The receptionist's abrupt change in demeanor sent a chill through Rusty's metallic frame. Her eyes darted nervously to the side, where a small door led to the back rooms of the guild. She seemed to be struggling to maintain her composure, her fingers trembling as they fiddled with some papers on the counter. It looked like a list of something but he couldn’t really tell what it was.

“I’m afraid there might have been a misunderstanding, ”

She said while glancing down at the paperwork, her eyes squinting as if she was trying to confirm something.

“Please, if you’ll wait here for just a moment, I need to consult with my superior…”

Rusty stiffened, the gears in his mind turning rapidly. The atmosphere around the receptionist changed the moment he mentioned Gleam and her monster name. He was eventually left standing there pondering his options with Alexander talking to present him with the possible reason.

“Is everything alright? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, you did everything right, you shouldn’t be in danger but…”

“But? Is there a problem?”

“There might be. You probably noticed that Gleam’s status is still grayed out, right?”

“Yeah… Aburdon and you said that it should turn back to normal once I’m close enough, could Gleam not be in the guild?”

“That’s a real possibility but there could be another one. They usually don’t send found monsters out of the guild it gets placed in but if the time runs out…”

“If the time runs out? What happens if I’m too late?”

Before Alexander could answer his question the door the guild receptionist vanished through opened and she returned with another person. It was a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard. The man looked different than the adventurers; his body was not meant for combat but perhaps for something else. He wore a dark, well-worn robe, and the smell of old books and old wood clung to him. A guild emblem was stitched on his chest, marking him as someone of significant rank, perhaps a scholar or an archivist.

"Is this the one asking about the Gleaming Mana Ant?"

He asked, his voice carrying a slight edge of impatience. The receptionist nodded quickly, her nervousness evident.

Rusty felt a knot tighten in his metal chest as the man’s gaze bore into him. His mind raced, trying to analyze the situation that he wasn’t familiar with. Luckily, Alexander's voice echoed in his mind, trying to calm him down.

"Stay calm, Rusty. He might just be confirming something. We need to keep up the act."

The man sighed deeply, rubbing his temples as if dealing with a troublesome issue.

"Look, even a lesser or minuscule Gleaming Mana Ant is rare and highly sought after. When one is found without a master, it's usually a big deal. But if it’s left unclaimed for too long, the guild can’t just hold onto it indefinitely. I’m afraid you’ve come too late, and confirming your status as its master won’t change anything now."

Rusty felt something rise up in his metal chest, it was a similar feeling when he had when Gleam had been kidnapped and taken out from the dungeon.

"What do you mean? Where is Gleam?"

The man frowned, hesitating for a moment before continuing.

"Your ant… if it truly was yours, was identified as unclaimed, and the guild held onto it for as long as they could. But it’s been a month already. You have to understand that resources are limited, and if a monster remains unclaimed for too long… it’s put up for auction. That’s what happened here."

Rusty’s body started shaking and soon enough his metallic fist landed on the counter. Surprisingly the wood held through the impact but it generated quite the loud peng.

“You lie, it has not been a month yet!”

The room fell silent as Rusty’s voice, laced with anger, echoed through the guild hall. The sudden outburst drew the attention of several nearby adventurers, their conversations halted as they turned to see the commotion. Rusty’s metallic frame trembled with barely suppressed rage, his fists clenching as the reality of the situation sank in.

“Rusty calm down, don’t even think about using any of your skills, there is no way you can win against all of these adventurers, please calm yourself or all of this will be for nothing. There still might be a way to save Gleam, just ask the clerk when and where the auction is being held.”

His metallic body continued to tremble, his thoughts spiraling out of control. The room's silence pressed in on him, but Alexander's voice cut through the haze of anger, grounding him.

"Rusty, focus! We need to find out where Gleam is now. There's still a chance."

Finally, his rage started fading away and he managed to gather his thoughts. The two people that he had been talking with had taken a step back out of fright. His metalic of his frame creaked as he unclenched his fists. The gazes of the other adventurers eventually vanished as they sensed his killing intent vanishing.

“Where… when… is the auction?”

The man in the dark robe, who had flinched at Rusty's outburst, straightened up. His eyes were cautious now as if weighing his words carefully.

"Ah yes, do not worry you still have some time, the auction will probably take place in two weeks, maybe more, the precise date has not been announced yet as the auction house is still in the process of gathering more items.”

Rusty managed to relax, there was still time - two weeks or more. That was enough to come up with a plan. He just needed to find out where this auction would be held and how to get inside. The word 'auction' didn’t really ring any bells, but if Gleam was being held there, then there was still a chance to save her. Alexander was also telling him that this might be a good thing, and hope was still alive.

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The man continued, likely sensing Rusty’s desperate need for information.

"The auction house is located in the Merchant District. It’s heavily guarded but access is granted to everyone that can pay the initial entrance fee. My apologies that this issue arose but there was no indication for this monster's owner to have been alive.”

"Merchant District… entrance fee…"

Rusty muttered, committing the details to memory. Alexander chimed in, offering guidance as always.

“Okay, we have at least two weeks, probably a bit more than that, they always push back on these things.”

The man in the dark robe, still cautious, took a step closer, perhaps feeling bad about letting the tamed beast out of his hands before it could be returned to the rightful owner.

"If you plan on attending the auction, you should know that these events attract all sorts - merchants, nobles, adventurers, and even some less savory characters. It’s not just about having money. This Gleaming Mana Ant is quite a rare monster and it will probably go for a steep price. You seem to just be an F-rank adventurer, it might be better to give up on this endeavor…”

“What? You want me to abandon Gleam?”

Rusty felt offended at the idea of abandoning his friend.

“I was just trying to give you some advice! Hmph!”

“Sir. Please calm down, let me handle the rest.”

