Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 293 - 6 **_1

Chapter 293: Chapter 6 **_1

"Two hours before the auction began and guarded by three Legendary Rank masters?" Catherine chuckled sadly and shook her head, "You really are unlucky. Go on with the key points."

"After the gem was lost, we searched for three days," John continued, "We almost turned every suspicious place upside down secretly, but found no clues. Considering the bizarre disappearance of the gem, we suspected that it was the work of an Upper Rank thief from the Thieves’ Guild, so we alerted the city guards, asking them to negotiate with the Thieves’ Guild. However, traditionally, we needed concrete evidence to initiate negotiations. But the problem is that we had no evidence proving the involvement of the Thieves’ Guild. Hence, they could not negotiate."

"Hmm, that’s a protocol of the Thieves’ Guild," Catherine nodded thoughtfully, "But why come to us? We have no evidence either and after so many days, even if there was any evidence, it probably couldn’t be found now."

"No, we have given up." John sighed, "We’ve given up on the thought of finding evidence to negotiate with the Thieves’ Guild. It’s somewhat impractical. If they could steal the gem under the supervision of three Legendary Rank masters how could they possibly leave behind any evidence? So, this time, I hope that you can help my auction house find the current holder of the gem."

"Isn’t that the same as finding evidence?" Pannis grumbled, "And even harder than that. It’s about finding the stolen goods directly."

"No, no, no, you misunderstood." John explained eagerly, "We just want to find the current holder now. We don’t seek the robber. Do you understand my point?"

"Got it." Pannis chuckled, with interest in his tone, "Which is to say, you’ve separated the culprit’s identity. You don’t consider whether they had the identity of the thief, you only aim to negotiate with them in the capacity of current holder of the gem. Is that correct?"

"Exactly." John forced a smile, "It’s really great that you understand."

"Even if it is for this purpose, it’s not a reason for you to have to come to us." Catherine frowned slightly, a bit puzzled, "There are many teams that could help you with the investigation. You could even place a request with the Thieves’ Guild to find this person. It’s not necessary for us to do it. If you want us to accept this request, you’d better tell us all about the circumstances."

"Catherine, he probably wants to negotiate with the thief and pay a high price to redeem the gem." Pannis explained for John, "If he makes the request himself, the others might not trust him enough to negotiate. So, he needs a middleman. The impeccable reputation of the Nellie Adventure Team perfectly meets the requirement of acting as this middleman. Don’t forget, even thieves have heard of your reputation and would trust you the most."

"You want to redeem the gem?" Catherine exclaimed in surprise, "Let alone whether the thief will demand an astronomical ransom, don’t forget that the thief is from the Thieves’ Guild, and many of their actions are taken on commission. That is to say, there might be a client behind the thief. If you want to redeem the gem, you must let the thief break the commission agreement, which will seriously damage their reputation."

"Thieves have reputations?" John sneered, "I would offer a sufficiently high ransom to redeem the gem. I believe that, considering the habits of thieves, they would be tempted by the price."

"A sufficiently high price?" Catherine was stunned," How much are you willing to offer?"

"The starting bid for that gem was five hundred thousand gold coins. I am willing to pay twenty times the number for redemption." John loosened his collar again, wiped his sweat profusely, and said in a parched voice, "It would be best if it can be done within five million gold coins. Ten million gold coins is my bottom line."

"Are you insane?" Catherine exclaimed, "Even if you participate in the auction, the final price of that gem will probably be around three to four million. And you are thinking of offering ten million?"

"I’ve got no other choice." John covered his face in despair, "It’s no longer just about a gem. This gem is related to the 170-years long reputation of Merle and Jones Auction House. If we can’t get it back intact, who would still trust our auction house in the future? Who would dare to give us auction items in advance for promotion? So, I’m willing to pay any price to get the gem back."

"So, you hope that we can act as a mediator?" Catherine asked tentatively, "Actually, we have a rough idea of who might have stolen the gem, but without evidence, we can’t give you that information. However, we can certainly help you inquire. If it really was them, I can promise to help manage the communication between you two, offering you a chance to negotiate."

"No, not necessary." John grabbed the wine bottle in front of Pannis. He poured a full glass for himself, the overly vigorous motion causing the wine to splash all around, "I won’t participate in the negotiation. If I do, they might worry that I have some plot or other plans, and thus refuse to negotiate. So, I fully entrust it to you. You will be the ones to negotiate."

