Strange Grief Wants to Retire ~ The Weakest Hunter Dreams of a Hero ~-Chapter 70，Part1: 1 - Relic ②

In Zebrudia Imperial Capital, a large-scale auction led by the country is held once a year.

It is a big event in the Imperial Capital. The auction takes the name of its country as it is called Zebrudia Auction, it is held for a week, various rare items, high-class items and works of art are brought from all around the country and overseas to be exhibit there.

During that period, the city is crowded with merchants, Hunters and tourist coming from the outside and the city becomes like a big festival. It is a fun event even if you are just looking around.

And the Zebrudia Auction have one difference from other auctions. Most of the exhibits are occupied by “Relics”.

The amount of money that moves because of this auction is enormous. Maybe because of the unique festival like atmosphere, it is not uncommon for items to be sold at a price that far exceeds their original value.

Originally, the Imperial Capital is the Holy Land for Hunters. The circulation of Relics is much higher than in other countries and the number of Hunters seeking them is also high.

Because of the high demands, some Treasure Hunters based in the Imperial Capital have set aside Relics they got just for this day. And all of them are released at the same time so the auction is full of Relics.

And even if I say auction, there is no one who buys Relics with an unknown ability.

At this period of time, all the Relics appraiser residing in the Imperial Capital become flooded with request coming from everywhere to appraise their Relics.

The appraisal result is guaranteed by the one who appraised it. But Relics are often misidentified. I can also understand why this unfriendly but knowledgeable Jii-san is sought after because the name of the appraiser is also a factor when people make their decision to bid or not.

Over the door behind the counter. Once beyond that door, there is Martis-san workplace.

A large metal workbench with stacks of wooden box on it. The walls are lined up with bizarre instruments used when appraising, it gives a terrible cluttered impression compare to the orderly interior of the store.

The narrow space lit by a dim light gives me a nostalgic atmosphere, a deep breath comes out from me. As a careful person, I prefer those cramped space.

Tino scarily comes in after me. He was probably in the middle of appraising, there is a golden dagger on the workbench.

This isn’t the first time that I have been bothering Martis-san workplace.

When I first got in, I was tripping everywhere as there wasn’t any foothold. I don’t know since when, but it has been well organized so now I could pass without falling. I am sure it is not for me but for Tino.

Martis turns around as I slowly, calmly walk around behind him and snorts.

“… When you finished looking at it, immediately go home. I am not free.”

“I brought Tino. You don’t care what happen to Tino?”

“K, kid how many hours do you plan on staying!”

Martis-san’s workplace… Workshop is a very interesting place for me.

In fact, most of the Relics found in the Shrine are thing that I can’t put them to practical use.

If only there are only defects such as 『Night Hiker (Dark Wing of the Night Sky) 』 then it is still good but I have a bracelet which paralyzed you when you equipped it, an earring that make the sounds indistinguishable or a boot that makes all your walk into skipping. There are a lot of tools that don’t make sense.

We, Treasure Hunters, respectfully called these Relics 『Scrappy Relics』. And of course, those Relics are rarely line up in the front store.

Inside the workshop of Martis-san there is a mountain of those scraps gathered. This is like a toy box for me.

It is a very good way to kill time to search for the few one which are usable from that mountain-like joke goods (By the way, it goes without saying that we can rarely find one that is usable).

This time, Martis-san is also busy. So, I probably don’t have a lot of time to do it.

“Here, this is the list of requests that came to me. Quickly read it and go home.”

When Martis-san suggested a chair to Tino, he violently passed the files bundled with a clip toward me. The difference of treatment between me and Tino is too great.

However, even if I complain nothing will start. So, I start to check the inventory while standing.

In addition to Martis-san, there are many other appraisers in this city. Looks like I need to pay them a visit later.

“Uuun… I don’t have any money…”

The inventory has provisional names and characteristics of the item. The name of the person who requested the appraisal is not listed, probably because it is personal information.

Relics sold at the auctions are often more expensive than the market price. In the first place, there are only a few excellent Relics and most of the time they are not available even if you pile up your money. Considering that, the auction is a great opportunity, Eva is already keeping a tab on me because of the debt so it may be difficult to join the auction.

Will she forgive me if I do a dogeza?

“Jo-chan, are you doing fine? Is the exploration going smoothly?”

“Ye, yes. It is going smoothly.”

“That is good. Treasure Hunter is a dangerous job. Even doing business with Hunters for many years, losing them still pains me. You have to be extremely careful on your physical condition, you understand?”

“The appraisal isn’t finished at all. Jii-san, is there no finished product?”

I can’t do anything with only the knowledge of the characteristics and the provisional name. Among those, I can guess some of their identity but none of them strike my chords. At the very least please put a photo.

“Noisy! They are in the box there, go see it for yourself! Don’t get them dirty!”

Is he accumulating stress? He starts to swear but I don’t mind because I have a big heart. So, I check the inside of the box he shows me.

It seems that their magic power isn’t filled yet, it is regrettable that I can’t see the Relics in their perfect condition.

When I sit on the floor, I take out each unidentified Relics one by one and check them with the inventory. It is a heart-pounding moment. ｂ𝚎ｄｎ𝚘ｖ𝚎ｌ.𝚌𝚘ｍ

Most of the Relic type are the popular accessory type but I have high expectation for some of them such as bags and gloves Relics that are rarely found in this form. We can expect a lot in this year auction. I can’t participate because I don’t have money though.

Thank you for reading!

Cry I am sure that Martis is just a Tsundere, you can see a lot of it those time, grumpy old man being in fact Tsundere. XD

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