The Llomeryn market square is the largest market in the country of Ablan. Placed between the outer ring and the iron ring of the city, the market square was a massive structure, as large as five stadiums put together. It was filled with thousands of stalls, boutiques, shops, and trader caravans. Anyone can find absolutely anything, from general wares, food, clothes, leading to weapons, augmentations, automatons, wild exotic animals, outlawed and faked lost technology, counterfeit magicores, and even imitation aerium.

That is why the Llomeryn market square is the most sought-after location for both merchants and customers. Crime remains relatively low, but despite the protection provided by the city, for the merchants, every day is a battle.

With thousands of merchants that want to sell their products, each one has to compete to get the most customers. Stalls or merchants that don’t move enough products are shut down and replaced by new ones the next day. It was a vicious place, and merchants needed to come up with something new to keep their spot and their customers interested.

What most wealthy merchants mostly do is put on performances. They get dancers, entertainers, trained wild beasts, and many more gimmicks to attract and maintain their customers. But when a strategy for one shop is successful, soon every shop will copy its scheme. Soon, the market square turned into an all-day-every-day festival, which further increased its fame and reputation.

This day was no different. It was early morning with clear blue skies, and the roads and streets of the market were already crowded. In the food market section of the square, a large land train pulled a two-story train carriage and moved through the sea of people. It used its loud whistle to separate the crowd.

The Landraider was an iron-armored steam locomotive that had been heavily modified so it could take on any attacker yet be maneuverable enough to be driven off the tracks. Its driver's compartment had two floors, making it look like a small house had been placed on the engine. The compartment took half of the landraider while the rest of the train was fully covered in iron plates. But the plates that protected it made it look less intimidating, as it made it look like an enormous mechanical worm.

The carriage behind it got the attention of the people, as they had never seen such a tall land carriage before. When the land train parked at its destination in the middle of the food market, the carriage began to open and unfold.

A metal sign on the side of the carriage was lit up with electric lights, revealing the name: Honeydust Curiosities and Emporium.

The lower carriage walls slid up to reveal a store filled with assorted goods and products that ranged from candies, clothes, mechanical devices, and gizmos. There was a spiral staircase that led to the carriage on top, and as soon as the walls lifted, several automatons fizzed and whirred into life.

A platform began to slowly slide out from the side and unfold into stairs so customers could climb up to the carriage while the automatons began to work. The bots were painted brightly, with clown and small animal faces as they started to inflate animal-shaped balloons to give to the people. Some juggled balls and rings, and others started doing acrobatics, which got the attention of the crowd, especially the younger audiences.

Baldric and two glorkans descended the spiral staircase; the glorkans went directly to the cash registers, while Baldric stood at the entrance and addressed the crowd.

“Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Step right up for the finest home devices, appliances, toys, and other curiosities that no self-respecting home should be without! We have the latest appliance sets and imported goods from Aspana, Riyax, all the way up to Rugnor! Step right up! Don't Be Shy! There is plenty of stock for all with unbelievably low prices.”

His pitch worked, because the store was quickly filled with people, and they were overwhelmed. While Baldric continued to call and get people’s attention, the steam engine finally turned off and the driver of the land train climbed down.

The young female mechanic, who was in her mid-teens, wore bright blue overalls and a leather mask with thick goggles. Her long, bright red hair, which was tied into braided pigtails, was covered with soot and dust. Her overalls looked incredibly baggy on her slender frame, along with her thick work gloves. She removed her mask to reveal her charming brown eyes, heavy freckled face, and fair skin covered with soot.

"Annie!" Baldric called to the mechanic, with his voice barely heard over the crowd, "We need more of the portable stoves and the ball crawlers, get some from the back!" Annie just lazily saluted him as she left. “And when you come back, do the spinning sign trick! People love that!"

Baldric then continued to call out to get more customers into his emporium. The location he picked was genius. It was right by the general entrance of the market square, which made sure everyone that went into the market could see them. And with all the shops around them just mainly being food shops or stalls, he mainly had no competition.

"See these boys!" He addressed his two Glorkan workers as he returned to help them with the cash registers and gazed at the crowd in his shop. "It’s going to be a good morning! I tell you, I am the smartest business man in the world!" The cash registers rang repeatedly, which was music to his ears. But another train horn blared outside, which not just got his attention, but the customers as well.

