It was still early noon, and the interior of the Dungeon Raider Guild was not particularly crowded. Most of the delvers and mercenaries who typically haunted the halls were likely deep within the stone corridors of the dungeon, grinding for experience or searching for loot. I walked across the stone floor, my boots echoing slightly in the relatively quiet hall, and headed directly for the receptionist line that had the fewest people waiting.

  “You should follow Lord Belial! He will help you put your miserable life in good shape! Do not ignore the call!”

  As I walked, the air was punctuated by the loud, pious proclamations of a man standing near one of the central pillars. He was brown-haired, dressed in modest robes, and was currently directing his fervent energy toward a tall, warrior-like figure who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.

  “Cut this crap!” the warrior barked, his voice laced with irritation as his long black hair swayed with his sharp movements. “Why are you even preaching in a place like this? You know as well as I do that the gods would not interfere in the lives of mortals unless you are one of their chosen ones. What is the use of being a regular believer anyway? It’s just words and hope with no results.”

  The brown-haired man didn't back down. If anything, he leaned in closer. “No! Lord Belial is different from the others. He is much more lenient in lending a hand to his pious believers. As long as you have enough faith, as long as your heart is true—”

  The preacher was cut off mid-sentence. A small crowd had begun to form around the duo, drawn by the heat of the debate. The warrior crossed his arms, towering over the preacher.

  “Isn’t it the same for all the gods of the Thousand Sovereign Church?” the warrior asked, his voice ringing through the hall. “As long as you believe enough, they will aid you. That’s the line, isn’t it? But since the required amount of 'faith' is always ambiguous and never defined, most people wouldn't even try to pray unless they are completely hopeless.”

  “It is true,” another man interjected, an ash-blonde fellow who had been watching from the sidelines. He stepped forward to support the warrior’s point. “When my daughter was ill, I was so desperate that I spent every waking moment in prayer. Fortunately, Lord Elora answered me. Thanks to her grace, my little daughter is still alive today. But I know many others who prayed just as hard and received nothing.”

  The tall warrior nodded and turned back to the brown-haired man, his gaze heavy. “Aside from that, you sound like only Lord Belial is helpful to his followers. You know that is dangerously close to blasphemy. You could be punished if what you said is exposed to the wrong ears.”

  The preacher began to stutter, his face pale as the weight of the warrior’s words sank in. “I-I only tried to state the facts as I’ve seen them. I received much help from Lord Belial in my own life, so I just wanted to help him spread his teachings to others who might be suffering. I was not trying to—I wasn't implying—”

  “Enough!” the warrior commanded in a deep, booming voice. “You can go and talk about the god you love so much with your fellow followers. I am sure Lord Belial does not need the faith of petty people like us to maintain his standing.”

  As the warrior walked away, the small crowd remained, their voices rising in a low hum of murmurs and open discussion.

  “He is right,” one woman remarked to her companion. “All the thousand gods are like a friendly group anyway; it is not like they are competing for our attention like merchants in a bazaar.”

  “He must be using gratitude as an excuse and trying to find favor in the sight of Lord Belial,” a merchant whispered. “He must have some needs that haven't been met yet.”

  “Could what he said be interpreted as him breaking the Law of Dominance?” a younger man asked, looking worried.

  “No,” an older delver answered. “He did not explicitly say that Lord Belial is superior to the others or anything of the sort. You know, a false accusation of that magnitude is nearly as bad as blasphemy itself. It’s best to let it go.”

  I watched the show with a half-indifferent interest. Religious debates were common in the Union, and while the whole details about the religious stuff were interesting, I had business to attend to. By the time the preacher had been frightened into leaving the venue, it was already my turn at the counter. I stepped forward and handed the drop item to the receptionist, a woman with striking dark red hair.

  She was the picture of professionalism. She greeted me with a light, practiced smile, inquired about the purpose of my visit, and took the ‘Steel Sting’ from me for appraisal. After a few moments of verification, she returned with my payment. She handed me 1 gold and 60 silver coins. It was a reasonable price, perhaps even a bit generous given the current market for insectoid materials. I took the money with a satisfied smile and offered my thanks, which she returned before I turned to leave.

