There were always people around the magic tech stall. One good thing was that they had multiple sellers, but most people didn’t buy anything they just were curious about what everything did. I used this opportunity to just listen in.

For example, one of the items was similar to the cleaning device that I bought at the beginning of the day. While mine can clean dirt, blood and stuff like that theirs can actually eliminate acid-level contamination. The price of course is a lot crisper as the lowest version sold for 40,000.

Looking at the prices here I could understand why only a few people were buying anything but seeing what those items could do I also understand why people were asking and were interested in them. Here I could see the same card being sold as the one that was displaying how much funds I have available to spend but it seems like it was only a part of a bigger system.

There were also the books that David wants that are connected to each other and have many other enchantments on them. Those prices were a bit more reasonable probably because they have bigger competition for those items.

What caught my eye were hand size boxes with interesting carvings that were all different. It seems that one of the sellers noticed my curiosity as I could hear someone addressing me. “Good Sir, are you perhaps interested in the soul cores.” I looked up and saw his smiling face, but it wasn't a real smile, and I could see that he was quite tired of today's work.

“Perhaps I would be if I knew what this thing was.” I could see him trying not to roll his eyes and he managed it so he must be decent that his job. “You see our soul core is well the core of our most famous system. You see the card that you currently hold that displays how many monster cores you have. It is connected to one of these soul cores. Inside here is an intelligence that makes all that function.” He said it like he had memorised the line from some manual.

I listened with half an ear as he continued explaining how the soul core can be used for markets as it can have additional devices connecting it to the global price market and so on and all the other things it could do. But my mind was on how much easier everything would be with the merit system after we had something like this. I was deep in my mind when I finally figured out that the seller had stopped speaking and I could see his nice guy act starting to crack.

The prices were a little bit out of my price range. The most expensive one cost 600,000 and the lowest was 480,000. “Why do they cost different amounts?” I asked the seller who was a bit taken aback by my question. It took him a few moments to answer so I figured this wasn’t covered in one of his manuals. “It depends on the capabilities of the intelligence as some are better than others.” He answered.

The first time he mentioned intelligence my alarm bells started to sound but now I was not certain I wanted to buy one of the soul cores. “Is there a person inside,” I asked but the seller immediately denied it. “No no, the intelligent started out as a monster but our technicians have taught them the requisite knowledge and skills for them to do the work needed.” He finally answered but he stumbled over some of the words.

I don’t know how that is any better. And from the look in his eyes, I don’t think the teaching was sitting the monster down and trying to teach it maths. I picked one up and examined it. The seller didn’t seem to like that, but I didn’t care that much. Then something weird happened my mind palace ability sort of started to buzz like a mobile phone that’s vibrating and on a table.

I diverted my attention to it and was surprised to find a lion-looking monster on the hill inside the ability. It was a bit ghostly but otherwise looked like a lion that lived in the circus where they used a lot of whips to keep him in line. His skin was damaged in a lot of places and there were a lot of scars. He didn't talk but he didn't need to for me to understand what had happened. While there was still some defiance in the creature it was broken and will do whatever was asked of him.

I didn’t know how to feel about this. On one hand, it seemed evil but on the other hand, I kind of needed this device. I decided to put this one down and pick up another one. This one held a big rabbit. I could feel the monster ready to do anything asked. There weren’t the same oppressive and sad feelings I got from the other. Most likely because it’s a more docile monster so it did not put up as much of a fight, so the result was a bit more palatable.

There were four more soul cores that were on display but most of them were between the rabbit and the lion in how badly they were treated when they were made into this item. I looked up and asked. “Do you perhaps have more of these none of these quite suit my needs?” I said it in a commanding tone so he wouldn’t start explaining to me how it was basically no difference between the boxes only how fast they could operate and how many different things they could do.

He could see how serious I was as I just kept looking straight into his eyes promising things that I wouldn’t actually do. This made the seller a bit flustered as he bent under the stall to pick up some sort of box. It was a beautiful wood box and inside were another seven of the soul cores. I could see just a hint of shaking in his hands when he started to hand me one. To my surprise, another seller saw what was happening and yelled for my seller to drop the soul core. I could see some fear in the other seller's eyes.

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Then I hear a piercing scream that came from my seller. I looked at the soul core that he was holding and saw that his hands were gripping it tightly, but it didn’t seem to be his choice. Something similar to when electricity courses through muscles were happening and they were locked. I felt a bit bad, and I was quite certain I could handle whatever the box was doing better so I grabbed it and wrenched it out of his hand.

