter 52. Tollois’ Eye (2)

Tis Kingven had been on the path to success since childhood. And he was strategic and methodical in every way.

Capone, an executive at the auction house, credited Kingven’s success to his experience working there, but that was only half the story.

Kingven’s achievements weren’t due to his time at the Tollois auction house.

He had a grand plan from the very beginning, with the auction house merely one part of the process.

“Goods and people, and the smoke that rises around them. These divide into fragments of various lights, each emitting its own unique wavelength.”

Sensing those wavelengths—this was Kingven’s secret to success.

Those wavelengths revealed the “value of goods and people.”

This was why Kingven had come to the Tollois auction house, the place where all the world’s rare treasures and successful people gathered.

He tested and refined his abilities there, especially meeting numerous individuals destined for success or greatness.

Kings, merchants, imperial nobles, and even infamous criminals from across the continent—he categorized and analyzed people capable of ruling the world.

And after leaving the auction house, he skillfully exploited them to amass wealth.

But…

“What is this boy?”

Kingven sifted through his memories of countless nobles and exceptional figures he had encountered. Yet, no matter how he searched, this case was unprecedented.

“Why does this boy…”

There was no doubt he was exceptional, given the unique wavelength he emitted.

However, he was neither an imperial noble nor royalty.

He seemed to be a warrior, but something was off.

What was particularly strange was that the “light’s wavelength” wasn’t singular.

One was black.

The other was white.

Two distinct lights pulsed within the boy’s body.

Even the form of the wavelength was unlike anything he had seen before.

“…”

“Silence, Kingven?”

At Rubin’s words, Kingven blinked slowly.

“6321. Do you think I will succeed in mass-producing them? Do you believe that with certainty?”

Rubin smiled lightly and replied calmly.

“Yes. You may trust my judgment.”

At those words, Kingven let out a low chuckle.

Telling him, the man with the world’s greatest insight, to “trust his judgment?”

But this presented a unique irony specific to Kingven.

Although he could assess the value of people and things, he couldn’t make any judgment about himself.

So, even now, despite having amassed immense wealth, a childlike fear settled in him each time he attempted something new.

This was why he preferred cautious investments over aggressive ones in any area.

“Even I cannot fully trust myself, and this child is confident in my success?”

The boy before him was the first unpredictable figure Kingven had ever encountered in his life. And that figure was certain of his success.

Kingven took a deep breath.

“Sigh… Until now, I’ve lived thinking of myself as a businessman and a prophet, but in this moment, I feel like a gambler.”

However, he had already made up his mind.

The boy’s mysterious wavelength—it didn’t signal danger but a success greater than any before.

“…Very well, I will accept your proposal, 6321.”

“You’ve made the right decision. Then, let’s go to get Tollois’ certification.”

With that, the two of them moved without delay.

The Tollois certification was a type of magical oath, symbolizing the Empire’s involvement in their contractual relationship.

“…Do you both agree to the certification terms?”

In the ‘Certification Room,’ the certifier solemnly asked, and both Rubin and Kingven nodded.

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

They placed their hands on a single stone tablet, which absorbed the glow from their agreement.

Piiiing.

As the light from the tablet dimmed, Rubin felt a brief detachment from his consciousness. Kingven felt the same.

Neither identity nor true names mattered here.

The tablet recognized only the very essence of their existence, incapable of erasing their inherent presence.

“Kingven, what exactly is your intention?”

Then, a low growl echoed from the back of the ‘Certification Room.’

It was Capone, who had heard that Kingven had come to the ‘Certification Room’ with 6321.

“It’s been a while, Capone. As you can see, we’ve made a contract.”

Kingven responded with a sly smile.

“What I mean is…”

It was a contract that defied Capone’s understanding.

Offering an immediate 3 billion Lilk and additional continuous profits?

How could such a contract even be possible? Besides, it wasn’t the way Kingven typically operated, at least based on what Capone knew of him.

“I assumed you were the one who won the Fiery Jade Stone for 300 million.”

Capone growled again, blocking Kingven as he tried to leave the ‘Certification Room’ with 6321.

Kingven’s response remained unbothered. The man who once bowed to Capone had returned as a colossal merchant.

“As you can see, I missed out on the Fiery Jade Stone at the auction, so I pulled together every resource and came running.”

“What’s so special about the Fiery Jade Stone?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. Now, please step aside, sir.”

Kingven nudged Capone aside and left with Rubin. Capone clenched his fist, but there was nothing he could do.

With the Empire’s military involved in the contract sealed in the ‘Certification Room,’ any separate investigation by Capone could be regarded as treason.

“That weasel…”

The next day.

The transaction between Rubin and Tina was completed.

In front of an auction house attendant, Rubin received 300 million Lilk from Tina. He paid ten percent of it as a fee to the auction house.

The 300 million they exchanged had ultimately come from the 3 billion received from Kingven.

Then, at the entrance of the auction house.

Tina handed over the Fiery Jade Stone directly to Kingven.

“With the 3 billion you gave me, you might as well stay here and wait for the ‘special sales week.’ There should be plenty of good items. It’s only a few weeks away.”

Kingven’s voice was thick with regret.

He wanted to keep the boy here a little longer and find out more about him.

Special sales week—it was a tempting suggestion, but Rubin needed to head for Kapotini. He couldn’t afford to linger here any longer.

“Where are you going?”

“To the Gray Harbor. I need to go to Kapotini.”

“Hmm… I see. The Gray Harbor likely has direct passenger ships to Kapotini.”

With that, Kingven pulled Rubin aside, ensuring neither Kuze nor Tina could overhear.

“Apart from our contract, I have good and bad news I can share with you out of goodwill. Would you like to hear it?”

Good and bad news—what could it be about?

Rubin nodded.

“One concerns a dark spirit. According to a spy I placed in the auction house, an item possessed by a dark spirit is circulating in the auction.”

A dark spirit.

Entities not from the material plane but the spirit world.

Through spirit practitioners, they invaded this world, some even inhabiting objects.

If one bought an item unknowingly possessed by a dark spirit, troublesome things could occur, making this good news indeed.

“What’s the bad news?”

“It’s a reason you might regret leaving the auction. In fact… there’s intelligence that an imperial noble arrived at the auction a few days ago.”

“An imperial noble…”

The five nobles who played a crucial role in elevating the Empire of Lillic—each of them wielded power that surpassed the seven royal families of the continent.

Kingven’s wealth likely enabled him to gather this kind of intelligence.

“I hear she is the Lady of the Witherspoon Family. She’s likely around your age, too.”

The Witherspoon Family, the only mage family among the five imperial nobles. Kingven seemed eager to encourage an interaction between Rubin and the Lady of Witherspoon.

Anyone with substantial power, status, and wealth in the continent would dream of forming connections with an imperial noble.

He probably assumed that mentioning the Witherspoon Family might make Rubin reconsider and stay at the auction.

“Hmm, that’s not exactly bad news.”

“Pardon?”

No interest in imperial nobles?

They were second only to royalty, people whose mere association could alter one’s status.

Moreover, the Witherspoon Family was considered the most influential among the imperial nobility.

The Lady was renowned as a prodigy in magic.

“I’m not interested. I hope you have a successful mass production of the Fiery Jade Stone. Then, farewell.”

That was all. Kingven could only smile in vain at Rubin’s complete lack of interest, far from what he had expected.

“A man who is entirely beyond comprehension, indeed.”