"Ahhhhh, it's nice to be rich!"

I let myself deflate after exiting the bank since there wouldn't as many eyes on me outside. Ana couldn't help but chuckle at my appearance as we walked towards an information brokerage that was nearby.

"Ray, you are the heir of the duchy. It's no surprise you would have a decent amount of money as an allowance. So you better use that money on important things and not squander it all like other royals!"

Ana playfully teased me knowing that I would never squander the wealth I was given. She understood that I was someone with a clear goal in mind, even if she fully didn't understand what the goal entailed. She was truly what I would call my closest friend in this world, and the only reason I wouldn't call myself lonely.

We eventually arrived at the information brokerage and its outward appearance looked like your typical tavern. The only distinguishing feature it had was the two silver bells on the signpost at the front of the building that give it its iconic name: The Silver Bells. They were one of the more prominent information brokers in the empire with differing tiers of informants and clients. I was just in need of the basic tier since I would be using them to spread the word of the competition, not collecting information or spying on anyone.

I was attended to in much the same manner as in Bach's Bank, but since I was the one submitting a commission I needed to provide a down payment as well as the information being sent out. I had come prepared with the information, and after receiving my account information gave them the down payment which acted as a sort of safety deposit. It was a quick and efficient process without much flare, but considering this was my first transaction it didn't mean much. Right before I was about to leave, however, one of the employees ran up to me and bowed while presenting me with a small card.

"My apologies, but the manager wished to congratulate you on your recovery and choosing the Silver Bells for your first commission. This card is a token of their appreciation, and grants you access to all tier 2 benefits. We thank you for your patronage, and hope to see you again in the future."

With that, the employee handed me the card and headed back to wherever they had come from. Ana and I curiously looked at the card to read what it contained.

----------------------------------------------------

Holder: Ray Glouse

Placement: Tier 2

Origin Branch: Granbell

----------------------------------------------------

It was a simple metallic card, with just three lines on it. It had the design of the two silver bells etched onto it, but other than that there was nothing.

"I guess it's some sort of identification for future transactions. May prove useful in the future as I continue to utilize their services."

"Seems like it, I'm just surprised the manager gave one out so easily to you. From what I heard, you needed to have conducted over a certain number of transactions or payment threshold before moving up a tier."

I placed the card in my pocket as I thought about the different possibilities.

"Well, the manager could just be currying my favor as the heir of the Glouse duchy. I don't lose anything from obtaining this, and who knows maybe I'll need to use them again."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

We continued walking through Granbell enjoying the nice weather together. Since I had finished the two main things I needed, all I had left to do was find a shop that could repair the rings I had purchased previously. I was especially excited about the rare ring I had discovered using 'Appraisal' and what its potential effects could be. After inquiring about shops that repair accessories, we finally arrived at a building that was reminiscent of an antique store. The store had three levels too it, and from what we had learned each level contained differing tiers of items available to the public.

This was a famous shop in EOR, and many items that could benefit the party could be found here. When we entered the store, we were immediately greeted by a girl that looked around Ana's age wearing a green apron atop a simple uniform.

"Welcome to Astro's Antiquities and Oddities! My name is Bella, and I'm in charge of helping out on the first floor. If you require any assistance just let me know!"

She gave us a small wink at the end as she finished her introduction.

"Thank you for the introduction, I'm Ray Glouse and I've actually come to see if I could get these two rings restored."

I pulled out the two rings from my bag to show Bella, but she looked a bit distracted after my introduction.

"Ray Glouse? I see so it is true..." she murmured this before quickly looking at the rings in my hand. "Hmm, it seems like these two beauties have seen better times. We can definitely get them cleaned up for you, but we need to check them really quickly to see if they contain any sort of magic since that would increase the cost of the repair. If you don't mind, I'll take these around back so our technicians can take a look a them."

"Of course take your time, I'll just walk around and browse in the meantime."

She smiled at my response before walking off to get the rings checked for magic. This was the perfect place to raise my 'Appraisal' skill since these were new items I hadn't checked before and some would contain minor effects. Ana followed me with a curious expression on her face as she watched me stand in front of different items throughout the store. I was essentially just spamming the skill over and over again on any item I could find.

Once Bella had returned, I had finished using my skill on a good number of items. Since this was only the first floor, there wasn't anything too interesting or necessary for me to purchase. The second floor is where I would be able to purchase items that I recognized from EOR as a player.

"Pardon the delay, but the technicians have finished verifying both rings and have found that one does contain some sort of magic. The repair would cost 10 silver for both rings and should be done in around a week's time. Depending on the magic, however, the price may slightly increase."

I nodded my head in agreement as I pulled out 10 silver coins and placed them on the counter.

"Thank you for your time, Bella I will have a servant pick the rings up once they are repaired. By chance, what does one need to do to receive permission to use the second floor?"

Her eyes lit up as she responded to my question.

"It's been my pleasure, and to answer your question it's simple! We have a couple of requirements, the first being a recommendation from the sales representative on the first floor, second being a minimum of twenty-five transactions with us, and lastly" she leaned over the counter as she raised her voice slightly, "you have to complete one of our requests at the guild!"

She gave me a thumbs after finishing her explanation. After using my 'Appraisal' skill a couple of more times at the store, Ana and I waved Bella goodbye as we headed out. I had a pretty good feeling that my 'Appraisal' skill would rank up soon, so that was an unexpected boon for me. I would need to take that into account for future outings since the 'Appraisal' skill would be my bread and butter in the future.

The rest of the day was spent exploring various landmarks in Granbell as well as eating with Ana at some of the local cafes and shops. Since I would be announcing a cooking competition, I didn't forget to pass word of the news to the owners of the establishments. Along with that, since I was out in public more often now, my reputation was finally being spread around the city. Going to Bach's Bank, landmarks, and shops allowed people to finally put a face to the name of Ray Glouse.

I couldn't help but smile as we returned home with a sense of accomplishment.

"You should definitely smile more Ray, it suits you."

Ana sheepishly said this before we parted for the night, and I responded in kind.

"I think everyone should smile more, including you! If every day was as nice as this one, I think everyone would get along just fine."

Ana let out a small laugh at my response before heading back towards the servant's quarters. Tomorrow would be another busy day since I wanted to focus on my swordsmanship training as well as looking more into the gods of this world. The gods were loosely mentioned in the game, but they may hold the answers as to why I was brought to this world. The idea of their involvement had been rolling around my head for a while now, but I hadn't put too much thought into it due to all the work I needed to get done. Tomorrow would be the day I started learning about them earnestly.