There wasn’t any pain. Perhaps my mind palace was protecting me. A few moments late the notification that the ability gave was a lot more urgent something more like an air raid siren. I jumped into the ability to see an owlbear that was raging and tearing up everything he saw. “Hey there,” I yelled so that he could hear me over its own raging.

It stopped immediately and looked at me with hateful eyes. A moment later it charged towards me. “So they have not been able to break you,” I said and immediately the monster's charge faltered as he slowly stopped. There was still hatred in his eyes but also confusion. To my surprise, it communicated. “I don’t know you. You are not one of the previous ones. I will not submit.” And then after a slight pause, it continued. “You are different not like the cruel people from before who thought themselves powerful because of it.”

The beast thought for a bit. “I see strength but also smell death on you. You are young but feel old. Why have come here?” It was still looking at me but slowly started to look around for the first time. “I didn’t come to you this is my place. When you attacked me this is the place that defends me.” I could feel amusement in him at that statement, so I continue. “I haven’t had this ability for long so it’s nothing much yet, but it will be. It just requires some time.”

It looked around some more and started to smell the air. I do not know what he found but I could see him relax a bit. “If you save me from the people who want to break me I will serve you. They have taught me a lot but know that I will suffer no fools and will fight whoever tries to enslave me.”

I could feel the weight of the monster's power surround me and then it disappeared without hurting me. The monster was gone from my mind palace and while I had some awareness of my outside surroundings I now went fully back.

The seller that was hurt was currently getting some medical support while the others watched. I coughed a bit to get at least one of their attention and when I had it I said. “200,000 and I will buy it off you.” There was a moment of pause before the seller understood what I wanted. His face looked like he had eaten something sour, but they talked amongst themselves and raise the price to 300,000. In the end, I ended up getting it for 225,000 but I paid 275,000 so I could get 10 of the magic books that David wants. Hopefully, I got a good deal out of it and the spirit seemed to be a lot more powerful than the other ones even the one that sold for 600,000.

With the rest of the money, I ended up buying some energy-enhanced steel so I could make better armour out of it. I also went and got a bigger bag not enchanted didn’t have money for that but with it, I could bring everything back. I also ordered my own introduction cards so I could be contacted by people using the mailing systems of this world. All together right now I had three cards for the three merchants the magic tech, the weapon merchant and the plant seller.

I still had some cores left but those should fit into the back so I could bring them with me. I brought everything to my tent and started to pack. I was pretty certain that we weren’t going to clear the dungeon so I really didn’t want to stay if that was the case.

When I finished packing and looked at everything I needed to bring I had to sigh out loud. The plant backpack will go over my front and the big and sturdy backpack that looks stupidly big will go over my back where it is supposed to go. The shield and the sword I will need to hold in my hands while I run because I didn’t have any more room for them.

It was starting to get late, but I didn’t have a problem running at night, but I did want to eat so I went to the mess hall. It was full like always. I went and piled as much food on the plates as would fit and I was a bit saddened that I hadn’t the time to visit the cooks.

I was enjoyed the meal but before I was done I noticed when Luana came into the mess hall. She usually didn’t eat here so I was surprised to see her put my assumptions were confirmed as she was now rank two.

I was enjoying the last of my bread when I noticed her approaching me. “Good evening Rich I am glad I found you. You can already see but I have advanced, and Tom will probably announce that we will no longer be able to finish the dungeon tomorrow. I do not know if you will go with them to clear a few floors, but I wanted to give you this.”

She handed me her introduction card. “I will be going to one of the universities but you're a good fighter and perhaps we could fight together in the future again.” She was a bit timider in her approach than I would have expected but I happily accepted the card.

I was still a bit confused about why she thought we might meet again but then she did something with mana on one of her fingers and I saw a similar ring that I had gotten from The Court of The Young. Well, she just became a lot more impressive, but I now understood that we might actually meet again. “Well in that case take this.” I handed her one of my cards and she accepted it with a small bow.

We talked for a few minutes. She was also from the same Kingdom that I’m from and she seemed to know a lot more about everything than me, but it also looked like she was in a bit of a hurry as she wanted to catch the next portal. I wished I could talk to her a bit more but I guess I wouldn’t get the chance.

After that, I went and visited Tom who was quite saddened that I wouldn’t be delving tomorrow but I wasn’t going to waste my time delving a few floors. I would barely make anything, and it would take so much time. He handed me a few more magic books that David wants for my payment and a few more books with useful information. I used my tattoo storage for them, picked up my leftover cores and about two hours later after my dinner I was on the road heading back to my home.