"I see... So this auction house is quite renowned."

As he felt his mind completely relax thanks to the massage from his incredible personal maid and the soft and soothing aroma of the lotion, Erik commented in a low voice. To which Seraphina nodded, then replied in a calm tone.

"Indeed, young master, especially in the last millennium. This auction house has been on the rise and today ranks among the most renowned of the Arcane Order."

"Is the owner's story real?" Erik asked, a bit curious, wanting to confirm the words of the beautiful owner, to which Seraphina responded with a slight smile.

"Yes, young master. A millennium ago, this auction house was quite ordinary. It was only after the new owner took over that it began to ascend."

"I see... then she's quite talented." Erik commented with a bit of interest in his tone, something that Seraphina didn't like much, although she managed to hide it while responding in a calm tone.

"The truth is, yes, young master. She has even auctioned Master-level artifacts, which has given her a great reputation."

"How interesting. But well, let's wait for the auction to start to see what they have today. Hopefully, they aren't too expensive because I'm broke at the moment, hahaha." Erik commented somewhat amused while slightly adjusting his position in the chair, to which Seraphina replied in a slightly accusatory tone.

"That's because you insist on wanting to reduce your monthly allowance, young master. If you weren't so stubborn, you wouldn't be as short on cash as you are now."

"Hehehe, this way is better. Getting used to money that falls from the sky only brings problems. If it were up to me, I wouldn't accept anything, but since they 'suggest' so strongly that I accept it, I'd better spend it well." Erik commented in a cheerful tone, to which Seraphina could only sigh, then began to massage her young master's ears while commenting in a soft tone.

"Young master, I really find it hard to understand your attitude toward money. Besides, the young lady and Master Silverwood have already told you many times that they aren't giving you anything; that money is also yours to use at will. Even the funds I've gathered over time are also at your full disposal. It's only because of your strange fixation on not using it that the monthly allowance was arranged, which you always end up spending on books and materials and end up with almost nothing."

"Well, then let me explain to you a bit my way of understanding money. For me, there are only two types of money: one's own and others'..." As Kai speaks, he suddenly felt Seraphina's hands around his ears tighten, so, like a wise man, he quickly chose a tactical retreat and added.

"...Understanding 'one's own' as income obtained from one's own legal commercial activity that contributes to society, and therefore, money can be spent in four different ways."

Erik created Myst constructs in the shape of mana crystals, some appearing as incredibly detailed crystal sculptures, while others looked faint and barely visible, then continued speaking.

"One can spend one's own money or others' on oneself or on others, thus configuring the four ways of spending."

Erik quickly created several Myst constructs in human form, which he divided into two groups of faint figures and two other solitary figures apart. He then attached them to the previous mana crystal-shaped constructs, configuring four different groups. Pointing to a group of human figures and faint mana crystals, he explained.

"The worst way to spend is others' money on others, since you don't know how much it cost to earn the money and, therefore, have no limits. Additionally, you can't know what others want, which results in a complete waste of resources." Erik quickly made the group he was pointing at disappear, then pointed to the second group, which consisted of a well-defined human figure and faint mana crystals.

"Another terrible way to spend is to spend others' money on oneself because you're not aware of what it cost to generate that money, but you do know what you want. This leads to spending without any remorse or limit, which generally ends in self-destructive excesses. Moreover, this also brings an extra problem: by living that kind of life for a long time, one ends up getting accustomed to it, which leads to complacency and believing that money is easy to get and will always be there when you want it.

"That mentality inevitably leads to not developing the necessary aptitudes and skills to build wealth, so if the source of funding is cut off, it's practically impossible to recover that lifestyle. For example, look at the spoiled children of the wealthiest people in the faction—they are all useless." Erik made the second group disappear and pointed to the third, which consisted of faint human figures and well-defined mana crystals, before continuing.

"Spending one's own money on others isn't so bad, but since you know how much it costs to earn the money, and you don't know what others want, this generally results in trying to reduce the cost to the bare minimum." Erik made the group of Myst constructs disappear, then pointed to the last group, which he surrounded with a new construct in the shape of a laurel crown.

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"This leaves the last and best way to spend, which is to spend one's own money on oneself because you know how much it cost to earn the money, and you know exactly what you want, resulting in the best possible allocation of resources."

"It's a very interesting philosophy of money, young master, but your source of funding isn't going to be cut off. Besides, you are a responsible and sensible man who is always building yourself up, working on your projects, and continuously developing your skills. So using 'others' money shouldn't pose any problem for you." Seraphina commented in a serious tone, although she didn't forget to add a slightly dissatisfied intonation on the term 'others', while the last group of Myst constructs disappeared, to which Erik replied in a serious tone.

"That's a dangerous thought, Seraphina. With similar thinking, one ends up making the worst mistakes in life. It's better to be cautious, especially with oneself."

"You are absolutely right; please forgive my imprudence, young master." Seraphina quickly apologized solemnly, aware that she had made a mistake, to which Erik replied in a cheerful tone.

