‘’I’m Philip, but you can call me Phil,’’ the young man said with a smile as he shook Ethan’s hand. He nodded at Adrian and gestured at the table. ‘’Please, sit down. Did you order anything? I highly recommend our pinot noirs. All rare finds and exported from the Union.’’

‘’We did, but I might take your suggestions as well,’’ Ethan said, sitting back on his chair. ‘’Now, Phil, as you know, we’re here to buy some information, but I have some hesitation on that. How can I be sure that what I’m interested in will stay between us, and that you don’t offer to the next guy who came here with more cash?’’

‘’Valid concerns. If you can ask around, you’ll know that our information agency has been in operation for more than a thousand years. While we're based in Mirasatra, our reputation is well known throughout the continent,’’ Philip started to explain but paused after seeing Ethan’s unimpressed expression. ‘’We can sign a rune contract if it would please you.’’

‘’That’s the contract I told you about,’’ Adrian told Ethan and turned at Philip. ‘’Their prices are about 20 mana stones, I suppose?’’

‘’In the market,’’ Philip confirmed with a nod. ‘’We only ask 10 mana stones for it.’’

‘’Alright. Let’s do one before we start,’’ Ethan said.

Philip took out a briefcase from his storage and put it on the table before looking at him hesitantly. ‘’Just so you know, the mana stones aren’t your only option to pay. Our firm accepts information exchanges as well. Any information about higher realms is especially valuable.’’

‘’I’d rather pay for this time, but I’ll consider your offer depending on how this one goes.’’

‘’Of course, of course,’’ Philip replied and opened his briefcase, trying to suppress his smile.

Thankfully, Adrian had gotten over his initial surprise and switched to his poker face ever since Philip sat at the table. He was just too experienced with Ethan seeking to bluff his way out.

The waiter returned on time and donned the table with various kinds of dishes, suppressing what Ethan had in mind as some snacks.

Philip showed them the contract and explained how it worked in detail before signing with his blood and sealing the rune with his mana. Apparently, the contract affected directly his soul, and if he were to leak any information about this meeting, his cultivation would be hindered permanently and even decrease with time. It wasn’t anything deadly, but that was the best they could get. He passed the contract to Ethan and straightened his posture. ‘’With that out of the way, how can I help you Mr. Voidwalker?’’

‘’Ethan is fine. I need quite a few things. Let’s start with the Reinheardts of Marah. What can you tell me about them?’’

‘’For a Count of Mirasatra, I can offer a lot of content,’’ Philip said. ‘’We actually have different packages for these kinds of big families. Starting from the common knowledge that most people know about to the extensive records that include even the names of their dogs. What kind of information do you seek?’’

‘’The dog one,’’ Ethan replied, amused. ‘’How much would it cost?’’

‘’For the Reinheardts, a full package would be 15 mana stones,’’ Philip answered and after Ethan’s nod, he took out a few jade slips and started inspecting them with a serious face. He was sending his mana to one of them and fetching another before arranging them in order. In just a minute, he went over a dozen jade slips and picked up the one with a different color, presenting it to Ethan.

Grasping the yellow jade slip, Ethan sent his mana as he did in the shop before. Similar to Ani’s memory transfer, all kinds of knowledge started to pour into his mind. There were even images and voice recordings of some people in them. In a short time, he felt like he knew the old Count’s family better than his own. Wow. Such a smooth way to do business. Maybe I should open an information agency as well.

As the jade slip crumbled into pieces, a satisfied smile formed on his face. ‘’Even better than I expected,’’ he praised. ‘’Get me another full package on the McGregors of Ehrendil and someone named Veronica who is probably related to them. Blonde girl with blue eyes, the main element is wind and uses a longsword. She was at mid tier-6 recently. I can give you more detail if you want.’’

‘’No, that would be enough. If there is more than one candidate that fits your description, you can decide which is the one you’re looking for,’’ Philip said and started working once again.

This time it took him five minutes to finish, and although his reports about the McGregors were superb, he couldn’t find anything on Veronica at all.

Ethan asked him to search without using a name and gave a lot more descriptions, but no one in their database had fitted it. Slightly annoyed, he decided to check other places as well but didn’t hope much.

The last name that he wanted a full package of was Evelyn. He had no idea about the origins of his old companion but he knew a lot about her. Such as she was from Cloud Region and had a wealthy family. After explaining everything he could think of, Philip came up with two matches. One with the surname Whitlock and another with Morris.

Ethan inspected the information on both Evelyn who were missing for over two years. Weirdly enough they had a lot in common, but when he saw a detail on Evelyn Morris, his eyes lit up. According to Intelligence, she had lost a brother three years ago. There was an incident where Evelyn mentioned her brother with a slightly pained expression. Noticing that the Withlock was an only child, he lifted his head with resolute eyes. ‘’The Morrises. Give me everything you have on them along with every single enemy they have, and check out every recent rumor you have about Evelyn Morris.’’

‘’T-That might be a lot,’’ Philip said, taken aback. ‘’The Morris family is one of the richest merchant families in the whole Union. They naturally have enemies everywhere.’’

