The group makes it to the stage. Before them, rows of seats are lined up towards a center stage. There, an announcer enthusiastically presents various objects that appear behind the giant red curtains behind him one-by-one. The group finds a place to be seated, while Victor marvels at the grand stage.

The announcer begins to present the next item. The red curtains draw away, and a beautiful woman in a sparkling red dress rolls out a cart with a fishbowl on it. Inside, a fish wisps away back and forth, as its body shimmers in the color of blue, red and purple, alternating in pattern between the three colors.

Announcer: Next up! We have the legendary Shinsuesoo, otherwise known as, “the spirit fish!” They say that eating this fish will greatly bolster one’s vitality! You can live a hundred healthy years without needing to exercise! Because of this, it’s a great source for cultivating “vital energy!” Unfortunately, this fish can only be found in restricted locations, such as the Raon continent! Which is where this little one was exported from!

Victor: Woah…Look at that thing…It’s like I’m seeing fire moving inside of water, except it’s rainbow…Is that thing really safe to eat…?

Queenie (thinking): The Raon country…? I thought they sealed off their borders…? And I doubt just anybody snuck inside the country long enough to find something as precious as that…Much less being able to sneak into it…

Queenie was always one for curiosity. Whenever faced with a discrepancy, she couldn’t help but search for a possible explanation herself. Based on her preexisting knowledge of the Raon country, it was nigh impossible for an outsider to get in, which boils down to the possibility that somebody from within was smuggling items out of the country – At least, this was so far what Queenie concluded to make the most sense.

Announcer: Even then, there has only been a total of twelve of these fishes ever recorded, including this one right here! Now…! We’ll be starting the bargain at 1,000,000 coins!

Victor jumps from his seat a little, “1,000,000 coins???!! That’s insane!!! That’s already more than what we have on us!! Is that little thing really that precious??!!”

Tatsuo: Sounds like just a rare fish to me. – He said in his usual aloof manner with his arms crossed.

Victor: Exactly!!!

Various bidders begin placing their bids, each one upping the previous ones. Victor turns his head in astonishment with the amount of wealthy people, and how much they were willing to bargain for.

Victor slumps himself back and lets out a defeated sigh.

Victor: And here I thought we were rich.

Darren: Well…We still kind of are. We just can’t compare to these folks here. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them are rulers of a kingdom from somewhere.

Sharon: It’s a shame that whoever most likely gets it won’t make the best use out of it…

Sharon’s words piqued Queenie’s interest.

Queenie: Say…Sharon…Can you perhaps see it too…?

Sharon looks at Queenie confused, “Hm? See what?”

Queenie pauses and chooses to ignore it, “Nevermind…”

Queenie wanted to know if Sharon was capable of seeing both the magic and ‘energy auras’ of other organisms like she could. It wasn’t far-fetched since Sharon was an elf.

Finally, the fish is sold for a bidder at a price of 4,800,000 coins. The announcer proceeds to move onto the next item. This time, the featured item is a highly ornate silver gauntlet.

Announcer: Next we have a magic weapon: a gauntlet! Forged by a master cast smither. This weapon has also been charmed, so you can be sure that nobody else has used it yet! We will begin the bargain at 380,000 coins!

Victor: …Magic weapon? What’s that?

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Darren: It’s just as it sounds. It’s a weapon that has magic qualities.

Queenie: Usually magic weapons or armor are superior to regular ones. It can improve the capability of the weapon or user itself, or cause added effects, such as say…Producing flames, or making the user float in the air.

Victor: Wha- That’s insane! They’re really magical then!

Queenie: Yep. There’s also other properties that come with it such as enchantments, charms, and runes…But that’s advanced concepts that you don’t need to know.

Victor: I-in that case! I want to have that gauntlet!

Sharon: …Don’t you already have the steam gauntlet that Dr. Crogsbell gave you?

Victor: I can mix-and-match!

Darren: …You’re sounding like a collector…

Victor: Plus we have enough coins for this one! We can actually–

Victor’s words gets cut off as the current bidder shouts his bid at 1,200,000 coins.

Victor slumps forward in sadness, “It’s not use…They outclass us…”

Queenie: Well…if you fail to find one later in your journey…You could also always turn your current gauntlet into a magic weapon.

Victor’s face lights up, “Wait, I can??!!”

Queenie: Yeah…Though it may be pricey, you can find a blacksmith that knows enchantment or a cast smither.

Victor: That’s right…The announcer did mention something about a cast smither…

Queenie: They’re basically people who use magic in their smithing process and specialize in creating magic weapons. Actually, if one of us was highly adept in cast smithing, it’d be possible to turn your steam gauntlet into a magic weapon right now. With the magic scrolls we received from the old couple at the Ellen.

“Really?!” Victor exclaims brightly. He jokingly entertains the idea of adding a cast smith to their team roster with the group.

Victor: Ho…I see…Thank you Queenie…You sure do know a lot about everything.

Queenie turns her head away, “I…just read a lot…That’s all…”

Darren: Uh-huh…You’ve said that a lot…What did you do, read an entire library?

Tatsuo: This is kind of boring. I don’t get how this is any different from the marketplace. It actually feels slower.

Victor: Huh??!! Aren’t these things like, really rare items or something?! You can’t just find these in your regular marketplace!

Tatsuo: Hmm…Seems over the top to me.

Victor: …What’s wrong with you? Does anything impress you at all?

The announcer presents the next item. The announcer’s arms swishes, and from the side of the stage, a man covered in tattered rags with chained hands, walks forward to the center. Victor and Sharon respond in unpleasant surprise.

Announcer: A man that escaped from his hometown! Faring from one of the three rainbow cities! This time, a slave! For those that could use the additional manpower for their own convenience!

Victor: Hold on…Are they really selling a person…?

Darren: Well yeah. He’s on stage isn’t he? It’s called a slave. Oh yeah. The two of you (Sharon and Victor) haven’t been anywhere else other than Irene haven’t you? I guess the concept of slavery would be unsettling to you. Slavery is pretty uncommon here after all.

Victor glances over at Tatsuo (thinking), ‘Well…I’m pretty sure that guy is in the same boat, but he seems pretty unfazed by it…’

Victor: Still, that’s just morally wrong, is it not?!

Tatsuo: Hm? But weren’t you doing the same thing at the restaurant?

Victor: That’s different! It’s called a job!

Upon hearing the mention of his restaurant, he suddenly remembers that he had to return to his father. However, his attention quickly gets dragged back into the conversation making him forget about his initial mission again.

Tatsuo: Seems like the same thing to me. They just call it something else.

Darren: Well…Different culture for different folks, ya know? I don’t quite like it myself too, but that’s just how it is. Not all of us can be as lucky as others.

“You may want to steel yourself then,” - Queenie says to Victor.

Queenie: Slavery is plentiful once you all reach Odale.

Victor felt disturbed by her words. The excitement he had to visit another land had suddenly plummeted. Were the places outside of Irene really that different?

Seeing the cold, shivering slave on stage evoked unpleasant memories of Sharon being kidnapped by the bandits, and the chief bandit telling her how elves were highly sought in the blackmarket. She couldn’t help but think that were it not for Tatsuo saving her, it could’ve been her on that stage instead. The fear of being bought and owned by someone, she didn’t want to think about what people would do to her if it happened.

“We….” Sharon’s voice trembled. The group turns to face her. Her expression then changes to one filled brim with determination, “We will buy that slave!”