The following day, Leon visited the repair shop by himself.
Near the repair shop owner stood an elderly man dressed in elegant, sophisticated attire.
The owner gestured toward the elder as he made the introduction.
“When I mentioned the auction items, he came to see for himself.”
“Could this be…” “Yes, the person I mentioned…”
Following the repair shop owner’s explanation, the elder gave a polite bow.
“I am Yubel, branch manager of the Kerita Merchant Guild in Pirene.”
Yubel withdrew a softly glowing emblem from his chest and presented it to Leon.
“You can confirm at the Merchant Guild that this emblem represents our trading company.”
Yubel explained graciously before continuing.
“I understand you’ll be offering items at our upcoming auction, is that correct?” “Yes, that’s right.”
When Leon gave a brief nod, Yubel smiled and responded.
“On behalf of the trading company, I thank you for choosing us. I’m here today to assess the items, and if you’re satisfied, you can bring them on auction day.”
Yubel maintained his gentle smile as he continued speaking.
“If you’re hesitant to show the items right away, please feel free to verify the emblem at the Merchant Guild first. Since I arrived unannounced, I’m happy to wait. Or we could visit headquarters together for verification. I came in person to spare you the trouble, but trust should come first.”
While he spoke accommodatingly, what struck Leon as odd was something else entirely.
Do they typically make personal visits like this?
Noticing Leon’s slight unease about the unexpected visit, Yubel spoke up.
“Haha, I was informed you were a person of distinction, so I wanted to meet you myself. To be frank, since A-Grade Artifacts are quite rare, I personally try to make connections when the opportunity presents itself.”
Leon realized the repair shop owner had already informed Yubel about his Silver Broom. It seemed he’d shared this information hoping for a larger commission by introducing someone with potentially valuable items.
“…I understand. I’ll go verify then.”
Leon didn’t refuse and turned to leave.
Though his Appraisal Magic had already confirmed the emblem’s advanced magical properties, he felt it prudent to exercise caution for his first time.
After departing the repair shop, Leon headed to the Guild, where they confirmed the emblem’s authenticity.
When Leon returned, Yubel remained exactly where he’d been, patiently waiting.
The repair shop owner, who had been standing boredly beside him, immediately perked up.
“Let’s talk in here.”
Leon followed the repair shop owner into a small room adjacent to the workshop.
“Would you care for some tea?”
Though Yubel offered, Leon declined with a shake of his head.
Yubel seemed disappointed but quickly returned to business, gesturing toward the table.
“You can display them here.”
Leon carefully removed the items and arranged them on the indicated table.
Invisibility Cloak (D+), Fire Net (C), Personalized Dimensional Pocket (B).
Yubel’s eyes lit up as he meticulously examined each item.
“This cloak performs notably better than typical D-Grade Artifacts.”
Donning white gloves, Yubel lifted the cloak, studying it from various angles before thoroughly inspecting the fire net and dimensional pocket as well.
He nodded with satisfaction.
“This cloak has sufficient rarity for auction, but the net is too common in the market for our purposes. Of course, the B-Grade Personalized Dimensional Pocket is inherently rare enough to warrant inclusion.”
It became clear that even at auctions, ordinary Artifacts up to C-Grade weren’t particularly sought after. Leon realized that auction success typically required items of ‘+’ grade or higher.
While Appraisal Magic couldn’t detect ‘+’ grades, Yubel seemed able to identify them through experience.
Yubel returned the fire net to Leon and began carefully documenting details about the cloak and dimensional pocket.
“I’ll discuss this further upon my return, but would starting prices of 5,000 and 80,000 Mana Stones respectively be acceptable?”
Leon nodded, as these figures aligned with his expectations.
“Then I’ll note that…” “There’s more.” “Ah, is that so?”
Yubel, who had started to rise, settled back into his seat.
Having gained some confidence in Yubel’s expertise through his examination and pricing, Leon carefully produced a piece of Orichalcum from his chest.
“This is…!”
Yubel instantly recognized the Orichalcum, his eyes widening.
Leon spoke quietly.
“Though not a large piece, it’s sufficient for crafting defensive Artifacts or weapons.” “You’re offering this at our auction?” “Yes.”
Yubel carefully handled the Orichalcum, examining it thoroughly before proposing a starting price.
“For this quantity, we could set the starting price around 800,000.”
Feeling this somehow inadequate, Yubel added:
“I can assure you that by featuring it at the auction’s end, it will likely command an even higher price in Mana Stones.” “Let’s proceed with that.”
Yubel jumped up and extended his hand.
“Thank you for entrusting our trading company with your items. We’ll certainly justify your faith with excellent results.” “Yes. However, I have one more item to offer.” “Even more than this?”
Leon then retrieved Io from his large dimensional pocket.
