The area that Melinda led Mican to was a large building located right outside of the wealthy residential district.

The structure was large with many supporting stone pillars on the outside, holding up a large marble terrace. The building was well taken care of, the hedges and flowers on display were groomed meticulously and the railings had been scrubbed clean of any dirt.

There were no signs of any overgrown moss or plants of any kind, and the grass had been trimmed meticulously throughout the lawn, to a short length. It looked to be like a town hall of sorts, large and imposing.

As they neared the building, Melinda held out her hand in front of Mican, stopping him.

Swiveling on her heels, she reached into her cloak, pulling out and handed the young man a sparkling blue mask that had been shaped into the form of an owl.

“You don’t have to wear this mask if you don’t want to, but it will help you avoid some annoying circumstances.”

“I’ll wear it, thanks.” Accepting the mask, he found that it fit snugly onto his face. “You had mentioned a business of some sort?”

“Hmm, yes. It would probably be better for you to see it than hear of it.” As she saw him nod in response, she turned and headed towards the building with the young man in tow.

The door to the building was of oak, and it had many intricate patterns that had been carved onto it. Right next to the door, an elderly man could be seen standing with his back straight, staring forward with a sharp gaze. He had soft white hair on his head and a thin mustache which had been well groomed.

He wasn’t dressed in a wealthy manner, but he had on many articles of clothing that made up what looked to be a butler’s suit. The colours of the suit were all dark, and it was clearly uniform.

The noise of their footsteps attracted his attention, and his face immediately lit up the moment he caught sight of Melinda.

“My lady, the others have already arrived.” Putting a hand to his chest, he quickly gave a low bow towards the caravan leader.

Stepping up, he grasped the knob to the door and opened it inwards, giving a slight bow as he waited for the two to go ahead of him.

Mican caught the elderly man’s eyes glance at him throughout the process, in clear curiosity, but he said nothing.

“My lady?” Stepping into the house, Mican voiced his curiosity about the most important note he had noticed in the interaction.

“That’s Eledy, the chamberlain of my properties in Gaspereau.” Giving him a smile, she nodded.

Hearing the plurality in properties, Mican nodded to himself. He had suspected that Melinda had been rich, though he hadn’t known that it was to this extent. Not to mention that she had several properties in a single major city, according to Harold, the group had visited the city several years ago.

Stepping in right after them, Eledy quickly overtook them and began guiding them through the large house.

Walking through the house, Mican saw various paintings, ornate pieces of furniture, jeweled weapons set out on display, and well decorated hallways. Although he didn’t know how much they were worth in the world he was in, he knew that they meant she was obviously much richer than he had imagined.

“Is founding a travelling caravan really that profitable?” Walking through the gaudy hallways, Mican wondered to himself out loud.

“Not at all. My trade is merely slightly unique, and I have been travelling for many years as well.”

“You probably don’t even remember how many properties you have, aren’t you satisfied?” The answer confused him.

“Hm, satisfaction… My sweet Mican, my goal isn’t merely wealth, haha! In time, you’ll know. Trust me on that.” She chuckled gently, looking forward wistfully. “It’s not that I mean to keep it from you, but you don’t deserve to know as you are now.”

Although he didn’t know what she meant by those words, she hadn’t lied to him yet, so he stopped talking. It was odd to him to the point that he often wondered if there were other factors to his lie detector.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Passing through a large set of stairs, the chamberlain finally stopped outside of a door in one of the hallways. He respectfully stood at the ready, giving Melinda a slight bow before opening the door for them.

The room on the other side of the door was a fairly large one, lit up by several large chandeliers and ornate lanterns which had been hung to the walls. The room was a colorful one, with yellow walls and beautiful silk curtains hanging from the windows. The ground was covered by a large red carpet, and round luxurious chairs had been neatly arranged in the room.

The chairs had been arranged thoughtfully, spaced a fair distance away from each other, and were more like sofas with their size. The chairs were mostly facing the same way, directed towards a small stage on the other end of the room.

About a dozen people were in the room, already seated in the chairs. They were all similar in that they were all dressed in exquisitely designed robes, dressed, and suits. They also all wore masks of various shapes and sizes on their faces and carried small and intricate numbered signs in their hands.

