The next day, Leon visited the repair shop alone.

Next to the shop owner stood an elderly man dressed in elegant, vintage attire.

The owner pointed to the man and introduced him.

“When I mentioned that you would be listing items for auction, he came to visit in person.”

“This person…”

“Yes, he’s the one I told you about…”

At the shop owner's explanation, the elderly man bowed courteously.

“I am Jubel, the branch manager of the Kerita Trade Company, Piraine Branch.”

Jubel pulled out a subtly shining emblem from his chest pocket and presented it to Leon.

“You can confirm with the Merchant Guild that this emblem represents our trade company.”

Jubel explained courteously and added, “I heard that you plan to submit items for our upcoming auction, is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

When Leon nodded briefly, Jubel smiled and spoke.

“On behalf of the trade company, we appreciate your decision. Today, I’m here to confirm the appraisal; if you’re satisfied, you can submit the items on the day of the auction.”

Jubel continued with a gentle smile.

“If you’d rather not show me the items right away, you can go to the Merchant Guild to verify the emblem first. Since I came here suddenly, it’s only natural for me to wait. Alternatively, we can visit the headquarters together for verification. I came in person to save you the trip, but trust comes first.”

Though Jubel spoke as if he was accommodating Leon, the latter was more intrigued by something else.

‘Do they usually visit personally like this?’

Jubel noticed Leon's mild suspicion and spoke up.

“Haha, I wanted to meet you in person since I heard you were a distinguished individual. To be honest, A-rank artifacts aren’t something just anyone can possess, so I wanted to at least become acquainted if I had the chance.”

Leon realized that the repair shop owner had informed Jubel about his possession of the silver broom. It seemed like the owner wanted to introduce someone who might present even more valuable items, possibly for a higher commission.

“…Understood. I’ll just confirm and return.”

Without hesitation, Leon turned and left. Though he’d already confirmed the emblem's authenticity with appraisal magic, he decided to proceed cautiously since it was his first time.

After leaving the repair shop, Leon headed to the guild, where they verified the emblem’s authenticity.

When Leon returned to the repair shop, Jubel was still there, waiting patiently, while the shop owner looked relieved to see him back.

“Shall we discuss this over here?”

Leon followed the shop owner into a small room next to the workshop.

“Would you like some tea?”

Jubel offered, but Leon shook his head.

Jubel seemed slightly disappointed but quickly got to the point, pointing at the table.

“Please place the items here.”

Leon carefully placed the items on the table Jubel had indicated.

A Concealment Cloak (D+), a Scorching Net (C), and a Spatial Pouch (B).

Jubel examined each item carefully, his eyes gleaming.

“This cloak appears to be of better quality than the typical D-rank artifacts.”

Wearing white gloves, Jubel inspected the cloak meticulously before turning to the net and spatial pouch, examining them thoroughly as well.

Satisfied, he nodded approvingly.

“The cloak has rarity value, making it suitable for the auction, but the net is a fairly common item in the market and may not be ideal for auction. Of course, the B-rank spatial pouch is rare enough to be auction-worthy.”

Leon realized that the auction mostly favored artifacts of C-rank and above. He noted that items with a ‘+’ grade tended to be more desirable at auctions.

While appraisal magic couldn’t determine if an item had a ‘+’ grade, it seemed Jubel could identify it through experience.

Jubel returned the net to Leon and began meticulously recording information on the cloak and spatial pouch.

“I will confirm again after consulting, but it looks like the starting prices would be around 5,000 and 80,000 mana stones respectively. Is that agreeable to you?”

Leon nodded, as the price matched his expectations.

“Alright then…”

“There’s more.”

“Oh, really?”

Jubel, who had been preparing to leave, sat back down.

Leon, feeling some degree of trust after seeing how Jubel evaluated the items, carefully took out a chunk of orichalcum.

“This is…”

Jubel instantly recognized the orichalcum and his eyes widened.

Leon spoke quietly.

“It’s not much, but it’s enough for use in defensive artifacts or weaponry.”

“Are you planning to submit this for our auction?”

“Yes.”

Jubel carefully held the orichalcum, examining it for a while, then set a tentative starting price on the spot.

“With this quantity, I’d say a starting price of around 800,000 mana stones seems reasonable.”

Jubel added, as if he felt it wasn’t quite enough.

“If we list this towards the end of the auction, I’m confident it could fetch even more.”

“Please go ahead with that plan.”

Jubel quickly stood up and extended his hand.

“Thank you for entrusting our trade company with your items. I assure you, we will bring you excellent results.”

“…Alright. But I have one more item.”

“More?”

