I waited in the dining room for the head chef to arrive. He came running in, his face filled with anxiousness and excitedness.

I waited for him to regain his breath before asking him "Tell me head chef, among you chefs how would you review the spread?"

Hearing the unusual question, the chef replied, "My lord even if the taste of what I have been cooking for the past 35 years of my life were to add up the taste wouldn't even reach the footstep of the taste of the spread."

I nodded smiling before asking him another question "Where do you think I can buy this kind of food and how much do you think it will be worth?"

"My lord the only one who is able to make something even similar to this is the royal head chef of the Emperor. Forget the price, the chance to taste something like this might not even come once in 1000 years. That is why it is important that we send George who made something like this to his majesty's royal kitchen, to groom his potential. I was hoping you would consider helping me with that, as that would give him a brighter future."

I nodded at what he said "Ask him if he is willing to go? If he is I will send a letter to butler Smith to come taste the delicacy. Then he will decide the rest."

"Yes, lord and thank you my lord" the head chef thanked me, for opening a path for George and not hindering his path by keeping him confined in my house as my personal chef, as many of the other nobles does.

I smiled as I saw the head chef walking back to the kitchen joyfully. Before I wasn't clear on my path to making money but now I am clear in what to do to earn money.

After the ordeals in the morning I went to the office room of Collection dealers, where dealers worked. The room had some couches to sit while waiting, and few desks with chair on either side of the desks, for where the dealer along with the customers sat I presumed. There were roughly about 10 dealers inside right now, who were attending few of the customers.

The roles of these dealers inside the palace is to get anything needed inside the palace for anyone. If the chefs need food supplies, or the librarian needs some new collection of books, or the gardener needed some fertiliser the merchant dealers were who they go to. They acted like delivery men in basic simple terms. They were one of the few people who were able to enter and leave the palace as they wished but had to be subjected to rigorous search of their items along with themselves.

The room was not that full yet, as it is still roughly 8 in the morning, people were still busy eating or the lazy ones are just about to wake up. People would probably start coming in to place orders in 2 or 3 hours. The dealers came in this early to sort out their paperwork's from previous day before new customers came in. I chose a person randomly and sat down to give my list. The dealer frowned seeing someone disrupting his paperwork, but still carried on asking, "List please?"

I passed him a list of things I wrote down that I needed. He looked at the list, then took a paper to write down some calculations before saying "That will be 2 plat chips, you can also add another 5 chips to get them delivered to you personally with added protection and insurance, otherwise you will have to come back here later to collect it."

Thinking about the things I needed I rejected the offer of protection or insurance as it wasn't worth it. He then took a parchment saying read it before signing it. I read the agreement, nothing was standing out other than a deposit of 40% needed to be done first, the rest can be paid after the things have been delivered and inspected for no damage. I passed him 1 chip and took a copy of a contract which also had a list of items I ordered written on it.

I then went to the property management centre, to look for a certain place to buy in the empire. I entered through the door to see a room covered with the map of the capital, with detailed accuracy. While at the same time there were a few papers stacked on top of the only desk in the room filled with maps. There was a man in his late 50's sat there looking bored. As soon as his eye laid on me it lit up with excitement. He stood up to greet me.

"Welcome to the retail office. What would you like from me today?" asked the man whose name I didn't even bother to look at on the name plate.

"I would like to buy a building in the merchant district, if possible quite close to the female shopping centre and away from any food shops."

"Hmm give me a second" the man said as he went to look at the map behind me, then he looked at the area of merchant district located in the capital, he pointed at few areas that were numbered, then he went to look through his documents on table while murmuring the number he pointed at.

"42...42...Got it. Right we got 2 buildings meeting your criteria, would you like to go there personally 3 days later or look at a projection of it."

"Projection please." I replied, while at the same time understanding that the guy in front of me must be a magi. That is to be expected as people who are in the palace must wait a while to get their passes to go out sometimes if they don't have the right seniority level. So, the person in the property management centre must be able to show the property somehow without going out, therefore being a magi and learning illusion magi must be the best way to do that.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them and touching my forehead with his hand. Suddenly I was in a busy street with markets for clothing and other sections. Suddenly someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I heard a voice "This way."

The old man in the office guided me to building that was detached from other shops at the end of the street. It was a big shop. Just enough for about 100 people to come in before feeling stuffed. The building only had a ground floor with no basement or floor above. The inside of the building was empty and devoid of anything except 2 rooms at the back leading 2 medium sized storage room.

"This building was sold by its previous owner to our retail office outside of the palace after, he left to stay with his kids somewhere else. It used to be store that used to sell cosmetics for ladies. This shop did well for that old man for 20 long years before he left. This building..."

"Can I see the next shop please?" I interrupted the old man not wanting to hear him blabber on the history of the building or the price of it. I just want to decide between 1 of the 2 building before I hear about the house. Otherwise it will just be wasting my time to hear nonsense when I won't even buy it.

The man looked annoyed and dispirited before changing the scenery again. This time it was the same street as I could still see some of the shops I saw from far away, but closer this time. The building he showed me this time was a small one compared to the previous one. This one being able to fit about 40 people in. The inside of the shop was split in 2 section. 1 section took 75% of the room while the last one was at the back of the room, split off by a wall. There was a door leading out to a small patch of grass outside, which were overgrown.

"Tell me about this building." Seeing the old man silent I asked him for the history of this house as I liked this one and it suites my need more than the other one.

"This used to be shop that used to sell garden necessities, flowers and plants to people. But due to the constant smell from fertilisers, the surrounding shop owners pressured the owner of this shop into selling it. Although before selling it the young man did make quite the money from this place due to his customers mostly being ladies, and this shop belonged right in the centre of the ladies district of the market." The old man then went on to rant about the history of the building, what material was used to make it, how long since it has been built, how the previous owner got this building etc.

"How much will it be for this building then?"

"That will be roughly 30 chips, no bargaining as this is a prime location, in the market area, any business started here won't end in loss. The only reason its not sold out is because it was put up for sale just 2 days ago, and many merchants who are able to afford this building, invests in better business than in female products, so they are not interested in this building in female market district." The man said as the illusion slowly faded back to reality

"Can I add some modifications and equipment's to the buildings?" I asked him after he finished his long explanation

"Yes, but additional charges will be applied depending on the modification and the type of equipment's?"

"Ok, here is what I want." I said as explained to him the things I wanted to add on to the building, while he took a note of what I was saying.

After a while of calculating the costs of everything he said, "The modification and equipment's will cost you 17 chips, together with the price of the building that is 47 chips."

I nodded my head before taking out my notice of wanting to participate in the competition I got from butler Smith. The old man took the notice from me and read it, before he looked at me in shock.

"You are the soulless John?" The man gawked at me in surprise for a few seconds before saying "Sorry for that kind of behaviour, but you are kind of famous now in the palace. I couldn't recognise you as I got a promotion here last month."

This man really likes to talk. "I believe I can use this document to cover for my price?"

"Yes, this document enables you to cover for any cost up to the price of 100 chips incurred during the elimination round of the competition once, according to the benevolence of his majesty." The elimination round is the round before the actual competition called, as each royal children tries to eliminate any of their opposition to get a chance to enter the final competition.

Although it was a waste using this buy something for only 47 chips this is the only thing I need to buy other than some small things that can be covered with my pocket money.

"Please sign here, as you have technically payed the full amount, this building is yours to own. The modification and everything will be done by tomorrow latest." I signed the documents indicating that I have bought the house along with the list of additional equipment's and modification which will be added later.

I left the room content after finally taking my first although rather last-minute plan of my survival.