When Tribios arrived backstage at the Auction House, she found Jay crouched beside the auction items, his rear end sticking up as he fidgeted back and forth. She couldn't help but ask, "Um... Did I come at a bad time?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Jay glanced up at Tribios before returning to his work. "I'm adding some special effects to these items. Check it out—doesn't it make them look way cooler?"
Tribios looked over and noticed that the once ordinary landscape painting now featured a river that seemed to flow gently, almost as if a static image had been transformed into a GIF.
The newly forged Dragon Slayer Sword, when held to the ear, emitted a faint, dragon-like roar, and the gemstones radiated a faint, visible glow.
Tribios's face lit up with astonishment. "What are these?"
Jay grinned. "I used Minor Illusion magic on them. Pretty impressive, huh?"
"It's impressive, but won't the nobles notice something's off?" Tribios asked.
In this era, wizards were exceedingly rare, nothing like the situation three centuries later when a wizard had founded a nation with formalized magic schools, where anyone with aptitude could learn magic.
Three hundred years ago, wizards passed down their knowledge almost exclusively through one-on-one master-apprentice relationships. If someone wanted to become a wizard's apprentice, talent alone wasn't enough—they needed connections and wealth.
This meant that wizards were almost always nobles. If Jay used magic on these exhibits, he would inevitably leave magical residue, which could be detected by the wizards in the nobles' households.
Jay chuckled. "That's easy. We just need to tweak the backstory a little! Just watch!"
The auction soon began. A heavily made-up woman, her looks passable but her attire scandalously revealing, strode onto the stage—the auction's host.
The first item, a landscape painting, was quickly brought onstage. Following the script provided by Jay, the host began to narrate with dramatic flair, "Legend has it that this masterpiece was meticulously crafted over ten years by a reclusive master dwelling deep within the mountains! The moment the final brushstroke was applied, it resonated with the very essence of the mountains, triggering a magical tremor!"
In reality, it was rushed together in just half a month, Tribios thought to herself, silently scoffing.
The host continued, "They say this painting only reveals its true value to those who truly appreciate art. Of course, I'm just an ordinary host who knows nothing about art and can't see anything particularly special about it, so I can't provide further commentary. Ladies and gentlemen, bidding for Between Mountains and Waters starts at 50,000 Gold Dragons!"
No sooner had the host finished speaking than someone immediately shouted, "55,000 Gold Dragons!"
Bids quickly escalated to 60,000, then 70,000 Gold Dragons.
Tribios couldn't help but glance at Jay beside her with genuine astonishment. "Impressive! You actually pulled this off!"
In simple terms, it was like "The Emperor's New Clothes." The difference was that these nobles genuinely saw the painting move, naturally believing they possessed profound artistic understanding and could discern its unique qualities. Since the painting was so extraordinary, bidding on it was a foregone conclusion!
Jay explained, "The magic power within the painting is minimal. Even if other wizards meticulously observed it, they'd likely detect nothing amiss. Instead, it perfectly aligns with the painting's 'Magical Resonance' setting. Since it only animates the river water, the mana consumption is incredibly low. This illusion should last for at least a decade without issue."
Tribios, puzzled, asked, "But is this truly just a First-Level Minor Illusion?"
Jay replied, "Of course! It's just an illusion that would shatter with a touch. But I doubt anyone would actually poke the painting, would they?"
Despite Jay's casual dismissal, Tribios could sense the magic's brilliance. To illustrate: while other wizards might require ten units of mana to cast a First-Level spell, this painting contained only one unit of mana. Naturally, no one would suspect the painting had been enchanted.
What was truly astonishing was that Jay maintained this Illusion Magic with just one unit of Magic Power, sustaining it for a full decade. This demonstrated an incredibly efficient utilization of Magic Power, with virtually no dissipation over the entire duration!
Tribios suddenly recalled the words of the "Little Young Girl Old Mage": Jay is a genius. Now, it seemed that was indeed the case.
She still couldn't understand why he was so fixated on the First-Level Minor Illusion spell. Wouldn't it be better to learn other, more powerful spells?
In the end, the painting sold for a staggering 95,000 Gold Dragons. Next up was the Dragon Slayer Sword. Having slain a dragon, holding the blade to one's ear would faintly reveal the sound of a dragon's roar.
Listening to the introduction backstage, Tribios couldn't help but admire Jay's imagination and gave him a thumbs-up.
One by one, precious artworks were auctioned off at ludicrously high prices. Soon, it was time for the grand finale: three exquisite wooden sculptures!
The nobles in the Auction House began to murmur among themselves:
"I've been hearing bards rave about these artworks for ages, exaggerating them to divine proportions. I wonder if they're really that impressive?"
"I heard they'll even be giving away some of the rarest and most exquisite wines in the world! Now that's something I'm really interested in!"
"If the earlier auction items were this impressive, the grand finale pieces must be absolutely extraordinary!"
"To be honest, these are just ordinary wooden carvings. Nothing special about them. You all should pass—I'll take them all!"
"Ha! Keep dreaming! I'm claiming this one. No one dares bid against me!"
As expected, Jay had added special effects to the wooden carvings. In the end, the three pieces sold for a combined price of nearly 500,000 Gold Dragons.
Without a doubt, they'd made a killing at this auction! This single wave of revenue far exceeded Jay's annual income from selling wood! The Grand Duchy of Augustus's treasury had multiplied several times over!
One had to admit, these nobles were both incredibly wealthy... and remarkably gullible.
After the auction concluded, Tribios said to Jay, "The first cohort of students from the Grand Duchy of Augustus has graduated. Soon, a new team will arrive to take over your duties selling timber and paper. From now on, you'll focus solely on organizing auctions."
