Chapter 61
Episode 21: Tesing Underground Auction (4)

“They’re probably furiously crunching the numbers by now. Whether or not they truly believe I’m the real Veradin, I’m dying to know if the Ziphl family headquarters even have a clue about what’s going on.”

If it were me, I’d be doing the same. When people face extreme situations, their first instinct is to find a way to survive.

“But even if they’re certain I’m acting alone, they won’t dare strike recklessly.”

The real Veradin Ziphl and the imposter Jin Runkandel—both hailed as prodigies of magic—are still just rookies compared to me.

If a group of unregistered mages from Tesing swarmed me, I’d be in trouble. But I didn’t even need to call in unregistered mages; Alu could handle them all by himself.

Still, Alu had to be wary of more than just Veradin.

“How skilled are Veradin Ziphl’s bodyguards?”

There was a young man with a sharp glare and a woman with an expressionless face. If Veradin were eliminated, those two would be the biggest threats.

It was hard to gauge. Neither gave off any aura, so they might be mages who could completely conceal their power.

“And Jet, come here. Stop lying there all sprawled out.”

“Yes, my lord!”

“Tch, your face is a mess. Looks like you got smacked for calling me by name, huh?”

“Oh no, my lord, I’m fine. Don’t worry about someone like me… focus on the family’s affairs.”

“Is that so? Alright then.”

Jet felt a pang of hurt but knew there was no point arguing.

“What are you waiting for, Alu? Hurry up and bring the ledgers and registries.”

“Yes, Lord Veradin! Hey! Didn’t you hear Lord Veradin? Move it!”

The Tesing operatives at the edges scattered like ants. Soon, they returned with over ten ledgers and registries, but all were superficial records.

“This is everything we have here at the auction, Lord Veradin. The truly important documents are kept in the magical vault at my residence…”

Alu trailed off, glancing around cautiously.

“May I go fetch them myself? It’ll only take a moment.”

“Haha… Where do you think you’re pulling that stunt? Don’t you understand the situation?”

“Lord Veradin, it’s not like that.”

“Trying to insult me with such a transparent ploy? You want to go alone to find the ledgers, so you can destroy the important documents and secretly contact your cronies to verify if I’m the real deal and why I’m here?”

He hit the nail on the head.

Alu knew exactly what was going on but had no choice but to try. His ears flushed red in an instant, and he lowered his head, staring only at Jin’s feet.

“Puhaha… Alu, you’re not as shameless as I thought. Fine, go ahead. But remember, no matter what you do while you’re gone, you’re still in Ziphl’s palm.”

Alu’s face turned ashen the moment he heard that.

From his perspective, the remark was loaded with suspicion.

“Alone… no, I was wrong. Ziphl’s mages are already everywhere outside…!”

A knowing smile played on Jin’s lips—a smile born from the certainty that Alu would misunderstand.

“I—I misspoke. I’ll go with whoever you assign, Lord Veradin.”

“Get lost. I expect you to act wisely from now on, Spider-Hand Alu. Meanwhile, I’ll check the warehouse.”

Alu wiped the stunned look off his face. If he could make a good impression on Veradin from now on, maybe he’d survive.

“It’ll take about two hours, Lord Veradin. You all should show him around the warehouse while I’m gone.”

With a determined expression, Alu left the auction hall. Only Tesing operatives and Jin’s group remained inside.

A few sharp-witted lieutenants approached and immediately began escorting Jin to the warehouse.

“There’s quite a bit stored at the boss’s residence and villa, but the official warehouse for the Tesing auction is just this one. Please follow me.”

What a joke. The moment the boss was on the brink of collapse, they subtly hinted at embezzlement by mentioning the goods at his residence and villa.

I wonder how they’d react if they knew I was a fake? A bitter laugh escaped Jin.

It was Jin’s first time seeing the Tesing underground auction warehouse. One floor below the auction hall, the warehouse spanned three levels.

The first floor held slaves, the second housed spellbooks, and the third contained artifacts. It was far larger and more systematically organized than expected, leaving Jin’s group quietly taken aback.

The slaves showed no reaction to strangers. They hadn’t been drugged yet since they weren’t up for auction, but they held no hope.

“I’ll be outside. Call me if you need anything.”

As the Tesing lieutenant left, Jet started fussing.

“I always knew you were extraordinary! To think you’re a scion of the Ziphl family. My lord, please give me more chances to prove my loyalty. I’ll serve you in any way.”

“Good idea. Starting now, investigate the origins and real names of all the slaves on the first floor. The family will send people to retrieve them later.”

“Yes! Understood. I’ll start immediately.”

The Ziphl family officially forbids slave trading. Of course, in reality, there are plenty of people buying and selling slaves, but as long as they don’t get caught, it’s fine.

Even the lowliest underlings enjoy their share of the spoils.

“Kid, what’s your plan? I think that Alu guy will definitely come back after confirming you’re a fake.”

“Yeah, probably.”