The old man looked at the receptionist and nodded. Finally, he retreated back towards the door that he came from and Rusty was left alone with the woman from the guild. While there was still hope for Gleam’s safe return, things looked grim. Rusty didn’t plan on staying in this large city. He had no idea what to do now and also needed to find a safe spot to converse with both his guides to figure out what this auction was about.

“My apologies for these circumstances but these are the laws. But, would you like to take back the items that you left behind at the guild? We still have them stored.”

“My items?... Sure?”

Rusty wasn’t sure what the woman meant, but he nodded and agreed. It seemed he couldn’t retrieve Gleam through normal channels anymore. Alexander had warned him about revealing his status to others, so he needed to be directly next to Gleam and have her status identified to confirm his claim. Since she was at the auction house and not with him, proving his ownership was difficult. The people here didn’t seem to care one way or the other, and his status as an F-rank didn’t help matters either.

“Here, this should be all.”

While he was contemplating his next move, the woman brought out a tray with a few items. Rusty recognized that these belonged to the F-rank adventurer named Albert, who had apparently left behind some of his belongings. It was normal for adventurers to leave items they didn’t want to lose at the guild, and one of the items on the tray was clearly a key.

Rusty picked up the key from the tray, examining it closely. It was a simple iron key, worn but sturdy. On one side he could see a four-digit number perhaps something that could help identify the lock it opened. The other items on the tray were a small pouch of what appeared to be basic adventuring supplies: a few vials of healing potions, some dried rations, and a worn-out map of what seemed to be the area he found himself in. There were scribbles on it with a big red circle in the area where the dungeon for F-ranks was situated. The receptionist, noticing his preoccupation, offered a sympathetic smile.

“If you need any more assistance or information about the auction, please feel free to ask. We can also provide you with directions to the Merchant District if that would help. The key to your inn room should still be valid for another month.”

“My inn?”

“Yes, is this not a key to the inn where you were staying?”

Before Rusty could answer, Alexander chimed in and he just repeated his words verbatim.

“Ah, yes. I suppose it is… Could you remind me where the inn was situated? I haven’t been in the city for a while…”

The receptionist, noticing the genuine confusion in Rusty’s voice, offered a reassuring nod before continuing the conversation.

"Of course. The inn is called the Copper Lantern. It’s located near the western gate of the city. It's not too far from here, and it should be easy to find."

She pointed towards the map of the city that was hanging close by. Rusty relied on Alexander to take in this information and later guide him there. Soon he grabbed all the items from the tray and stored them in his satchel.

"Great, we’ve got a place to stay. For now, let us go to this Copper Lantern and lay low and use it as a temporary base. We will probably be stuck here until that auction, unless…”

“Unless you want to leave, I’m not sure if we will be able to…”

Before Alexander could finish the sentence he felt something holding him back from continuing.

“Shut up, we will save Gleam! Just guide me to this Copper Lantern Inn.”

The Copper Lantern Inn, as indicated on the map, was situated near the western gate of the city, and he needed to get there quickly. Alexander's guidance, combined with the map provided by the receptionist, helped him navigate through the darkened streets of Argossa. At this point, the sun had gone down and the only people roaming the streets were guards and drunk adventurers.

As he made his way through the city, he couldn’t help but notice the change to the landscape. The buildings that were previously sturdy and well-kept, were now gradually giving way to less maintained structures. The Copper Lantern Inn loomed ahead, its sign creaking gently in the cool evening breeze. It wasn’t as grand as the adventurer guild building he glimpsed earlier and some of the people inside were quite rowdy.

This inn was quite a large two-story building that was much longer than it was wide. The sign swinging above the door read "Copper Lantern Inn" in faded copper letters. The exterior was unremarkable but sturdy, with wooden beams and stone walls that had seen better days. The windows glowed warmly from the inside, casting a welcoming light into the dark street.

As Rusty approached, he noticed a few patrons stumbling out of the inn, their faces flushed and voices raised with laughter. The inn’s main room was bustling with activity, but Rusty paid little attention to the scene; his focus was on getting inside and finding a place to regroup.

The innkeeper, a burly man with a thick beard, light green skin and a permanent scowl, stood behind the counter, polishing a tankard with a rag. He looked up as Rusty entered, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of the armored figure.

“Evenin adventurer”

The innkeeper grunted.

“What can I do for ya?”

Instead of answering, Rusty took the key from his satchel and held it out in the palm of his hand. The large man glanced at it briefly, then tilted his head to indicate where Rusty should go.

“Just head up on the stairs there, the room will have the same number.”

Rusty nodded and trudged up the stairs, his metallic frame creaking with each step. Some of the patrons who were drinking noticed his loud steps but were more interested in the large key he was holding. Unbeknownst to him, they started looking at each other with intent in their eyes as if this key was something they recognized. Soon Rusty moved up the stairs and arrived at a long hallway, his room number was quite a ways off so he continued walking until he reached the end of the hall.

There, he found the door marked with the number that matched the key. He inserted the key into the lock, turned it, and heard a click. Pushing the door open, he saw that the room contained little more than a small bed and a tiny window. The room was probably no wider than two meters and about three meters long - clearly just a place to sleep and nothing more.

“Looks about right…”

Alexander’s voice echoed in his mind as he entered the dusty room. It was clear that no one had been here for quite some time. Luckily, Albert had made a down payment for this place, and no one had intruded during his absence. However, just as Rusty was about to step inside and close the door behind him, he heard a voice calling out from the corridor he had come through.

“Well, well, well… if it isn’t our little Albert, finally decided to come back?”

The voice was unmistakably taunting, and filled with condescension. He turned slowly, his metal frame creaking slightly, and saw a tall, wiry man leaning against the wall. Behind him were two other men, both grinning widely while showcasing yellow teeth…