‘’It’s okay. Check out what you have and give me a price.’’

Another 10 minutes had passed as Philip busily worked while Ethan, Adrian, and Beet enjoyed themselves with the delicacies.

‘’Uh, with everything you’d bought before, it’ll be 90 mana stones in total,’’ Philip said, holding a jade slip. ‘’But, as a gesture of goodwill, I can make some discount. Let’s say 60 mana stones.’’

‘’Deal,’’ Ethan replied, gulping his heaven-like drink which he planned to buy in bulk later. ‘’Make another copy of the jade slip that focuses on Evelyn. I’ll bring that out with me.’’

‘’I-I can’t do that. We’re not allowed to give customers jade slips. You can only learn everything here and leave empty-handed.’’

Ethan’s brows furrowed slightly. ‘’Alright. Then I’ll send someone here in a few days and you can give this information to him as well.’’

‘’That, I can do,’’ Philip said, relieved.

He took out 60 mana stones and put them on the table before grabbing the jade slip impatiently. This time, the amount of information gave him a sharp headache. It was just too much to process in a short time. Yet, he still managed to discern a few names that might be involved in Evelyn’s bizarre attitude. Like the family who was the biggest suspect in her brother's assassination and also the family of her supposed fiance, the Baileys.

‘’If that’s all, I can give you guys some space, if you’d like?’’ Philip said, waking Ethan from his daze.

‘’Ah, yes,’’ he said, standing up. ‘’You guys turned much more competent than I’d expected, Phil.’’

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

‘’I’m glad to hear that,’’ Philip said, grinning from ear to ear. He extended his hand and leaned forward when Ethan grabbed it. ‘’We can also start specific cases if you want. That girl Veronica, for example. I can send some agents to track her whereabouts.’’

Ethan grinned as well. ‘’That would be great, and since you’re at it, make another case for the void-based skills. I want to learn which family has what kind of skills in all of Azora. Any rumors about inheritance grounds and so on.’’

‘’No problem. Usually, we require an upfront payment for these cases, but I’ll skip that for now. When you came next time, maybe you’ll like to pay with information?’’ Philip probed, raising an eyebrow.

‘’Maybe. If you’re up to something good, I just might.’’

As Philip left the room gaily, Ethan covered the room with his [Void Mute] and watched the falling of Adrian’s face in amusement. ‘’Go on, say it.’’

‘’Do you have confidence in this thing?’’ Adrian asked, lifting his finger upward and making a circle.

‘’[Void Mute]? Yeah, at this level, anyone with rank-2 [Mana Sense] could breach it, but I’ll know the moment they did. Well, I guess someone with high void mastery could also do it without alerting me, but I doubt that they are that common.’’

Adrian’s shoulders dropped slightly. ‘’Higher realms? Really? You know they will be pissed when they figure out your lie.’’

Ethan put his hand to his chest, pretending to be offended. ‘’What lie? I confirmed no such things. If an information agency can’t even figure out the truth of their rumors, it’s on them. Plus, they want intelligence in higher realms, right? I might’ve other ways to get that.’’

Adrian shook his head with a wry smile. ‘’How the hell did that rumor spread, anyway?’’ he asked and added mockingly, ‘’Mr. Voidwalker?’’

Ethan chuckled and started explaining the chain of events ever since he arrived in this world. Since the place was pretty good, they ate and chatted for another hour, but still decided to leave after that. Jeff’s place was going to be open for a few more hours and they wanted to handle the auction business before they went to fetch Todd and settled in a hotel.

The Heaven Tinkers auction house was a bit far away, but Ethan didn’t mind it. Still a complete foreigner in this magical capital of Mirasatra, he enjoyed the night walk very much. As Todd had said before, the entire place was illuminated by runes that covered the inner sides of the hollow mountain, giving the site a fictitious look.

Strangely, it was even more crowded at night and most of the shops were still open. Ethan guessed that it must be different people working in different shifts all the time.

‘’Business is booming here, huh?’’ he asked idly.

‘’Yeah. It’s always like this, and even crazier in some events. You should've seen the festival last month,’’ Adrian replied. ‘’I heard that many of our people are trying to get a shop here. There are many opportunities here and they all know it.’’

‘’For sure. I was a bit surprised when I heard that they didn’t stick together, but I can somehow understand after seeing Miri myself,’’ he said. ‘’Also, a shop isn’t really necessary to make some money. We just left 65 mana stones there in an hour and that was with a good discount. Those guys’ setup isn’t bad at all.’’

‘’I know, but it’s not easy to do so. A lot of money and connections are needed for such a widespread organization,’’ Adrian commented. ‘’Though money doesn’t seem to be a problem for you.’’

‘’Oh, not even close. I’m doing okay but still far away from there. Even so, we don’t need to become the best in the continent right away. Think like a profitable sidekick for now. We’ll see how it goes in a few years.’’

‘’What about the connections?’’ Adrian asked, doubtful. ‘’There are many families with thousands of years long histories here, while we’re pretty much nobodies.’’

‘’Did you hear about Ashir?’’