Outside, there were no Ziphl mages watching as Alu imagined. He’d be so focused on where they might be observing him that he’d realize it was all a mistake and quietly contact his acquaintances.

Those who knew Veradin Ziphl’s appearance and current whereabouts. It was only a matter of time before Jin’s true identity was exposed.

“Then why have Jet investigate the slaves? We can just run away, but that guy’s already got a death sentence.”

“No, the list of slaves’ origins and real names will save Jet. If we leak the slave registry to the Ziphl headquarters and slip it into the imperial news, Tesing will be finished. Even if we’re fakes.”

Once public opinion moves, the Ziphl family can no longer turn a blind eye.

They’ll send elite mages to rescue the slaves, wipe out Tesing entirely, and start cleaning up the rotten Akin.

The family’s shining image takes precedence over the bribe bags of minor nobles. It’s only natural.

“The hypocrites will be forced to act.”

Jin planned to put Jet’s name as the whistleblower. That way, Ziphl would provide witness protection.

Of course, Jet would face investigations from the imperial authorities and Ziphl’s agents, but being a survivor, he’d likely only give testimony favorable to himself.

For example, “There was no Veradin imposter in Akin. I just reported Tesing’s slave trade because I was disgusted.”

It wasn’t out of kindness that Jin looked out for Jet. It was for Jet’s two-year-old son.

Once witness protection started, Jet would naturally leave the back alleys behind and spend his remaining days in some quiet, unknown place with his son.

It wasn’t a bad future for the two of them. In fact, even compared to before the reincarnation, it was the best possible outcome—for the child, at least.

That gentle, kind little boy was ultimately following in his father’s footsteps.

“Well, fine. Let’s say things go according to your plan. What’s next?”

“What else? We shop for free until Alu returns, then make a run for it. The rest is Ziphl’s problem. You pick out useful spellbooks on the second floor. Gilly and I will sort through artifacts on the third.”

“Wow… my lord, are we always going to pick such reckless actions? This nanny is shocked beyond words.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, Gilly. Let’s get started.”

In the Lutero Magic Federation, artifacts are generally considered more valuable than spellbooks.

So while it’s not uncommon to snag a great ancient spellbook at an auction, finding a high-grade artifact is rare.

The third-floor artifact warehouse looked like a junkyard to Jin. Among the shabby artifacts no one wanted, it was surprising that a single masterpiece was hidden there.

Finding the ring artifact, the “Demon King’s Helm,” didn’t take long. He simply picked the smallest box from the dusty stockpile in the corner and opened it.

“This is it!”

A low-quality silver ring set with a small ruby.

Suppressing his excitement, Jin slipped it onto his left index finger and felt the ring’s magic dance along his finger.

Unlike ordinary magic, this power was intangible. It felt like dozens of tiny snakes coiling around his finger, then slowly moving to wrap around his head.

And then, it fully merged with him.

“Ordinary mages would just think this is a slight magic boost. That’s why it’s been treated as worthless until now.”

From now on, whenever Jin wished, the magic infused in his mind would form a pitch-black helm.

If you hadn’t used an artifact like this before or lacked Jin’s sensitivity to magic, you wouldn’t notice its power at all.

“Helm, activate.”

Whoosh!

Testing it out, the moment Jin activated it, a surge of black magic spread instantly. The magic wove itself into lines and planes, molding tightly to his face.

It took less than a second for the helmet to form completely. The finished helmet covered his entire face, leaving only his nostrils and eyes exposed, and extended down to his neck.

From each side, sharp, slender, and stylish horns jutted out.

Before Gilly could even react in surprise, Jin deactivated the helmet, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

“I wasn’t sure if it would work, but to get this right from the start…”

Now that they had the ring, there was no need to waste time on the third floor.

“Gilly, I think this place is just full of trash. Let’s head to Murakan.”

“Hmm, even to someone clueless about magic like me, there’s nothing really worth noticing here. But just in case, I’ll grab a few jewelry artifacts that look like they might be valuable.”

The magic book storage was no different. They searched thoroughly, hoping to find something from O. Hensark’s legacy, but until Zett returned with the slaves’ origins and real names, nothing useful had turned up.

“Kid, since we already got Chenmi’s spellbook, there’s no need to be greedy. Let’s get moving.”

An hour after Alu left, they returned to the auction hall, where the organization’s members greeted Jin and his group with respectful bows.

“Zett, you can head out now.”

“Yes, sir! I’ll be waiting at the inn. Heh, don’t forget the credit due to me.”

“Credit? You were the one who tried to sell us out.”

“Oh, please forget the past. Thanks to meeting Veradin, this Zett has been completely reborn.”

Jin chuckled dryly.

“Right… let’s just forget the past, then. Big shot Zett of Akin, come here for a second.”

“Y-yes?”

Zett leaned in close, and Jin whispered quietly.

“I’m not Veradin Zipple. So from now on, take your son and run. If you can, head to the Biment Empire. I guarantee that’s the only way you’ll survive.”

For Zett, this was like a bolt from the blue.