Chapter 147 - The Fuse (2)

“Before we proceed with the trade, I ask that only one representative from each party come inside the mansion.”

“What?”

People started to mumble at Henry's request.

Ten’s mansion was large enough to accommodate everyone waiting outside. Nevertheless, Henry had limited the number of representatives allowed inside, which caused a lot of pressure on the nobles.

Henry was exerting his power as the supplier of the Pink Swamp with trivial demands.

The servants of the nobles started to get restless.

“M-Master..”

“It’s fine. I’ll go myself.”

However, the nobles had no other way to deal with the matter, so they listened to Henry’s orders. All that mattered to them was to please Henry and get their hands on the Pink Swamp as soon as possible.

The nobles reluctantly came out of the carriage, looking dissatisfied and lined up in front of Henry.

“Follow me.”

He had clearly established who was in power.

Henry took them to a living room in a separate building a short distance from the mansion. However, the nobles cocked their heads when they entered the building and saw the interior of the living room.

‘A platform?’

Instead of a long table, there was a large platform resembling a theater stage in the center of the room. Chairs were arranged in the shape of a fan in front of the platform.

Henry stepped onto the platform and said to the nobles, “There’s nothing to be surprised about. Since this trade is going to be with everyone, I thought this setup would be better than a normal meeting room. There are no designated seats, so please feel free to sit anywhere.”

This was going to be a bloody battlefield, not a friendly trading environment.

The nobles started to sit with suspicion. Everyone in the Central Aristocratic Association sat in order of their ranks, starting with those with the highest ranks at the front and the rest following after them.

Henry clucked his tongue as he watched the situation.

‘What a useless sight.’

He found it ridiculous that those who were groveling to a vassal like himself would still sit according to rank. When all the nobles were seated, Henry cleared his throat and greeted all of them once again with a very business smile.

“Thank you once again for coming here. As a token of my appreciation, I have prepared a small gift for all of you.”

‘A gift?’

The nobles were suspicious.

Henry clapped twice and said, “Begin.”

The servants started serving whiskey on the rocks and individual portions of Pink Swamp to each noble, a combination that they had been craving for days.

Henry said with a trustworthy smile, “Please enjoy my hospitality.”

This wasn’t a considerate gesture, but rather a small treat to prepare them for the worst that was yet to come.historical

However, the nobles hesitated to light the Pink Swamp cigarette even though it was right in front of them.

‘Damn it..!’

They were suspicious.

The guy who had threatened Count Rowling just a while ago was now smiling and suggesting they smoke a cigarette.

The nobles felt like Henry was manipulating them. No one knew what Henry was thinking behind his fake smile.

However, their bodies couldn't resist the craving. Despite the potential danger, those who hadn’t smoked for several days couldn't resist the temptation and found themselves reaching for the Pink Swamp.

Their hands started to shake due to withdrawal. What made it even worse was the dilemma—the cigarettes were real, right in front of them, but..at what cost?

The nobles were eager to light their cigarettes, take a deep puff, and fill their mouths with whiskey. However, they couldn’t do so, since the higher-ranking nobles had not lit their matches yet.

Sshhh!

“Haaa...”

Beautiful pink smoke diffused into the air. Henry had struck the first match.

“I-I can’t hold back any longer!”

Sshhh!

Sshhh!

The nobles sitting at the very front started to light their cigarettes in a hurry.

“Haaa..!”

The living room was filled with pink smoke. These nobles had lives of privilege, so breaking their composure was as easy as making a baby cry.

Under the pink smoke, everyone looked very pleased with a cigarette in their mouth.

‘Ha, that didn’t last long.’

Their patience had broken quickly with a single provocation. Henry hadn’t needed to do much to make them lose their composure.

The effects were incredible.

The strike of the first match in the front row marked the beginning of a chain reaction as other matches were lit, signifying the start of the official trade.

Henry signaled with his chin to a servant who was waiting nearby.

Rumble..

The servant pulled 2 cloth-covered carts to Henry.

He snapped his fingers to grab the attention of the nobles and said, “Everyone, as you enjoy the cigarettes and alcohol, we will begin the auction for Pink Swamp.”

“W-what? An auction?”

There was no mistake. Henry had used the word “auction.”

He pulled the cloth off the first cart.

Flap!

“Wow..!”

The nobles weren’t angry or confused once they saw the first cart stacked with a large amount of Pink Swamp.

They stopped complaining and started to murmur in sincere admiration at the captivating sight before them, forgetting the cigarettes in their hands.

“I’ve prepared a hundred packs of the Pink Swamp. There are 10 cigarettes in each pack.”

It was a total of a thousand Pink Swamps.

“However, the Pink Swamp won’t be available for a while because there is a production issue in Shahatra. Please keep this in mind as you participate in the auction,” continued Henry.

