One of the greatest tricks Dollar’s grandmother had ever pulled was convincing the world that they needed to buy a product for quadruple its value. Once, when Dollar had become well-established in industry, he had been convinced he had surpassed his teachers, and his grandmother. She had chuckled as he strutted through her mansion, preening like a peacock, and she’d asked him to pick an item, any item, and she promised would sell it for more than he ever could, and be thanked in the process by the buyer.

Dollar had accepted that challenge, picking one of the most inane and boring objects known to mankind, the rubber band.

Twenty boxes containing two hundred thousand plain purple rubber bands had been purchased and split between them. Dollar had taken his half of the rubber bands to various stores in the city, using all his techniques to raise the price of his product. By the time he was done, the shopkeepers had accepted his products for double the usual price but were grumbling the entire time. Some had only listened to him because of who he was, not caring for what he was selling.

Muriel Claudius had sold all of them in a week for four times their worth.

By the time she was done, every single customer had a smile on their face.

Dollar had watched every second of the process. His grandmother hadn’t sold them through trickery or used her name and influence like he had. Instead, she had simply done two things. She’d picked the right moment, and the right time. The right moment was a fashion show. The right time was after the fashion show. She approached a model and through compliments and smooth conversation convinced her and the fashion designer that the model should use the rubber bands in her outfit for her runway walk.

His grandmother had created a trend, and it wasn’t hard to capitalize on it. The fans watching that show had all wanted to purchase the exact rubber band the model had used, and there were far more than a hundred thousand of them. Each one had bought the product and posted their smiles online.

When his grandmother had finished, she had stepped beside him, not saying a single word as he accepted that he still had much to learn.

Today, Dollar was ready to put her lessons to good use.

Despite his grand declaration, he hadn’t started the auction immediately. Master Grisham’s name was spreading like wildfire and he wanted the flames to burn as hot as possible. Symbologists led by Earl, Lady Nestin, House Tiberius, and others were gathering in droves to participate in his auction. Dollar could see more people coming from afar. As they arrived their eyes lit up and their breathing quickened with excitement.

“The auction that Mitsy and I attended on behalf of Grisham’s Artifact Dispensary was the right moment. We spread the name of our store out into the city and gained a good reputation at the same time,” Dollar said.

He was speaking, of course, to Bill the grec.

“Oink,” Bill nodded.

Several children squealed as Bill moved, and Dollar saw six of them playfully hanging off Bill’s horn. All of the kids had refused to let go no matter how hard they swung, and now the uni-pig was being swarmed by a dozen more. Two of them had flanked him, jumping onto his back and grabbing his mask from both sides. Now they were engaged in a tug of war trying to pull it off.

The grec’s opal eyes gazed at Dollar, pleading with him to help, and Dollar shook his head. He could deal with emperors and divines, but energetic children were beyond his paygrade.

“Exactly. People pay attention to new things, and silencing symbols are rare around these parts,” Dollar said, ignoring Bill’s look of betrayal. “Which means that this is the right time to sell our products. While we have mystique and reputation, we can get the highest price for our work.”

“Oink,” Bill replied, much to the joy of the children surrounding him.

Bluestone shifted underneath Dollar’s feet as he adjusted himself. Both of them had placed their masks on, and as he sat on the dispensary he could see regular people watching him from afar, curiosity sparkling in their gazes. They wouldn’t attend the auction, but they would still spread Grisham’s name far and wide.

Dollar’s hands were empty, but his storage ring held four new artifacts. Creating them had been easy with Mitsy’s technique, and for the first time in a while he’d been flooded by a sea of blue boxes sent directly from the System, but he pushed them to the side. He wanted to return to lake Tiber by nightfall and was placing all of his focus onto his plan for the rest of the day.

Earl has the symbologist’s guild’s backing and access to their coffers. Lady Nestin seems the most interested, but that old butler and his noble charge also have a lot of gold. Dollar smiled. Four of the artifacts I’ve made will go to auction here. And another Magician’s Bane should be done by the time I leave. My first commissioned artifact. How exciting.

“Oink?” Bill asked. He nudged his head toward the inner ring, right where the five guilds were located.

On the way to the marketplace they’d stopped by the fisherman’s guild. There had been grecs inside, but Bill had ignored them all, preferring to stick to himself. Dollar could only laugh as the uni-pig strutted like a king over the dilapidated carpet.

“Ah, why did I talk to the man at the fisherman’s guild? It’s easier for us if we have our good reputation confirmed by a bigger entity before going to the marketplace, so I paid them to send someone to meet us here. Since the fisherman’s guild was in charge of the auction, having them at our auction proves their faith in us and will increase trust. Which means that customers will pay more for our products,” Dollar explained. “Don’t worry, they’ll reveal themselves later.”

Does he understand any of this? Dollar wondered. I guess it doesn’t really matter.

Talking to the grec was proving to be an incredibly enjoyable experience, and Dollar regretted not doing it sooner. He wasn’t quite convinced that Bill could understand him, or the intricate business plans he was laying out, but the uni-pig definitely had a way of convincing Dollar that he was being heard.

Only the scents of the marketplace and the tugs of children stopped Dollar from speaking further. The mix of delicious food, pulled hair, flowery perfume aromas, terrible child odors, and incense sticks was causing Bill to wave his snout from side to side in excitement and horror.

Dollar took the time to examine his audience more thoroughly. There were so many new people in the city, and new factions at play, that he couldn’t expect all of them or any of them to know who he was and how reputable his store was.

