"Since this was a grave error that placed the academy in a vulnerable position, the leader of the Star Auction Auditorium was held responsible. The Instructors Committee had given an order for them to step down."
"However, the Disciplinary Committee had intervened in the proceedings. So it was decided that as long as they could pay a hefty fine as punishment, they could continue to hold their position. If they don’t fulfil the necessary conditions, they will lose their position."
I was internally stunned.
I had no idea that this was happening.
I had already guessed that the Zahara Clan’s descendants had used a channel to get the portion to the repairer, so the revelation wasn’t surprising.
However, I hadn’t expected them to have already set up scapegoats to take the fall for them and cover up their plans.
But why had the Disciplinary Committee intervened in the punishment?
A ten per cent increase! The last one was from the maintenance workers.
I hadn’t expected to gain so much in such a short time from my meeting with miniman.
If I could gain information on who was working with the Zahara Clan’s descendants within the Deplicanary Committee, my progress could increase by twenty per cent or more.
We halted before an elevator and waited for the doors to open. Then we entered into it.
The elevator gave a soft ’ting’ and began moving backwards.
"Here’s the last and most intriguing part: being the leader of the Star Auction Auditorium, they have acquired a tremendous amount of merit points and items that has been sold at the Star Auction Auditorium. However, it’s still not enough to pay for the fine. So they’ve decided to hold an auction to sell their personal items to cover the remainder of the fine."
"Due to the delicacy of the matter, none of this has been released to the public until it’s settled to prevent any issues from arising. The auction also hadn’t been made public."
"The only way to get in is to have an invitation. As someone with close connections to the Star Auction Auditorium, I was given an invitation."
He raised his hand and waved it forward before me.
A holographic golden card displaying the structure of the Star Auction Auditorium at its centre. Along the lower edge of the card, shining brightly were the letters, ’V.I.P.’
He waved his hand once more.
The card scattered into countless specks of light, vanishing into thin air.
"To ensure the auction is successful and lively, we were all task with bringing one person, whom we trust. That’s why I invited you."
"You invited someone else before choosing to invite me, didn’t you?" I asked.
Miniman touched his nose.
"You were always training. So I needed to be certain that I had other options who could make it. Although we don’t need to bring a companion, it won’t look good on me if I were the only one who didn’t bring a companion and the auction didn’t go well."
"Fortunately, you came online at the right time. So it’s fate that the two of us are attending the auction. Don’t think too much about it, brother."
Miniman gently patted my shoulder.
Miniman pretended not to pay attention. He continued, "I hope that we could meet some individuals from the Magus Department at the auction. It would make my day better."
"Don’t you already have a connection with the Zahara Clan’s descendants?" I asked with a raised brow.
One of the reasons I became friends with miniman was due to his connection with the Zahara Clan’s descendants.
Our last conversation had proved that he did.
Our friendship might seem close, but it was only on the VR server.
Since he didn’t know about my real-world identity, he was naturally guarded against me on some matters. It wasn’t a topic that I could bring up casually.
I took the opportunity to ask since it was the perfect moment.
"We might seem close, but it’s only because we are benefiting from one another. If I try to bother them too much, they might cut off the friendship, so it’s better I don’t try to push my luck."
He clicked his tongue as he responded, before sighing tiredly.
"We might encounter some students from the Magus department."
I gently patted his shoulders, cheering him up.
"You are right. I should be more optimistic," Miniman vigorously nodded his head. "Don’t hesitate to bid for anything that you like. If you don’t have enough merit points, just ask me. I’ll borrow you."
The elevator doors opened up.
We stepped out of it.
The doors closed behind us.
I saw a tall, fair-skinned man with a white beard and a bald head, dressed in a tuxedo, standing beside the elevator.
His name was written on a holographic tag on the left side of his chest.
A certain number of reputation points was needed to own an NPC. They could be used for various purposes, such as managing large establishments, training partners, and operating chatbots, among other applications.
Miniman summoned the card and presented it to him.
"Welcome to the event, mr miniman."
Miniman gestured at me.
"This is my companion."
Manager Shade nodded.
"Follow me. I’ll lead the way to the event," he said, stretching out his hand and gesturing for us to follow him. He then turned and walked ahead.
We crossed another hall and reached a dead end.
Manager Shade stretched out his hand and gently knocked on the wall twice.
The wall rippled like undulating fluid.
He gestured for us to move forward.
Miniman nodded and walked into the undulating wall.
I followed behind him.
We arrived at a grand hall. Near the entrance, in the corner, a group of individuals in their avatars were gathered discussing among themselves.
Below was a grand stage with rows of seats arranged like a colosseum, all facing the stage. There were no seats behind it.
"We came late, so everyone’s already here," miniman said.
"Come on, I’ve spotted her. Let me introduce you to the leader of the Star Auction Auditorium."
He grabbed my hand and pulled me forward.
We walked through the gathering.
We halted before three girls talking among themselves.
The moment we arrived, they halted their conversation and turned to look at us.
"Hey, I’m sorry that I came late. I was waiting for my partner to come online. He’s a training maniac, so it’s a miracle that he made it," miniman scratched the back of his head.
"Well, we’re just about to start, so you arrived on time," the girl at the centre responded, shaking her head with a smile on her lips.
She was dressed in a green lace dress. The girl to her left was dressed in a black satin dress. And the other at her right was dressed in a navy blue dress.
Miniman sighed in relief.
He gestured towards the girl at the centre and me.
"Anyway, allow me to introduce you both. theGreatOne01, this is MidnightFire. She’s the current leader of the Star Auction Auditorium. Her real name is Chioma Okoye, a descendant of the Okoye Clan, a Prestigious Clan of the Berserker Path."
"From her identity, you already know about her. But I’ll continue regardless. She’s ranked first in the Class Two Berserker Department rankings. She’s also Instructor Sarafina’s favourite student. Rumour has it they have a close relationship with each other, and I can assure you that it’s true."
Chioma Okoye! The top-ranked Berserker of the Class Two Berserker Department Rankings!
I hadn’t expected that she would be the leader of the Star Auction Auditorium. Most of all, I hadn’t expected that she would also be that mad Berserker’s favourite student.
I hadn’t forgotten that Sarafina had come looking for me while I was in the hospital.
I had also done everything I could to avoid running into her.
Unless she came to my dorm personally to look for me, or came during class, which was highly unlikely, the former would further reinforce my suspicion that she was conspiring with Fredric.
If I could form a good relationship with her, I could learn about Sarafina’s plans.
"MidnightFire, this is the theGreatOne01. I don’t mean to be rude, but I can’t introduce my friend’s identity since it’s a secret."
Their attention shifted towards me.
MidnightFire chuckled.
"As long as you trust your friend enough to bring him here, I don’t care whether this is his bot avatar or not."
She stretched out her hand for a handshake.
"Allow me to introduce my two friends," she gestured towards the girl dressed in a black satin dress.
"This is Fairmoon01. Her true identity is Esther Palgram, a direct descendant of the Palgram Clan. She’s currently the top-ranked Magical Swordsman of the Class One Magical Swordsmen Department rankings."