Auction Games

Auction Games is a quest in .
==Steps==
# Go to the site where the auction is being held
# Talk to the secretary in charge of preparations
# Inspect the goods on auction (0/3)
# Wait for the auction to start (16:00–18:00)
# Attend the auction
# Figure out what the attendees are thinking (0/3)
# Talk to Ningguang again
==Dialogue==
===The Auction===
;(Go to the site where the auction is being held)
;(Talk to the secretary in charge of preparations)
: Baixiao: Lady Ningguang, what brings you here?
: Ningguang: I couldn't help but feel a little concerned, so I just came to see how everything is going.
: Baiwen: We're about ready, and people are starting to arrive. I think we should be able to start on time.
: Ningguang: Very good. I think I'll host the auction myself.
: Baixiao: Huh? You want to do it yourself?
: Ningguang: Yes, just in case anything untoward happens. I can take care of it myself.
: Baixiao: Then we'll leave the auction itself to you, but we'll be sure to lend our full support behind the scenes.
: Ningguang: Have you attended an auction before?
: I've watched one from the sidelines.
: My net worth isn't quite in that category.
: Ningguang: Well, would you like to participate this time? You don't have to bid, of course. Just experience the atmosphere.
: Sure. That should be quite fun.
: Ningguang: Alright then. Feel free to take a look around the venue before it kicks off.
: Ningguang: Check out the items up for bidding and see if there's anything you might be interested in.
;(Talk to Ningguang again)
: Ningguang: While we're waiting for the auction to begin, feel free to check out the lots or just stretch your legs.
: Ningguang: Maybe you'll find something that catches your eye.
----
;(Inspect the goods on auction)
;(Talk to Xiaofei)
: Xiaofei: Anything Lady Ningguang used to own is sure to be worth a significant amount of money.
: Xiaofei: So even if the price is a little inflated, it should still be fine...
;(Talk to Yingfeng)
: Yingfeng: Did you bring plenty of Mora with you?
: Yingfeng: Let's put it this way — anything you can snag in one of Lady Ningguang's auctions is practically Mora in the bank. The more you take home, the bigger your fortune.
;(Talk to Little Bin)
: Little Bin: Hmm, I can't see anything that particularly interests me...
: Little Bin: Lady Ningguang must know what she's doing though. I'm sure she has her reasons.
;(Observe the Vase)
:Observe Vase: (A plain-looking vase with clear signs of wear and tear.)
:Observe Vase: (Can't see any reason to bid on something like this.)
;(Observe the Writing Tools)
:Observe Writing Tools: (Generic office implements. I guess they could brighten the place up a little.)
:Observe Writing Tools: (Still, it'd be cheaper to get one from Bolai...)
;(Observe the Hairpin)
:Observe Hairpin: (A fairly well-made hairpin, but there's nothing exceptional about it.)
:Observe Hairpin: (Fine to buy in a shop, but can this really fetch a good price at an auction?)
===The Final Call===
;(Wait for the auction to start (16:00–18:00))
;(Talk to Ningguang again before changing the time)
: Ningguang: While we're waiting for the auction to begin, feel free to check out the lots or just stretch your legs.
: Ningguang: Maybe you'll find something that catches your eye.
;(Attend the auction)
: Ningguang: It's about time to start. Find yourself somewhere to sit and we'll kick things off.
: Before we start, I have a question.
: Ningguang: Yes? What is it?
: Are these auction items genuinely very valuable?
: Ningguang: That's for you to make a considered judgment on.
: Ningguang: It's precisely what makes auctions so interesting, don't you think?
: Ningguang: Until the bids exceed the value of the item in your eyes, you can keep raising the price. If the bids go beyond what you can accept, then you let someone else take it.
: Ningguang: Perhaps this does not result in what you might call a fair price. But what it does do is identify the person who values the item the most.
: Okay. Let's see how it goes...
: Ningguang: Yes. You should look forward to it.
:
: Ningguang: The first lot is a teacup from my personal collection. Bids starting at 10,000 Mora, that's 10,000 Mora for the teacup.
: (You'd never pay 10,000 Mora for something like this normally.)