So, Dollar had given them an hour to find out who he was. Some people had gotten impatient and left, but ten more took their place. Most had emblems belonging to foreign households and their members were led by symbologists.

Looks like I succeeded. Dollar thought.

“What do you think?” Dollar asked.

Bill oinked.

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Dollar nodded.

There were fifteen minutes to go, and a crowd had already gathered. When he’d been selling his darkness boxes before, he’d taken note of every person in the crowd, memorizing their faces. Several of the ones he saw now were new to the crowd, but he had seen them when he’d gone to the fisherman’s guild. They had been purchasing information on him, and on ‘Grisham’.

One of them was the noble woman accompanying the old butler. Unlike the others, she hadn’t gone to the fisherman’s guild, she had changed clothes instead, donning an elegant blue empire dress with a silken band around the middle. Her hair had shifted as well, flowing bright green, and she was flanked by two symbologists, both wearing bronze badges on their chests, and her butler to the side.

She didn’t have green hair before. A disguise? Or is this her true self? Dollar narrowed his eyes.

She waved at Dollar as his eyes crossed over her, and he nodded in return.

Her eyes shone as he acknowledged her, and with a gesture her butler stepped forward toward the dispensary. The old man raised his hand, revealing a box with symbols inscribed on its surface. A silver satin sheet of fabric revealed itself from within the box, and people turned to stare at the old man, their eyes honing in on the artifact in his hands.

Lady Nestin had grabbed her ax instinctively as the butler walked to Dollar, but she paused at the sight of the box. “Is it real?”

“A storage box,” Earl whispered, his lips barely readable. Several of the symbologists around him stepped back in surprise, then their eyes grew sharp with curiosity.

Gasps went up among the crowd, and Dollar was no exception. He wasn’t a stranger to storage items. His ring and Mitsy’s choker were constant companions. But the item before him dwarfed them in value. He could feel the symbol’s within calling out to him, and they whispered of power and might that were far stronger than low-ranked symbols. Suddenly, Dollar realized he had vastly underestimated the background of the young lady before him.

Who is she? He wondered. I want to know what symbols that box uses.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried to see through the symbols within his storage ring, but just like the Crest of House Tiberius, it was a complicated matter. The storage ring wasn’t his, it was his father’s, and its veils were far stronger than any other he’d encountered. With so little time and so much to do, its investigation had fallen to the wayside.

Shake.

Dollar blinked in surprise as something shook his hand. He looked down, expecting to see one of the children that Bill had attracted, but instead, he saw the grec himself. Bill had shaken off the children, each one of them sensing the change in the atmosphere, but the uni-pig only had eyes for Dollar’s hand.

Bill’s horn tapped against Dollar’s storage ring. “Oink?”

Shake.

The storage ring was vibrating.

“Huh.” Dollar stared at it.

That’s never happened before, Dollar thought. Is it…No. The ring itself isn’t reacting. Something inside the ring is. He checked within the ring and was surprised to see an embroidered orange eye looking back at him, stuck between two lines of a cage. The notebook of the Unseeing?

Before he could investigate further, the butler let go and the storage box smacked onto the ground, sending up a plume of dust. The sheet that had unfurled from within the box split open, and several golden coins flickered in the light of the afternoon sun, and Dollar saw that the coins were accompanied by other objects.

Then he lowered himself and picked up the satin sheet, knotting it up and passing it gently to Dollar. “You will find what Master Grisham requested within here. A single core material, broken into four pieces, one for each article of clothing. For the casing materials, gloves and shoes have been provided in her exact measurements. Please have Master Grisham confirm this for us.”

Dollar gaped at the man in surprise, but the butler’s expression was filled with reverence.

A quick look at the sheet showed him that the casing and core materials within were far beyond his price range. Dollar had promised the butler that if the supplies were provided to him, then he’d create an artifact even stronger than Magician’s Bane for them. He took the materials in hand, but frowned as his level didn’t increase.

These aren’t mine. Dollar realized. They’re just being lent to me to create their artifact. That’s the nature of a commission, after all. But it doesn’t matter. Once they’ve paid, I’ll reap the rewards. And since they’d supplied the materials, I’ll be getting the full price. He opened the bag, his storage ring hovering over the items, and watched the butler carefully as he did so. The man didn’t complain, and lady Olivia didn’t blink. Neither of them felt any concern at the thought that he might run away with the supplies.

Their confidence sent a shiver down his spine.

“I didn’t expect you to be so forward,” Dollar said. “Master Grisham will be able to use these. Take them back for now, and we will talk once the auction is finished.”

“You may keep them by your side,” the man said. “My lady felt it prudent to show our trust and support for Master Grisham before the upcoming auction begins.” The butler glanced at the lady behind him, and she nodded. “Our lady would like to know if the items sold here will also be available for commission after the auction.”

“A wise question,” Dollar tilted his head, his mask hiding his smile. He placed the sheet of materials between himself and Bill. “That would be mistress Olivia, would it not? You gave me her name at the guild’s auction, but not your own.”

The butler smiled. “No, I did not. I am called Tuhoa.”

“Tuhoa,” Dollar repeated the name slowly. “Master Grisham thanks you for your trust. But I will still pass these back to you now, for there are many eyes watching, and the [skills] of the world are vast and varied. I cannot guarantee their safety.”

If the old man was surprised at Dollar’s words, he didn’t show it. Tuhoa simply smiled, and the sheet disappeared from beside Dollar, returning to the storage box. Dollar stared at the box in surprise. It hadn’t moved from the ground, and was at least several meters away from him.

