The City of Celestia, as the imperial capital, is of a magnitude beyond the commoner’s imagination.

Even the lower city district, where the common folk reside, surpasses the noble districts of most cities within the empire in terms of splendor.

A hidden area where the upper and lower districts converge harbors the empire’s largest black market.

Here, one can find everything from mundane treasures like gold, silver, and jewels, to extraordinary artifacts such as alchemical equipment, rare materials, and spell scrolls.

“This is truly astonishing!”

Seraphina, wearing a mask, gazed in awe at the bustling marketplace teeming with people: “How can there be so many people !” MVLeMpYr-original-content

“The transient population of the imperial capital is indeed remarkable,” Ansel reminisced as he looked towards the end of the bustling street, “It seems to have remained unchanged from three years ago.”

“Eh, Ansel, have you been here before?”

“As Lawrence described, this place is one of the most alluring in the entire capital.”

Ansel chuckled, “How could I have not?”

Perched on Marlina’s shoulder, Lawrence patted his chest confidently: “I assure you, the interior has completely transformed since three years ago! Young lord, where would you like to go first? Shall we explore the common market here, or head straight to the extraordinary market deeper within?”

“Let’s look around here for now… Didn’t Seraphina want to buy clothes?”

Ansel glanced at Seraphina, who was looking around curiously even behind her mask, and said with a meaningful tone, “There are indeed many fine garments to be found here.”

“…Hmm? It doesn’t matter to me, Ansel can make them for me anyway.”

Marlina, whose experience was gradually increasing, could read from Ansel’s eyes what he meant by “fine garments.” Her cheeks flushed slightly, but instead of speaking, she felt a small surge of anticipation and excitement.

The trio, accompanied by a rat, entered the main thoroughfare, the widest street lined with shops and stalls displaying an array of assorted items. Seraphina led the way, her interest piqued as she looked around with great enthusiasm.

“Ans… uh,ma-master.”

Seraphina, who had called out Ansel’s name instinctively, quickly corrected herself with a shy and coy change of address: “Come over here and look at this.”

Ansel glanced at the simple black leather collar around the girl’s neck and met her slightly embarrassed gaze, unable to suppress a smile as he walked over to her side.

“Look at this,” she pointed to a cerulean ice crystal on a vendor’s table, her eyes sparkling, “This is a specialty from the northern lands! My mom told me stories about it, what’s it called… something tear?”

“Deep Blue Tear, the young lady has quite an eye,” the man behind the stall chuckled, “This rare gem is only mined from the underground glaciers of the Deep Blue territory, with an annual yield of just over twenty, all monopolized by the Duke of the Grey Tower. It symbolizes eternal loyalty, steadfast love, and…”

The vendor’s eloquent pitch captivated Seraphina. She looked from Ansel’s eyes to the gemstone and then asked the vendor, “How much for one?”

“This was riskily stolen by a friend from a marquis’s estate and brought here overnight to fence,” the vendor rubbed his hands together, “The risk was significant, so I’ll offer a fair price, one hundred thousand gold coins, and I accept banknotes from the imperial bank.”

Seraphina was momentarily stunned: “… How much did you say?”

“One hundred thousand imperial gold coins,” the man replied without hesitation, “If it were auctioned, it would fetch at least three to four times this price. I wouldn’t be selling it here if the origins were legitimate.”

The price daunted the girl, who had been following Ansel for some time but still had no concept of money, as she rarely asked Ansel for it, and even when he offered, it was usually Marlina who managed the finances.

Miss Wolf did not wish to ask Ansel for money, nor did she want him to buy it for her, so she could only cast a pitiful look towards her sister.

“…” Marlina sighed silently, then with a touch of amusement, stroked her sister’s hair and stepped forward to the stall.

“One hundred thousand gold coins?” she inquired, her tone gentle and calm.

“Y-Yes..cough, that’s right,” the vendor, who had been confident and articulate just moments ago, suddenly seemed less certain under Marlina’s gaze, “If you’re not interested, there will be others who know the value.” freewebnvel.com

“I am one who knows the value,” Marlina elegantly produced a black pouch embroidered with a flying bird, and with a flick of her fingers, she dropped two one-hundred imperial gold coins onto the table as if bestowing alms.

“The craftsmanship is commendable and worth the price,” the silver-haired girl with the bird-beak mask maintained her gentle voice, but the slight tilt of her chin conveyed an air of undeniable authority, “Will you take it, or not?”

The vendor was dumbfounded for several seconds before he collected the coins with a sheepish smile and handed the so-called “Deep Blue Tear” to an even more bewildered Seraphina, bowing and scraping, “Thank you for your generosity, miss. I wish you a pleasant day!”

Ansel couldn’t help but chuckle, patting Seraphina on the shoulder, “Let’s go, Seri. Or do you wish to buy something else?”

The young girl, as if waking from a dream, clutched the “gem” in her hand and cried out in disbelief, “This is a fake!?”

Her outcry drew the attention of most passersby and vendors, the inexplicable gazes from all directions only fueled Seraphina’s frustration. Just as she was about to confront the vendor, Marlina grabbed her wrist.

“Do not act rashly, Seri,” Marlina gently shook her head, “Let’s go, follow the lord.”

Feeling utterly humiliated, Seraphina wanted to squeeze the gem, but feared she might crush the stone she had spent two hundred gold coins on. This thought only stoked her anger, she glared fiercely at the vendor, then was pulled away by Marlina to follow Ansel.

“Marli!”

After they had walked some distance, Seraphina couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you stop me? He was selling me a fake… and dared to ask for a hundred thousand! I should break his legs!”