Baldric looked and the sound came from another land train that carried two, three-story carriages. Its whistle was much louder and it parked right in front of his store. When it stopped, the other land train’s carriage walls slid up to reveal a much bigger shop than his own, with more goods and wares. The sign lit up and revealed a showier sign with their name: Trimms Mobile Trading Goods.

And just like his business, the moment the walls slid up, dozens of automatons began to whiz and hiss to life as they also began to entertain and get the attention of the crowd. The other store even had performing Drorian lions, lions with fur like solid gold and a breath-taking rainbow mane, and automatons that breathed fire. Fireworks came from the roof of the carriages, much to the delight of the crowd. But the worst part is that they had some automatons that loudly blared show music, which got the attention of all the customers around it, even the ones inside Baldric’s shop.

In mere seconds, almost everyone in his shop left it empty, aside from him, his two workers, and a couple of elderly customers that left Baldric with his mouth agape. Annie returned with a wooden crate, and when she saw him and the rival shop in front of their own, she just shook her head with a smile as she stocked the products on the shelves.

Baldric finally recovered from what had just happened, climbed down and confronted its owners. He made it to the front of the other store before a group of ladies met him. They all wore the same cream-red dresses with long sleeves and skirts so long that it almost reached the floor.

"Hey! I was here first! Take your cheap garbage and move someplace else!"

The ladies only laughed at him. The oldest, with a fan in her hand, walked towards him.

"Sorry, Baldric, just business. Right girls? We can’t help it if your customers prefer quality.” The ladies behind her snickered in agreement. "Besides, we have the actual proper paper work for us to be here, which I heard from a certain someone that you don’t?"

"I did the paperwork! I have every right to be here!"

"Really? Is that true, Fulio?" A skinny man with a small hittable face and wearing thin, small glasses emerged from behind them. He carried a bag, which he opened and gave Baldric some documents.

"Baldric Faraday, according to the market square compliance code, you have not filed the necessary documents to sell class two merchandise, in a class one area, which under subsection B of the Llomeryn market rules can warrant you losing your market permit if you do not vacate the area."

Baldric checked the copy of the documents he submitted a week ago, and found that, technically, they were right. It was an incredibly small detail that had always been ignored by the market authorities. It was only two words in the long list of one hundred products he listed in the documents, but the Heathertons will no doubt nit-pick it and run him out of business in a split second. Fulio, who was also a consultant to the market officials, will make sure of it.

"Oh dear, It seems that you can’t even file a form properly, and you think you can go against Trimms?"

The ladies laughed at him, and it made him grip the documents in frustration. "Now if I were you, Baldric, I would take your hideous store and get it out of our sight before we call the market officials. I dare say the eyesore is blocking the customers and defiling the view of the market."

The ladies all turned and laughed, which left him rooted on the spot.

Back at his shop, there were still a few customers that browsed his wares. Annie and the glorkans waited for him while Annie cooked some apple slices with a lighter while she sat on a counter.

“Alright, pack it up! We have to move to the other section of the market. Damn Heathertons got me again. "

Annie put down the apple and gestured at Baldric with her hands. {What happened?}

"It’s those damn forms! They keep changing the rules every single week! Damn franchisee bootlickers!"

Annie just shook her head.

"Right, let’s get going. Ring every one up, then let’s go."

Baldric then threw the documents he held in a bin. As they were all getting ready to leave, a little boy walked up to the side of the shop.

"Excuse me, is this the... Honeydust Emporium?" Baldric sighed.

I really need to change the name of this place.

"Yeah, this is the place. What do you need, kid? We got a buy one take one on action figures."

"No sir, I have a message for you." The boy handed him an envelope. Baldric took it and expected the boy to leave, but he just stood there.

"What?" He asked. The boy just extended his hand.

"Tip sir."

Baldric grunted and reached for some sweets in a jar by the counter. He gave it to the child, who clearly expected money. He looked at him confused. The boy looked like he wanted to argue, but he just turned and left.

"Cheap bastard…" The boy grumbled.

"I heard that!" Baldric called out. He read the note, and once he was finished, Annie walked beside him and gestured with her hands.

{What’s that?}

"A pay check Annie, a royal pay check." He slid the message into his pocket. As the walls slid down and the automatons returned to their stations, the glorkans went back up the spiral steps while Baldric and Annie headed towards the land raider and boarded the driver’s compartment.

As they departed, a shade covered the ground and Baldric looked up into the sky. It was seven massive airships that flew the Silvus colors and headed towards the diamond district and, no doubt, towards the sky harbor. Baldric just shook his head and banged the side of the door twice.