Which meant that the storage box could pull in items it wasn’t touching, unlike his ring.

Dollar smiled. “I will ask Master Grisham to consider commissions after this auction is over, but I’m afraid he feels quite busy. He may not have time for more than one after yours is done.”

“Thank you, Ength,” Tuhoa replied. “We will make sure to offer enough to entice Master Grisham.”

“More than money will be needed for that,” Dollar said. He didn’t know if he meant it, but it never hurt to strike while the iron was hot and add to his price.

Tuhoa made his way back to lady Olivia’s side, but her eyes never left Dollar’s figure. The crowd’s eyes glistened with interest at his words. None of his exchanges with Tuhoa were private, and since the crowd had seen the materials within the sheet they had an inkling of what was going on.

Private commissions were far, far different from public auctions. A single artifact being sold at auction was a sign of showmanship and skill, but being able to replicate those artifacts and improve upon them was a whole different story.

“Grisham’s Artifact Dispensary is now back in business. This is your last chance to spend your coin on pulls!” Dollar declared with a shout.

The customers stepped back, their eyes lingering on the dispensary. It contained wonders unknown, masks and boxes that held the secrets of symbologists, and yet their curiosity wasn’t enough for them to spend their coin. Not when the auction was about to begin.

This is the power of mystery. And anticipation. Dollar’s lips curled into a devilish smile, his features hidden underneath his mask. Good. If any of them had spent their money it would mean that I hadn’t enticed them enough.

“I think yer smiling,” a gruff voice said. “But I’m glad I can’t see it, or I might be having regrets.”

The voice smacked against Dollar’s ears, and Dollar turned to see a man in a stained gray shirt and rough baggy pants setting up a seat next to the dispensary box. It was Gherm. The man had placed himself on the left side of the dispensary, opposite Bill, and was looking out into the ever-increasing sea of potential customers.

To those looking at the man with confusion, Dollar provided an explanation.

“This is Gherm, a member of the fisherman’s guild,” Dollar said. “He is here to facilitate the deal and confirm that all parties receive what they’re promised.”

Gherm was only a bronze-ranked member of the fisherman’s guild, but he represented the organization as a whole. His presence was a deterrent. One of a few that Dollar had put in place.

“I’m here to keep you all in line,” Gherm said, his voice carrying across the marketplace. “And since it gets me out of that tomb we call a guild building, I’m happy to be volunteering for this. For those of you who think I look weak, this here is Tiny.”

Gherm motioned to his side, where a huge man dressed in the tunic of the fisherman’s guild guards stood by. The man had a silver badge on his chest, but it belonged to the hunter’s guild. Several people looked at ‘Tiny’ uneasily. Within the various guilds there was a strict hierarchy. Tiny was a silver badge, but Gherm was in charge because the commissioned job belonged to the fisherman’s guild.

Normally a silver ranked hunter wouldn’t be available. I didn’t even notice Tiny approaching. When did he get here? The hunter’s guild member nodded at Dollar, and his thoughts raced. He tapped his fingers against the dispensary as the crowd watched Tiny’s every movement carefully. No. This isn’t a bad thing. The fisherman’s guild must have shelled out extra for him to build a good relationship with Master Grisham. Hmm. He does look young though.

Tiny couldn’t have been older than twenty five, and Dollar realized that was likely on purpose. Hiring a silver-ranked guild member should have been impossible in Tiber city, let alone one from the hunter’s guild. He didn’t know much about the guild, but their higher-ranked members rarely spent their time in cities. They preferred to be in the wild tearing apart creatures with their bare hands.

But the symbol’s presence had changed that. The balance of power had shifted and the guilds had moved more resources into Tiber city. Now, even the hunter’s guild were interested in what lay beneath lake Tiberius, and their members were mingling with the crowds.

“Tiny crushes Raskha seeds with his hands. Yer heads won’t be a problem.” Gherm said. “So don’t make trouble.”

The unkempt man tipped his cap at the nervously chuckling crowd, unconcerned about the gazes sent his way.

Volunteering my ass. It cost me two gold coins to have him be here for one afternoon. Dollar lamented. But I suppose they did go all out, so I can’t be too mad.

It had nearly killed Dollar to have to part with a portion of his payday to ensure the guild would send someone, but he knew it had to be done. Tiny’s presence reassured him more than anyone else’s. Thieves were uncommon in a marketplace that was already well guarded, but extra security never hurt.

He had gone to the fisherman’s guild because he didn’t want to rely on guards paid by House Tiberius. A quick glance across the crowd showed him that the Accensi he’d spotted were still present. There were four in total, each one eyeing Tiny carefully.

“Keep an eye out on anyone looking to make trouble,” Dollar told Tiny.

“Yes, boss,” Tiny nodded.

His voice was deep, and inflected with a rumble that washed over the crowd. At the sound of Tiny’s voice, Bill stamped his hooves, leaving a deep imprint on the ground, causing people to hastily move away from him. With a guttural grunt the grec rose to his full height, standing as wide as a small car and as tall as one too. He raised his horn to the sky, the sun glimmering off its sharpened tip, and let out a powerful oink that reverberated across the surroundings.

The grec’s message was clear. Tiny wasn’t the only threat to any would-be thieves.

Dollar smiled as the crowd took a step back. None of them knew about Bill’s symbols, but anybody with ill intentions would have to contend with a metric ton of pork bodying them, and a silver-ranked hunter soon to follow.