: Xiaofei: 20,000!
: Yingfeng: 30,000!
: Little Bin: 50,000!
: (Wow, the bidding is fierce...)
: 60,000!
:: Ningguang: ...
: Yingfeng: 80,000! 80,000 over here!
: Xiaofei: I'll raise that to 100,000!
: Little Bin: 120.
: (He seems very determined.)
: 130!
:: Yingfeng: I swear some of these bidders are just driving the price up for fun...
: Yingfeng: Alright, 150,000! Anyone else want to keep going now?
: Ningguang: One-fifty once.
: Little Bin: Uh... 170!
: Yingfeng: 180,000!
: Xiaofei: ...
: Little Bin: ...
: Ningguang: One-eighty once...
: Ningguang: One-eighty twice.
: Ningguang: One-eighty. Sold.
: Yingfeng: Hehe. It's mine now!
: (I can't believe it went for 180,000...)
: Ningguang: Okay then, moving straight on to the next lot.
:
: Ningguang: You seemed to be getting quite into it. What a shame that you didn't manage to go home with anything.
: Something felt off.
: Ningguang: Haha. Of course it did. That's because I didn't come here to sell my things.
: Ningguang: I'm sure you must find it quite odd that all these everyday items could fetch such a huge price at auction.
: Ningguang: Since you're curious, why not go and talk to the buyers? I'm sure they'll give you the answers you're looking for.
----
;(Figure out what the attendees are thinking)
===Those Whose Faith is Blind===
;(Talk to Ningguang again)
: Ningguang: Go ahead and talk to the buyers. They'll give you the answers you're looking for.
: Ningguang: I'm sure you will figure out the truth.
;(Talk to Xiaofei)
: Xiaofei: Huh? You want to know why I paid so much?
: Xiaofei: Well, it's pretty obvious, isn't it? Because the previous owner was Lady Ningguang.
: Xiaofei: Sure, the item might look pretty ordinary, but that's probably just because I'm not a connoisseur, so I don't know how to appreciate it...
: Xiaofei: But I figured I'd buy it first, then go get it appraised by an expert. Then I'll be rich! Hehe...
;(Talk to Yingfeng)
: Yingfeng: I may have paid an arm and a leg for this, but in the end I got the result I wanted. Hahaha.
: Aren't you worried about the price being over-inflated?
: Yingfeng: Nothing of Ningguang's could ever be over-inflated.
: Yingfeng: I'm far from the only buyer who believes that "owned by Ningguang" is worth paying a premium for. So how much I can make just depends on how many people are even bigger fans of Ningguang than I am!
;(Talk to Little Bin)
: Little Bin: *sigh* Today wasn't my day. Didn't manage to snag much.
: Little Bin: There were too many bidders, and they all seemed like experts to me.
: Little Bin: I guess I'll just have to wait for the next auction. Someday, I'll be the lucky one.
----
;(Talk to Ningguang again after talking to the buyers)
: Ningguang: Well? Did you find the answer yet?
: It's because everyone has faith in your judgment and aesthetics.
: Ningguang: That's certainly part of it. But every bidder will have noticed that none of these items have a particularly high going rate on the market in and of themselves.
: Ningguang: Despite this, they were all willing to pay very dearly for them. I wonder... is faith in me really the only factor in their appraisal of the items' value?
: If not, then what else could it be?
: Ningguang: You'll see shortly. The one who spent the most money will surely be the quickest to realize.
: Ningguang: If all I wanted to do was make some quick Mora by exploiting their blind faith in me, I have a million more effective ways of achieving that than hosting an auction.
: Ningguang: Every participant in this auction was hand-picked by me, based on certain intelligence.
:
: Yingfeng: Lady Ningguang, uh... something doesn't seem quite right with the items from today's auction.
: Yingfeng: As unlikely as this sounds — and please forgive me for even bringing it up, but I had to ask... uhh... Y—You weren't selling counterfeits today, were you...?
: Ningguang: Counterfeits? Absolutely not. What motive would anyone have for making copies of things like these?
: Ningguang: They are simply ordinary items. And there was no coercion or enticement during the auction — every bid was voluntary.
