After a while I had sorted out the local trade mechanisms. Thanks to my perception that was currently covering only around fifty meters, I could easily observe the transactions and most of the regular activities, although some people used some technique to keep themselves and their immediate surroundings blurry for me. But at least I knew now that while most of the people used barter, occasionally people would use chunks of gold with the value decided by the mass of pure gold.

And sometimes, people would use small coins that had a sun symbol embossed on both sides, and from a few dialogue snippets I could catch, these coins were the currency used by Bull’s Blood organization. These coins would be used to bet during the auction, and could also be exchanged for goods and vice versa at fixed rates in the venues that belonged to Bull’s Blood.

---

Occasionally, I also heard all sorts of conversation snatches, of various degrees of interest and clarity.

“...Four ounces for this vial of Rebe extract, agreed?...”

-

“... later… wait a bit… three of Akadem… selling some...funds.”

“...ts hope no t… here…. Don’t … to face em… come for their st…”

-

“...Thousand coins for this crystal bone?! Get out of my sight!”

-

“...this is the newest compendium of current muggle technology, priced at only a half ounce, sir…”

“WAT DO YE SAY, YENG MAN? COMPEN-DUM?”

“ Now a deaf oaf, whyyy… MUGGLE TECHNOLOGY, SIR. DESCRIBES NEW STUFF!”

“MUGGLE, WASS DAT?”

“NEW WORD, SIR, CAME AROUND LAST DECADE. MEANS A NON-GIFTED, ORDINARY. BUY BOOK, IT’S ALL THERE! JUST HALF AN OUNCE!”

“AAA! YE MEEN, STEEM ENGEEN AN’ STUFF?”

“YES, YES, EXACTLY! Buy it already and go awaaay…”

-

“...Something is happening. I feel the ether shaking nowadays, you too, old man?”

“Aye, aye. The space itself seems to vibrate. And if we consider the angle between Cancer and the Moon, it makes my bones ache… “

-

“...three of these for one of yours…”

-

“Dat toke me ‘most eity yers ta gettit done, world’s alls weeid naw. Gut I hav dat Tomas boyah aprentis a-round, keepin’ an eye on wass happenin’.”

-

“...Hiru mila urte.”

“... Pinua hazia?...Ikus dezagun.”

-

“Tsh, some of the stuff is plain illegal. How do we find them in that mess?”

“Shut up, or somebody will hear!”

-

“...spected customer, sixty coins for this exquisite ring! Holds the enhancements like pure silver, but does not tarnish and can easily be adjusted for your own purposes! If you take two rings, it will only be hundred in total! Look, here’s...”

-

“Oh man, look at that! Real stuff, lucky we got here without old fogey noticing.”

“Tss, not so loud! See the Old Brock over there? I don’t fancy him dragging us back to fogey by our ears.”

“Oh, where? Shit! Move!”

-

“Master sent to … six pounds … “

“Ashrays, kind sir?”

“No, Master … vodniks, but … into well…”

-

“You damn bear-humping frog-licker, I dare you!”

“Buk shari...!”

“Fighting is forbidden! Stop now and leave the venue, or we’ll be forced to act! You, the other one, too!”

“...-khul su-...!”

““Ergo radius Solis!””

A muffled clap resounded, which caused some dust and sand to fall from above. Then the usual business resumed, and nobody cared about a ten-man team of Bull’s Blood who carried away a now vaguely human-shaped sack.

---

I stopped at the place with no people nearby just before the area that was reserved for the services provided by Bull’s Blood.

I moved closer to Aitan and whispered: “We are being followed.”

He made a slow nod and agreed: “Yes. I don’t have any flashy skills, but I do have a developed sixth sense, same as most of the clergy. Can’t know any details, but someone is definitely watching.”

“Hmm.” - I hummed while I noted the possible relation of that fact to the tradition of army chaplains, priests and other religious functionaries in military and political history.

Then I asked: “Just in case - be careful. I know there are at least two different groups keeping an eye at us.”

Aitan was surprised and wanted to ask something, but then decided not to. So we walked a few minutes in silence and finally reached the area which had a sign that said “Appraisal”. The area was surrounded by light partitions, likely to ensure the privacy of the clients.

We went in, and there was a brightly illuminated counter which was surprisingly tidy and business-like with a large, clean empty table and comfortable chairs around it. To be honest, I had expected a cluttered, messy version of junk shop akin to some sort of shady black market store from an RPG. Instead, we ended up in a bank, or a property rental agency. It was only missing a strict-looking, bespectacled blonde secretary to finalize the mood.

