Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 71
Translated by Elphie
The atmosphere in the fortress had been strange lately. Normally, it was bustling with activity in the first few days after the initial dungeon conquests began. The excitement of first-time pairs combined with the determination of veterans vowing to outperform last year’s successes usually created a lively ambiance.
After a few weeks, however, failures in dungeon expeditions would inevitably result in casualties and injuries. From then on, a hush settled over the fortress.
People began to realize the gravity of what they were facing. The purifiers, along with the knights, stopped purification for a while, focusing instead on resting in their lodgings to reserve their strength.
This way, when more dungeons began to appear, they could cleanse them properly.
And so, while the areas for pairs became quiet as they took their much-needed respite, the places frequented by everyday people grew more chaotic. And the primary reason for that was the opening of the auction house.
While individuals could keep the rewards obtained from dungeons for personal use, most opted to sell them through the fortress’s auction house. This was the quickest and most convenient way to convert their loot into money. Of course, the fortress took a small fee as commission, but their centralized system removed the need to haggle and find buyers.
However, the true value of the auction house was in selling artifacts. When the appraisers in the fortress wrote down the name and abilities of an artifact on paper, the staff displayed it for everyone to see. They also promptly printed the details, including the estimated auction price and auction date, and distributed them throughout various locations.
Those who received this information, upon realizing that the artifact they needed had appeared, immediately made their way to the auction house.
While the auction house was typically open for free entry, only authorized individuals were allowed inside whenever an artifact was being auctioned. Usually, this included royalty, nobility, and the wealthy, but purifiers and knights who formed pairs and stayed in the fortress could also participate. They liked to see firsthand how much their artifacts sold for at auction.
The auction house was usually noisy, but this year’s auction was noisier than ever.
“Starting with the Infinite Healing Ring and ending with the Invisibility Ring! It’s only spring, but two incredible artifacts have already appeared.”
“Infinite Healing is a bound artifact, isn’t it? But the Invisibility Ring shouldn’t be, right?”
“Yes. That’s why there are so many royals and nobles from all over the world who want to attend the first auction of the year. A ring that makes the wearer invisible—it would be strange if it wasn’t in high demand.”
The nobles entered the auction house, chattering excitedly as they made their way inside. Irene stood a few feet away, listening to their conversation.
“Sigh…”
A long sigh escaped her as they passed by.
The Invisibility Ring.
The thought of the artifact shook Irene to her core.
‘If I had known, I would have refused Michael’s offer back then.’
How could she have refused to share in the reward?
Irene looked at today’s auction list in her hands.
[Invisibility Ring
Estimated auction price: 1.5 million gold]
It is customary for auction estimates to be conservative, so the final bid would probably be over 3 million gold.
‘Still, it’s a huge drop in price from what I remember.’
In her previous life, the Invisibility Ring was traded as the third-highest amount in history. But the amount of money the Invisibility Ring was worth on paper now, even if it fetched ten times as much, was nowhere near what it had been in the past.
There was a reason for that.
[Special Note: Limited number of uses (5 times)]
Unlike before, the Invisibility Ring now had a limited number of uses.
‘It must have been thoroughly examined.’
Even when Irene appraised Infinite Healing, it took quite a long time.
When she went to appraise the Invisibility Ring, the Hand of Appraisal lingered on the ring for an unusually long time, as if something were strange. Then, the Hand added this peculiar note.
‘I’m pretty sure there was never a limit on the number of times you could use it back then.’
That’s why the price didn’t skyrocket like it did before, and the estimated bid price was much lower than Irene remembered.
Of course, it was still an expensive artifact.
‘Everyone was so happy that they didn’t know what to do with themselves.’
It was an honor enough to gain experience in a high-level dungeon under Michael’s command, but to be rewarded with an artifact? Moreover, unlike the Princess’s circle, the number of participants in raids here was low, so they were going to receive a truly substantial amount of money.
