Far beneath the waterline, in a deck that’s only accessible via the atrium’s second elevator, the Sea of Stars auction is going down. This elevator is no joke. It's roomy enough for a squad of 10 and casts a tranquil, dark blue glow that subtly nudges passengers to remember they’re basically submerged in the ocean.

After a quick half-minute, the gates slide open, unveiling a dark blue staircase with silver railings that are studded with sparkling dots of green, white, and red. It's like walking on a starry night sky, but with stairs.

Descending a few more steps, the eager passengers finally breach the core of this floating fortress. And let me tell you, it's nothing short of magnificent. Life-sized statues sculpted from light blue and silver jewels extend their arms, as if inviting guests towards the center. But the second showstopper isn't what these statues are pointing at; it’s the transparent glass floors and walls. After your eyes adjust to the soft, dim lighting, the vibrant hues of fish, hammerhead sharks, and manta rays start to pop, swimming alongside the ship in a mesmerizing underwater ballet. Occasionally, a bright red jellyfish flits into view, fading out into the abyss like a distress signal that's given up.

Because of the moody lighting and the all-glass setup, you can't really gauge the deck’s full size without making a lap, but let's just say it’s museum-hall massive. And it's got the goods to fill that space, because the Sea of Stars is more than an auction; it's an exhibition. The bling is showcased in two types of glass cases: the up-for-grabs kind and the don’t-even-think-about-it kind.

Now, you might wonder where the actual auctioning is going down, since there's no stage or rows of chairs for some high-stakes showdown. That's 'cause this high-tech affair happens online. Thanks to a bulletproof mobile app crafted by the Crowned Shogun’s tech whizzes, bidders sync their account with their cabin key and load up their digital wallets. With frequent updates, hacking into this baby could land you in hot water, legally speaking. The auction's play-by-play is narrated through the deck’s speakers, which otherwise pump out some smooth bossa nova jams.

For regular folks, you gotta pay to play and there’s a bidding cap. But VIPs like us? No such barriers. We got the app updated as soon as we set foot on the ship. Once it’s tweaked, I’ll pass it to Abhi, our digital maestro, who’ll find a way to give us unlimited spending power. Two nights is all he needs to crack this high-caliber app.

With the app VIP-boosted, we’re in for a bigger payday than initially planned. And we skip the entry fee. Bonus!

As I shoot the APK over to Abhi, I spot DIANA and Francesco goofing around, eyes twinkling like kids in a candy store. With the crowd thinner than I expected, they stick out like sore thumbs. The serious collectors are probably holding out for the last day's prime loot.

I catch them tapping on the glass floor with their shoes, mesmerized by a shiny fish.

"Quit running around," I mutter.

"Look, Boobies! Isn’t that one beautiful!" DIANA exclaims, pointing eagerly.

"I bet it’d make a tasty meal," Francesco chimes in.

"The weirder the fish, the worse it probably tastes," I reply.

"Clearly, you’ve never tried octopus; it’s the pinnacle of weird and delicious," he retorts.

"Octopuses aren’t fish…" I sigh, again.

"Duh, octopuses aren't fish, you dumbass!" DIANA slaps him on the forehead with a swift backhand.

Shaking my head, I grab her by the arm and steer her towards the jewel displays.

“How about we look at the jewels and find some interesting ones?” I suggest, still feeling awkward about DIANA acting so chummy with someone I just met.

“Hey, look at this,” I tell her, pointing at the weird minerals lying inside a glass showcase. The case looks like it’s practically screaming, “Look, but don’t touch!”

Inside, there’s a strange white silky rock with long strands that almost look like hair.

“Damn, I wanna touch it…” She breathes, awestruck.

“Me too, it looks so soft…”

“Ohohoh, that’s epsomite! Cute, isn't it?”

An old lady with flowing blonde hair, a long black dress, and a black fan sneaks up behind us. She’s like the epitome of posh, making my nerves twitch.

I glance back to give her a polite smile, and then a male voice rises from the other side of the showcase.

“Epsomite! But it’s soluble in water, so where did they find it?”

When I turn my head, an old man with short brown hair, dressed in a black suit and a white bow tie, winks at me. He’s got that dashing gentleman look, like he could be in an old-timey spy movie or something.

“Ah, Grandma and Grandpa, you’re here too?” DIANA grins.

“Grandma? Grandpa? Who the hell are they??” I blurt out, totally confused.

“I met them when I went to Francesco’s cabin.”