I just hope Bill remembers to save his symbols only for an emergency. Dollar thought. I can always claim the change as being an artifact’s effect.

When the crowd was at its busiest, Dollar decided it was time.

“Come now, come now,” he shouted loud and clear. “The promised auction is at hand, and I’m sure you’re all dying to see what Grisham has made for you all. For those who aren’t interested, he says, and I am quoting here, ‘those people couldn’t spot good craftsmanship if it bit them in the ass. So I don’t care about them.’”

Dollar’s words were accompanied by boos, but he raised his hands to placate the crowd.

“My sympathies, but I assure you my master’s arrogant words come from a strong foundation of confidence. He is someone I have pledged my life to learning from, and now you will see why.”

Patience. Patience. Keep their attention. Build their anticipation.

Dollar flourished his hands, and four stone plates appeared in a straight line on top of his dispensary. Side-by-side, each was empty, but as the crowd’s eyes were drawn to them, he released a single item from his inventory. Then another a minute later. And another. Followed by one last one.

Four products lay on the stones, each had been created from the leftovers he’d purchased from the Symbologist’s Lot.

A pair of adjustable boots.

A long, full-body robe.

Two adjustable rings.

Each one was cheap to create, but Dollar had spent half an hour making sure that he picked the right symbols to place on them, making them valuable in their usage. He could see Earl’s eyes flickering with realization, the symbologist knew that the artifacts were made from the materials that came from the Symbologist’s Lot, which means they could only have been made in the last few hours. It didn’t take much to put two and two together. Clearly, Master Grisham had to be nearby.

The symbologist turned to face the crowd, his eyes scrutinizing every person carefully. Several of the guild members by his side reacted as well, having been signaled through methods Dollar couldn’t spot.

He thinks Master Grisham is here. Dollar smirked. I suppose he’s right.

“What are they?” Lady Nestin called out. “I’ll pay you for the answer if need be.”

Dollar chuckled at the woman’s words. “Alphead Nestin, you have coins to spare, and you’re not trying to hide that fact. I like you.”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Lady Nestin’s lips curled backwards into a feral smile, her features eerily reminiscent of a predator as she chuckled. “Those who call me Alphead are few and far between. But I will allow it for now.”

“No need for coin. I’ll ask for knowledge instead,” Dollar replied. “That ax. What is it?”

Her smile widened. “That answer will cost you an entire artifact. But I will have you know that the Nestin noble family is famous for raising hunters without fear. As your guard may attest to. Whatever materials your artifacts are made from, we likely skinned them from the corpses ourselves.”

Dollar glanced to his side where both Gherm and Tiny had adopted stony-expressions. Neither was showing fear, but the caution in their postures was enough to tell Dollar that Lady Nestin wasn’t lying.

Devious tactics. Splurging gold. Keeping information hidden. And utterly dominating with her words. Yeah. I like her. Dollar thought. She reminds me of someone I know. But I can’t quite put my finger on who.

“Smart and deadly,” Dollar clapped his hands together. “Interesting. I only hope that’s enough for you to win today. For it appears many parties are interested in what Master Grisham has to sell.”

The hidden meaning of her actions wasn’t lost on him. Alphead Nestin had mentioned her coin and status in order to show him that she meant business, and that she knew the value of what he’d be selling. But she had mentioned her status and the hunter title in order to scare the people around her. Which meant she was already playing to win.

Dollar noted the reactions her name garnered. A lot of the gathered people were scrutinizing her words, and her person. He could see that Alphead wasn’t wearing a symbologist badge, but the two bronze-ranked symbologists flanking her didn’t flinch at her words or look angry.

A few of the patrons dressed in finer clothes had grown pale when they’d heard her surname.

Nestin. Nope. I haven’t heard of them. She must have come to Tiber City from afar. Dollar didn’t ask her where she was from. Revealing any lack of knowledge would lower his ability to negotiate during the auction. Instead, he memorized her features to question Mitsy later. At worst, they could consult the book of Tournament of Kings participants to see if the Nestin household was within it.

“Very well, Alphead,” Dollar shifted his tone, adding a hint of respect to it. “You have my promise that everything I say is true, and that my descriptions are accurate to the word. Gherm, my good man, please place on the boots.”

When requesting Gherm’s presence, Dollar had given the fisherman’s guild an overview of the items he’d be selling and demonstrated their use. Gravila had even appeared, the silver-badged auctioneer offering him a fistful of gold coins to hold off on selling the artifacts until they could be put up in the next fisherman’s guild auction. Unfortunately, that was two weeks away, and Dollar had other plans, so she had gone back disappointed.

Gherm grunted, his every motion making it clear that his job was an inconvenience. The fisherman’s guild representative slipped on the boots, adjusting them to his feet with a series of leather-like straps.

The guild representative moved from side to side, stamping his feet loudly.

“Activate them,” Dollar said.

“Done,” Gherm said.

His footsteps fell silent, and with a mischievous grin he jumped, thumping onto the ground so hard that he dug into it.

The crowd couldn’t hear a single thing.

Dollar spread his arms out proudly and dramatically. “These are called Boots of Silencing. Displayed before in an auction in this very city, they will suppress the footsteps of anyone who wears them for thirty seconds, with a cooldown time of thirty seconds starting from the end of the silencing period. They have also been toughened with other symbols in order to make them more durable.”

His words were met with surprised murmurs, and several glimmers of interest.

Mitsy was right. Dollar thought. Just the effect of muffling footsteps is enough. A full Magician’s Bane is overkill to sell.