This time, Leon pulled out Io from a large spatial pouch.

Once activated, Io’s eyes glowed green.

“Please issue a command, Master.”

“…Is this a golem?”

At Jubel’s startled question, Leon nodded.

“It’s a golem equipped with basic support functions, as well as combat capabilities.”

Leon proceeded to detail Io’s functionalities, and Jubel nodded in astonishment.

“A golem… that’s unexpected. This isn’t my area of expertise, so I’ll have to consult the headquarters.”

“Understood.”

“Please make sure to find me at the auction in four days.”

After a successful discussion, Jubel departed, beaming.

As Leon watched Jubel’s brightened back as he left, the repair shop owner spoke up.

“When high-quality items appear at an auction, the reputation of the auction house improves, which benefits the trade company. That’s why he’s so pleased.”

“Indeed.”

“Also, with the major auction held just three weeks ago, it’s possible that not many people have been offering such valuable items.”

Leon turned to the shop owner.

“Thank you for the introduction.”

“No need to thank me. I received a commission as well. By the way…”

The shop owner hesitated before adding.

“I was wondering if you’d be interested in another auction. After the Kerita Trade Auction, there will be an underground market auction.”

The shop owner seemed uneasy as he mentioned the underground market.

“They delayed the schedule due to a runaway slave, but it will be held after the Kerita auction. If you’re interested…”

“I’ll pass.”

Leon declined lightly, and the shop owner quickly withdrew the suggestion. Although he understood the existence of slavery in this world, he had no desire to own slaves.

Leaving the repair shop, Leon began searching for herbal shops.

Specialized herbal shops were scattered around the city. However, most only carried herbs suitable for C-rank potions at best, with none available for B-rank potions.

When Leon asked about this, the herbalist replied as if it was common knowledge.

“We rarely deal in B-rank ingredients. They’re so rare you’d only find them at auctions.”

Although he had anticipated it, Leon couldn’t hide his disappointment.

After a moment’s hesitation, the herbalist glanced at Leon and continued.

“Most people don’t seek herbs for B-rank potions; they usually look for the essence itself.”

“Why is that?”

“B-rank potions mostly require other materials rather than herbs. Have you heard of the Lake of Mystery?”

“Lake of Mystery… no, this is my first time.”

“It’s common knowledge. It’s a mystical lake that forms in areas dense with mana. Even if you know about it, finding it requires tremendous luck. For essences B-rank and above, water from that lake is essential. That’s why supplies are scarce.”

Hearing about a mana-rich area triggered a thought in Leon’s mind.

‘Wasn’t there a lake inside the orb?’

The lake’s water had looked particularly radiant, but when he drank it, he felt no different. Thinking back, it might have been meant for use as a material rather than drinking.

‘Could it have been meant for essences?’

Leon hadn’t yet obtained the recipe for B-rank elixirs, so he couldn’t confirm, but he was confident that the Lake of Mystery referred to the lake within the orb.

After finishing his conversation with the herbalist, Leon checked the herbs needed for C-rank essences and left the shop.

With the sky growing darker, he turned his steps towards the inn.

At the inn, Leon realized he had nothing else to do until the auction in four days.

‘If Ria doesn’t have anything planned either… I should probably train.’

He sat in the center of the room, crossing his legs.

“You can come down now.”

Kito, who had been resting silently atop Leon’s head all day, fluttered down onto the bed.

“Is your schedule done for the day?”

“Yeah, aside from the auction in four days, there’s nothing else to do, so I thought I’d train.”

“Tsk… that’s an addiction, an addiction.”

As Leon conversed with Kito, a sudden knock came at the door.

He turned towards the door immediately.

If it were Ria, she would’ve announced herself, but after the knock, there was no response.

Sensing something odd, Leon cast a detection spell to scan the area outside.

Someone stood silently beyond the door. He could tell they were a 5th-grade apprentice mage, but the presence was unfamiliar.

Leon glanced at Kito, who merely shrugged.

Cautiously, Leon stood up, approached the door, and asked through it.

“Who’s there?”

Silence.

Leon carefully opened the door.

Creak—

As the door opened, a shadowy figure came into view.

The first thing he noticed was the deep hooded robe.

Leon thought it looked familiar.

It was the same outfit as the person he’d bumped into on his way back with Ria yesterday.

Then, the figure raised their head.

Under the hood appeared a woman with sky-blue hair and striking features. But her gaunt face dulled her beauty.

Leon recognized her immediately.

It was Erica, whom he had spoken with while escorting the trade company’s carriage.

She looked at Leon with a heavy expression mixed with tension.