When activated, Io’s eyes illuminated with green light.
“Please issue your commands, Master.” “…A Golem?”
To Yubel’s bewildered inquiry, Leon nodded.
“It’s a Golem equipped with both basic assistance and combat capabilities.”
Leon carefully detailed Io’s specifications. Yubel nodded while unable to conceal his amazement.
“A Golem… this is unexpected. This isn’t my area of expertise, so I’ll need to consult headquarters.” “Understood.” “Please seek me out at the auction house in four days.”
After concluding the discussion smoothly, Yubel departed with visible enthusiasm.
Watching Yubel’s animated departure, the repair shop owner commented.
“Word about auction items typically spreads quickly, so when quality pieces appear, it enhances the auction house’s reputation, benefiting the trading company in numerous ways. His excitement is natural.” “I see.” “And since there was a major auction just three weeks ago, there might be fewer quality items available.”
Leon turned to the repair shop owner and said.
“Thank you for the introduction.” “Not at all, I received my commission too. And by the way…”
The repair shop owner hesitated before continuing.
“Actually, I wondered if you might be interested in other auctions. After the Kerita Trading Company event, there’s another auction planned in the black market.”
The mention of black market explained the repair shop owner’s cautious approach.
“The schedule was delayed due to a slave’s escape, but if you’re interested in attending after the Kerita auction…” “No thank you.”
When Leon politely declined, the repair shop owner quickly dropped the subject. While he understood slavery existed in this world, he had no desire to participate in it.
After leaving the repair shop, Leon began actively searching for herb shops.
Herb shops were scattered throughout the city. However, even the most prestigious shops primarily stocked herbs for C-Grade Essence and below, with B-Grade Essence herbs nowhere to be found.
When questioned about this, the herb merchant explained matter-of-factly.
“B-Grade materials rarely appear in shops like ours. They’re scarce enough to be found only at auction houses.”
Though he’d somewhat anticipated this, his disappointment was evident.
The merchant contemplated briefly, then glanced at Leon before continuing.
“And from B-Grade Essence upward, people typically seek the essence itself rather than herbs.” “Why is that?” “B-Grade Essence depends more on other materials than herbs. Have you heard of the Mystic Lake?” “Mystic Lake… no, that’s new to me.” “It’s common knowledge. It’s a mysterious lake that forms only in areas with extremely dense Mana. Even knowing about it doesn’t guarantee finding one - many say you need divine luck to locate such a lake. From B-Grade Essence upward, water from that lake becomes essential. That’s why supplies remain limited.”
As Leon heard about areas with dense Mana, a realization struck him.
There was a lake inside the Magic Orb.
Though that lake’s water had appeared ethereal, he hadn’t noticed any effects from drinking it at the time. In retrospect, perhaps that water wasn’t meant for drinking but rather as an ingredient.
Was that why it served as an Essence ingredient?
Leon couldn’t be certain since he hadn’t yet obtained the B-Grade Elixir formula. But he felt convinced that the Mystic Lake referred to the lake within the Magic Orb.
After finishing his conversation with the herb merchant, Leon checked the herbs needed for C-Grade Essence and left the shop.
Looking up at the darkening sky, he turned toward the inn.
***
Upon reaching the inn, Leon realized he had nothing particular planned until the auction in four days.
If Ria’s also free… I should train.
Leon sat cross-legged in the room’s center and said.
“You can come down now too.”
Kito, who had been quietly resting above Leon’s head all day, lazily flew down onto the bed.
“Are you finished with today’s schedule?” “Yeah, aside from the auction in four days, I have nothing specific planned, so I thought I’d train.” “Tsk tsk… that’s an addiction, an addiction.” “…”
While conversing with Kito, suddenly there came a knock at the door.
Leon immediately turned toward the sound.
If it were Ria, she would have announced herself, but there was only silence after the knock.
Sensing something unusual, Leon cast Scanning Magic to survey the area beyond the door.
Someone stood quietly outside. He could confirm they were an Apprentice 5th Grade Mage, but not someone Leon recognized.
Leon glanced briefly at Kito. Kito shrugged.
Rising cautiously from his seat, Leon approached the door and called through it.
“Who is it?” “…”
No response came from the other side.
Leon carefully opened the door.
Creak-
The unfamiliar figure gradually came into view as the door swung open.
The first thing he noticed was a deeply hooded robe. Leon found the attire somehow familiar.
It matched exactly what the person who had bumped into them yesterday while returning to the inn with Ria had worn.
Soon the hooded figure raised their head.
Beneath the hood was a woman with sky blue hair and striking features. However, her gaunt face diminished that natural beauty.
Leon recognized who stood before him.
It was Erika, with whom he had conversed while guarding the trading company chariot.
She gazed at Leon with a heavy expression tinged with anxiety.