Ben arrived at a cliff overseeing a town as the afternoon was starting.

The sun was high, but the clouds covered the sky, warning about the coming rain. And it was close to 0 degrees Celsius, so the wind pricked at Ben's skin.

Distantly, he saw the fort, his destination. Those high walls filled with war weapons would scare anyone.

However, the surroundings created a big contrast. The beautiful and colorful temperate deciduous forest created a gradient around the region.

Southwest, Ben noticed the extensive farmlands. He also saw the Bretry River cutting through the east side of the outer city. And north, there was no way to hide the immense lake and the many ferries floating around as far as the horizon.

"The gradients of Latwelia are truly the most stunning."

Keatha, Mooneshell, and Latwel were three cities located around Latwel Lake.

Keatha was a Fort City and one of the two pillars of the Capital of the Kingdom of Latwelia, Latwel. The three cities formed an enormous formation that used the spirit vein below the lake to protect the heart of the kingdom, King Latwel VI.

While Mooneshell was known as a tourism center, Keatha was much smaller without a critical specialization.

This fort was most well known for having the central hub for the mining facilities around the lake. And Ben aimed for this place because of that.

Ben walked down around the mountain cliff overview, wearing a side bag with Syd inside. He was in a more formal long-sleeved black jacket with a white undershirt and was wearing formal pants, lacking the bagginess he preferred.

Walking at high speeds, Ben arrived at the fort not long after. As he walked on the north road, he saw the happy and busy people going around. Despite its modest size, Keatha was far from a quiet place. That was because business and administration occupied most of its land.

The duo walked to the North entrance and lined up, paying the toll. And once inside, Ben walked around, searching for the mining ticket-emitter department.

The city had a modern feel and was spotless and organized. Everywhere one looked, one saw smooth architectures that blended well together despite their overall differences.

After asking around, Ben soon arrived at the department he was seeking. He ignored the busy first floor and went upstairs, lining up in the less crowded sector.

"Good afternoon Sir. What would you like to reserve?" A young man asked at one of the counters.

"I would like a low B-level ticket for one day," Ben replied. He had, in his hand, a booklet that showed the classification and available areas.

"If it is only for one day, I can get you a token for tomorrow, is that alright?"

"Yes."

"That would be 50 Spirits, Sir."

The young employee readily received the payment and began Ben's registration.

...

"Here is your receipt, Sir, and the contract with the rules. Tomorrow morning, pass by the reception below to collect your token that will be valid for one day. Anything else I can help you with?"

"No, thank you. That's all." Ben said as he held onto the documents.

Next, he quickly left the building, searching for a trading hall and an inn or hotel.

First, he found a big hotel and checked in for the night. He chose to spoil himself with a level of luxury he didn't encounter frequently. Next, he looked around for the auction house, and it didn't take long before Ben found himself before a golden-looking large building.

'Clearsky, why so ugly?' Ben looked at the tacky architecture. This building was trying too hard to look expensive and lost its charm.

Entering, Ben quickly found his way around since most auction houses had a very similar setup. Soon, he met an employee behind a stand.

"Sir, where would you like to go?" The middle-aged woman asked.

"Direct buying section, the highest level material," Ben said as he pointed the back of his hand towards her.

"Alright, Sir. Have a good stay." She replied as she cast a small mark on Ben's hand.

"I hope for swift business." Having received the authorization, he walked upstairs.

Ben saw all kinds of seals above the many doors in a long corridor. He walked ahead until he found the symbol matching his hand. The seal wasn't only the authorization for entering but also had the code indicating where and what business Ben wanted.

After entering and sitting in the room, Ben found himself alone for a few minutes. Around him, there were a few tables, but they were all empty.

...

"Good afternoon. Sorry for the wait, Sir." A young woman with short hair greeted Ben. She had a notebook in her hands and readily sat down for business.

"Good afternoon." On the bag, Syd squeaked while looking around curiously.