“...What?”

The nobles started murmuring. Their initial relief quickly turned into anxiety at Henry's words. The sight of the cigarettes was overshadowed by the realization that there might not be enough to satisfy everyone.

Gulp.

No one spoke for a moment. There was only the sound of cigarettes burning softly.

Although no one said anything, they were all thinking the same thing.

‘I must have it!’

The nobles were aware that the Pink Swamp was exclusive to the Shonan merchant company, and the uncertainty of its availability in the future added to their anxiety. They knew that missing out on the Pink Swamp now would be akin to subjecting themselves to torture.

The nobles also knew how terrible life was without the Pink Swamp because of the withdrawal symptoms they had experienced over the past few days.

The atmosphere in the room was thrilling.

There was a limited amount of cigarettes but a large number of people. Therefore, even members of the same association had no choice but to become rivals.

Henry was satisfied as he looked at the panicked faces of the nobles. He pulled the cloth off the second cart.

Flap!

He revealed a large blackboard and everyone’s eyes shifted toward the board in unison.

“Here is a list of the goods imported from Shahatra currently offered by the merchant company,” said Henry.

The goods included spices, silk, and desert salt, along with their respective quantities.

"Next, let me explain the auction process. It's quite straightforward. To acquire the hundred packs of Pink Swamp, you must first purchase the goods listed here. I will grant the privilege of purchasing the Pink Swamp to everyone except the five individuals who make the smallest purchases."

Henry was planning on eliminating those who bought the least amount of products.

The nobles swallowed once more and looked at each other.

‘I just have to stay out of that five!’

Their fighting spirits rose again, and they were a little relieved at the same time.

Since only the bottom five would be excluded and the auction wouldn’t be restricted to the top five, it gave them hope of obtaining the Pink Swamp.

However, this was a clever trap Henry had set up.

At first glance, picking the top five rather than excluding the bottom five seemed like an easier method, but in reality, it was the opposite. Hierarchy always existed in the association, so if something like this happened, the lower ranks would have to remove themselves accordingly, letting the higher ranks do as they please.

However, in a competition to determine the lowest rank rather than the top rank, there was no need to pay attention to the higher ranks. This meant that the lower ranks were also given a chance.

Some of the nobles’ eyes started to burn with determination.

They were confident that they wouldn't be among the bottom five regardless of the amount of money they had to spend.

‘Watching fights between scumbags is always fun.’

The items they wanted were right in front of them, sparking their hopes.

“Let’s start the auction to determine who qualifies to bid for the Pink Swamp.”

Smirk.

The devil’s auction had begun.

* * *

Finally, the last remaining product was sold.

“N-no..!”

There was a mix of joy and sorrow among the nobles.

This final decision had determined who would be the last to join the bottom five. The results were expected: the five that had been eliminated were the least wealthy among the Central Aristocratic Association.

The eliminated nobles looked completely worn out.

They had gone all out in the final auction to secure their spot and avoid being among the eliminated five. However, all they were left with were unnecessarily expensive Shahatra items.

“This marks the end. Please give a round of applause to those who unfortunately didn't make it,” said Henry with a smile.

Clap clap clap!

The ensuing round of applause would have seemed warm to an outsider, but it was nothing but mockery, humiliating the losers. With that said..the losers had to suppress their anger, as the ones applauding were the higher-ranked individuals seated in front of them.

‘As expected, I have to get rid of the lower ranks to avoid trouble.’

Henry called this auction method “ranked auction.”

This ranked auction had successfully sabotaged the lower-ranked nobles of the Central Aristocratic Association by leveraging their superiors’ desire for Pink Swamp.

After the eliminated nobles left the room, the survivors sighed in relief.

It had indeed been a fierce auction.

Those seated in the front row spared no expense to protect their pride, while those in the middle seats were determined not to be outdone by those in the back.

They had all purchased luxury goods at prices well above market value, creating more profit for Henry. Henry distributed more Pink Swamp and a few glasses of whiskey to the nobles to celebrate their win.

‘I have to hold back just a little longer, and I will have the Pink Swamp in my hands..!’

Some of the nobles were aware of how ridiculous the auction was, but that didn’t change anything.

While they hated the unreasonable method of purchase, they had no choice but to take the Pink Swamp Henry had given them to celebrate.

Now that they had come this far, they couldn't afford to back down and risk their pride.

After a short break, Henry clapped again and said, “Congratulations, everyone. You have the privilege of purchasing the Pink Swamp. However, there are still too many people and not enough cigarettes. So, I will start the auction again to see who is qualified to purchase the Pink Swamp.”

“What?!”

"Oh, of course, if you prefer not to participate in the auction, you are free to leave. However, those who participate will have priority in purchasing the next stock of Pink Swamp. Please take that into consideration."

His subtle smirk marked the second devil’s auction.