Thanks to their upbringing the people of this world would think of ways to use the item that Dollar couldn’t imagine. So, he had gone with a more general title this time. This way he wouldn’t lose money, as he suspected that he had by naming his previous work, The Magician’s Bane.

The crowd and Dollar watched as Gherm put the boots back onto their stone plate and took the robe and draped it over his body.

“This is called-”

A series of gasps interrupted him, and Dollar paused as the crowd gazed at Gherm in shock.

The guild man had disappeared, his entire body draped in darkness from head to toe. The robes covering his body didn’t reach his face, nor did they cover his hands and wrists, but the tendrils of shadows still reached every inch of his skin, from his hair to his feet, with the exception of his eyes.

“If it were nighttime, I’d be invisible,” Gherm gazed down at his hands in wonder. “Aye, I could use something like this.”

“We all know where you’d go when your wife’s not looking, Gherm,” Dollar whispered to him, loud enough for the crowd to hear and laugh. “But you can’t bid for it.”

“A man can dream,” Gherm replied.

Even the silver-ranked hunter is interested. Good to know. Dollar noted.

“The Robes of Darkness,” Dollar declared. “For twenty seconds they will veil you entirely in darkness as seen here. There is a five minute cooldown period per use. And yes, they are unnoticeable at night. Even moonlight will not help others spot you. Imagine how they could be used with the Boots of Silencing.”

This time the crowd reacted viscerally.

Lady Nestin and Lady Olivia reacted the most violently, both leaning forward with their hands clasped around their weapons. Neither the ax nor the rapier would be drawn, but both were imagining how they would use the cloak in battle. Tuhoa eyed the cloak carefully beside Lady Olivia, his arms still wrapped around the storage box.

The four Accensi in the crowd had stiffened, and one walked away. Dollar watched the Accensi leave from the corner of his eye and hid the frown forming on his face. More interference from House Tiberius wouldn’t be good for business, but there was nothing he could do about it.

“Aye,” Tiny said. “That is a fine artifact.”

The guard’s rumble mingled with the crowd’s excitement, intensifying it. Tiny’s gaze never left the crowd, but Dollar noted a slight shift in the man’s feet. Both were now pointing at the cloak.

The sound of clinking coins hitting the air around them as people brought out their coin pouches.

Okay, I guess five minutes isn’t too long of a cooldown period for the artifact’s effect. Dollar mused as he watched the crowds. Mitsy was right. Again.

He and Mitsy had discussed which artifacts he could create for personal use, and which he could sell.

Darkness was the obvious answer.

It was the simplest type of artifact to create. All he’d needed to do was pile on darkness symbols into embedded glossrocks and connect them into an array. Each symbol had been strengthened using [Ength’s Touch] and modified using [Symbol Variation] so that the shadows would cover every inch of the person but go no further than that. Unlike the boots, the cloak wasn’t able to fit a hardening symbol without exploding, but it would still be useful.

Mitsy had told him that cooldowns weren’t as big a deal as he imagined. Being able to become one with shadows for an infinite amount of time was too powerful, but apparently so was using it for thirty seconds.

“Do you know how many people I could take down in that time?” Mitsy had asked. “Trust me, twenty seconds is enough to get people’s attention and then some. Thirty will make us rich.”

“I will never doubt her again,” Dollar murmured.

Then, he shook his head and instantly vowed to break his promise. Doubting people was in his nature, and he didn’t want to change it.

“This is quite the magnificent artifact,” a new voice called out. “And from what I’m seeing, your master is quite skilled.”

Dollar turned toward the voice, expecting to see Alphead once again, but instead, a man stepped forward. He was effeminate in looks, with a skinny frame and a long black ponytail curled around his sleek neck, but the clothes he wore were the real attention grabber.

A tunic of knives and chainmail donned his chest, and his pants were silver, rippling like silk but glimmering like they were crafted from metal.

“Indeed he is,” Dollar replied, his voice merry. “You’ve got a magnificent eye for quality, good sir.”

“Merry is my name,” Merry flashed Dollar a toothy grin, his blue eyes glued onto the Robes of Darkness. “Just Merry. No noble title, unfortunately. I had to make my way from nothing.”

“There’s nothing unfortunate about earning your coins,” Dollar said, his voice grave and resolute. “Hard work is what brings us up. No matter how much our roots try to keep us down.”

The man blinked in surprise at the gravitas behind Dollar’s tone, and Dollar pressed his lips together. He hadn’t meant to let out that little outburst, but Merry had hit a soft spot.

“Thank you,” Merry said.

The warrior, or at least that’s what Dollar supposed he was, glanced at Alphead Nestin and Olivia defiantly. His declaration was for them as much as it was for Dollar, announcing that he wouldn’t shy away from a fight, even if his opponent was a noble.

“I always appreciate those with an eye for quality,” Lady Nestin said, replying to the unspoken challenge. “Indeed, this is the most magnificent manifestation of a darkness concept I’ve ever seen. I can’t imagine the amount of study that went into this. Months? No. This is too skilled for that. Years? Also too low. This is the result of a lifetime of research.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too,” Earl’s voice rose from the side.

There was a murmur of agreement among the symbologists in the crowd. Earl and the other symbologists weren’t interested in buying the robes, but they could sense how it had been made. Several of them were examining the boots and the other two artifacts, trying to work out what they were.

Even that simple investigation had revealed to them the skill behind the craftsmanship. Symbols were a conduit between reality and concepts. For ordinary people, learning the meaning and concepts that a symbol represented was just as time consuming as learning the symbol itself. To manifest the properties of a symbol properly, the symbologist had to know the meaning behind them, and the greater the understanding of the concept the symbol represents, the more powerful the effect.