Hearing this, Jay smiled. "That's great news! I can finally catch a break!"
Two more months passed, and the Grand Duchy of Augustus continued its steady development. However, something truly shocking occurred that left Tribios utterly stunned.
It was Tide's birthday. In this era, there were no such things as birthday cakes. Instead, people gathered for a feast to celebrate. Olivia had indeed followed this tradition, inviting everyone and preparing a roasted whole lamb. She had also 'borrowed' quite a bit of wine from Tribios's winery.
By any measure, the feast was lavish. However, Tribios's shock wasn't due to the extravagance of the meal. What stunned her was discovering that Tide was only turning seventeen.
Tribios: "???"
She was utterly stunned. Staring at the three-meter-tall 'child' beside her, she stammered, "You're only seventeen?"
Tide mumbled in a muffled voice, "Yeah."
Seeing Tribios's stunned expression, Olivia chuckled, "Surprised? I was just as shocked when I first met Tide."
This happened seven or eight years ago. Because Tide was such a voracious eater—even before he reached adulthood, his appetite rivaled that of ten grown men combined—and food was scarce in the Northern Lands, his clan eventually couldn't sustain his massive consumption and made the agonizing decision to abandon him.
Tide's mother led him deep into the Ice Plains. Their original plan was for her to make an excuse to leave, instructing Tide to wait there. Being simple-minded, he wouldn't suspect anything, and she could simply return to the clan.
But at the last moment, the mother hesitated. She wept, hugging her child tightly, repeatedly apologizing, her voice choked with "I'm sorry."
Tide, only ten years old at the time, couldn't understand why his mother kept apologizing, nor did he comprehend the fate that awaited him.
Finally, his mother stroked his face through her tears and said, "I'm sorry, my child, but there's truly no other way. If this continues, our entire clan might not survive the winter. Tide, wait here quietly for a while. If you encounter someone willing to take you in, go with them and repay their kindness with your life."
The mother left, leaving Tide standing alone in the same spot, motionless. He silently began to wait, truly believing her words. One day, then two, then three passed.
When thirsty, he ate snow; when hungry, he endured. On the fifth day, as the Northern Lands trade concluded and Olivia was returning home, she accidentally lost her way and stumbled upon this "little" boy, nearly two meters tall but only ten years old.
Returning to the present, Olivia said, "When you meet someone who needs help, you have to help them! Even though Tide nearly devoured half the caravan's supplies in one sitting, almost stranding us, it wasn't a big deal. As long as the outcome is good, that's all that matters!"
After that, though the Grand Duchy of Augustus was poor, it was still far wealthier than the Northern Lands clans. Supporting Tide's insatiable appetite proved manageable.
With each meal satisfying his hunger, Tide, in his prime growing years, naturally grew taller and stronger.
Tide added, "Barbarians never break their promises. So I will protect Olivia, no matter what happens."
Tribios found the words eerily familiar. She recalled Nathaniel uttering the exact same oath when swearing allegiance to Castorice.
Tribios nodded, finally understanding the whole story. But she pressed, "So, you still haven't explained why Tide is so tall for his age."
Jay answered, "It's likely Tide's bloodline has some Atavism. Legend has it that the ancestors of the Northern Barbarians were Cyclopes, each towering over ten meters tall, with newborns already standing three or four meters high. Compared to the Giant Clan, Tide's height would be considered stunted, almost Dwarf-like."
"Furthermore, legend says those Cyclopes were inherently savage, cruel, and bloodthirsty. In battle, they would enter a special 'Berserk' state. It's believed the 'Rage' skill is a weakened, inherited version of that Berserk state, passed down from the Giants to the Barbarians."
Notably, since Tide left the Northern Lands before reaching adulthood, he was never taught the proper techniques for using Rage. Moreover, the Grand Duchy of Augustus lacks the 'White Petal' needed to trigger it. Thus, this Barbarian actually can't use Rage.
Olivia chimed in, "But I'm really strong! I'd rather you protect the country, Tide, than protect me."
Jay interrupted, "Hey, isn't today Tide's birthday? If we keep talking about heavy stuff, it'll get depressing. Can't we talk about something else?"
He paused, then turned to Tribios. "How about we discuss your various nicknames, Holy Maiden? We know about 'Holy Maiden,' 'Angel,' and 'Imperial Preceptor,' but lately I've heard you're being called 'Prophet' too?"
"It seems to be because your decisions never fail. Every choice you make improves everyone's lives, as if you can foresee the future. That's how the 'Prophet' nickname came about, right?"
"So, what do you think about all these different nicknames?"
Tribios shook her head. "What do I care? They can call me whatever they want, as long as Olivia doesn't mind."
Olivia, who had just taken a bite of food, froze mid-chew, blinking her large, adorable eyes. "Huh? Why are you suddenly talking about me?"
As the population of the Grand Duchy of Augustus swelled, with all the new arrivals brought by Tribios, her prestige within the nation gradually began to rival and even surpass Olivia's.
Normally, a minister's prestige exceeding that of the Ruler—a situation known as "merit overshadowing the sovereign"—would be a highly precarious matter. Although Tribios wasn't technically a minister, and Olivia wasn't a Ruler in the traditional sense, the dynamic remained the same.
In other countries, a Ruler might readily fabricate a pretext to eliminate an overly influential minister. However, the Grand Duchy of Augustus operated differently. Olivia clearly showed no concern about this, and Tribios naturally followed suit. Let the commoners call her whatever they pleased.
Yet Tribios pondered the title of "prophet". Didn't "Tribbie" have a similar title in the original HSR lore?