The Hidden Master

Chapter 7

The smile that tugged Twenty’s lips caused unease to climb through the auction worker’s stomach.

He had just been declared unworthy of the VIP section and was about to lose his marriage, yet he still looked so nonchalant.  It was either his acting was too good or he was just hopeless. 

Fred pushed the written agreement closer to him.

“Enough of your empty confidence. The assessment has been completed, and everyone here witnessed the result. Sign the agreement and get on your knees.”

Twenty glanced at the paper before returning his gaze to Fred.

“And why would I sign an agreement based on a false assessment?”

The crowd erupted with another round of laughter.

Sarah’s hands squeezed into firm knuckles. Even after the machine had valued the stone at nothing, Twenty still refused to accept that he had lost. That was the pathetic  man that she had gotten  married to.

“The machine scanned it twice, Twenty  and everyone  saw the result. ” Sarah growled. “What else do you need before admitting that you lied?”

“A competent appraiser would be a good start,” Twenty replied.

Those words felt like a literal slap across the auction worker’s face.

Her cheeks burned bright red as the bitter taste of rage flooded her throat.

“You think you can question my ability just because the result did not favour you?” she snapped. “Security will drag you out if you refuse to respect the wager.”

Twenty remained seated with lazy nonchalance washing through his face.

“You should be more worried about what happens to you when someone qualified sees that report.”

The worker’s teeth gnashed tightly.

“A poor beggar who brought a roadside stone into my auction is threatening my position?”

“It was not a threat. I was only helping you prepare for what is coming.”

Fred could no longer contain the  rage that boiled through  his body.

He grabbed the stone from the table and held it up for everyone to see.

“There is nothing special about this piece of dirt. He will continue making excuses as long as it remains in one piece.”

His gaze drifted towards the ceremonial hammer beside the mineral scanner.

A dark smile cut through his face as he reached for it.

“If we break it open, everyone will see that there is nothing hidden inside.”

Twenty leaned forward slightly.

“You might want to think carefully before doing that.”

Fred’s smile widened.  “So the great and powerful Twenty is finally worried?”

“I am worried that you will not be able to afford your mistake.”

Another wave of laughter rushed through the hall.

Fred turned towards the auction worker.

“You have declared this thing worthless. I assume there is no rule preventing me from destroying an object with no value.”

The worker glanced at Twenty before nodding.

“The assessment has been completed. You may proceed.”

Fred placed the stone back on the table and wrapped his fingers around the hammer.

Before he could raise it, Madam Clara stepped between him and the stone.

“You will not destroy anything inside this auction hall.”

Shock arched into Fred’s face before it was replaced by disdain.

“And who is going to stop me?”

“I will stop you,” Clara replied. “The machine could not identify the stone. According to the auction rules, an unidentified object cannot be destroyed until the chief appraiser confirms the assessment.”

The auction worker’s face squeezed into a dark frown.

“Do not interfere with my department. The object was assigned no value, and I have already signed the report.”

“You assigned it no value because your machine failed to recognize it,” Clara corrected.

The worker’s hands tightened.

“If you continue interfering, I will report you to the auction board. Not even your position will save you.”

Clara’s stomach twisted into a knot. She had spent years earning her place in the Grand Horizon, but Victor Jade’s warning remained fresh in her head.

Twenty was not someone they could afford to offend. And if it came from Victor himself,  that meant that Twenty  was someone  that was supposed to be treated like a God.

His composure  and the way he looked so bothered. That was supposed to be more than enough  evidence  for them to know that he wasn't  ordinary  yet they were all blinded by their stupidity.

“You can make your report after the chief appraiser arrives,” Clara said, refusing to move.

Fred had already lost the last bit of patience that remained in him.

“This has gone on long enough.”

He shoved past Clara and raised the hammer above the stone.

Sarah watched without making any attempt to stop him. Once the stone was broken and proven worthless, Twenty would finally lose the confidence that irritated her so much.

Fred tightened both hands around the hammer and brought it down.

“Stop right there!”

The deep voice tore through the hall with enough force to freeze Fred’s hands in the air.

Every head turned towards the entrance.

An elderly man dressed in a dark ceremonial coat pushed through the crowd. The golden badge resting on his chest caused several guests to gasp.

He was the chief appraiser of the World Grand Auction.

The auction worker’s face brightened.

“Master, you arrived at the perfect time. This man brought a worthless stone into the VIP section and refused to accept my assessment.”

The chief appraiser ignored her.

His eyes remained fixed on the stone, and the closer he moved towards it, the paler his face became.

By the time he reached the table, his hands had begun trembling violently.

He moved the hammer away and bent over the stone. Beneath its dirty surface was a faint golden line that everyone else had mistaken for an ordinary crack.

The chief appraiser’s breath caught in his throat.

“Who owns this stone?” he inquired.

Twenty raised a hand calmly.

“It belongs to me.”

The old man looked at Twenty before turning towards the auction worker.

“What assessment did you give it?”

She picked up another copy of the report and handed it to him.

“The machine found no database match or recognizable crystal formation. I declared it an ordinary mountain stone with no market value.”

The chief appraiser read the report twice.

Shock peeled through his face like several layers of skin before it was replaced by burning fury.

“You declared this stone worthless?”

The confidence in the worker’s chest weakened.

“The machine assigned it no value.”

The chief appraiser raised his eyes towards her and pointed at the hammer in Fred’s hands.

“If that hammer had touched this stone, every fortune in this hall combined would not have been enough to repay its owner.”