"Hahaha, don't take it so seriously; don't worry."

"Thank you very much, young master." Seraphina thanked him in a warm tone, then took a white cloth from her storage ring and began to gently clean any traces of lotion left on her beloved young master.

...

After a while, a couple entered the VIP room guided by Laura, consisting of a beautiful young woman with brown hair and captivating gray eyes, followed by a handsome and burly man with dark hair and curious orange-colored eyes, dressed similarly to a butler. They couldn't help but look at the pair of young master and maid.

The young man with starry hair was sitting relaxed in his chair, while the incredibly beautiful woman delicately massaged his shoulders and occasionally fed him cookies directly into his mouth—a 'task' that had not been her idea at all; it was simply her duty as the perfect maid she was and nothing more.

Noticing that someone had entered, Erik turned his head and nodded with a smile toward Laura, who responded to the gesture with a slight elegant bow, he then commented in a calm and relaxed tone.

"Hello again, Laura."

"Hello again, Erik. Allow me to introduce you to Her Majesty, the Princess of the Firestone Empire." Laura spoke in an elegant tone while pointing to the young woman at her side, at which point Erik stood up from his chair, approached, and greeted with a smile.

"Nice to meet you; I'm Erik. A pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet the renowned direct disciple Erik. Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Silvana Firestone." The beautiful young woman with gray eyes made a polite bow in front of Erik, who smiled courteously, then commented in a formal tone.

"It's a surprise that the princess of an empire knows me."

"Fufufu, the direct disciple Erik jests. How could I not know the reputed disciple of Master Eldurdóttir and Master Silverwood? Rather, it's an honor to meet you in person." Silvana commented while elegantly covering her mouth with one of her hands, surprising Erik a bit, who quickly turned to look at Seraphina with an expression full of doubts.

Although Erik did not yet possess any kind of telepathic ability, for Seraphina, as the perfect maid she was, a simple look was more than enough to know what her young master was thinking. She quickly approached him and whispered in his ear with a slight smile and elegance.

"Young master, it was not your friend Chen who spread the news; it was actually Master Silverwood herself who announced it personally shortly after your friend's visit to the mansion, as a good opportunity arose to give a warning so that a situation like the duel would not be repeated."

Upon hearing his reliable personal maid, Erik nodded in understanding. He really had no idea that his master had done that, and since his only window to the outside world in recent years, Chen, was on his family's planet, he knew nothing of what was happening outside his master's mansion.

"I'm not so impressive, Princess Firestone; I just seem better than I am thanks to the great reputation of my masters." Erik commented in a formal and calm tone, as if stating an irrefutable fact, which broadened Silvana's smile, who commented in a tone filled with appreciation and admiration.

"Truly, the direct disciple Erik is a humble man; your talents are widely known and are undoubtedly worthy of being the disciple of the most talented masters in the galaxy."

Confused by the comment, Erik again turned to look at Seraphina, who quickly whispered in his ear, which Laura couldn't help but find strange, as she couldn't understand how someone of the maid's level, capable of whispering something that even she herself couldn't hear, needed to do something like that in the first place, since she could simply send a telepathic message.

"She is not being sarcastic, young master; she is serious, and that's thanks to your display of power in the duel. The feat you showed shocked the galaxy, and now you are widely known as the possessor of unparalleled talent."

"Princess Firestone exaggerates; I haven't done much to deserve those words." Knowing the context, Erik replied with a courteous smile on his face, causing the princess to praise him, then again bowed respectfully after she finished speaking.

"Truly, the direct disciple Erik is a humble man; please accept my bow."

"I am truly honored." Erik commented with a smile, while making a slight courteous bow, at which point Laura commented in a respectful tone.

"I'll take my leave; I have to go receive the guests. I'll leave you to get to know each other better."

"See you later." Erik commented with a smile while looking at the beautiful woman, which earned Laura a couple of glances from the princess, the butler, and the perfect maid. She shortly afterward left the room after a respectful bow.

"Let's sit down and talk a bit more, direct disciple Erik." After Laura left the room, Silvana commented with a smile while pointing to the chair where Erik had been sitting, to which he nodded courteously.

"Sure."

Quickly, Erik sat down again in his seat, while Silvana sat in a nearby chair and initiated a conversation once more. At the same time, Seraphina stood behind her young master as the perfect maid she was—something the princess's butler also did, standing behind his mistress, although he couldn't help but glance out of the corner of his eye at Seraphina.

"And what are you looking for at today's auction, direct disciple Erik?"

"Actually, nothing in particular; I'm just here to look around a bit. If there's something interesting, I might buy it." Erik commented in a courteous but casual tone, to which Silvana nodded in understanding and commented.

"So, Disciple Erik is also interested in the special items at today's auction."

"You could say so." Erik replied with a slight smile, while adding to himself.

(Although I really have no idea what items are going to be auctioned, so, in a way, they will all be 'special' items to me...)