Chapter 363 Chapter362-Master Reo's Concerns
John, who had been resting with his eyes closed, did not have to wait long.
Soon, there was a knock on the door of the private room. It was followed by the seasoned voice of Master Reo, "May I come in?"
John nudged his head towards Loving_Lollipop, who was looking around curiously, gesturing for him to answer the door.
"Come on, even though you're my role model and idol, that doesn't mean you can treat me like a servant,"
Loving_Lollipop muttered under his breath, yet he obediently moved towards the door.
Opening it, he found Master Reo hurrying in, still clad in his timeless appraiser's robe, its wrinkles betraying his recent engagement in appraisal work.
As John rose from the sofa, Master Reo's face showed a trace of apologetic smile. "I truly apologize for not welcoming Mr. Galewind at the door myself. Unfortunately, I was too entangled in my work to do so."
John waved his hand, indicating that he wasn't bothered by these formalities.
Master Reo took a seat opposite John. A servant at the door swiftly replaced the beverages and fruit plate on the table.
Then, Master Reo lifted his head with a chuckling tone, "Mr. Galewind, you've arrived quite early today. There's still some time before the auction starts. This is quite unlike your usual grand, last-minute appearances..."
Hearing Master Reo's lightly teasing words, a slight smile appeared on John's face. "Master, you make it sound like I've always left a bad impression. Surely, that's not the case?"
Master Reo quickly shook his head in denial, "Not at all, it's just that Mr. Galewind's early arrival today is indeed a surprise. I'm just not used to it yet."
Their eyes met, sharing an understanding smile.
John poured himself a glass of wine and took a sip, surprised at its pleasant taste. "Your selection of wines here is impressive. I wonder, are they available for purchase on regular days?"
Master Reo replied with a humorous sparkle in his eye, "Normally, these beverages are not for sale. However, if Mr. Galewind desires them, we might as well offer some as a complimentary gesture!"
John's lips curved into a comfortable smile. "Free? I think we might skip that. As far as I know, the most expensive things in the world usually come with 'free' as their price tag."
Master Reo burst into laughter, winking playfully. "As long as Mr. Galewind allows us to collect a bit more in service fees later, what's the harm in offering some wine?"
With a wry smile, John shook his head. "Just as I said, nothing more expensive than what's offered for free…"
After a pause, John steered the conversation. "Looking at the scale of today's auction at your Auction House, it seems even more grand than the last. Is there something particularly valuable on offer today?"
Rubbing his weary brow, Master Reo responded warmly, "Valuable is a relative term. It's just that our Auction House has acquired some decent items lately. Selling them all in the main hall wouldn't fetch us the profits we desire. After all, as the Chief Appraiser of Dawn Breeze Auction House, I have to look at things from the Auction House's perspective. So, we decided to put these items up for auction instead…"
"However, I haven't been overly involved in this auction. Most of the responsibilities were handed over to that girl, Isabella. So far, it seems she has been handling it quite well."
"After this auction, I'll be comfortable in delegating most of my responsibilities to Isabella…"
John looked up, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Master Reo to hold Isabella in such high regard.
Entrusting his duties to a player without a strong background showed Master Reo's deep-rooted confidence in Isabella's abilities.
It seemed that Master Reo was grooming Isabella as his successor.
Noticing the surprise in John's eyes, Master Reo said with a light chuckle, "Do you find my decision concerning Isabella questionable, Mr. Galewind?"
John slowly shook his head.
With a sigh, Master Reo remarked, "I must say, you players from unknown lands seem to possess an innate ability to learn swiftly. I've had several apprentices in the past, but none could match Isabella's pace of learning…"
John's smile remained unchanged, but inwardly he couldn't help but scoff.
Of course, learning was fast when all it took was adding skill points.
Throughout the conversation, Loving_Lollipop had been playing the role of an attentive listener.
While his curiosity had him glancing around, he never interrupted the dialogue.
His eyes were filled with wonder.
