They were passing by a shop that sold magical beast materials when a sudden argument broke out inside.
“Thirty gold coins?”
“Why don’t you just rob me!”
“For this tiny bit of wolf blood, you’re charging thirty gold coins?”
The shopkeeper rolled his eyes.
“Take it or leave it.”
“The price of wolf blood has gone up lately.”
“It’s up across the entire royal capital.”
“It’s not just my shop.”
The mercenary was clearly unconvinced. “Why the price hike?”
The shopkeeper casually replied as he organized the counter, “I heard quite a few alchemists have been buying it up in bulk lately.”
“I don’t know the specific reason.”
“Regardless, the suppliers are charging more, so our prices naturally have to rise too.”
The mercenary grumbled and cursed for a bit, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and bought a bottle. After all, certain potions required wolf blood as a primary material.
Once he had left, Aidan spoke in a low voice, “Brother Matthew, why is everything getting more expensive lately?”
Hearing this, Matthew looked at the neatly arranged rows of materials in the shop and didn't answer immediately. A moment later, he spoke slowly.
“When something abnormal happens in a place, the first to react are often not the ordinary people.”
“It’s the merchants.”
“Their intuition is sharper than most.”
“If a certain material suddenly spikes in price, it’s either because production has dropped or demand has increased.”
“As for the real reason...” Matthew narrowed his eyes slightly. “We’ll find out eventually.”
With that, he turned and continued forward.
At the end of the street, a massive structure that stood much taller than all the surrounding buildings slowly came into their view. The building was constructed entirely of grey-white stone.
Luxurious carriages were parked in front, and people were constantly entering and exiting. Above the main entrance, a Golden Scales emblem was carved into the stone.
Aidan couldn't help but read the name on the plaque aloud. “Royal Capital Auction House.”
Matthew’s footsteps paused for a moment as his gaze fell upon the building. Compared to the surrounding shops, this auction house appeared far more magnificent.
The entire building was four stories high. The exterior walls were built from solid blocks of grey-white rock, with thick, solemn lines that exuded a steady and grand atmosphere.
Wide white stone steps led to the entrance. On either side stood two stone statues several meters tall—one holding a longsword and the other holding a set of scales, symbolizing power and fairness.
Even standing across the street, one could feel an invisible sense of pressure. People dressed in expensive finery constantly moved in and out. There were wealthy merchants with wide smiles, nobles draped in magnificent cloaks, and Class holders clad in light armor.
Occasionally, a few figures wearing hoods that obscured most of their faces could be seen hurrying inside. Everyone’s identity seemed to be significant.
At the entrance, four guards in silver armor stood in pairs on either side. They stood tall and straight with cold expressions, their hands never leaving the hilts of the longswords at their waists. Their mere presence was enough to deter anyone from approaching lightly.
Aidan instinctively lowered his voice. “What a huge auction house.”
Matthew nodded slightly. “It’s at least three or four times larger than the one in the county seat.”
The county seat naturally had an auction house, but the scale was incomparable. If the auction house in the county seat was like a large chamber of commerce, the one before them was like a palace. The two were on completely different levels.
...
Just then, several luxuriously decorated carriages pulled up to the entrance. The doors opened, and attendants quickly rolled out carpets. Then, an elderly man with white hair slowly stepped down from a carriage.
The old man wore a dark blue formal suit and a gold badge on his chest. Many people in the vicinity actively cleared a path upon seeing him. Even the guards at the auction house entrance bowed slightly in greeting.
Aidan was stunned. “Brother Matthew, who is that old man?”
Matthew shook his head. “I don’t know. But his status must be quite high.”
For the auction house guards to take the initiative to bow meant the person was either of noble birth or extremely powerful. Either way, it wasn't someone he could interact with right now.
Matthew only gave a glance before withdrawing his gaze. He was well aware that the most important thing for him right now wasn't to meet these big figures, but to increase his strength. Without strength, even if he met these people today, it would be meaningless.
...
The entrance to the auction house was bustling, but the areas along the sides of the road were much quieter. No vendors were allowed to set up stalls here, and no one was shouting to sell goods. Everyone passing by instinctively softened their footsteps, as if afraid of disturbing those inside.
As the two were about to continue forward, a middle-aged merchant suddenly hurried out of the auction house with a wide smile on his face. As soon as he stepped out, he laughed to his companion, “Hahaha, I finally got it.”
The other person quickly asked, “You won the bid?”
The merchant nodded proudly. “I did. Although it was a few dozen gold coins more expensive than I expected, it was worth it. Once we transport it back south, we can make at least three times the profit.”
The person beside him immediately looked envious. “Your chamber of commerce is always so well-informed. You always know what’s valuable.”
The merchant laughed. “That’s business. You make money off information. We know what others don’t. By the time they react, we’ve already started turning a profit.”
The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked away.
...
Matthew stood still, watching their retreating backs as his heart stirred. Information. This was the several-th time he had heard that word today.
Mercenaries relied on information to take missions. Merchants relied on information to make money. Nobles relied on information to plan their moves. Even the auction house was essentially profiting from the information gap.
Thinking of this, Matthew suddenly smiled. He had actually been doing the same thing all along. By utilizing his panel, he knew the quality and value of equipment before anyone else. He knew what others didn't. Wasn't that a form of information advantage?
Matthew felt a surge of confidence about the future. What the panel gave him wasn't just a boost in strength; more importantly, it allowed him to see more than others.
...
Aidan suddenly asked, “Brother Matthew, shall we go in and take a look?”
