Manager says "Are you offering these five plants in trade for the two ores?"

"Yes."

Manager says "On behalf of the merchant group, I accept!"

"Great! This should be enough to get the invitation, right?"

Manager says "Absolutely!!"

From the manager's expression I am guessing I paid too much, not that I care. Not only do I need the ore, but going to the auction is very important to me. That's because I've always wanted to go to an auction like those found in a lot of manga.

It probably won't be anything like those I read about, but I still want to go try it. Besides, since it is the auction of the Magic Kingdom there are likely to be things I want there. Of course, since it is an auction the prices will be outrageous, but I don't care about spending gold.

"Oh, that reminds me. What currency will be used in the auction? Gold?"

Manager says "I'm glad you reminded me! No, it will be the Magic Kingdom's currency."

"What currency do they use? What is the conversion rate? Where can I go to convert my gold?"

Manager says "The magic Kingdom uses a crystal coin as its currency. The current rate is five gold to one crystal coin. Depending on the amount you want to exchange we should be able to accommodate you."

"Hm, can you convert five million gold for me? Wait, that will only be one million crystal coins, will that be enough for the auction?"

Manager says "Yes, we can convert that much. I would say one million would be enough to buy two, maybe three mid-tier items. However, it wouldn't be enough for the high-tier items."

"Oh. Would your merchant group be interested in buying more plants like these?"

Manager says "That is actually outside of my authority. I would need to contact one of the owners to discuss it with you."

"Alright, let's finish the current matters. Then I'd appreciate it if you would arrange a meeting for me."

Manager says "It will be my pleasure!"

The manager quickly unlocks the two cases and directly gives the ores to me. After he locks up the five plants he leads me out of the room and relocks the doors. Once we are back on the main floor he sends off a messenger and then takes me into the back room.

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Manager says "If you could please take out your gold that you want to exchange I will have my people start counting it."

"Sure."

Five million gold coins makes a very large pile on the floor when I dump it out. The manager brings people in to start counting it, but they aren't the normal workers I saw before. These people are human slaves wearing magical collars which surprises me.

Manager says "Ah, forgive me for not explaining before. These people are all ones who sold themselves to cover debts. We use them for instances like this because they have been ordered to never steal. Since they cannot disobey, it makes them the most trustworthy people we have."

"That makes sense! While they are counting, can you tell me more about the auction? This will be my first visit to the Magic Kingdom."

Manager says "Well, since you will be using our invitation it means you will be sitting in our VIP box. The auction is a three day event, each day for a different tier of item. For example, the first day is for all the low-tier items."

"If that is the case then I will need to make arrangements for a place to stay. I am guessing that by the time I arrive the inns will already be full."

Manager says "That shouldn't be a problem unless you are bringing a lot of people?"

"Just me and my bodyguard."

Manager says "In that case you can just stay in the manor we own in the capital."

"Great! It looks like coming to your merchant group was the right choice!"

Manager says "It is our pleasure to be of assistance!"

As the gold is counted the manager tells me some basic information about the Magic Kingdom. Other than the mages being the nobility, it isn't much different than other kingdoms. The main problem is that the laws heavily favor the mages, so getting in a conflict with a mage is a bad idea.

That is, unless you are a mage yourself, which makes me tempted to play at being a mage. It wouldn't be too hard, I have enough mana now that I would look like a mage to anyone who scanned me. The problem would be spellcasting, if mages see how I use mana it would shock them.

On the other hand, as a nation of mages they probably pay a lot more attention to foreign mages. It might be better to stay as I am and try to keep a low profile until the auction. I should also plan some escape routes for after the auction, especially if I end up buying things.

Pretty much every manga I read that had an auction had people targeting those who bought high value items. Even if it wasn't for those manga I would still be worried, humans are greedy creatures. Not to mention thieves, I will need to watch out for people I outbid in the auction.

The first thing I will need to do is determine if the capital has anything to block or track gates. If not, then escaping will be easy and I don't need to worry about it. If there is, then things will get complicated and I will need to make plans to deal with it.

However, I can't do anything until I get to the capital, but I can't leave just yet. Not only am I still waiting for my sword, but I haven't given up on the Xui estate just yet. Now that I have learned more about them, I am even more curious as to what they are hiding.

The key piece of information I got from the manager is that the beasts are magically trained and controlled. Meaning if I dispel the sentry net and the beast's control at the same time it should cause chaos. That will give me a chance to get inside the estate and see just what they are hiding.

I'm guessing that it is somehow related to why they were banished from the Magic Kingdom. Of course, that is just a guess, it is also making my curiosity stronger. If I can't come up with a better plan, I will attack the estate right before heading for the Magic Kingdom.

The slaves finally finish counting all of the gold coins and verify that it is five million. As soon as it is verified two big men come in carrying a chest and put it down before me. When I open it I find that it is filled to the brim with coins made of crystal.