"Are you sure your brain is working properly right now?" Catherine looked sideways at John, "We’ve been old friends for many years. If you spoke these words out of impulse, I can give you the opportunity to take them back. Let’s cool down and continue the discussion."

"I am perfectly calm," John confirmed, "And I don’t need to take anything back."

"That is, however, ten million gold coins, not a thousand, but ten million." Catherine felt her heart thumbn several times as fast: "You are fully entrusting it to me? If we come to an agreement regardless of the final price, I can tell you it’s ten million, and you would have no room for doubt."

"Thieves trust you, so why should I doubt you?" John said through gritted teeth: "If you accept this commission, your commission is not fixed, with each million the price drops, your commission increases by fifty thousand. If it sells for ten million, the commission is ten thousand gold coins, if it sells for nine million, the commission is sixty thousand, if it sells for eight million, the commission is a hundred and ten thousand and so on. The lower the price is squeezed, the higher your commission."

"Tell me the truth." Before Catherine could make a decision, Pannis eyed John suspiciously: "Who suggested you to completely entrust it to us? You are not from among professionals in this circle, meaning you certainly didn’t come up with it, who did, tell me?"

"Ah." John was at a loss for words, opening his mouth several times without speaking. Pannis remained patient, quietly watching John struggle with his thoughts. After a while, John reluctantly said: "More than one person. The other day when I went to seek aid from the city guard, the vice captain, Ayrland, recommended you guys. Yesterday when I sought help from the lord’s mansion through the Business Federation, I was personally received by the lord. He recommended you guys to me, and it was Lord Odin himself who came up with this idea, including the form of the entrusted payment."

"I knew it." Pannis slapped his forehead, looking up and saying: "That guy Odin really knows how to get people into trouble."

"The guild leader he...sigh." Catherine sighed with a bitter smile: "This request is really tempting, but the pressure is just too great."

"Catherine, you must not reject it." John said a bit in a panic: "For the sake of our many years of friendship, you absolutely must agree. This is related to the future development of our family, all of our hope resides on you."

"Hence the great pressure." Catherine’s face twisted in conflict: "Who can guarantee success in such matters? Even if an agreement is reached, having goods of such high value in your possession, if it was my own then it would be one thing, but these are borrowed and they are tied to your family’s future. The responsibility is just too huge, just thinking about it makes me stressed."

"Please." John’s usually solemn face showed a flattering smile. He folded his hands across his chest in a plea: "From now on whenever you auction things off at our auction house, instead of the usual five percent commission fee, we’ll only charge you two percent. Please, you have to accept this commission."

Catherine looked at Pannis, but Pannis turned his gaze away, making a look of disinterest. Following his usual habit, when Pannis made this expression, it usually signaled he believed there were no plots, everything was feasible. Each time she saw this expression from Pannis, Catherine would usually make her decision. But this time was an exception, Catherine gave John an apologetic smile and pulled Pannis by his arm, dragging him into a random room.

"Hey, hey, hey," Pannis forcefully withdrew his arm: "What are you trying to do, I’m warning you, if you come any closer I’ll yell."

"I want to hit you." Catherine replied irritatedly: "Quickly tell me, should we take this commission or not, there’s an eighty percent chance it was set up by Passion. The time and place both align too well."

"You’re the guild leader." Pannis replied casually: "Of course you decide on matters like this, why are you asking me?"

"Tell me quickly." But Catherine unreasonably grabbed Pannis by the collar and pinned him against the wall, their faces cheek to cheek, noses almost touching, their skin able to distinctly feel each other’s breath: "Quick, tell me, should we take this commission or not."

"You’re not...is it that you’re scared?" Pannis seemed to understand something, he gently asked: "My brave knight?"

"How, how is it possible." Catherine retreated back a few steps, her face flushing red: "I, I, I, I’m a fearless knight, the commission does not require fighting, I, I, I have nothing to be afraid of."

"It appears that you are indeed scared." Although Pannis said these words, the smile on his face was calm, carrying a soothing effect: "Who told you that this commission doesn’t require fighting, this commission requires not only fighting but is also exceptionally brutal."

"You noticed?" Catherine crouched down, her head drooping, and tremblingly said: "Indeed, the fights this commission brings are very brutal."

"However, nobody can aid you." Pannis laid his hand on Catherine’s shoulder, half-kneeling in front of Catherine, staring straight into her eyes, and spoke softly: "Because that is your fight. The battle against your inner fears." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote with recommendation tickets, monthly votes on qidian.com. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)