When we entered, I was sure there was nobody inside. But the next moment, a woman appeared inside my observation range. One second nobody was here, the next second she stood before us.

She wore a dark grey tunic that was long enough to be a dress or a robe. Her greying hair had been bound into a tight bun and was the only possible hint of her advanced age, while her visible skin was still smooth and eyes remained sharp. She wore no jewelry except a wide, heavy-looking bronze belt with several pouches attached to it.

Oddly, the energy I could see inside her was human-like but very dim, however that did not seem to have any effect on her and she looked completely fine. I had already confirmed that the energy I could see and manipulate was not magic. Was it really Qi as I had thought originally? Or some kind of life force?

The woman looked at us one by one, before she stopped her gaze on me. For a split second she frowned, before she returned to her expressionless looks.

---

She used a bit odd-sounding due to weird pronunciation, but grammatically perfect English as she asked without much curtsey: “Anything you want to evaluate? Standard method, I give first estimation of value, if you agree, I conduct in-depth analysis. One item, half of the estimated value for detailed appraisal, two items is a third, four items is a quarter, six items is a tenth. Can be paid with items of the sufficient value, as we work together with brokers.”

I felt Rabbi Es nodding besides me, so I agreed.

I waved my hand towards Aitan and his men and said to the woman: “Decide the ratios with them. That’s theirs.”

I also whispered to Aitan: “Half gold, half coins would be efficient, I think. Or leave some more interesting ones unexchanged, if you want to. I believe, your higher-ups would appreciate the detailed information, right?”

It always paid off to help a man to improve his standing with his superiors. Aitan was a good choice for my man in the governmental structure.

Carefully, SAS put their armored cases on the table and unlocked them. The woman glanced at my travel case that I had decided not to open, but did not say anything.

Instead, she pulled out a deep blue stone disk with a hole in the middle and looked through it at the artifacts in front of her. Hmm, according to the general information I had found from the Internet in the last few days, that looked like an adder stone made of lapis lazuli.

According to the common myths, adder stones were stones with naturally formed holes that allowed to see hidden things, for example fairies, through them. And lapis lazuli, as one of the most ancient and highly-regarded semi-precious stones, had long been a symbol of wisdom and truth.

The thing that interested me was, if these beliefs were real or it only had a symbolic meaning without any real effect. And if it worked somehow, what was the process for that? I kept thinking about such things while the appraiser was looking through the objects one by one.

At the same time I noted that the people who had been following us, had stopped quite far. They remained at the border of the Bull’s Blood territory. Afraid to provoke the hosts? Or some other reasons?

Among our tailers, there were three people climbing on the pillars just below the ceiling, two standing together while having an endless conversation about the weather and one that was pacing around in the shadows. As I observed their actions, I could guess that they had trouble observing us after we had passed the partitions. Now that I thought about it, before we had entered I could not feel anything through these light, finger-thick walls either.

---

Soon, the appraiser finished the initial evaluation of the artifacts. She and Rabbi Es discussed for a while, and Aitan suggested to separate and directly convert into gold the cheapest artifacts. Then the woman continued the detailed analysis of the remaining items.

Finally, Aitan got a full list describing the estimated prices, rarity and utility of the items. He picked five that he considered to be rather simple but sturdy, and asked to sell the rest to Bull’s Blood. The woman agreed and guided us towards the counter nearby.

There, after a round of haggling, Aitan sold the items for a fairly impressive sum of 1173 ounces of gold and 11730 coins. Apparently, one ounce of pure gold was equal to ten coins, pretty straightforward. Ounces were a bit trickier though, as I was still unsure which of the ounces was used. I remembered that there were at least seven values of ounces, with most being equal to around thirty grams. Just in case, I estimated it to be the common, international avoirdupois ounce, known to be a bit below 28.35 grams.

Mentally, I also easily converted it into 33.25455 kilograms or 73,313733209 pounds. That put the value of those artifacts well over two million euros, pounds or dollars. Aitan’s looks were visibly aging as I observed him soundlessly moving his lips while calculating and slowly reaching the final result. I had to pat his shoulder to get his attention.

I smiled at the rest of the SAS team, politely nodded to the broker and appraiser and moved away from the counter. Soldiers behind us quickly closed the cases and carefully followed us. The man carrying the cases with currency was placed into the middle of the formation, while his teammates kept watch on our surroundings.