A letter arrived a few days ago, from Gustav himself. The man told him the repairs to his store were completed, and they even improved upon its older design. Red didn’t bother sending a reply, as he was focused on his talismans, but now that he was exhausted, it was time to visit the store.

“M-Master, wait!”

The imp called out to the youth as he was making his way out with the finished talismans.

Red turned to him with a frown. “What?”

“What about the materials?” The imp asked. “What if someone steals them?”

“I can’t imagine how that would benefit them, but even if they do, they won’t try it during the day.”

“B-But what if they do?”

“Then let them.”

He didn’t plan on letting people break into the manor as they wanted, but he wasn’t able to set up proper defenses yet, and he didn’t know how long that would take. He couldn’t afford to just wait by the house while resting.

“Just pay attention to the tablet and spy on anyone who tries to invade the house with your invisibility.” Red said. “The only thing that matters in this manor are the materials… Also, have her pretend to be asleep.”

He pointed at the emotionless maid. It wasn’t a problem if the people snooping around the house belonged to the demonic cult, since they knew about the soulless servant. If someone outside those people broke in and noticed this woman’s strangeness, however, what would they think about Red?

It was better to make the woman pretend to be asleep, as even if someone broke in, they wouldn’t bother her unless they wanted to get discovered.

“I-If you say so, master.” Emer nodded. “I’ll pay very special attention! I won’t let anything escape my eyes!”

Red sighed. “Just don’t get caught.”

With those words, he turned around and left for the street. Nothing much seemed to have changed around the capital, even if the youth didn’t bother keeping up with anything as he isolated himself. It had already been more than a week since he arrived in the city, and yet it felt like this was just his third or fourth day.

His perception of time, it seemed, was being shaped into a cultivator’s senses.

It was around midday, and while traffic was annoying, the youth didn’t opt for taking a carriage or a horse. Soon enough, he arrived at the market square, and he spotted his store from far away. Most pedestrians were giving it a wide berth, probably because of the handful of armed mercenaries standing by the entrance, but at the very least, it allowed Red a clear view of the place.

It looked completely different from what he remembered from a couple of days ago. The old front was replaced by a new golden wood facade, polished to a point that it was almost indistinguishable from genuine gold. The showcase was replaced by smaller panes of glass, lending a peek into the renovated shelves inside the store. A large reinforced gate also took most of the space in the entrance, and anyone would have a hard time breaking into the building now.

What made Red frown, though, was the name carved in bold letters above the gate.

‘Master Viran’s Splendid Scripture Shop.’

Gustav’s servants did come asking for what the name of the store was going to be a few days ago, but the youth said he didn’t really care about it. Now, however, he was regretting that decision.

As he approached the store, the mercenaries standing by noticed him. They stood on guard for a second, but they quickly recognized Red by his mask and relaxed their stance.

“Gustav offers his greetings, sir.” One of the mercenaries stepped forward and bowed to him. “We weren’t expecting you to come by today.”

“It’s fine.” Red shook his head. “I plan to open the store.”

“You do?” The man seemed surprised. “Gustav said he wanted to speak to you as soon as you came by again.”

“Did he need to do it before I open the store?”

“He didn’t say…”

“Then it doesn’t matter. If it’s something important, tell him to come looking for me.” Red looked over at the gate. “Will you open it, please?”

The reinforced gate door had an even sturdier lock, and he wasn’t given the key yet.

“Ah, certainly!”

The mercenary fumbled with an item in his pocket, pulling out a key before unlocking the door.

Red walked past him and stepped inside the store without hesitation.

The mercenary called after him. “Ah, sir!”

The youth stopped and looked back. “What is it?”

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“Gustav told us to ask you how our services might be needed.”

“You can leave.”

The man seemed at a loss. “S-Sir?”

“You’re scaring off customers.”

Red could see the looks some passersby gave to these men. They were afraid of them, and the youth could only imagine the reputation of these men wasn’t all that great. It was fine for them to stand around and scare off any troublemakers, but now that the store was going to open, wouldn’t they just be scaring off customers instead?

The mercenary looked embarrassed. “Sir, are you sure? What if someone tries to make trouble?”

Red frowned. “Do you think I need your help to defend my store?”

The man’s expression changed, and he gave the youth a resigned smile. “Of course you don’t, sir.”

The youth nodded and walked further in without sparing them a second glance.

Soon enough, these mercenaries were gone, and Red went about setting up his store, putting the talismans on the shelves. There were, however, a few problems.

‘It’s just that…’

There was way too much free space. The talismans weren’t that big, and they barely occupied a single shelf even when set far apart. This meant that 90 percent of the space in the store was completely empty, not even mentioning the fact that the talismans themselves didn’t look awe-inspiring. They were just pieces of paper with complex drawings on them. Their power was undeniable, but they didn’t give off the glow of a magical item or the sweet aroma of a cultivation pill.

