I opened the door and saw Mr. Henry seated on a sofa, surrounded by several secretaries. One of them was briefing him on the current state of the auction.

"Hello, Mr. Henry," I greeted, making sure he noticed my entrance.

"Oh, Kail, you're here already," he responded, waving his left hand to dismiss the secretaries. "Tell me about the situation after the auction."

They left the room without a word, and he turned his attention fully to me.

"I didn’t expect to hear the name Vaylith ever again," he said, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

"Theoretically, I’m still part of the family," I replied.

"Correct. Well, I’m glad to see you’re doing fine. Now, how can I help you?"

"Master said I could get a three-star bow and the necessary equipment for completing missions," I explained.

"For Evans' apprentice, I can lend you whatever you need," he said with a nod. "But remember, if you damage anything, you’ll pay for it."

"Master already informed me about that possibility," I reassured him.

"If you're already here, would you like to watch the auction?" he asked, motioning to the seating area.

"Why not? I don’t have anything else to do right now," I replied.

"Good, take a seat. Guests will be arriving soon."

As Mr. Henry had predicted, a crowd began to pour into the hall. Everyone was dressed in extravagant clothing, as though they were attending the most significant event of their lives. Even Mr. Henry, despite his casual demeanor, was wearing a suit—though his jacket struggled to stay buttoned over his stomach.

"Kail, do you want some proper clothes while you’re here? You don’t exactly blend in with the crowd," he said, gesturing toward my dark hunting attire.

"It doesn’t bother me," I replied with a shrug, "but if you insist."

"LIAM!" Mr. Henry called out.

The butler from earlier entered, bowing politely. "How can I help you, Mr. Henry?"

"Get Kail some proper clothes. Something comfortable," Mr. Henry instructed.

"Of course, sir. Mr. Kail, please follow me," Liam said, gesturing for me to come along.

He led me to a room filled with an array of suits. Specialized staff quickly got to work fitting and dressing me, though I couldn’t honestly describe the final outfit as comfortable. Afterward, they even styled my hair.

When they were finished, I found myself wearing an all-black suit paired with a dark green shirt that brought out the color of my eyes. My hair was neatly arranged, making me look almost unrecognizable.

When I returned to Mr. Henry’s room, he was deep in conversation with an older man. Unlike Mr. Henry, this man was well-built and carried himself with a disciplined air. Standing beside him was the girl from the bus.

"Good morning," I greeted the new guests with a small bow.

They returned my gesture with identical courtesy.

"Kail, you’re already back," Mr. Henry said, breaking off his conversation.

At Mr. Henry's words, I noticed the girl carefully studying me from head to toe.

"Okay, Henry, we’ll continue this discussion in a more serious setting next time," the older man said.

"Gilbert, you know perfectly well that such things are no longer my concern," Mr. Henry replied. "Contact Orlin and sort it out with him."

"It’s not my fault he’s been ignoring me for two months now," Gilbert muttered.

"Ahh, what can you do? At the moment, he’s more interested in creating than in leading," Mr. Henry said with a sigh.

"See you then," Gilbert said, turning to leave.

"Good luck," Mr. Henry replied.

With that, the man and the girl beside him exited the room.

"Are there problems with the Duskthorn clan?" I asked after they were gone.

"Nothing serious, just the mess caused by my son’s reckless driving," Mr. Henry answered with a shrug.

"That’s why you’re here and not at home?"

"Yes! I sent him to the post thinking I’d finally have peace in my life. Who knew that bastard would spend more time in the forge than at a desk full of documents?" He sighed, then continued, "But enough about that. Tell me, what’s Evans doing out there?"

"Nothing much—he just reads and terrorizes me during training," I replied, smirking.

"Well, that’s already an improvement from the days when they just threw him into the forest to fend for himself," Mr. Henry said with a chuckle.

The sound of people entering the auction room drew our attention.

"It’s starting," Mr. Henry noted.

The auction host appeared on stage. "Let’s watch," Mr. Henry suggested.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

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

The auction lasted three to four hours, showcasing a variety of items: weapons such as swords, spears, halberds, and daggers; non-aetheric armor of varying quality; and a few lots offering barrier creation methods and generators.

I observed the entire auction, but none of the items piqued my interest. Besides, the amounts of money being exchanged were far beyond my reach.

"What do you think?" Mr. Henry asked as the auction ended.

"It was interesting, but nothing particularly useful for me," I replied honestly.

"Today’s auction was aimed at small clans and guilds, so there wasn’t anything too valuable. Come on, let’s get you a bow," he said, standing up.

"Sure!" I agreed, following him.

This time, we approached the elevator. Instead of pressing a floor number, Mr. Henry entered a password, and the elevator began moving upward at a speed much faster than usual.

When the doors opened, Mr. Henry stepped forward and placed his hand on a nearby panel. After a few seconds, another set of doors slid open, revealing a large storage area.

"There’s nothing too precious here," he explained as we stepped inside. "These are mostly our mass production items and a few weaker or defective works."

Indeed, the room was filled with rows of identical weapons, and only a few stood out as unique creations. We walked to the far end of the room, where Mr. Henry paused and said:

"It would be best to choose from these. Some of the more powerful ones would simply be inefficient for you to use right now."