“Oh, it’s the beautiful lady! Is this the person you were talking about?” The woman speaks, hiding her mouth behind her opened fan.

“Yeah…”

“Oh my, how fantastic! I’m so thrilled to meet you!” says the man, who walked all the way around the showcase just to shake my hand.

“You talked about me??”

I shoot DIANA the darkest look I can muster.

“Ehhh, don’t worry, I didn’t say anything weird!” she protests.

“Truly, this precious flower didn’t utter anything suspicious!” the woman adds, still fanning herself.

“That makes it even more suspicious!” I grumble.

Glancing left and right, I notice Francesco has disappeared.

“No, no, don’t worry, my wife didn’t give her any weird ideas…” the old man smirks.

I'm about to explode, but DIANA defuses the situation by asking them a question.

“Did you find the Holy Grail?”

“Ah, no, not yet. We’re still looking, but this one is promising!” The woman says, pointing at a showcase on the left. Inside, there’s a pale, dark, and iridescent cube-shaped metallic rock that seems like it came straight from a sci-fi flick.

The old man smirks. “That's pyrite. With the right lighting, it'll look exactly like gold.”

Captivated by its luster, I can’t tear my eyes away from it. Staring at the pale white reflections and dark shadows feels like finding a beacon in the abyss.

“How do you know what the rocks are?” DIANA queries.

The old woman tilts her head and taps DIANA with her fan, frowning.

“Beautiful lady, that’s not a rock; it’s a mineral!”

“W-what’s the difference?!” DIANA stammers.

The old man moves toward another showcase where different kinds of rocks—uh, minerals—are displayed.

“You see, a mineral is defined mainly by two things. Can you guess what they are?”

“Color!” DIANA shouts.

“Shape…” I venture, wanting to play along.

“Bzzz, not the color. You see, a lot of different minerals can have similar colors even though they aren’t made of the same atoms,” the old man explains.

The old woman chimes in, “The shape is a better indicator. There are some minerals that can't take certain shapes, which makes identification easier.”

The old man finishes, “Nevertheless, the primary way to define a mineral is its chemical formula and crystal structure. A rock is just a mishmash of different minerals. The purer a mineral is, the more valuable it is.”

I glance at the minerals in the showcase, and some of them do seem to be surrounded by another stone.

“What's that around them? Another mineral?” I ask.

“Great eyes you have, Miss,” the old woman says. “That’s what we call a matrix. It’s just rocks.”

So, there are rocks involved after all…

“So, how do you know all this?” DIANA asks again.

The old man and woman exchange glances and then burst into laughter. “Oh, we used to work in mines.”

“Yeah, like, super-hard mining work!” the woman adds.

“And we were gold diggers,” the man says, eyes twinkling.

“We dug for gold, yes, and panned in the rivers in America,” the woman clarifies.

I frown, trying to do the mental math. The Gold Rush was like two centuries ago, right? They can't possibly be that old… Or were they doing it for fun?

DIANA, on the other hand, is totally impressed. “Wow, did you get rich?”

“Hahaha, yes, but not through that, not at all,” the man chuckles.

“Yeah, we might have stolen some, though,” the woman adds, her fan now completely closed.

WHAT.

“But that's ancient history! We don’t do that anymore, haha,” she assures us.

“We certainly aren't here to steal any jewels, no siree!” the man adds, a tad too enthusiastically.

“Wouldn't dream of it!” the woman agrees.

“And on that note…” they both say in unison.

And just like that, they dash off. What in the actual hell was that all about?

Before I can ponder it any further, the music cuts off, and the announcer’s voice fills the room.

“The Sea of Stars auction is inaugurated by the purchase of a beautiful 200-gram gypsum for 1.73 million. Please come to the counter behind the staircase to claim your new acquisition.”

Ah, so there's a counter behind the staircase…

I walk past the grand staircase and find Francesco leaning against a long counter, laughing while he claims his gypsum prize. One of his minions takes it, almost like it's the nuclear launch codes or something.

He doesn't notice me but turns to wave at the odd old couple we were just talking to.

They look like they're about to have a collective heart attack, but Francesco's burly friend corners them.

“Oh, oh, sir, you are definitely mistaken,” says the old man.

“Absolutely, we couldn't possibly be acquainted!” the woman adds.

But Francesco strides over and places a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Hahaha, pensate che sia uno stolto, Camorra?” he asks, his voice oozing with a mix of amusement and menace.

“N-no hablo español!” the old woman stutters before dramatically fainting.

How many more batshit crazy people are on this ship?!