Matthew glanced at the auction house entrance, then thought of the gold coins in his storage ring and shook his head. “Not today.”
Aidan was puzzled. “Why?”
Matthew smiled. “It’s easy to go in, and easy to come out. But if we can't afford anything, it will only invite unnecessary frustration. Instead of going in just to be envious, it’s better to come back when we truly need something.”
Aidan couldn't help but laugh. “That makes sense. When we’re rich later, we’ll come back and buy the best things they have.”
Matthew didn't reply, only looking at the magnificent auction house with a faint smile in his eyes.
He didn't linger. The auction house was tempting, but it wasn't their goal for today. Today was more about learning the layout of the city. He wanted to memorize the royal capital piece by piece.
Knowing where to find what he needed, where to go if trouble arose, which places were worth staying in, and which were best avoided—these things were far more important than a whim to visit an auction house.
...
The two continued along the commercial street. The flow of people remained constant, and the further they went, the more varied the shops became.
In addition to weapon and potion shops, there were many industries Matthew was seeing for the first time. For instance, there were shops specialized in magical beast leather. A whole row of different colored skins hung at the entrance—snow-white wolf skins, snake shed skins with a greenish-black luster, and even a bear skin half the height of a person hanging on a wooden stand, drawing many passersby to stop and look.
On the other side, a magical beast butcher shop was in the middle of a busy trade. Several workers swung massive bone cleavers. Thud! Thud! Thud! The heavy sounds echoed as various types of meat were laid out on the blocks.
There were deer legs with faint golden patterns, bright red boar ribs, and slabs of fish meat emitting a cold mist, preserved in ice crystals. The air was thick with the scent of meat and spices, and many tavern owners were there haggling over prices.
...
Further ahead was an entire street dedicated to apparel. What was sold here were no longer ordinary clothes, but Class holder equipment. Light armor, leather armor, chainmail, cloaks, and capes. There were even bracers, belts, and greaves engraved with runes.
The prices were naturally astronomical. Matthew swept a glance over a piece of decent-quality light armor; the price was nearly eighty gold coins—higher than the annual income of an ordinary family for several years.
Aidan couldn't help but suck in a breath. “So expensive... All my equipment combined couldn't buy that one piece.”
Matthew smiled. “It’s never easy to earn a Class holder's money. A single piece of equipment often decides life or death. It’s normal for it to be expensive.”
Aidan nodded, finding it very logical.
...
Continuing on, they passed through a street specialized in maps and books. Various maps were hung on the walls—kingdom maps, trade routes, the outskirts of the magical beast mountains, and even ruin exploration maps. However, the prices were equally steep. Matthew only took a distant look and didn't go over to inquire. He would definitely need to buy maps later, but not now.
...
Just then, a burst of laughter and shouting came from ahead. A group of mercenaries was gathered at a tavern entrance, each with a large mug of beer in front of them. In the center of the table was a platter of freshly roasted magical beast meat.
A man with a thick beard slammed the table and laughed loudly. “Hahaha! I told you! Those greenhorns just wouldn't listen! They actually dared to head toward the Theater District after dark!”
A tall, thin mercenary beside him immediately asked, “And then what happened?”
The bearded man took a large gulp of ale and wiped his mouth. “What else? They got scolded half to death by the Patrol Squad. They were lucky; they were only chased back. If they had really gone inside, they might not even have found their corpses by now.”
The group at the table burst into laughter. Someone shook his head. “Young people these days are just too bold. They’ll go anywhere.”
Another person lowered his voice. “Bold? I’d say they’re suicidal. Didn't that incident just happen a few days ago?”
After saying that, he glanced left and right, his voice dropping significantly. “I heard someone else has gone missing.”
The laughter died down, and the expressions of the men became more serious. The bearded man frowned. “Is that for real?”
“Of course it’s real,” the man nodded. “My brother is in the Patrol Squad. When he came home yesterday, he specifically warned me to stay indoors at night, especially near the Theater District. The Patrol Squad has been adding more men every day. Although they claim to be catching thieves, everyone knows that’s just a story to calm the commoners.”
Another mercenary nearby snorted softly. “Thieves? What kind of thief leaves a person without a single drop of blood? I heard...”
At this point, he suddenly shut his mouth, as if realizing he had said too much. The others quickly urged him, “Heard what?”
The mercenary hesitated for a moment before finally whispering, “I heard that when the corpses were found, their faces were as white as paper. Not a single drop of blood was left in their entire bodies.”
The air suddenly went silent for a moment. Even those who were drinking stopped their movements. Aidan felt a slight chill run down his back and couldn't help but whisper, “Is that real?”
The mercenary shrugged. “Who knows. I only heard it from others. I can't guarantee if it’s true or false.”
The bearded man suddenly waved his hand. “Better to believe it than not. My brother used to be in the Fiery Lion Knight Order. He once said that the more prosperous the royal capital is, the more things it hides. For some things, it’s safer not to know than to know.”
With that, he raised his glass. “Come on, let’s stop talking about such ominous things. Drink!”
The entrance of the tavern soon returned to its lively state, but Matthew had already silently memorized every word.
The Theater District. Nighttime. Disappearances. Bloodless corpses. And the Patrol Squad’s deliberate concealment.
Each of these terms was ordinary on its own, but together, they pointed toward a distinct abnormality. Matthew didn't go over to ask questions; he simply continued walking as if he hadn't heard anything.
But in his heart, he already had a premonition. The rumors the weapon shop owner mentioned yesterday might not just be rumors after all.
Rate on N.U.
