Mo and his two companions went to the auction, and as he reached there, he called a friend working there to the gate of the Auction House.
When Mo's friend arrived, Mo explained the situation and showed him the Card.
Mo's friend, a man with an average build and from the tiger tribe, checked the Card and said,
"I don't know… Never seen this card. It could be fake for all I know. There are many scammers nowadays, and the auction house does get such people at daily auction events. People bring fake cards in hopes of getting in but eventually, they are found out."
Mo nodded. "I was thinking the same as well. Can you give this card for a quality check?"
Mo's friend nodded. "I have a few contacts with the higher-ups. I'll see what can be done. If it's fake, I'll let you know. Just wait here."
"Alright." Mo nodded and let his friend bring the card to the higher-ups.
Mo's friend walked through the auction house's gate and went straight to the third floor.
The auction house building was rectangular and had a large space in the middle to conduct auctions with various rooms and houses surrounding it for the VIPs and VVIPs.
Mo's friend went to the manager of the auction house and after a light chat, he said,
"Mr. Manager, can you please check the authenticity of this card? Someone wants to buy the most expensive treasure of the auction house."
The manager, a short man, took the card and checking it, said, "I haven't seen such a card before."
Mo's friend nodded. "I haven't either. Maybe it's a fake."
The manager shook his head. "Don't jump to conclusions so fast. Have you ever seen the world's most premium cards or some secret cards?"
Mo's friend shook his head. "But manager, it came from a friend of mine who in turn was given straight from the cardholder. From what my friend told me, the cardholder didn't appear to be someone who could afford such a thing."
Lith, Ralph, and Dennis were young and Mo thought that Lith couldn't afford such an expensive treasure because they seemed to need money.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtMo assumed that the three had accepted his proposal because the beastkin could provide them with a good amount of money. He thought that only someone who truly needed money would do such a thing.
Thus, he concluded that there was no way Lith had the resources to purchase something so expensive. He assumed that Lith and his friends were just bluffing.
The manager once again shook his head as he heard Mo's friend say such things. "Again, there is no proof that this is fake nor can we confirm that this card is real."
"We shouldn't jump to conclusions. The more expensive or premium a card is, the less knowledge we, the lower echelon, would have. Only the higher-ups would know something about it."
"I have seen many fake cards and comparing them with this, this card doesn't seem to fit any criteria for being a fake, but it also doesn't seem premium enough. I'll go get it checked with the higher-ups. If it's someone who can afford it, it's best to not offend them."
Mo's friend looked at the manager and said shaking his head, "Manager you're thinking too much. I don't think–"
"Well… it's not for me or you to decide. If it's fake, we won't lose anything, but if it's legit, we can save ourselves some trouble and not offend a bigshot unnecessarily."
Mo's friend sighed. "Please do as you see fit."
"I'll leave now. Stay here in my office until I am back."
Saying so, the manager left and went to the topmost floor — the fifth floor. Reaching there, he went into an office at the end of the long hallway.
Two people were guarding the door. The guards first checked him after he requested to enter. They only let him in after they received approval from the one inside the office.
As soon as the manager entered inside, he saw some fine furniture made of the most premium wood. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling and a brown carpet was laid on the floor. The office sure was luxurious.
In the middle of the room, a lady in a tight black outfit sat behind a desk. She was engrossed in her work. She had black hair and brown eyes and seemed to be in her late 20s.
"Good morning, chief." The manager walked towards the lady and said.
"Morning. What brings you here so early?" The lady asked, looking up at the man as she put down the paper in her hand.
The manager didn't waste her time and explained what the situation was. He then presented her with the card and said,
"Please check the authenticity of it."
"Alright. Show me the card." The lady said calmly.
The manager handed her the card. As the young lady inspected the card, she saw the nine roses embedded in it. Her hands immediately trembled and getting up from her chair immediately, she said in shock,
"T-this. Where the hell did you find this!?"
"What?" The manager was confused by her shocked reaction.
The lady walked towards the manager and holding his collar and showing him the card, asked, "I asked where the hell did you find this!?"
"It-It was given to me by a subordinate, c-chief." The manager sweated as he wondered what caused his well-mannered chief to suddenly lose her temper.
"Who? Where? When? And how long has it been since the order for the treasure was issued!? Quickly tell me!" The chief roared.
"Ch-chief calm down…"
"Stop with the useless talks. Answer me first or we all won't have our heads intact. This small auction house would be doomed!"
"What!?" The manager was shocked now.
Firstly, he had never seen his chief act in such a way. Also, the auction house was one of the biggest ones on the continent. By no means was it small.
"I'll take you to my subordinate, chief. He'll tell you everything." The manager said.
"Hurry up!" The chief grabbed the manager's hand and dragged him to his office.
The manager's face was flushed by the chief's actions but he understood the gravity of the situation. He increased his speed and rushed with her.
While rushing towards the manager's office, the chief thought, 'Please let everything be fine. I hope these stupid people haven't offended that man or we're doomed!'
Scelestus had issued a notice about the Black Card to all its affiliates and members. So, everyone involved with Scelestus knew of the Black Card and its owner in some way, but they weren't allowed to discuss it with others.
Those who knew about the Black Card were well aware of what the card represented. But those who didn't bother to check the notice were in the dark.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmBut almost 99% of people involved with Scelestus in some way or the other knew about the Black Card.
This Card was handed out to one single person; so there was only a single Black Card Holder in the world. It was a huge privilege.
Many guessed that the person might be close to the owner of Scelestus or it might the owner himself. If that wasn't the case, there was no way that such a privilege would be bestowed upon a random nobody.
People talked about it on the dark web indirectly. They never mentioned the Black Card but they just said a few things that others were bound to understand if they had read the notice.
The chief, or the lady who owned the auction house, was naturally aware of the notice. She had also read many theories about it. She also knew how the Black Card looked as there were pictures of it in the notice issued by Scelestus.
The incredible privileges that came with the card had also aroused the greed of many, causing them to eye the card. There were lots and lots of people in search of this card and they would kill anyone to get it.
The chief was thus panicking. She had no idea why the owner of the card had visited the Auction House. She also had no idea why her small auction house was involved in this matter.
If other members of Scelestus knew about her negligence, they would most certainly come together to condemn her.
If the people who were eyeing the card came to know of its location, then they would immediately rush to her Auction House. In the ensuing fight, her Auction House may even be razed to the ground!
These thoughts made her legs move faster without any care for superficial grace and elegance. Even though the chief was an elegant lady, her elegance right now was nowhere to be seen.
As soon as the chief reached the manager's office, she found Mo's friend sitting carefreely. She urgently walked toward him and,
SLAP!
It served to wake him up from his daydreams. She thrust the black card before his eyes and said,
"Quickly, tell me why you have this card. Who gave it to you?... Forget it. Just take me to him as quickly as you can!"
"W-wh-what!?" Mo's friend was in deep shock from the slap. Before he could gather his thoughts to answer, he felt another stinging sensation on his face.
SLAP!
"I asked who gave you this card!? Take me to him quickly!" The chief urgently shouted, without a care for her demeanor.
Mo's friend felt his head spin from the slaps and great pain on his cheeks. His eyes watered up but he mustered up the courage and said,
"T-th-this way…"