Starting Today I'll Work As A City Lord

The sudden incident startled many people. They all stood frozen, staring blankly at the pitch-black auction stage.

"Protect the Count!" The knights, even more on edge, surrounded their respective masters, drawing their swords and aiming them at the auction platform.

Lucas's dark eyes shimmered slightly. He unintentionally met Nicole's gaze for a brief moment. It was finally beginning—the moment they had planned for so long. Wasn't all that effort for this very instant? Once they earned enough coins, they could return to Sedona City.

"Everyone, I mean no harm." Mina's voice rang out—light but tinged with a bit of hoarseness—startling the crowd below.

"A woman? What does she want?"

"Is she here to steal Amos Notes? That's way too bold!"

"…"

The sound of the wooden box opening echoed, and a candle flame lit up on the auction stage. Everyone stared in astonishment at the three strange bottles on the auction counter.

The wine bottles, illuminated by the candlelight, appeared semi-transparent dark green with a fiery orange hue—strikingly cool to look at.

The nobles and merchants below were all dumbfounded, unable to take their eyes off the bottles. The unique shape of the bottles also amazed them.

"I come from the Immortal Gate," Mina said calmly. "Today, I'm here only to auction off these three bottles of divine wine."

"What? There really is divine wine?" someone exclaimed.

"Those bottles really do look like they're made of glazed crystal—this is unbelievable!"

"Immortal Gate? What kind of place is that?"

"How do we know you're not scamming us? Let us taste a little, then we'll believe you," Someone shouted loudly.

"Yeah, let us taste the divine wine, or we won't believe a word you say!"

"…" Mina was amused by their shamelessness. Since when did anyone sample auction items? Still, all of this had been within the young master's expectations.

"A taste? Of course you can—if you are qualified." With a sweep of her sleeve, a knife slid into Mina's hand. Holding it firmly, and under the shocked gaze of the crowd, she slashed toward one of the bottles of wine.

"Ka-pong~~"

A crisp pop echoed through the air, laced with a rush of pressure. The bottle neck shot high into the air, spinning before it dropped into the crowd below, instantly triggering chaos.

"That's mine, don't grab it—it's mine!"

"Ah! You cut my hand, you filthy scoundrel, still trying to snatch it?"

"…"

With a graceful twist of her wrist, Mina sheathed her knife and casually pulled out two tall-stemmed wine glasses from the box. Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, she poured the glowing wine into them.

"These are two cups of divine wine," Mina announced, her voice calm but commanding. "Whoever wins the bid for the divine wine later will receive these as a gift. Of course, the glasses themselves are included in the auction."

As she finished speaking, she lightly flicked one of the glasses with her index finger. Ting! A clear, ringing sound resonated—like a bell echoing through the still tension of the room—adding an extra touch of allure to the already captivating scene.

Three bottles of wine—no matter how rare—could never be as valuable as just two. The fewer the quantity, the more precious the item.

"May I go up for a closer look?" Count Hudson asked, his eyes fixed on the divine wine with infatuation. He quickly added, "Don't worry, I'll go alone."

"You may," Mina nodded. All of this was within the young master's predictions. The knife hidden in her sleeve once again slipped into her hand.

"Tap tap tap…"

Count Hudson jogged up to the auction stage, his eyes wide with wonder as he stared at the bottles. Seeing them up close only deepened his obsession. When he spotted the wine glasses—thin as a fingernail—his breath grew even more ragged with excitement.

He leaned in and took a deep sniff. Amidst the rich aroma of the wine, there was a strange but refreshing scent he couldn't identify. It stirred something in his heart—after all, he was a man who loved his wine.

"What's so special about this divine wine?" Count Hudson asked nervously, wanting to reach out and touch the wine bottle, but hesitant in case Mina decided to strike with her knife.

"It can resist aging, calm the mind, nourish the brain, and improve overall health." Mina replied indifferently. She knew that these three benefits would be enough to drive people mad with desire.

"What? Can it resist aging?" Count Hudson's breath became heavier, and his eyes burned with intensity. He was already quite old and didn't want to grow any older.

"Of course," Mina affirmed confidently. These claims were based on what the young master had said, and she trusted them completely.

"How much do you start the bidding at?" Count Hudson quickly inquired.

"One bottle, plus a glass. Starting at three hundred gold coins." Mina announced loudly.

Yes, the starting price was three hundred gold coins—higher than even Dahlia's predicted final price. This was the result of deliberate hype, and most importantly, it was riding on the coattails of Amos Notes.

As soon as her words fell, Count Hudson immediately called out, "Four hundred gold coins…"

This made the people below freeze in shock. Was it really necessary to raise the bid so aggressively? It was just a bottle of wine, after all.

"Four hundred and fifty gold coins," Another count called out, the anti-aging effect still proving very tempting.

"Six hundred gold coins." Lucas jumped in with a sharp increase of one hundred and fifty. He could see many people hesitating.

"Seven hundred gold coins," Count Hudson immediately raised the bid by fifty gold coins, his expression determined as if he was set on winning.

"…"

No one else bid. The entire room fell silent. Lucas didn't raise the price further—he had pushed the bid high enough, and he was very satisfied with the current price.

"Seven hundred gold coins, deal," Mina declared, the price leaving her stunned.

"Sell me this bottle as well, for the same price—seven hundred gold coins," Count Hudson immediately called out. He had already made up his mind to give one bottle to that mysterious organization.

Mina paused for a moment, then turned to scan the crowd. Seeing that no one objected, she realized that this price was likely the limit.

"Fine," Mina nodded. This worked perfectly for her.

"Bring the gold over," Count Hudson ordered the knights.

Immediately, one of the knights placed the 1,300 gold coins that Count George had given earlier onto the counter. Then, he took out a burlap sack from his chest, which contained exactly one hundred gold coins.

Seeing that Mina had taken the gold coins, Count Hudson immediately instructed his knights to carry the two bottles of divine wine away. He carefully picked up the two glasses and poured the wine into his mouth.

"It's delicious, truly divine. As expected, this is divine wine." Count Hudson's eyes lit up. He quickly emptied both glasses, savoring the taste.

He didn't give anyone else a chance to speak, smiling as he played with the glasses in his hands, becoming more and more fond of them.

"..." Count George furrowed his brow. He had intended to buy one of the glasses, but he hadn't expected this miser to be so clever.

"Seize her!" Suddenly, a count stood up, pointing at Mina and shouting angrily, "Whoever captures her, I'll give them a hundred silver coins!"

Since they couldn't buy the divine wine, they would resort to questioning Mina about its origins. Anti-aging effects were something no one could ignore, especially not the nobles.

.

.

.

.