Shipping Wars was a novel serialized from 2011 to 2026 which gained massive popularity and a fervent fanbase.
Dan's grandfather, an avid novel reader was a huge fan of Shipping Wars. He collected all of the 9 volumes except for one.
The 10th and final book supposedly released in 2026.
In the past decades, no existing copies were found for this particular volume.
Dan never imagined he would see this book in his lifetime, much less in pristine condition.
If there is any chance that this stranger claiming to be a time traveler from 100 years in the past was telling the truth, then Dan should not let this opportunity pass him by.
*****************
The sun had already set and Rune was in a dilemma. She spent her all of her money on novels and train fare to Nessa's house.
Rune needed shelter for the night. Hence, she approached Dan to sell an item in exchange for cash.
"Actually, I just arrived here today and don't have a place to stay. Are you interested in buying this snack?"
"No, I'm more interested in that book"
But I haven't finished reading it yet!
"Then would you like to buy the book? I can sell it to you after I finish reading it"
Dan refused to outright buy the book, instead he offered to help Rune sell it in exchange for a favor.
"By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet, right? I'm Kirihaya Dan, a citizen of Orbis Vortex"
"Nice to meet you, Dan. I'm Rune. I'm fro-"
While Rune introduced herself to Dan, her stomach let out a growl.
"Sorry, I'm really hungry. I hadn't eaten in years haha"
Although it sounded like a lame joke, it's true Rune had not eaten anything since the lunch she had with Nessa And Mia.
Dan asked for the menu from the waiter and urged Rune to order food.
"Even after a century had gone by, the menu items are not much different from the past, huh? Most of the dishes listed here existed 100 years ago"
"Well, this place is the only remaining Vintage Cafe in the entire city. The customers decreased significantly throughout the years and they are on the verge of closing down"
Rune was curious to see what "Future Food" looked like but it seemed she ended up in a vintage cafe instead. She ordered pasta and brewed coffee as recommended by Dan.
Rune felt a sense of relief at the fact that there are things in this world which had not changed even after a century passed by.
After Dan and Rune left the cafe, they walked towards a busy shopping street. Flashy advertisement billboards filled the streets with robots in every corner.
"Where are we going?"
Dan looked back at Rune and pointed a fairly large building in a short distance away.
"You told me you didn't have a place to stay tonight, right? I'll pay for your lodging"
Although it's usually dangerous to follow strangers, Rune had a gut feeling she could trust Dan. In any case, there was no need to worry.
This might be a perfect opportunity to test out the memory eraser.
Once they arrived, Dan went inside the building and Rune followed him from behind. He looked for the check in kiosk then after a few minutes, Dan handed Rune the room key card.
"Let's meet here at the lobby tomorrow morning at 11am. Don't forget to bring the book with you tomorrow"
After Dan left, Rune went to the elevator and headed to her room in the 10th floor. The room looked quite decent with a comfortable bed and amazing futuristic city view.
"I'm really in the future. . "
Rune unpacked her bag and started to read from the 6th volume. In the end, she was up all night and closed her eyes at dawn.
******************
The next day at the lobby, Dan was quietly sitting at the sofa.
"You're late"
"I'm really sorry, I got carried away reading all of the books and pulled an all nighter"
"It's fine. Let's hurry up and go"
"Where are we going today?"
"The best place to make a large sum of money. But first, we need to look the part"
******************
Dan went to a nearby clothing store and changed into a long black suit and metallic silver shoes. Rune decided to wear a similar outfit to avoid standing out.
After changing their outfits, they went to the train station and boarded a high speed train to reach their destination.
Rune and Dan arrived at the entrance of a massive dome.
"It looks like a concert venue"
"Let's go inside"
*******************
Dan approached the reception area and we were guided to a room with expensive looking paintings on display at every corner like a small art museum.
"Can we really sell the book here, Dan?"
"Of course"
While we were waiting at the sofa, the door opened and two middle age men entered the room, one carried a thin medium sized black box.
"Good day. I heard you brought an interesting item"
"Yes, we would like to auction this item"
The person in charge glanced at the book and seemed visibly disappointed. He let out a sigh muttering "another fake huh"
"Hurry and check this"
The person beside him carefully placed the book at the top of the black box. Blue light emitted from the box then turned green.
" What?! It's actually real?!"
"I appraised a few copies before and this was the only time the detector turned green!"
Both of them were obviously agitated. Due to the limited stock, there seemed to be fake copies of this book but mine's the real deal.
"Sir, may I ask where you got this item?"
"It doesn't matter, right? Since you already confirmed this book is authentic"
Dan calmly smiled then smoothly changed the topic.
"The auction is about to begin, right? Don't you need to prepare?"
*******************
We were guided to a spacious white room with two recliner chairs, a holographic display at the wide table and a large window overlooking the white stage.
According to Dan, the Cyber Auction House facilitates the auction of rare items, particularly antiques or novelty items from the past.
The host standing on the stage announced the start of the auction.
[Welcome to the Cyber Auction]
[Congratulations, Bidders! Today's auction will include a special item]
[We will officially begin the auction in 3. . 2. . 1]