Noah didn't speak. He just watched.
Even Elena, who was usually quick to notice things, didn't seem to catch the tension in the air.
But Aksai, who stood a little behind Noah, looked around sharply. His eyes narrowed a little. He could sense something. There was a kind of quiet unease in the air, a feeling that the capital itself was holding its breath.
If the capital was nervous, it could mean the whole kingdom was feeling the same way. Maybe something big was about to happen.
Maybe there would be no open war, but something was building—slowly, quietly.
After the donation drive ended, music played and servants began carrying platters of food across the hall. Lunch had begun.
Elena brought Noah a plate filled with food and sat beside him. She fed him gently while chatting quietly, as if nothing was wrong.
Noah ate quietly, his mind still on the things he had seen.
Once lunch was over, the host returned to the stage with a brighter tone in his voice.
"Now," he said, "it's time for the second part of our event. The auction!"
Here's the corrected version of your passage with grammar errors removed:
A cheer went through the hall.
Noah's eyes lit up.
He could already guess the gala was organized to draw money from the "fat sheep" nobles using two methods.
The auction event was an indirect method of collecting taxes from the nobles. The donation drive was only the first and more direct method, which depended heavily on the nobles' goodwill toward their own regions and commoners.
As such, even the House that had organized the gala on the king's behalf knew that the donation drive would not raise a substantial amount.
The auction event, on the other hand, didn't rely on the goodwill of the participants. Instead, it stimulated their greed and sense of possessiveness.
Next to him, Emeric approached and nodded at Noah with a greedy grin. "Hehehe. Let's watch together, little brother."
Noah nodded, and the two princes sat side by side in the front row, their eyes fixed on the platform.
The auction finally began.
The host from House Dreyhall stepped back onto the raised platform. He had a warm smile on his face and a clear voice that carried across the hall as he began introducing the items.
The first few items were antiques—old weapons, pieces of art, and strange little objects from hundreds of years ago. Each item came with a short story, usually about how it had been found or who had once owned it.
"These are not just items," the host said, lifting an old goblet made of silver and crystal, "but pieces of our proud history."
Some nobles clapped politely. A few merchants leaned forward, clearly interested.
Noah sat quietly beside Emeric, watching everything with calm eyes. He could tell his step-brother was getting excited.
Emeric wasn't looking at the Arkane items that came later—his eyes sparkled when pretty, shiny things appeared. Paintings, vases, an old love letter from a war general to a noble's daughter—those were the things he wanted.
"I want that one," Emeric whispered during the third antique's showcase. "And that one too. Oh, and that!"
Noah nodded without saying much. He ended up buying three antique items for Emeric. They weren't cheap. All three cost him more than he had planned to spend at the gala.
Emeric took the items happily, flashing Noah a bright grin. "Thanks, little brother! I'll return the money when I get my next allowance."
Noah smiled gently and gave a small nod. Inside, though, he smirked.
'Yeah right,' he thought, 'he'll forget by next week, let alone next month.'
But Noah didn't mind. In fact, he had wanted this to happen.
He wanted to appear pitiful in front of his royal father later, the poor younger brother being used by his elders.
He also had plans to use this favor in the future—to get something more useful from Emeric when the time was right.
After receiving his antiques, Emeric got up and left the gala hall early, saying he had "other plans." Noah just waved at him with a small, tired smile.
The auction continued.
And even Arkane items were brought out.
Most of them were 1st Order or even Zero Order—items that had basic functions. One allowed the user to cool down a room with a flick, another could light up dark places, and one even claimed to improve sleep.
They looked interesting but were clearly not very powerful. Even so, they sold for high prices. The nobles and rich merchants liked them for their uniqueness.
Then, three 2nd Order Arkane items were presented.
The air changed when those were brought up. People leaned forward. Some gasped. The prices jumped fast—shouted bids echoing across the room. Even though these items didn't hold much sway in the eyes of the veteran Arakners, they had real power in the mortals' eyes, and those with deep pockets didn't hold back.
Noah stayed silent through it all. He wasn't here to buy fancy gadgets, and besides, he didn't have enough coin left to make any big moves after paying for Emeric's antiques.
He had mostly come here to observe and learn a few things about his new world and that goal was achieved anyway, so he didn't mind.
Most of the items that were brought out were just pretty toys. In Noah's eyes, they looked flashy but were either too expensive or too weak to be useful.
'I guess there's no point staying here anymore. I might as well head back and get some sleep.'
He sighed softly and was about to get up when—something happened.
He froze.
A strange pull stirred inside his chest. His eyes widened slightly.
'Hm? What is it?'
He looked around, confused at first, before his gaze landed on the raised platform again. Noah could feel a certain pull toward the item currently being auctioned. And the other end of that pull was buried somewhere deep within his soul.
A warm pulse... like something calling out to him.
There... was a mule coin stuck in the depths of Noah's soul?
It took a moment for Noah to recall the coin's origin. He subconsciously closed his eyes and concentrated, which then allowed him to look at the coin.
This was the same strange coin that Dean had once placed in his hand before killing him.
Noah remembered only bits and pieces of that night. He had been drunk. Dean had seemed guilty.
Dean had whispered something about giving Noah a second chance—something about believing in the power of the coin and all that supernatural stuff. Noah had barely paid attention.
At the time, he had thought Dean was just rambling. Whatever he said sounded like the words of a madman.
But the next thing Noah knew, he was in this world, in this young body. Maybe the coin had actually worked?
It seemed the mule coin had transmigrated with him—absorbed into him somehow. He had almost forgotten about it.
But now, for the first time, it had reacted.
His heart thudded slowly.
He stared at a certain Arkanist item on the stage, unmoving.
The host had clearly announced it as a Zero Order item as it did not have much function apart from providing a soft light endlessly.
And this Zero Order Arkane item was nothing but…. a lamp?