"Hey, by the way, is there an auction house here? Or a trading center?"
After careful consideration, Hammer decided to put his skills to practical use. With a stash of valuable items on him, selling just a couple should solve his money problems.
The middle-aged man looked a bit impatient, it was clear to him now that Hammer didn't have any money.
"There is. But do you even have any money?"
A trace of embarrassment crossed Hammer's face.
"Well, not right now, that's why I'm asking about an auction house! I've got some pretty good stuff here. I can consign it for auction, and once it sells, I'll have cash, simple right?"
When it came to his possessions, Hammer's expression turned smug.
He was absolutely confident that no man could resist the allure of his treasures once revealed.
That was how sure he was.
The middle-aged man was taken aback by Hammer's look of complete confidence.
He couldn't understand where a broke guy got that kind of self-assurance.
But in the name of profit, he decided to take a chance on Hammer.
But as a businessman, even a one-in-a-million opportunity was worth pursuing. And given Hammer's demeanor, there was at least a 1% chance he wasn't bluffing.
"Follow me. There just happens to be an auction in an hour. The people attending are either nobles or famous captains."
"If you want to auction something, it'll need to be appraised first."
Saying that, the man led Hammer out the back door toward another grand-looking building.
Once inside, several attendants greeted them.
"Welcome, Lord Sanders."
The man named Sanders just nodded and walked straight into the interior.
Hammer silently followed, eyeing the lavish surroundings.
The auction house was exquisitely decorated, and the attendants were all stunning women.
Hammer's pulse quickened.
The sight made Hammer's blood stir.
'What man doesn't appreciate… aesthetics?'
Eventually, Sanders brought Hammer to the back area of the auction house and summoned two appraisers.
"These two are our top appraisers. They'll ensure your items are genuine and assign a fair price."
"Now, let's see what you've got."
Hammer nodded and took out two items from his coat pocket: a seemingly ordinary pair of glasses and a black hat.
Of course, he couldn't reveal the secret of his storage ring in front of others.
So he had carefully taken these out and put them in his coat pocket on the way here.
The two appraisers looked at the glasses and hat he handed over with open disdain in their eyes.
"Sir, these appear to be… regular glasses and a hat. Are you mocking us?"
One of the appraisers looked particularly upset, he had just been enjoying a euphoric "ascension to the heavens" experience when his assistant told him Sanders needed him urgently.
And now? Just some random junk glasses and a raggedy hat???
The other appraiser didn't look pleased either. Only Sanders had a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Hammer didn't care about their reactions. He calmly toyed with the two items.
"Tch, no vision at all. These were made by yours truly. You guys are too shallow to understand their value."
"These glasses are called X-Ray Glasses. I don't need to explain what 'X-Ray' means, right?"
'X-Ray Glasses?' The two appraisers glanced at each other, then looked at Sanders.
They could both see disbelief in each other's eyes.
"You don't believe me, huh?"
"No problem. The X-Ray function on these glasses can be used ten times. You can try it once now. If they don't work, I'll crawl out of here."
That line hit Sanders squarely in the heart.
He figured: we might as well test them.
He gave one of the appraisers a signal.
Appraiser A nodded, took the glasses, and put them on.
"Nothing's happening. Kid, you're full of sh-"
Hammer pointed at the right side of the glasses and said, "Use your right hand to feel along the right frame. There's a button. Press that. And don't say I didn't warn you, once the X-Ray is activated, it lasts five minutes. You get ten uses total. That's fifty minutes total."
Hearing that, Appraiser A reached up and felt around; sure enough, there was a button.
A crisp sound. Then came a shocked shout.
"Whoa! Holy moly! This image-! Oh wow, oh wow!"
Appraiser A was instantly hooked, his gaze quickly scanning the beautiful female attendants nearby.
The steamy scenes he saw got his blood pumping.
"Hey! What do you see? Does it really work?!"
Sanders was fuming at his behavior and quickly grabbed his shoulder to ask.
But as Appraiser A was yanked, his gaze swept across Sanders.
"Whoa, Lord Sanders, that cat tattoo of yours is pretty cool! Never seen that before. And you're wearing red underwear? Bold choice... Hahaha"
Sanders' face went pitch black. He clenched his grip without even realizing it.
"Oww! I was wrong, I was wrong, Lord Sanders!"
Appraiser A immediately dropped to his knees, crying out in pain and begging for mercy.
"If I hear even a whisper about what you saw, you'll be working at the Lovebird Pavilion by tomorrow."
A cold, emotionless voice came from Sanders' mouth, enough to freeze blood.
Terrified, Appraiser A nodded repeatedly, swearing he wouldn't breathe a word.
Sanders then snatched the glasses from him and put them on himself.
"A treasure....This is undoubtedly a treasure."
"X-ray vision, this is the stuff of every man's dream."
Sanders was falling under its spell, too. It wasn't just that the glasses were finely made; the ability was just too useful.
"Sir, may I have your name?"
"Anvil," Hammer replied.
"Uh, Mr. Anvil, I promise I'll get you a fair price for these glasses. Let's set the starting bid at 10.01 million Berries. We'll only take a 10% commission off the final sale price. Sound good?"
Hammer nodded in agreement right away.
"What about the hat? Does it have any special abilities?"
After what he just saw with the glasses, Sanders was sure the hat was no ordinary item either.
"It's an Invisibility Hat. Same deal, there's a switch. Press it and you'll turn invisible for five minutes. But it only works five times."
Invisibility! Just as enticing as X-ray vision.
Sanders was thrilled, his hands trembling slightly as he took the hat.
At this point, he was even tempted to join the upcoming auction himself.
"Very well, Mr. Anvil. Please proceed to the VIP lounge. You can watch the auction from there. Once it's over, we'll deliver your earnings straight to you."
"Oh, and regardless of how much these two items sell for, the information you're seeking? The Hydra Society will provide it for free, as a gesture of goodwill and in hopes of earning your friendship."