He probably never imagined that his much-admired Galewind would be casually conversing with an NPC.
Before joining the game Godslayer, Loving_Lollipop had played other virtual games.
Through his observations, he noted that NPCs in the Godslayer world were significantly more lifelike than those in other games.
In most games, NPCs were rigid and scripted, limited to communication along pre-set narrative lines.
But in Godslayer, it was entirely different.
These NPCs exhibited a high degree of flexibility, often giving the illusion of being real beings rather than programmed characters.
Loving_Lollipop sometimes enjoyed a casual chat with NPCs in this world, but he had never engaged in such an intense and topic-rich conversation with an NPC like John was doing.
After a brief pause, as if Master Reo wanted to say something more, his gaze fell on Loving_Lollipop.
It was as if he had just noticed him, and with a hint of hesitation, he asked, "And who might this young man be?"
John introduced him nonchalantly, "Just a friend. Feel free to speak your mind, Master. Don't worry about him overhearing."
Master Reo nodded slightly and then, with a more serious tone, began, "I must discuss the six daggers you brought last time. You mentioned they were linked to an ancient assassins' guild called AGHHO. I've had some old friends investigate, and the truths unearthed are frankly quite alarming!"
John raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his voice, "Is there a problem?"
With a wry smile, Master Reo confessed, "Honestly, I hadn't anticipated that these daggers would be such a hot potato. AGHHO is one of the oldest and most extensive assassin alliances on the Godslayer Continent. They've been stirring up trouble behind countless major events for nearly ten thousand years..."
"Such a colossal organization is not something our humble Dawn Breeze Auction House can afford to offend."
"Therefore, I wish to consult with you, Mr. Galewind. Do you think we should refrain from auctioning these daggers? Provoking those shadows of the dark world might lead to more trouble than it's worth."
John replied with a light smile, "So, it's about that. You needn't worry, Master. Since those items were consigned by me, I'll handle these minor issues myself..."
Master Reo's expression grew more bitter, "You don't think I'm exaggerating, do you, Mr. Galewind? To be frank, I've received reliable intel that AGHHO, somehow informed about their belongings being auctioned, has dispatched a team led by a master assassin to infiltrate Silverglow soon."
"They're likely targeting the six daggers…"
A shadow of darkness momentarily flickered in John's eyes.
"You mean to say there will be AGHHO assassins mingling in our auction?"
Master Reo nodded gravely.
John's fingers lightly tapped on the table as he sank into deep thought.
Under normal circumstances, the scenario described by Master Reo seemed almost impossible.
The auction was specifically organized for players and had no ties with local NPCs.
Players and NPCs are distinct entities, interacting minimally beyond quests.
Consider the nature of such auctions – if NPCs were to participate, it would render the competition among players meaningless.
affluent and influential.
Moreover, if NPCs were to intervene in player affairs, it would signify their transcendence beyond system control.
Would they then be able to attack players at will?
If such a scenario unfolded, the game would descend into chaos.
Remember, the powerful NPCs of the Godslayer Continent are usually hundreds of levels above players, making any confrontation a one-sided slaughter.
However, the implications in Master Reo's words suggested a strong conviction that AGHHO assassins would indeed infiltrate the auction – an oddity in itself.
The overarching system should not permit such occurrences.
In any other game John had played, he would've scoffed at such a notion.
Yet now, in this tangible parallel world, John couldn't be certain of the system's oversight.
Or perhaps, does the system itself relish in the unfolding of such events?
Seeing John lost in deep thought, Master Reo did not urge him, instead sitting quietly beside, waiting. Moments later, John came back to his senses.
"If the master thinks there's a risk, then just remove those six daggers from your auction inventory," John said, weighing his words. "However, as I said before, since I brought those items, I'll naturally deal with the associated risks. The only requirement is your trust in me..."
Master Reo didn't decide immediately, looking somewhat astonished as he asked, "Are you implying, Mr. Galewind, that if AGHHO assassins really act during the auction, you would intervene and handle them?"
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