  I had intended to head directly back to the house, knowing the girls would be waiting for our planned outing, but my path was intercepted. A cute little girl was standing squarely in my way, looking up at me with large, curious eyes. She had wavy, vibrant yellow hair and two long, pointy ears protruding from between the strands. It was the elf girl I had seen Woya and Wyn chatting with during our last visit.

  “... Sigh. Hello. It was Elaris, wasn’t it?” I said, a bitter smile crossing my face as I looked down at her. I didn't want to be harsh to a child, so I kept my tone as kind as possible. “Can I ask why you are standing in my way, Elaris?”

  “Wow! Big brother Han, you remember my name! I am so happy!” she exclaimed, her joy evident in the way her ears twitched.

  She immediately launched into a barrage of sentences and questions, much like the first time we met. I had remembered her name easily thanks to my high intelligence stat. Ever since my intelligence and wisdom had reached such high levels, my memory and decision-making abilities had become significantly more refined. I could recall small details with startling clarity.

  “Easy, easy,” I said, holding up a hand to slow her down. “I didn't bring the girls with me today because they were busy with chores at home. I came alone to handle some business. What about you? Did you come here alone?”

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  Despite her interruption, I didn't feel any real annoyance. She was genuinely cute, and I found a light smile tugging at my lips as I spoke to her.

  “No! Everyone else was busy with something boring, but I came here with Paul,” she said, pointing toward a table in the corner.

  The bulky man I recognized as their leader was sitting there alone, nursing a wooden cup filled with something that Elaris claimed "tastes bad." When Paul noticed us looking his way, he offered a small wave and a smile. I waved back, acknowledging his presence. After satisfying the little girl’s curiosity, I reached out and patted her head. I wasn't entirely sure why I did it, and I felt a brief flash of regret for the overly familiar gesture, but she didn't seem to mind. If anything, she looked quite happy to be patted.

  When I finally arrived home, I found the girls were still finishing up a few household tasks. As soon as I stepped through the door, Wyn came running toward me, informing me that the clothes I would be wearing for our outing were already laid out. The three of us went up to my room, and they helped me change, working quickly so we could leave the house as early as possible.

  I didn't want to waste a single moment of our time outside, but it was clear that the girls were much more excited about the prospect of visiting the Outer City than I was. It was understandable; this would be their first true experience of the trade hub. As they undressed me and began putting on my new clothes—letting them dress me like a doll, as it started to become our habit—I told them about my encounter with Elaris at the guild. They were delighted to hear about her; they had both taken a liking to the bubbly elf as soon as they had met her.

  Once the change was complete, I stood before the mirror. I was wearing casual but high-quality clothes, while the girls wore their usual maid uniforms—a look that felt appropriate for our master and servant trio. We left the house and began the walk toward the gateway.

  It took us approximately 20 minutes to reach the massive archway that separated the Inner City from the Outer City. As we moved, we passed back through the residential district where our home was located. We saw various shops that served as the primary outlets for the high-quality goods produced in the Inner City, which would eventually be sold to merchants in the Outer City for export. As we drew closer to the gateway, the architecture shifted, and the roads were lined with imposing administrative and military buildings.

  I approached the soldier stationed at the gate and presented the card I had received as a resident merchant and delver. It was a testament to my constant activities—trading, diving into the dungeon, and assisting local residents with their problems. The soldier inspected the card and then looked at the girls. They presented their own intelligence cards, proving their status as my slaves. Once our identities were confirmed, we were free to pass through.

  The gateway was built on an elevated section of the canyon wall. As we passed through the long stone corridor and emerged on the other side, the entire semi-circular expanse of the Outer City opened up below us.

  “Whoa!” Both Wyn and Woya gasped, their eyes wide as they took in the scale of the city.

