"Danny, should we get someone to wait here for the next time?"

"No, it takes too long. We don't even know when the next replenishment will be. Besides, it doesn't matter since we'll return here multiple times anyway. We need many more than a couple. Gathering everything should take quite a few years. There are also people trying to get it from somewhere else. So coming here as soon as we receive the reserve notification is more than enough."

As the couple was talking, Ben's attendant came back. She took the seat in front of Ben again and put her hand on the table. Following, the ring on her finger shone slightly, and objects appeared on the table.

"Sir, please confirm the orders." She said as she took her hand back and waited.

Ben slowly examined his four purchases before storing them away. On the side, the couple was surprised by the aura emitted by the Fortune Coin.

Squeaking, Syd jumped from Ben's shoulder and went back into the bag, ready to leave. Ben stood up and put the bag on, with only the squirrel's head poking out from it.

"Alright, everything has been confirmed. It was a pleasure doing business with you." Ben said as he stretched his hand to the auction house's employee. She returned his actions and stood up, saying goodbye.

"The pleasure was ours. Clearsky hopes to see you again."

To the standard goodbye, Ben nodded before leaving. As soon as he left, the couple began to whisper.

"Was that one of the special artifacts?" The woman asked.

"Yes, but... shh." The man only responded shortly before putting his finger to his mouth, signaling to stay quiet.

'If I didn't have seen the coin, I would make the mistake of trying to buy the essences after seeing them. Two extras may not be everything, but they are two less to acquire later. Who knows what would have happened then. Why is someone that can do such level of trading not going to their VIP section?'

On the side, the woman looked pale as she understood if she talked more freely against 'their competitors,' things might have ended poorly.

Talking about an elder from an unknown background was entirely different from gossiping about her hateful childhood friend. Who knew how decisive the stranger might be. Would they get angry? Would they try something? She swallowed nervously. As a result, she instinctively held her boyfriend's arm even tighter.

---

After finishing the crucial initial part of his plans in this city, Ben moved around, enjoying the little remainder of the afternoon.

He aimlessly walked for some time and bought a few side-street foods.

Later, as the night arrived, Ben ended up by the harbor as the sun began to set.

Because he had a pet with him, he got take-out food earlier. So he could avoid the complications of restaurants with animals. And now, as the public lights began to turn on around him, he found a place to sit.

The city was still lively. Distantly, ships floated around. Some left, while others arrived at the port. Because of the constant flow of people, the roads were never empty, even as the moon rose in the sky.

Light glowing flew around like fairies following groups of people. Music played from restaurants around the harbor. There were flashes of light and noise all around, signaling the presence of life.

However, the busy streets added to the charm of the broad view of the lake, the ships, and the islands far away.

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On the side, Syd made noises while eating again.

"I wonder if you would still have the same appetite if you could become obese? I am shocked that you don't grow bigger or stronger even after having the ability to consume so much food." Ben chuckled.

Hearing the human talk, Syd turned around, confused.

"Alright, alright, here. Let's eat! Well, you're already doing precisely that, right?" Ben laughed.

Stopping his observation of the surroundings, Ben began to eat with Syd.

---

Sounds of running filled the area.

A pre-teen boy ran towards the ferry bow, meeting up with a white robbed woman. As he arrived at her side, he asked, "Grandma, we are finally arriving! Are you telling me now who we're going to meet?"

The kid was excited about this traveling and looked around curiously, waiting anxiously for his grandmother's answer.

"It's not like I'm keeping it a secret. You merely don't know those people. Later, I'll introduce you to some old friends of mine. And that's all." The woman shook her head.

As the ferry slowly stopped, the woman sensed something.

Immediately, she jumped off the vessel while frowning and said, "Stay with my grandson. If you lose my presence, go ahead to the hotel first."

She then turned around and left.

On the boy's side, a woman revealed herself. She had two swords on her waist and emitted a cold aura. "We are entering high alert, David. Stay close." She talked in a monotone as she put her hand on the kid's shoulder, activating some protection.

The elder moved into the harbor. Then, she moved to her left, searching for something. The looking around went on until she stopped by a slightly high viewpoint at a bench.

After arriving there, she looked around carefully, trying to pinpoint something, but everything was pointless.

Not long after, she sat down, frowning and thinking deeply about the weird traces she found. Unfortunately, the woman was too late, and the intriguing party was already gone.

---

Ben and Syd were back at the hotel. After finishing dinner, they readily left the harbor, hoping for the comfort of their room.

Syd jumped excitedly from Ben's shoulders and ran around the room.

"You have too much energy, little guy," Ben said as he closed the door.

After he entered the room, Ben took a square plate out of his ring storage and fed it a few spirit stones, throwing it on the floor.

Following next, he prepared for tomorrow.

The night was long, but Ben had a lot to do. So he spent most of the night working.

By morning, he sat down on the bed, meditating. Ben focused on staying at his peak condition, so he had one Sunset Spirit Core in his hand.

'Those are disappearing a lot faster than I hoped. But my life has been chaotic. And cultivation is too expensive.'

Ben had used a lot of his reserve on his last time underground. And that included both those Cores and what he received as payment for treating Eloise.

'At least I did succeed in everything I wanted. I fortified my Refined Soul Matter as much as I could. Which allowed me to become more resistant to suggestions.'

Ben successfully upgraded his sealing black matter. However, it wasn't because doing so was easy. He only had a lot prepared prior already, and he merely had to sink a lot of money into it. That was the only thing holding him back before.

On the other hand, Ben had no defined plan for the next breakthrough, just vague ideas.

'I should be able to remove my Formation Core in one hundred years. Once everything is ready, I'll be able to throw it at someone's face. That will be fun. Meanwhile, I do need to pass by Sunset and get more juice. And I must go there before going to the Myriads Range. But even before that, I still have a lot to do.'

"So much to do... But first, I should focus on what is closer. I prepared the ring. And now I need to get Sulfur. I also need to finish Insight. I should have stayed a bit more in the wild."

'But this instinct of being overly proactive is beating me up.'

The pushing on the back of his mind was growing stronger and stronger. Ben had to prepare and move forward. If he didn't finish his homework, he wouldn't be able to stop.

'I'll finish the most urgent matter and then read the rest of the book. And then I should run far away, or I'll overwork myself to death.'

"Syd, it's time to leave!"

Fortunately, Ben still enjoyed the comfort of his room as he bathed and got ready. Some simple things always brightened his days.

Leaving the city, he didn't forget to get his pass since he needed that to find his way to a pile of Sulfur.

As he kept progressing, his mood kept improving.

---

The day was ending, and Ben was deep into the mining facilities. He was finally leaving this place.

Syd was at his side in a bag again, still eating.

Overly focused, Ben wore a protective overcoat ideal for rough situations.

They were walking on a path carved into a cliffside.

To Ben's right, there was a mountain. And to his left, a big ravine.

Fog and Spirit made it hard to see farther away, and even the sound coming from nature around was distorted.

However, the path was well-made and contained protective measures. So every miner just needed to walk down this track, which was large and safe to stroll comfortably.

At this moment, Ben heard a very distinct voice yelling. And a chill ran down his spine.

"Hey, grandma, are we really going to visit Grimhorn next? Really really?"