Serah had finished her hunting job before making the trip to the underground auction office. So when it came time to do the deed, she simply left the city with next caravan, big pouch of coins in hand.

…

…

“She left the city.” A voice from the shadows says.

The demon-masked man waves a hand. “Let her go. The information isn't worth leaving the city. Besides, we got what we wanted.” He says as he raises an old rusty dagger, looking at it curiously. He applies a bit of mana and the dagger becomes covered in flames. The man smiles. Worth it. He thinks, satisfied.

“But check in occasionally with our other branches… If there are more cases that are similar to this… Capturing the supplier will be necessary…” The demon-masked man says, pondering a few possibilities.

“Understood.” The voice responds from the shadows before growing silent once again.

…

…

Serah arrives at the next closest city, Gardenhill, veiled and dressed in black. When she arrives, she enthusiastically changed out of those dusty black clothes and let out a breath of relief. If they’ve tracked me this far, there’s not much I can do. She thinks helplessly with a sigh. And there’s certainly no way I’m going to keep wearing those clothes! Serah thinks with adamant refusal.

She takes a large pouch from her backpack, feeling the weight of it in her hands as an unsightly grin blooms on her face. She looked like a little girl who had just gotten away with stealing some candy. Serah lets out a loud laugh. Should I do it again in this city? She asks herself in a moment of greediness. No, no. Let’s just relax, Serah. There’s no need to do anything drastic. If anything I should be using this money to invest. Earn money in an honest and proper fashion! She thinks with determination before letting out a slight frown. But it is sort of a waste to not profit off the enchanting skill… She begins to think dangerously when a light bulb is lit in her mind. I know exactly what to do! She thinks excitedly, like a little girl who was about to steal some candy.

…

…

A man in steel armor walks into the shop, looking around curiously. Hmm, a new equipment store… I wonder if they have anything good… He thinks before walking to the counter to speak to the store employee.

“Welcome to Serah’s Store of Wonder. How may I help you today?” Serah asks with a bright smile.

The store was filled with weapons and armor that Serah had commissioned, to be payed for bi-weekly throughout the next three months. Serah needed a moment to get her store started, but eventually, she planned to hire her own blacksmiths and leatherworkers.

Now if she was simply commissioning these weapons and armor to be made only to resell them at a similar price, it wouldn’t be too viable as a business plan. But unbeknownst to anyone but herself, she had enchanted all these items with simple things such as sharpening enchantments, lightening, and hardening enchantments. On the outside, these items looked of similar quality to what she commissioned, but with the enchantments, their value had greatly increased.

“Hi, I’m looking for a new sword. I’d prefer it if it was a little longer than a meter and if it hand a full hand guard, that’s be perfect. I’m tired of people aiming at my hand during a fight.” The man says, with a sigh and some hope.

Serah thinks about it for a moment before walking over to a display to the side of the store. “The length is about right, and although it’s not a full hand guard, it should provide moderate protection for your hand.” Serah says, describing the item.

The man looks at the blade, somewhat satisfied before his eyes are drawn to the price. “1300 coins! That’s highway robbery! Is that not common steel!?” The man exclaims, shocked.

“Sir, everything in this store is a luxury item. Their quality is unlike what you would find at other stores. Unless those stores are selling weapons made of mithril or adamantium, they won’t beat the quality of Serah’s Store of Wonder!” Serah says with a straight face, feigning some wounded pride.

The armored man’s face scrunches up, unsure and untrusting of those claims. “I’ll have to test it out if I’m to purchase it.” The man says, challenging Serah’s claims.

Serah nods. “Of course. We have training dummies dressed in various different materials in the back. Feel free to test it out. But you will be charged if the blade is damaged, so be warned.” Serah says as she takes the sword from its display before handing it the man and leading him to the back of the store.

The man approaches a training dummy that was covered in leather and strikes down with the sword. The sword swiftly comes down and is unhindered as it completely cuts through the leather. The man’s eyes widen. “I’ll take it.” He says, satisfied.

Serah lets out a grin. Soon I’ll be swimming in coin! She thinks enthusiastically.