Red, however, could only shrug at the end of the day. Those who knew the value of the talismans wouldn’t care they didn’t give off bright lights.

With the almost meaningless preparation done, the youth walked behind the counter and sat down on a comfortable chair that Gustav’s men had built. Now, all he could do was wait.

And wait he did.

One hour passed by, and not one person stepped foot inside his store. At most, they would take a few glances from the outside, but none of them even tried to see what was being sold.

At first, Red thought this was normal. After all, most of these people were of modest means, and buying a talisman was something completely outside of the realm of possibility for them. It was something that only cultivators or rich people would take an interest in.

When three hours passed by with no visitors, though, he began second-guessing himself. Plenty of cultivators and mercenaries walked by the store, but none of them stepped foot inside. It was even stranger, though, when Red started to notice the strange expressions they looked at the place.

The youth couldn’t help but pay attention to their conversations with his improved hearing.

“Is that the store?”

“Yeah, they repaired it.”

“It doesn’t look like it has many customers.”

“They’re probably too scared to step inside after what happened at the palace.”

“Really? What if the products are really good, though?”

“So what? Do you want to be the first one to test the waters?”

“Haha! No way! I don’t want to get on anyone’s bad side without being sure.”

The two mercenaries soon walked away, out of Red’s earshot.

The youth, however, couldn’t help but frown at what he heard.

‘What happened at the palace?’

Those words stood out to him, and it confirmed to him one thing. The accident that happened here a week before had greater repercussions than he could have imagined, and he could only guess he was now fully caught in the middle of a struggle between different parties.

‘Those people from the Golden Hand…’

Even when they were trying to help him, they only ended up involving him further in their disputes. Red had no one else to blame but himself, though, as he threw himself into this hostile environment knowing full well the risks.

Still, for now, there was nothing he could do other than wait. People were still curious about his products, so he thought that if he could prove they were worth their price, they wouldn’t really care about some political dispute in the palace.

At least, so he hoped.

…

Five hours passed by without a single customer, and Red gave up on paying too much attention to the outside. Instead, he spent this time cultivating - azure energy flowing into his Spiritual Sea as he solidified his foundation.

‘It’s almost night.’

He looked outside as the sun was beginning to set. While movement outside was still high, it didn’t seem like anyone was willing to be the first customer of this problematic store of his.

Red was unwilling to see his plans hit a snag, but there was nothing he could do. Right now, he was even considering if it was worth it to speak with Gustav and his guild about this matter, or if it was worth it to cut relations with them while he still could.

‘I’ll wait for a few more hours.’

He didn’t think this problem had any solution other than waiting for someone brave or stupid enough to step in. Even then, he didn’t know if that would solve the issue if there was someone really willing to punish anyone that tried to buy from his store.

It was a frustrating situation, and right as Red was wondering what to do, he sensed something.

A fluctuation belonging to the Lesser Ring Realm walking by his store. They stopped right in front of the building, looking at it with a curious gaze. Then, without hesitation, they walked in with their hands behind their back.

“Excuse me.”

A handsome young man greeted Red with a smile. He was wearing fancy white clothing - a pristine shirt covered his upper body, slacking trousers, and a black robe over the top of it all that reached almost to his knees. His long black hair was tied up in a bundle above his head, and he carried a gentle expression in his pale complexion.

Red couldn’t help but be reminded of Allen as he saw him - a young master of a family of means, and talented in cultivation too, judging by his realm. He was probably not much older than the youth himself.

“This is all I have to offer.” Red pointed at the talismans on the nearby shelf.

“Ah, is that so?” The young man seemed surprised, but still walked over to the items.

He looked at the talismans with an expression of curiosity.

“Is this how you’re supposed to attract customers, you idiot?!” Aurelia’s angry voice reached his ears. “Aren’t you supposed to sell the quality of your products?!”

Red ignored her, examining the young man from behind his mask.

He wasn’t a merchant to begin with, not to mention he couldn’t help but be suspicious about anyone that entered his store of their own volition. Either this young man was completely oblivious, or his background was big enough to not have to worry about retaliation from anyone in the city. Judging by his cultivation, though, Red thought the latter was more likely.

The young man looked back at him with a slightly surprised expression. “You made these?”

“I did.”

“These are good quality for basic talismans. Do you mind if I pick one of them up?”

“As long as you don’t damage it.”

The young man picked up the talisman, turning it around as he examined it. He seemed rather confused, however, as he kept turning the item as if looking for something.

He then looked back at Red in puzzlement. “You didn’t put any signatures on them?”

He shook his head. “I see no need to.”

“Really? You don’t care about getting recognition for your work?”

Red shook his head. “I only care about selling my work.”

The young man chuckled. “Fair enough!”

He set the talisman down and went about inspecting the rest of them. He grunted and nodded in approval, as if satisfied with the quality of the talismans.

A few minutes later, he approached the counter.

“I want to buy them.”

“Which ones?” Red asked.

“All of them.”

This time, it was the youth that was at a loss.