: Yingfeng: Because we trusted you!
: Yingfeng: Everyone knows you love Mora, but we also know that you made your fortune through honest means... as opposed to, ahem, scamming people.
: Ningguang: You seem to have entered into dangerous linguistic territory there. You should know that unless you have evidence to support your outlandish claims, I am legally entitled to sue you for slander.
: Ningguang: Of course, if you have any genuine grievances about the auction, the lots, or the process, please enlighten me as to where exactly I went wrong.
: Yingfeng: You... You...!
: Yingfeng: Fine. Yes, technically, it was all legitimate. Guess all I can do is take the loss...
: Yingfeng: But if word gets out about today's auction, people are gonna start seeing you as a con artist. No one would dare do business with you after that.
: Yingfeng: I guess what I'm saying is... is this really in your best interests?
: Ningguang: Let me answer that with a question. You claim that you were willing to pay a high price because you trusted me. But is that really the full story?
: Yingfeng: Wh—What do you mean? What else could it be?
: Ningguang: Oh, I don't know... perhaps it could be something to do with a lost item from the original Jade Chamber collection that has quietly made its way into your hands?
: Yingfeng: ...!
: Ningguang: When the Jade Chamber fell, countless valuable items from my collection plunged into the sea. I organized a salvage operation, but still there were many items unaccounted for.
: Ningguang: A considerable number of these made their way back into Liyue Harbor through means unbeknownst to me, and passed through several pairs of hands before finally ending up in yours, and those of your fellow bidders today.
: Yingfeng: Wait, you mean...
: Ningguang: Yes, everyone attending the auction today is in possession of lost property belonging to me.
: Ningguang: Or to put it another way, they were all people who have had a taste of something that was mine and convinced themselves that I am someone to be taken advantage of.
: No wonder they had such blind faith.
: Ningguang: So I ask you again. Your high bidding price — was it motivated by trust? Or was it greed?
: Yingfeng: Tsk!
: Ningguang: The sole reason I held this auction is to reclaim my treasured possessions.
: Ningguang: If you are willing to return what is mine, I will refund all the money you spent in the auction today.
: Yingfeng: Alright, fine. I guess... I guess I'll return it.
: Yingfeng: You drive a hard bargain, like everyone says...
: Yingfeng: I'll go and get it right now. Please just wait here.
: Ningguang: Despite his bad attitude, he cooperated in the end. Good for him.
: It all makes sense now.
: Ningguang: The issue was that all items of mine that have been fished out of the sea have changed hands numerous times already. Determining who has legal ownership would be an extremely long-winded process, with each item being assessed on a case-by-case basis. Even Yanfei says she'd have a difficult time defending my claims.
: Ningguang: I could have bought them back, but it's not in my nature to pay twice for the same thing. Least of all when they'd be looking to make a handsome profit from my misfortune.
: Ningguang: After making some inquiries, I found them to be most uncooperative. So I had to resort to this auction to finally put a stop to all this nonsense.
: It definitely suits your modus operandi.
: I hope I never end up on the wrong side of you.
: Ningguang: Hehe. I just wanted my things back. Hardly an unusual sentiment.
: Ningguang: At most, a little childish, perhaps. Which is another reason why I didn't tell anybody about my plan.
: Ningguang: What do you think it was about the Jade Chamber that defeated Osial?
: The explosion?
: The size?
: Ningguang: I think it was a combination of the weight and the energy it contains.
: Ningguang: Its great weight meant it hit Osial with incredible force, while the energy within triggered that spectacular explosion.
: Ningguang: Every piece of the Jade Chamber, from the stone walls and wooden beams down to the smallest ornament, contributed to its total weight.
: Ningguang: But in the end, they became objects of merchants' greed.
: Ningguang: It's hard not to get a little irked thinking about it.
: That's not so childish.
: I hope you can get all your things back, too.
: Ningguang: Thank you for understanding.
: Ningguang: Now I've got one of my items back, let me show you what makes it so special.
: Ningguang: The secrets of history shine through in the relics that survive, and this one now has the story of another age to tell.
===Ending: The Weight of a Collection===
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