Drawing the symbol correctly gave it a physical body, but the concepts behind the symbol were what gave symbols life. For symbols with strange effects, it wasn’t uncommon for symbologists to go their entire lives searching for the meaning behind a symbol without finding it.

Maybe I’ve been underestimating the power of [Language - Symbols]. Dollar thought. I skipped the difficult parts of the process and just had to focus on making sure I drew straight lines.

“What it can do matters more than how it was made,” Merry said, the warrior once again joining the conversation. He looked defiantly over the crowd. “I want this one.”

“Hold onto your coins,” Dollar said. “You’ll need them.”

“Ay, I’m not looking forward to this one,” Gherm said. “This auction will be more trouble than I thought it would be.”

“Would you stop grumbling if I paid you a gold coin for the day?” Dollar asked.

“No.” Gherm replied.

Another laugh went up from the crowd, louder this time, and with a hint of eagerness added to it.

Dollar’s words were just for showmanship, and he was glad that Gherm was playing along. The guild representative had put the robe back, handling it delicately, and immediately replaced it with one of the two rings that Dollar had placed on display.

“Please watch as I kill Gherm,” Dollar said.

The crowd gasped at his words, but they’d reacted too late. With a wave of his hand Dollar summoned a transparent glass box over Gherm’s head. It had a hole perfectly suited to fit the man’s neck, and several holes were present at the top to allow air through the box. However, the entire device was filled with water, surrounding the man’s head and drowning him.

Of course, Dollar hadn’t created the drowning device himself. He’d rented it from the fisherman’s guild. The fact that they’d had something like this in storage was a stroke of luck.

Dollar didn’t ask what they’d originally used it for.

“A torture box,” Tiny growled.

“He’s drowning!” someone shouted.

Another person had covered their eyes, “you’ll kill him!”

“That’s the point, my dear onlookers,” Dollar replied with a wry tone. “Watch, as Gherm drowns in a box of his own guild’s creation.”

For his part, Gherm had crossed his arms, rolling his eyes as the water splashed around his head. He wasn’t drowning, or pretending to, despite being enclosed in water, and soon the crowd had gotten over their shock and started to converse.

Dollar could see the gears of their minds turning as they worked out what was happening, and many of them looked at the ring that Gherm had equipped.

Earl was the first to figure it out. “Water breathing.”

The symbologists around the man nodded, each coming to the same conclusion.

This time Dollar didn’t take the artifact back. Instead, he let Gherm sit there, proudly displaying the water breathing effects. The visual aid was an attention grabber, and it proved to everyone that the effect wasn’t just a quick one like the robes and shoes.

Dollar opened his mouth to speak, but the noise of the crowd had grown into a crescendo. It was impossible for his words to be heard, and he shook his head as the excitement outgrew him.

BANG.

A stamp of a hoof rippled outward, quieting the crowd. Bill raised his horn to the air as all eyes turned onto him, and preened. With a loud oink the uni-pig turned to Dollar, and people realized that he was trying to talk to them.

“Thank you my friend,” Dollar said. “The final two items are identical in effect. These Rings of Water Breathing are incredibly useful for those of you who are bad at swimming,” Dollar tapped the remaining ring gently, allowing all attention to fall onto the artifact. “For a full day you will be able to use these to breath in water. They each have a cooldown of just five hours. For those of you who are worried about timing yourselves, Master Grisham has adjusted the artifacts so that when they're activated their veil will glow faintly as the effect continues. By the time the final hour of breathing time arrives, the veil will vanish from sight. This effect can be covered easily for those who are worried about being seen." Seeing excited chatter, Dollar flicked his finger pointedly at the crowd. "For obvious reasons, you cannot bypass the veil to see the array symbols. Master Grisham didn't make the veil transparent, he only applied a bright one."

There was a series of laughs from the people who had been thinking exactly that. Buying the veil had been a spontaneous purchase made with his [Symbol Obscurity] in consideration. Dollar couldn't rely on his [skill] to remain impenetrable in all circumstances, and adding a cheap veil to each artifact was an extra measure of security. A veil that glowed as the symbol array was activated was a standard feature for many artifacts.

With the final effect displayed, people were starting to recognize a theme.

“I’m sure you can see the pattern,” Dollar said. “But, for those that haven’t, are there any willing to enlighten the crowd?”

Tuhoa stepped forward without hesitation, the butler’s ever-present smile unnerving the crowd. “They’re all items that would prove invaluable when exploring a dark lake that is surrounded by enemies.”

“Exactly,” Dollar agreed. “Silence. Darkness. Water breathing. Buy one, and you will have an advantage. Buy all of them, and you will be unstoppable.”

“How convenient,” Alphead said, her eyes lingering on the rings, but soon flickering back to the Robes of Darkness.

“Convenient is one word for it,” Dollar said. “There is a method behind the madness. At his age, master Grisham has no intention of pursuing the symbol below. But he can help you explore the depths, for the right amount of coin. These items will be up for bidding, beginning with the Boots of Silencing.”

The anticipation had reached a crescendo, and there wasn’t a single person in the crowd that didn’t have their coins at the ready. Alphead licked her lips, Merry’s eyes glowed, Olivia had claimed the storage box from Tuhoa, and Earl had gathered the symbologists of the guild around him, all of them looking carefully at the Rings of Water breathing.

Despite his calm demeanor, Dollar couldn’t help but feel excited.

