"2000 gold coins!"
This is bad.
Victor wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, sharing wary glances with a good portion of the attendees.
All eyes were fixed on the young man seated just a few seats shy of the front row in the dimly lit underground auction chamber.
No one could see his face—nor anyone else's, for that matter—thanks to the enforced anonymity protocols. Still, "young man" was the designation of choice, given the soft, almost childish lilt in his voice.
Sure, voice-altering techniques were common in this sort of event. But Victor didn't care.
Whoever he was, this guy was putting him at risk.
The host had barely finished introducing another item when that same annoying voice rang out again, clear and obnoxiously confident.
"2000 gold coins!"
"Okay... we have two thousand!"
The auctioneer forced out, raising his voice with strained enthusiasm.
"Going once, going twice? No more bidders...? Sold for two thousand!"