"Good afternoon, Sir squirrel." She said and smiled once she looked at Syd.

She continued, "What business would you like to take on?"

"Buying. Do you have some high-grade Array mixture in stock? The 10 liters grade, I would like one."

"We do. Would you like anything else?" She asked as she wrote the order down.

"Three liquid cores of the highest quality available."

"The best ranks we have are from Srok and Shieldia. Which one would you prefer?"

"Shieldia. Also, do you have some Spirit Silver Essence?"

"You are lucky, Sir. We got our first batch this year yesterday. We have seven essences available right now."

"Two, please. Since you have those, I would like to exchange this with a Fortune Coin." Ben said as he put a token down.

Ben found this object after looking at the inventory in his ring. This little thing allowed someone to trade with the auction on a level generally available only for high-level customers.

"Oh, alright. Anything else, Sir?" She asked, after being surprised for a short moment.

"No, only that, thank you."

She readily made the calculations and said: "The total cost is 2840 Spirits. How would you like to pay?"

"Cards," Ben said as 2840 Spirits worth of high-level cards appeared on the table. While the value was high, the volume was much smaller in comparison.

'Take that, bang! It never gets old, but it's quite sad how people always get so space-efficient.' Ben thought while staying focused and serene outwardly.

The employee quickly counted the money before storing it away. On the other hand, Ben wondered if he should exchange some currency for smaller units.

Interrupting his thoughts, Syd jumped on Ben's shoulders. As a response, Ben retrieved a sunflower-like seed from his storage and gave it to the squirrel. "Here." The little guy happily began to chew on it while staying on Ben's shoulder.

"Alright, Sir, please wait. I will be back soon with your orders." She spoke after verifying the payment. Before finally leaving, she took a last passing look at the sight on the table. 'How weirdly harmonized...'

As the short-haired woman left, two customers came in. The newcomers were a young couple that seemed to be in their middle twenties. And they were both giggling, flirty.

"...No. The two deserve each other. A match made in heaves." The woman said in a sarcastic tone.

"So much drama, I don't think they are a perfect match."

"Who would still be together after all that? Only those two can withstand each other!" She noted as a sly smile appeared on her face.

The guy sighed. "Aren't you two good friends?" The man asked as he held his girlfriend's hand tighter.

"Don't you know of the rumors she spread about me? If she wants to act like a bitch, so be it. She can burn in hell, and I couldn't care less. Her loss, not mine. Much better to spend time with people that treat me well. Like you!" She said as she smiled at him.

Noticing they weren't alone anymore, the two began whispering.

The young couple passed by Ben and walked to a table on the other side of the room. They acted the whole time as if glued to each other. Such a big contrast compared to the elder sitting close to the entrance.

Soon, another attendant arrived and attended to the newcomers. On the other hand, Ben stayed serious in his seat while Syd kept munching and looking around curiously.

"Good afternoon, What business would you like to take on?" He asked.

After noticing the guy arriving, the couple's flirting ended.

Looking at the employee, the young man smiled and said, "Good afternoon. I received the news that the essences we were looking for arrived?"

"Yes, the batch came yesterday. As per the rules, we reserved one in your family's name. Will you buy anything else?"

"Please, bring all eight and make the same reservation for the next batch."

"Are you paying as usual?"

"Yes, put it in the Bolts' Business Credit."

Sitting at the table in silence for a moment, the attendant checked the auction inventory using a device in the form of a token.

But while confirming the order, he noticed that the information didn't meet his expectations. So he stopped the registration and informed the customers: "Daniel Bolts, the current available inventory is only five essences plus the one from the reserve. Will you acquire the six essences?"

"Who was faster than our people... Is someone competing with you, Babe?" the girl asked, surprised.

"Someone was quicker. It is our bad luck, nothing we can do. Anyway, please bring the six and make the reservation as requested."

After receiving the confirmation again, the employee registered the acquisition. Once he finished, he stood up and said: "Alright, please wait. I will be back soon with your orders."