This might be my biggest haul yet. Not just for funds, but also the increase in levels that it’ll bring…

“Interesting.”

The excitement froze as a single word swept out across the crowd, but Dollar only had eyes for what accompanied the voice.

A blade of dark gold aura had appeared, sweeping over the crowd to reach him.

What is that? Dollar’s body stiffened as a sensation of danger crept over him and he raised his hands warily as the words touched his ears. With his [Aura Sense] he could see the blade of dark gold aura slithering across his neck like a guillotine blade.

“No.” Tiny’s rumbling voice interrupted Dollar’s chain of thought.

The silver-ranked hunter stepped forward and grasped the dark gold aura with his bare hand. With a crunch he shattered it into pieces, but in the aura’s place was a spattering of cuts. Blood flowed freely from them, but the guard ignored his injuries and turned to face the crowd, trying to spot the attacker within.

“The guilds have grown confident in Tiber’s misery, but they forget who rules this city,” a voice spoke out from beside Dollar. “Perhaps it’s time to rectify that mistake.”

All Dollar saw was a blur from beside him and then Tiny’s hand was covering him protectively. Something hit Dollar’s mask, and he quickly spotted it for what it was. Blood. Dollar heard gasps of fear as Tiny’s tunic sparkled with symbol arrays.

Dark gold threads criss-crossed the surroundings, and the silver-ranked hunter’s arm vanished. For a moment, Dollar thought that the limb had been disintegrated, but then he spotted a plume of dust rising from the ground and saw that Tiny had been pushed back.

The silver-ranked hunter was bleeding, but he looked more angry than hurt, and Gherm stood upright beside the guard, his eyes glued onto someone behind Dollar.

“Geist.” Tiny growled.

“Hunter.” A voice replied.

Dollar’s gaze whipped to his side, and he saw his attacker for the first time. A pair of dark purple eyes met his, belonging to a lean young man with dark hair and a sneer on his lips. His eyes smoldered with disinterest and confidence, as though all who were present were beneath him.

“I heard there was an auction,” the young man said. “One containing dangerous artifacts for sale.”

The young man’s finger traced over the dispensary, pressing down onto the stone box until it screeched. Wherever he touched, a line was carved. It wasn’t born from a [skill] or a tool. The man was using raw power to etch his markings onto the stone.

“Interesting items. Ones that could be used against House Tiberius.” The young man’s voice held a hint of a threat. “Are you the one who made them?”

No armor. No weapons. Dollar assessed the newcomer’s threat level. Wait. What’s that on his chest…Oh no.

The young man looked up and smiled. He couldn’t see past Dollar’s mask, but he spotted the growing horror in Dollar’s posture. His finger left the dispensary and it was unmarred by the stone it had crushed. He was draped in a simple green and silver robe, and a badge was clasped to his chest. It didn’t belong to a guild.

It was the emblem of House Tiberius.

“The Accensi,” Dollar said. I saw one leave. This is who they were reporting to.

“You spotted them.” The young man frowned. But he didn’t deny Dollar’s words. “Come. Reveal yourselves.”

From within the crowd four people pushed forward, ignoring the muted protests of the people around them. Each one wore the emblems of House Tiberius and had swords clasped to their sides. They were Accensi, the sworn soldiers of House Tiberius.

Dollar’s hand curled into a fist and he focused on his storage ring. He could bring out Agni and the notebook of the Unseeing within an instant, but he didn’t do so. Not yet.

“You must have slacked in your training,” the young man said. He was speaking to the Accensi now, ignoring Dollar as though he were nothing more than an insect. “I will rectify that.”

The four Accensi shivered, and Dollar saw their hands trembling.

“Geist,” Dollar repeated the word Tiny had spoken. “Not Accensi. Not Ino. Geist.”

His father had taught him a lot about the culture of House Tiberius. Its rankings, and its powers. Accensi were the lowest ranked soldiers, each equal to a bronze-ranked adventurer. Above them were the Ino, the backbone of House Tiberius’s forces. They were the equivalent of silver-ranked soldiers and bronze-ranked hunters.

At the pinnacle of House Tiberius’s forces were the Geists.

They were the rarest of the soldiers of House Tiberius, and the deadliest. Each one could hold their own against a gold-ranked adventurer, and silver-ranked hunter.

I’m dead. Dollar narrowed his eyes. I was from the moment he laid eyes on me.

“Stop.” Tiny stepped forward. “This has gone far enough,”

“You do not have a say in this,” the young man said, his voice dripping with spite. “Foreigners to our city. You don’t even recognize me. But they do.”

The Geist swept his hand over the crowd and several sections of it parted with fear. Those who were citizens of Tiber City fled, scurrying as fast as their feet could take them. Lady Nestin had drawn her ax, sweat dripping down her forehead, and Earl’s expression was thunderous as he watched the Geist’s every move.

Only Tohua and Lady Olivia looked calm,

“Nobody here is strong enough to stop me. And even if you are, you won’t do it in time to save your charge’s life,” the young man said. “So, no, you do not speak for me. Only I say when things have gone far enough.”

To punctuate his words the Accensi moved forward in unison. Each wore identical uniforms and clasped at the swords strapped to their sides. Whatever doubts the crowd had as to their stance was gone as they displayed their weapons proudly, but all eyes were on the young man who stood beside Dollar.

I’d say they’ve taken it too far. Dollar frowned. I’m losing my momentum.

“I greet the esteemed members of House Tiberius,” Dollar clasped his hands together and bowed with respect. “You look familiar, good sir. Have we met before?”