  I looked at their reactions and felt a sense of satisfaction. I turned back to the view, savoring the scene myself. The sun was still high in the sky, but it was leaning toward the horizon, casting a brilliant light over the buildings. The entire city seemed to glow with a golden hue, the stone and wood reflecting the afternoon light.

  The Outer City was a dense tapestry of different architectural styles—small stalls, wide warehouses, high towers, and massive business centers. Its primary purpose was to serve as a gargantuan trade hub for the merchants coming from outside the Union, while also acting as the first line of defense in the event of an invasion.

  Seeing the sheer volume of trade here reminded me of my own business. Since so many merchants were here to sell their local wares, I could only compete by bringing in goods from other countries, utilizing the massive advantage of my teleportation skills and my high mana capacity. Even with those "cheats," I only turned a profit because I kept my prices relatively low compared to the traditional caravans.

  “The scenery is good enough,” I said, turning to the girls, “but let’s go down and look around. You will see many things here that you have never seen before, and that you won't easily find elsewhere.”

  “Yes, master!” they replied, their voices filled with enthusiasm.

  It was exactly as I had described. As we walked through the bustling streets, the girls had an extreme reaction to nearly every shop we passed. Every storefront seemed to have some peculiar or exotic item designed to lure in passing customers. We stopped in front of a glass fish tank that was nearly a meter wide. Inside, several colorful, shiny herbivorous fish were swimming peacefully. The girls were mesmerized, leaning in close to watch the light reflect off the scales. I was a bit hesitant to tell them to move on; they looked like two small children as they watched with such pure interest.

  I was actually more interested in the goods themselves. On the eastern side of the Hazaroth Union, there were several coastal cities known for producing high-quality glass products. I surmised that both the fish, jewelry, and all kinds of sea products had likely been transported from the seaside.

  As we continued our tour, we saw an incredible variety of goods: intricate jewelry from foreign lands, weapons and armor with uncommon shapes and vibrant colors, and skill crystals that weren't found in our local dungeon. There were perfumes that carried tropical or foreign scents and racks of clothing representing dozens of different cultures. Even though it wasn't my first time here, the sheer variety was an unbelievable sight. I couldn't imagine how overwhelming it must have been for the girls.

  “Big event, big event! Be quick if you don’t want to miss the weekly auction! Today, we have many quality products, and you will not be disappointed in joining us!”

  The call of a well-dressed man rang out from further down the street. We had been sightseeing for a few hours and had reached the wide, open plaza at the center of the Outer City. This was the area where large events and public announcements typically took place. The man was shouting in front of a grand, four-story building—the local auction house.

  “I assume you have not participated in an auction before?” I asked, my mind already turning toward the possibilities of what might be on the block today.

  “No, master,” Woya answered. She looked at the building and then back at me. “Should we wait for you here if you wish to participate?”

  “What are you talking about?” I said with a smirk. “We’re all going in together.”

  “But master, it seems there is an entrance fee,” Woya pointed out, her look turning confused as she saw the people paying at the door.

  “It is okay,” I assured her. “You should get used to the places that I frequent, so you won't feel like strangers when we have to come here for business. Auctions sell many things. Most of it is just items, but if a useful slave is put up for sale, I would like to have the two of you give me your opinions.”

  I said it in a calculative tone. I was still intending to expand my party, and I wanted to eventually have at least a six-person team. If I were going to implement all of the plans I had for this world, I would need to keep buying more capable slaves. I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't notice the sudden change in the girls' expressions—the way their faces went still or the slight tremors that passed through their bodies. By the time I looked at them again, they had already regained their composure.

  I approached the man who was still calling for attendees and asked about the entry price. Typically, the fee was 1 gold coin, though it could be more expensive for major seasonal events. Fortunately, today was a standard weekly auction, so the price remained at 1 gold. I pulled 3 gold coins from my pouch, paid the fee, and the three of us stepped inside the auction house.

  [Edited]

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  Heroes:

  Aymeric Petiaux

  Koreyn