He wasn’t wrong. The more valuable and powerful a weapon, the greater the strength and aether control it required to wield it effectively. With only two armor components activated in my Mana Armis, I didn’t yet have the capability to handle such weapons.

I began browsing through the selection. There were various bows on display—longbows, recurve bows, and composite bows. My eyes were drawn to a recurve bow where the lower limb was made of black metal, while the upper limb and riser were crafted from a gray wood. The wooden parts were laced with fine green lines, while the metal featured blue straight lines that angled and shifted as if alive.

"What’s the story with this bow? Was it damaged?" I asked.

"It wasn’t damaged but modified," Mr. Henry explained. "During processing, the wood that was meant for the lower limb began to rot—perhaps due to temperature issues or a flaw in the material. The craftsman didn’t want to discard his work, so he cut out the rotted section and replaced it with a metal alloy similar to the wood’s properties."

"What’s it called?"

"Steelflag. It’s a 3-star bow, but originally, it was meant to be a 4-star. Because of its history, you won’t be able to draw out its full potential right now. You’d need at least one or two more armor components to use it at its intended level."

"Regardless, I’ll take it," I said without hesitation.

"As you wish," Mr. Henry replied.

He approached the wall where the bow was mounted and sent a small surge of aether toward it. The bow, which had been in a stable position, seemed to loosen its grip on the mount and fell gently into his hand.

"Here you go. Take good care of it," he said, handing it to me.

"Thank you very much," I replied, gripping the bow firmly.

"Now, onto the standard equipment," he said, turning toward the exit, where most of the mass-produced items were displayed.

He pointed in two different directions. "Pick suitable clothes from there and consumables—arrows, knives, and whatever else you need—from the other section. I’ll wait for you at the exit."

I nodded and headed toward the racks of reinforced clothing. After some browsing, I selected a black zippered jacket with a hood, accented by silver details, along with black combat pants and a pair of reinforced sports shoes. Despite their durability, the shoes were light and comfortable.

Next, I moved to the consumables section, where I grabbed two quivers of arrows and a pair of tactical knives. Once I was satisfied, I made my way to the exit, where Mr. Henry was waiting.

"Is that everything?" he asked.

"Seems like it," I replied.

"Yes, you are modest; you only took the minimum necessary," Mr. Henry remarked with a smirk.

"But what’s the point of surplus equipment?" I replied.

"If you could see what would happen if I opened these doors to most boys your age, they’d grab everything in sight and wouldn’t leave until they were carrying the maximum weight they could manage."

"If they think that’s what they need, let them take it. I’d rather come back only when I truly need something than make a single visit and take it all in one go."

"And who says you’ll come back here again?"

"Intuition," I replied confidently.

"Then we’ll see if your intuition holds true."

With that, the doors to the room slowly closed behind us.

"Mr. Henry, can you tell me how I can find Dr. Collins?"

"Collins? That old fox? Who knows where he’s holed up right now? But I know how to contact him. Do you need something specific?"

"Yes, I need to receive my mission from him."

"Ah, that’s even simpler. Just download an application to your smartwatch and contact the curator. Once you tell them who you are, they’ll send you the mission directly."

"About that… I’ll need a new smartwatch. Mine stopped working long ago."

"No problem."

Mr. Henry raised his hand to his chest and pressed a screen embedded in his suit, causing a holographic interface to appear. After typing out a message, he led me back to the auction room. We took the elevator to a different floor, where the butler, Liam, was already waiting for us.

"Mr. Kail, please," Liam said as he handed me a small box.

I opened it to find a sleek pair of black smartwatches with a round screen and green accents.

"Thank you very much," I said, impressed by their design.

"Open it and add me to your contacts," Mr. Henry instructed. "I’ll send you the application."

"Just a moment."

I connected the smartwatch, added Mr. Henry’s information, and downloaded the app he sent me.

"Do you have a place to stay for the night?" Mr. Henry asked.

"I was planning to find a hotel."

"No need for that," he replied with a wave of his hand. "Liam, get him an apartment in the city that’s currently unoccupied."

"Of course, Mr. Henry," Liam responded with a slight bow.

"I have a lot of work, Kail, so I’ll leave you here. Good luck."

"Thank you for your time," I said sincerely.

Mr. Henry departed, leaving me with Liam. The butler took the items I was holding and instructed me to wait for him at the reception.

After a short while, Liam returned carrying a case similar to the one for the guitar and two bags: the bag I originally arrived with and a new sports bag.

"In the case is your bow," Liam explained. "And in this bag are the rest of your belongings."

He then handed me a card, pulling it from his pocket.

"This is the key to an apartment on the outskirts of the city. You’re free to use it as you need. It’s currently unoccupied."

”And the address?”

"The car is waiting for you at the entrance," Liam informed me.

"Thank you very much."

"You're welcome."

I nodded briefly in farewell and made my way to the exit, where, as promised, a car was waiting for me. The driver greeted me with a polite nod as I got in, and soon we were on our way.

The building we arrived at was nothing extraordinary—a modest house located in a residential sector of the city. The apartment was on the 8th floor, numbered 29.

It was a simple but functional space, already furnished, with two rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom.

It’s convenient to have rich acquaintances, I was thinking as I looked around the apartment.