Mican observed that they were quite excited, smiling to each other and filling the room with the noise of chatter. They reminded Mican a bit of wealthy tourists in his old world.

As the two walked into the room the gazes of the seated people turned to them and they quieted down, their eyes looking at them in expectation. More accurately, they all seemed to be looking at Melinda, who was the only unmasked person in the room.

The caravan leader was unfazed, looking around the room with before turning to Mican, giving him a smile and leading him towards one of the empty seats in the room. The look she had on his face was stern and dignified, her eyes slightly narrowed and her facial features emotionless. To Mican, the look was one he recognized, being one of business.

Sitting down on the seat, Mican didn’t utter a word. The caravan leader has suggested to him that he should watch, and that was what he fully intended to do. At first glance, it was obvious to him that he was taking part in an auction that was being hosted by Melinda, in her own property.

After making sure he was seated, the young woman turned around and headed towards the stage at the front of the room, stepping up onto the platform and clapping her hands several times. As soon as the claps rang out, the light seemed to dim noticeably in the room and the guests all stopped talking, giving her their undivided attention.

“Greetings, my guests. I’m Melinda von Willow, of the Willow Caravan.” With those words, she gave a graceful nod. “Welcome to the Willow Caravan’s fourth private auction in Gaspereau.”

With those introductory words, rustling sounds came out from behind the curtain at the back of the stage, and a young servant man walked out holding a glass case.

Another servant walked out alongside him, carrying a gavel and a square block of wood. It was evident that there were more people behind the curtain from the rustling sound in the back.

“While Gaspereau is a fairly safe city, being neutral, it is still never completely free from danger. You all know this quite well, as some of you are still suffering from the aftereffects of the war between the Juron Guild, and the Guild of Dark Runes.” The young woman stepped back on the stage, giving emphasis to the servant man. “As such, I have decided that we will be auctioning more adventurer related items here, geared towards safety and defense.”

A rumble of agreement and a wave of chatter came over the audience, and they verbally spoke out their agreement and pleasure. In a world where danger in the form of death could come at a moment’s notice, these wealthy individuals in particular greatly cared for their lives. They well understood the position they were in, their lives worth a great amount more than the average person in their society, and it made them willing to spare no expense in keeping themselves well protected.

Mican saw the appeal that Melinda was using to attract these wealthy individuals, making use of the repercussions still going throughout the city, and he nodded his head in approval, being something of a business man himself on his old world.

“The first item we have to introduce is known as the Shard of Veils. This item was formed from an arcanamite’s carapace, inscribed by a runesmith of the tier-three.” As the servant on the stage stepped forth he uncovered the glass case he was carrying, revealing a deep-green crystal, the size of a man’s palm. “The runes inscribed on this particular piece are ones aimed purely at stealth. If it in touch with your bare skin, you will be virtually invisible to a large variety of creatures. Humans are no exception!”

Upon hearing the announcement by Melinda, a wave of restlessness washed over the crowd. Many of the masked guests were clearly willing to buy the piece, attracted by its value.

“Keep in mind that this is not omnipotent and will only mask you visually to a certain extent, best used at night. You can still be heard, smelled, and touched.”

This item raised attracted Mican’s interest immensely. Runes? Runesmithing? Tier three? Virtual invisibility? Although there were many flaws and the item’s usage might have been exaggerated, he was still extremely attracted to it. It screamed fantasy and mystery in the young man’s mind.

The second announcement wavered the crowd’s enthusiasm significantly. Despite this, several people in the crowd still looked quite expectant. The most important advantage it had, to the fact that Melinda had mentioned it, was that it was effective against humans. There was no doubt in the young man’s mind that it was what she was aiming for, and it was likely what the people still at attention were most interested in.

It was obvious to Mican that they probably had a specific use for the item, despite its flaws. He was a bit surprised as to how immoral the item could potentially be, but he assumed that it was fine as Melinda likely held no accountability for the consumer’s actions, as a mere merchant.

A few moments later, the servant with the gavel pounded it on the block of wood and bids began being called out in earnest from the crowd.