The platinum doors close behind me, and I look up at the skyscrapers towering over the outer city.

These are the tall buildings visible from a distance, but it was hard to tell whether they were in this district or one deeper when I was in the golden walls.

As I take a step forward onto the single moving walkway that begins to give me a tour around the city, I take in the view.

Blue text boxes automatically pop up from my wristband, naming each tall building that passes. The buildings are mostly business centers and privately owned real estate. There are options to set up appointments on some, and others just display the name of the company that owns them, and I can see personalized guards outside each one.

My stomach drops when I turn my first corner and see two guards in black armor standing in front of a skyscraper easily 40 stories tall.

The guards look just like the black knights in the arena that told me not to continue to the 8th stage. This is the Royal Guard... I can't read any of their stats; they all have that appraisal-blocking armor on.

I slowly move past on the moving sidewalk, and the guards don't even bother to turn their heads my way, so I decide not to overthink it too much.

As more privately owned buildings pass, it becomes more common to see anywhere from 2 to 8 Royal Guards standing outside each one, depending on how many entrances there are and how extravagant they are, more guards stand on duty.

Half of the buildings have silver knights that seem to be private security, and others just have businessmen out front, but upon closer inspection, the casually dressed hunters are of high levels. Mostly between level 350 and 450. It's possible anyone higher would be hired by the city, but that is only a theory.

The further I travel around the slow-moving circle of the city, the more I get an understanding of the way things work.

Before I know it, a building that looks unlike any other in this district comes into view. It has white marble pillars and a long staircase up to its front entrance. No more than 5 stories high, but in a wide concert hall-like shape that takes up the full corner of the block.

I can see a few people walking up the steps and others loitering around at the top near the entrance. This is the first time I've seen anyone other than the guards in this district at all today. Out of curiosity, I wait for the moving stairway to bring me near and step off to make my way closer to the stairs.

The moment I place a foot onto the first step, a ton of blue text boxes pop up from my wristband.

[Welcome to the Valor City Auction House!]

[The Morning Auction will begin in 1 hour and 31 minutes.]

[Would you like to reserve a seat?][YES][NO]

[The Mid Day Auction will begin in 4 hours and 31 minutes.]

[Would you like to reserve a seat?][YES][NO]

[The Night Time Auction will begin in 10 hours and 31 minutes.]

[Would you like to reserve a seat?][YES][NO]

I X them all out and take a step back from the towering structure and decide to hop right back on the moving stairway.

The auction house is the last place I want to be right now...

From the lack of people in the area, it seems like the night showing is the more popular event. At least I know where it is for visual reference, I can attend here when I have more money to spare, or possibly something to sell.

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Everyone within these walls has over 1 platinum coin in their wristband ready to spend, I'm sure the high rollers in Valor City make Solaran bidders seem like lower class citizens.

I hop back on the moving sidewalk and recall the conversation last night I had with Max. He said the monastery is on the opposite side of the platinum district to the auction house.

Before making my way into the innermost walls, I might as well check the place out to see if it's worth investigating later or not.

The moving walkway takes me past more of the tall silver towers that are built up high in the sky. Every few buildings that pass have a wide open road with small black arrows on it that curves off the central path and leads toward the inner walls.

If I squint, I can see the tall black walls in the distance at these few open arena turning points, but everywhere else the buildings block out the view of any scenery.

The closer into the walls I travel, the more compact the city becomes. Taking another half loop around the entire city on this moving walkway takes less than 20 minutes before I find the structure I've been searching for.

The moving walkway stops in front of a wide open lot of land similar to the auction house.

There's no tall skyscraper or extravagant temple like I was expecting.

In reality, there's a small pyramid-shaped structure made of glossy black stone eerily similar to the coloring of the walls that I'm trying to reach.

The structure has 4 sides and stands a few dozen meters tall. There's a small rectangular opening on the side facing the walkway that's ended at the side of the land lot.

As I take a step forward to see if any status notifications pop up like the auction house, two robed figures step out from the dark open doorway.

I don't recognize either of them, but they wear the same orange clothing as Monk wore in the arena. Both of them have shaved heads and seem to be younger than me, or the same age as me at most. Sia's words earlier of her believing Monk lived here are starting to add up.

I put a hand up in the air and wave, but get no response back.

The two figures cross their arms and stare at me with indifferent gazes as I walk forward and use my appraisal and inspect skills.

My eyes widen as not a single number or stat shows up in my status when I try to scan them.

I activate enemy detection, and to my surprise, they do show up in this reading... Not as a number, but as the presence of life and that's it. The only other time something like this happened to me was when I used this skill on my teammates when they were trapped in mana-negating cuffs beneath the City of Solara.

I stop my steps forward with a tightened gaze, examining the material this structure is made of more; coming to the conclusion it is much different than the armor of the Royal Guard...

After taking a deep breath, I finally speak up with the most friendly look on my face I can muster.

"I come in peace. I was the other fighter that made it to stage 7, just like Monk."

There's no response from either of the young men that stand right inside the entrance.

I think about taking another step forward, but it's clear they have no intent to engage with me and also don't wish to cause a problem. I'm the one making a commotion here.

I let out a sigh after attempting to scan them and the structure 5 more times but fail to get any different results.

No readings come back at all... I decide to turn around and leave.

"Well, I'll be heading off now, I guess. The reason I came is to ask your top fighter how he does that soul energy trick. I'd be happy to show him how mine works as well."

With a shrug, I leave and step back onto the moving walkway.

The moment the black pyramid gets out of my line of sight, the two figures that stood guard at the open door entrance turn around as well and walk back into the darkness.

I stand in silence trying to wrap my mind around all the oddities that I've encountered recently as the sidewalk brings me to one of the roads that leads to the Royal Coin's Gate.

I hop off and start walking toward the enormous shadowy wall in the distance.

My perception skills are on full blast, scanning everything in sight, even the shimmering black wall that approaches falls under the gaze of my all-seeing eye.

It gives off an odd energy signature similar to the Armor of the 4 Black Knights that stand in front of the gate.

All of their status windows pop up in my mind's eye, but are still scrambled by whatever powerful enchantment these armor sets have.

I raise my wristband, and one of the knights takes a step forward to scan it with a tablet.

A small red light reflects in the shine of its armor, then it takes a step back and doesn't say a word.

I gulp, thinking to myself if maybe that guard at the golden gates made a mistake with his math and the royal coin is really 100 platinum, or if there's another reason this isn't going as smoothly as I thought it would...

"Is there any reason I'm not allowed in?"

There's no response from the guards. On both sides of the black gate, 2 of them stand with silent professional stances.

I wait a few seconds before asking again, looking down at my platinum wristband, then back up at the guards.

"Do I not have enough money? Are there some other requirements I haven't met?"

Still, not a single guard bats an eye. They all stare straight forward and pay me no mind as if I'm not even here.