Dollar didn’t hesitate to meet malice with kindness, and the young man turned to face him. The Geist wasn’t unnerved by his unwavering voice, but Dollar’s words weren’t just flattery. Dollar truly did find the man familiar, though he couldn’t place the face with a name. Which was strange because he usually remembered faces very well.

The young man smiled, a cruel and twisted thing that sent a shiver down the crowd’s spine. “I am Uinso Tiberius.” His fingers swept over the artifacts on display. “There were claims that an unknown symbologist is attempting to sell dangerous artifacts within our city. I see they were correct.”

Uinso raised his hand and a dark gold aura gathered around his fingers, but before he could make a move a single horn pushed his hand away, accompanied by a low growl.

“Oink,” Bill warned.

The uni-pig had been silent during Uinso’s approach, but now there was a tell-tale shimmer of armor over his fur. His protection symbol had been activated, and it allowed Bill’s horn to pass through the dark gold aura unharmed.

Uinso blinked in surprise at the uni-pig’s sudden appearance, and retracted his hand, his eyes locked onto the undamaged horn that had interrupted him. “A grec?”

“Master Grisham’s personal guard grec,” Dollar replied. “As for your claim, well, it is simply false.” He kept his voice light, and calm. “All I have here are proper artifacts, all set for sale by a reputable vendor. They’ve been approved by the marketplace for sale, and by the guilds. Tell me, who put forward these claims?”

The Geist didn’t shift his attention from Bill, and a slight frown took over his lips. “That information isn’t for you to know. We will be taking these artifacts to the main estate of House Tiberius for examination. If we find them to be real, you will be compensated for the materials used to create them. If they are dangerous, then they will be destroyed, and you will be thrown into the dungeons. To save you time, we will be placing you there until all is resolved. ”

I see. And I suppose they’ll definitely be fair in that evaluation. No bias or hidden intentions at all. Dollar held back his sarcastic response. No. No matter what happens, I can’t let them take the artifacts out of my sight.

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” Dollar said. “Master Grisham would be most displeased.”

“He is right, no symbologist of the guild may be held against their will, nor their attendants,” Earl’s voice interrupted them.

Given time to prepare, the members of the symbologist guild had risen as one, equipped with artifacts brought out from storage artifacts. Earl led their group, and each made their way with confidence toward the Geist.

“What do you think you’re doing, interfering with House Tiberius?” Uinso tore his gaze away from Bill and focused on Earl.

Earl grunted and waved a hand at the dispensary. “What do you think you’re doing, breaking guild sanctioned rules to rob a symbologist? Not to mention the restrictions you’ve placed on other artifact sales. It didn’t take us long to figure out the reason why no more artifacts of water breathing were being sold.”

The gathered crowd murmured their agreement, but the four Accensi stepped in front of the members of the symbologist guild,

“I am doing my duty,” Uinso replied. “For my law is higher than yours.”

Earl snorted, but the sound died in his throat as he met Uinso’s stare. All that lay within the Geist’s purple eyes was uncaring darkness.

Nobody here has bought Uinso’s lies, but they don’t need to. Dollar realized. He wants them to challenge him. All he needs is a single reason to slaughter them all.

Dollar shuffled closer to Bill, his eyes never leaving the Geist. Several people in the crowd had stepped forward now. Lady Nestin’s ax scraped against the ground, and Tiny’s wounds had stopped bleeding, allowing him to don two brown fingerless gloves glimmering with symbols.

I should have expected this. The tensions between the guilds and House Tiberius are growing rapidly as House Tiberius loses its stranglehold on the populace. Dollar thought. House Tiberius carved their reputation with blood, and now they’ll spill more to maintain it.

“Hang on a moment,” Dollar’s eyes narrowed as he recognized the man. “I know you.”

Uinso turned to Dollar, his eyes reflecting Dollar’s mask back at him.

“You’re the same member of House Tiberius that Master Grisham outbid in the fisherman’s guild auction for the Greil Petals.” Dollar said.

“I am,” Uinso replied with a single, curt, nod. “A rare item. One that I wanted dearly.”

“But not the reason you were there,” Dollar replied. “How many auctions have you attended, hoping to find a reason to put the guilds in their place?”

Uinso smiled, and Dollar saw that he had hit the mark.“They sent the hunter here for a reason.”

No wonder he was so mad at the time. With House Tiberius’ backing the fisherman’s guild wouldn’t have known who was in that auction box. Dollar thought. Unveiling his presence to me should have guaranteed him the Greil Petals. Instead, I beat his bid, and he revealed his existence to the auction house for nothing.

“You had a good plan. Fabricating a reason to stop the auctions would weaken the fisherman’s guild’s foundations. In normal times it would be a powerful blow. But the fisherman’s guild took precautions,” Dollar glanced at Tiny, who nodded at him, and then at Earl, who still stood calm among the Accensi. “I can’t imagine how many opportunities that must have cost you. All five guilds working together is a far more difficult force to take down. Especially in these trying times.”

“Perhaps, or perhaps not. It doesn’t matter,” Uinso interrupted.

Uinso’s gaze met Dollar’s. There was something within the Geist’s eyes that bothered Dollar. An inkling of familiarity beyond the auction house. But before he could figure it out, Uinso raised his hand and two of the Accensi flanked Dollar, ignoring Bill’s growls.

“There will be no more interference, or useless statements, you’ll be coming with us now.”

Uinso stated.

“You don’t have a choice.”