Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 247 Long Skirts, Books and Paintings

The banquet had none of Shard's acquaintances, so he did not stay, carrying his wine glass and heading straight into what was originally the second-floor dining room.

This was the larger auction hall for tonight's charity auction. There were 10 items per session, with a 15-minute break between each session, and it was now precisely the rest time after the session had ended. Shard had just entered the door when a middle-aged woman dressed in a lady's clerical uniform approached him:

"Are you Mr. Hamilton, representing Miss Galina at the next auction?"

She asked softly. Shard nodded, aware that the ordinary person before him was also someone Miss Galina had arranged to be here in advance. The Duchess was worried Shard might encounter some mishaps, as he had never attended such an auction.

The auction process was simple, guests had to book a session in advance, and upon arriving at the restaurant on time, they would receive a wooden number plate. Once the auction began, they could bid using the number plate. Before the auction started, there was time to view the ten items of that session.

"That person..."

The woman whispered as Shard took the number plate from her hands.

"Your three o'clock direction, black dress suit, golden buttons, with a mustache, wearing a black top hat."

She lowered her voice, making sure no one was around, and softly reminded:

"The ring is on his finger."

Shard nodded and then naturally parted ways with the woman. He looked down at his number plate, which ironically had a coat of paint, appearing as if it were a tool borrowed from the auction house.

The man standing at three o'clock, looking at an oil painting, was tonight's target. His real name was Steve Event, a cultist who worshipped the "Lord of the Blood Feast." The "Transmutation Ring" was stolen during its transfer by the Peace Church, and naturally, the thief was a church infiltrator inside the cult.@@@@

The ring itself did not stay in the hands of that honorable infiltrator but was prepared by the cultists to be returned to the "Blood of Mercury." Returning such an important relic at an event like today's, fraught with danger, was out of the question; hence, the ring was kept by the Order's Circle Sorcerer, Steve Event.

After examining the old book, he then looked towards the third auction item. It was an oil painting hung on the wall, its vivid colors causing a sense of irritation. The painting was called "Harvest Field," depicted with gold, yellow, and red to illustrate the rice fields in autumn.

The painter had poured a lot of emotion into the painting, so much so that Shard felt a chilling sensation from the wild colors at just a glance, yet he couldn't pinpoint the source of this feeling.

"This must be the charm of art."

Shard spoke, glancing sideways. Mr. Event was engrossed in the painting and didn't speak, so Shard turned to look at the placard displaying the base price:

"Tsk, 160 pounds."

"Strictly speaking, this price isn't high."

The middle-aged "man" finally spoke. He squinted at the painting on the wall, his expression somewhat enraptured:

"The artist's thoughts can be conveyed through their works, and the one who painted this perfectly expressed their emotions of anxiety, unease, and panic using warm rather than cool tones. It's definitely an innovation. Although this painting only fetched 174 pounds at Biford Auction House five years ago, its intrinsic artistic value is much higher than those indefinable abstract paintings. (Note)"

Fortunately, the attendees were wealthy individuals with little understanding of art; if such remarks were made in an art academy or museum, they would have caused a sensation.

"So, sir, you seem to have a deep understanding of oil paintings?"

Seizing the opportunity, Shard asked, and Mr. Event nodded, still looking at the painting but now engaging in conversation with Shard:

"I'm not a Draleon native; back in my homeland, I actually deal in collecting and preserving art."

This profession, in this world, seemed to easily breed madmen and cultists, making it a sort of "high-risk occupation."