Adrian’s eyes widened. ‘’You gotta be fucking kidding me! That guy is a lunatic, boss. He’s playing with fire. You can’t be serious.’’

Ethan chuckled and used his [Void Mute] once again. ‘’I’m only half serious. That’s just one of the ideas I’m playing with. What did you hear about him? You think he is pulling out a con?’’

‘’Well, that’s the thing. I’ve no idea what he’s trying to do. He seems so sincere in everything he does, but if you’ve seen his followers, you’ll know that he’s nothing but a cult leader.’’

‘’What’s he selling exactly, though?’’ Ethan questioned. ‘’How is he going to make the people with trash talents ascend?’’

Adrian thought for a second, scratching his chin. ‘’He says that comprehension is for everyone. Having an affinity with the elements surely makes it easier but that’s not a necessity. Even the giftless people could have enlightenments if they knew where to look.’’

‘’An adequate doctrine, but that wouldn’t be enough to convince all those people,’’ he stated, waiting for the punchline.

‘’How about a giftless person breaking through tier-3 and a few people making progress after being stuck at the same level for so long?’’

‘’Interesting,’’ Ethan said with a smirk. ‘’It seems he’s onto something, but that’s also essential for a scam of that scale. We’ll make a visit sometime and try to see what’s up. Whoa, is that the place?’’

Adrian looked at the grand building he was gawking at and nodded. ‘’The Heaven Tinkers.’’

The ancient-looking auction house was a majestic stone building, nestled in the heart of the bustling city. Its towering spires and ornate carvings were a sight to behold. Inside, the high vaulted ceilings were adorned with complex paintings depicting scenes of mythical creatures and heroic deeds. The soft lights of Miri’s runes streamed through the tall, arched windows, illuminating the marble floors and the rows of columns that supported the roof.

They slowly made their way into the long hall as the sound of their footsteps echoed through the vast space. Soon after, a young clerk welcomed them and led them to the sales office. It seemed that whether they could meet the manager or not was up to the salespeople.

‘’What is it you wished to auction?’’ a middle-aged woman asked behind the desk, her eyes on the documents she was holding.

‘’Aether Bloom,’’ Ethan replied. ‘’Just one bottle but the highest quality.’’

The clerk lifted her head, pleasantly surprised. ‘’I see. It’s an item worthy of our monthly auctions. I suggest you wait for next month so it could sell for a good price.’’

Ethan sulked a little. ‘’Did we miss the last one by a few days?’’

‘’No, it’s actually two days from now on, but unfortunately, I can’t make sudden changes at the last moment.’’

‘’Two days is perfect for me. I’d greatly appreciate it if you could do something. Actually,’’ Ethan said, looking around the office. ‘’I have something else to sell, but this place is a bit small to show you.’’

‘’Hmm? This door leads to our warehouse,’’ the clerk said, pointing at her back. ‘’There should be enough space. Please, follow me.’’

Switching to a huge warehouse quickly, Ethan took out the bone dragon's head that was covering most of the space in his ring all this time.

‘’I-Is t-that…’’ the clerk stammered, her eyes widening.

‘’A dragon,’’ Ethan confirmed, pleased with himself.

‘’I-I need to call my manager,’’ the clerk said, turning back. ‘’Please wait in my office. I’ll be right back.’’

‘’Sure. Oh, I have its body as well,’’ Ethan called after her and chuckled when she hastened her speed.

‘’I guess you forgot to mention the dragon when you talked about what you were up to,’’ Adrian said as they entered the office, glaring at him.

Ethan waved his hand dismissively and sat on the chair. ‘’I thought you’d be more interested in the Ehrendil’s brothels than the bones of a dead bird.’’

‘’Not because you like messing with me like this?’’

Ethan smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

With the manager involved, Ethan swiftly registered his items for the auction two days from now and reserved himself a private room. Looking at the man’s eager attitude, he couldn’t help but ask about an estimated price for the dragon bones.

Sadly, the manager guessed that it’d be lower than the elixir of the Aether Bloom. It was the news quality of it that excited him. Soon, everyone in Azora would be talking about the dragon bones and the auction house that sold them.

‘’Who doesn’t like a free advertisement?’’ said the short man with a long beard, smiling shamelessly.

Still, Ethan hoped that the rich people would be rich people and buy his bird bones at a sky-high price, just for the bragging rights.

‘’To Jeff’s place, boss?’’ Adrian asked after they left the auction house.

‘’Nah. We still have some time, let's meet Pete’s guy first, then we’ll go fetch Todd.’’

‘Ani, use the code you learned from Abraham to send this message: Ethan is in Miri. Anyone here?’

‘Understood,’ Ani replied and started turning his biochip’s signal on and off frequently. Soon, an answer came, ‘Which Ethan?’

Ethan winced a little. Motherfucker, how many Ethans are there? No way I’m calling myself the throne of Cut-Throat. ‘Reply, The one with daggers.’

‘Doesn’t ring a bell,’’ Ani conveyed the message. ‘’What kind of daggers?’

Yeah, someone is fucking with me. There are only four people–

‘Oh, wait! Do you mean the toothless Ethan?!

Rachel it is…