Chapter 498

Chapter 498: The Private Booth

Somewhat speechless, Oli sighed and furled the scroll. He got up and approached the reception counter once more.

“How may I help you, sir?”

“I’ll be paying for that additional person. Do I pay it now or can it come out of my winnings?” asked Oli.

The receptionist nodded. “Then we’ll deduct it from your winnings. In that case, would you like an escort to your room? Once there, we’ll bring your earnings to you.”

“Yes. That’d be perfect.”

As the receptionist came out from behind the counter, Oli motioned for the others to come join him. The receptionist led the group down the main hallway in silence. Such was the custom when working with secretive clients. So the receptionist didn’t say anything unless spoken to.

However, that silence led Freele and Yeter to stare at all the passing doors with great intrigue. But they still kept quiet, remembering Oli’s rule. Trenk and Trantor would also glance at the many doors while doing their best to guess how things worked at such a high-class auction house.

.....

Eventually, they reached the staircase at the end of the hall. But this time the group wasn’t taken to the second floor. They were taken to the third floor exclusively used for private booths and clientele. Once there, the group was led toward a private booth near the middle of the floor marked with the number “9”, matching the badge that Oli received and likely the same appraiser that had helped Oli get the booth.

As the receptionist unlocked the door and held it open, they asked, “Your server will come shortly. You may choose to let them enter the room, or you can order through the door. Also, here’s your key, sir.”

Oli accepted the key while staring at the door. There was a sliding slate and a small compartment built into the thick, heavy door. The slate could be moved to open a few air holes, perfect for speaking through. And the small compartment had a latch on either side of the door, making it the perfect place to set down and exchange void rings in secrecy.

After the entire group entered the spacious private booth, Oli nodded to the receptionist and locked the door. Now alone, everyone was able to remove the disguises and speak freely. They all noticed the always-active silent formations lining the walls so there was no doubting the ultimate privacy of the expensive booths.

As Trenk helped Yeter remove the cloak and mask, Freele was finally able to ask, “Oliver, how much did this booth cost?”

“Altogether, eleven thousand gold.”

She felt her heart sink at the mention of such wealth. And the fact that it was so casually thrown around only added more weight to Oli’s simple answer.

Trantor smiled and sighed, “I see... Fulkar wanted in after seeing you throwing money around left and right, didn’t he?”

“Can you blame me?” chuckled Fulkar. “However, I still showed Oliver respect and class. Don’t make it sound like I hounded him until he gave in.”

Oli smiled while checking out the booth’s many amenities. At one side was a bar, likely to be occupied by a server upon request. The other side, along with most of the room, was fashioned with lush, comfortable furniture strong enough to even support heavy beasts. Yeter quickly claimed a futon and sprawled out over it, sighing in satisfaction. The most interesting thing was the wall opposite the door. It was entirely see-through, but Oli distinctly remembered how the other side would blend into the silver decorum. This led Oli to surmise that it was some kind of one-way window.

Knock, knock. “It’s me, the appraiser. May I enter?”

Oli walked over to the door and slid the slate aside to speak. “We would prefer to maintain our privacy.”

“That’s perfectly fine, sir. Then allow me to place a ring in the compartment. Please, remove your earnings from the ring,” the man replied.

Cling, cling.

The compartment was quickly opened and closed on the other side. Oli then opened his side and took the void ring, removing all the gold from it before returning the ring to the compartment. “Thank you, sir. How is it that we’re able to speak up from inside?”

The appraiser took back the ring and answered, “In the corner near the expansive window, you’ll find a microphone hung on the wall. Whenever you wish to make a bid, activate it and speak. It will only function while you supply it with essence in order to maintain the utmost privacy.”

“Thank you,” Oli replied through the slate.

“Is there anything else we can do for you and your guests, sir?” asked the appraiser.

“For now, no. But later we’ll want a server to take some food orders.”

The man bowed on the other side of the door out of reflex, despite not being seen. “Very well. I look forward to returning after the auction and handing over your items. Thank you for your patronage and we wish you the best of luck, with both your earnings and your bids!”

After the appraiser left, Oli shut the slate and sauntered over to the bar. beside the bar’s server entrance was a large bin with a sliding lid. Oli opened it to find a plethora of bottles on ice, ranging from various wines to glacial waters. He took out a few bottles and set them down on the large coffee table at the center of their seating area, claiming both a wine bottle and a water bottle for himself. Oli also set out a few glasses so that everyone would have what they needed, even going so far as to preemptively open both of Yeter’s bottles.

And before Oli sat down to enjoy everyone’s gratitude, he found and grabbed the microphone in the corner. It was nearly identical to the one that Oli saw the auctioneer using. The only two differences were the all-black color and it being slightly smaller, as well as the optional attachment to mount the microphone on the table, a useful function for beasts that would struggle to hold it as originally intended.