„Hello young mister, with what may I help you today?" a beautiful young lady was asking Alaric.
"I have a substance that can help someone advance their spiritual powers – especially useful for Titled Douluos." he answered.
Instantly around him the whispering started.
Alaric was currently inside a venue near the auction house which was preparing items for an important auction at the Heaven Dou Empire's capital Heaven Dou City in 2 days.
After having traveling the continent for a few months he realized that he needed 2 things massively that would ease his travels quite hard.
Money and a spirit tool to carry his belongings easier.
After all it was quite tedious to storage stuff in the Dune world and constantly swap over to get things he needed in his daily life.
Not to mention that it would be a good opportunity to see how the different factions reacted to find things that strengthened their spiritual power.
After all, if these people didn't try force him into handing it over for free, there was a good chance to establish a mutual benefiting deal. Without exposing his identity which he did first and foremost by wrapping himself in black clothes. He would keep any probes away with his Spice strengthened mind.
The attendant blinked, her practiced smile faltering for just a moment.
"Sir… might I ask sort of item it is? We receive many claims—especially around auction season."
Alaric didn't answer immediately. He reached into his cloak and withdrew a small, tightly sealed crystal vial — obsidian-black glass veined with silver glyphs. The etched containment matrix shimmered faintly in the dim light, giving off no spiritual pressure, yet exuding a kind of presence that made even nearby cultivators pause.
"This," Alaric said calmly, placing it on the counter between them, "is a powdered extract of a substance called Spice. Refined and filtered. It can enhance mental acuity, spiritual powers, and perception permanently. Titled Douluos should benefit quite heavily by it."
The silence that followed was heavy.
The young woman stared at the vial as if it might be more valuable than everything she had ever seen before in her life.
One of the older clerks sitting behind her leaned forward, his robe embroidered with the sigil of the Appraisal Pavilion. "If this is a joke, boy, I suggest you—"
But the moment he extended his spiritual sense toward the vial, he froze.
His breath hitched.
A second passed. Then two.
His eyes narrowed, then widened.
"It's presence alone is already helpful." he muttered. "There's no backlash and the substance is so effective. Incredible...."
Alaric gave a faint nod. "I personally refined it after all."
The woman's lips parted slightly. "You're the creator of this item?"
"Something of the sort," Alaric corrected. "And I'm willing to part with one dose for auction – under certain circumstances."
The older man's voice dropped. "Which are?"
"That I'm being paid in gold and in a spiritual tool that acts as a pouch, furthermore my identity is being kept secret." Alaric said simply.
The man looked at the young woman. Then back to Alaric.
"Those should be of no problem, sir." he said respectfully – convinced that Alaric's physical appearance was in truth the changed form of a high-ranking spirit master.
"Excellent," Alaric said, his tone even.
The young woman quickly bowed her head, signaling a nearby clerk who immediately scurried off, likely to fetch the proper registration documents. Meanwhile, a discreet ripple of interest spread across the room. Those who had overheard the short exchange were now either pretending not to stare or whispering behind raised hands.
Alaric ignored them.
He kept his posture loose, relaxed — but his senses were wide open. He could already feel the faint brushing of mental probes in the surrounding air, soft and curious, but too inexperienced to pierce the basic layered barriers he had built through weeks of Spice-fueled mind training.
One particularly bold attempt slid against his defenses like a dull knife against steel. Alaric didn't react, didn't even acknowledge it outwardly. Instead, he simply marked the man in his memory: mid-tier spirit master, unstable spirit power, merchant affiliation by the cut of his robe.
Potential nuisance.
Low threat.
Not worth retaliating over — yet.
The attendant returned quickly, this time holding a thin wooden plaque inlaid with silver runes — a temporary contract.
"If you would please, sir," she said, voice now careful, respectful, "a standard agreement for anonymous consignment. Payment will be transferred immediately after auction, and the storage item can be chosen from a selection we have prepared for distinguished clients."
Alaric reviewed the plaque briefly. He noted the hidden glyphs meant to track and authenticate the seller, but they were basic — nothing that could breach the protections woven into his cloak or reveal his identity.
He pressed a single drop of magic-infused will onto the signature line.
The plaque glowed once and vanished — sent into the auction house's vault systems for processing.
"May I ask if you wish the item to be placed early in the auction, or closer to the finale?" the woman asked hesitantly.
Alaric considered for a moment.
"Middle," he decided. "Visible enough to draw real buyers. Quiet enough to avoid the loudest rats."
A flash of understanding crossed her face. She bowed again.
"Understood, honored guest. Your request will be fulfilled."
Without another word, Alaric turned and left the preparation hall, his cloak trailing behind him like a shadow. Behind him, the murmurs grew louder — but none dared follow.
James was already waiting outside, disguised beneath a thick traveler's robe.
"Transaction complete?" the golem inquired quietly.
"For now," Alaric murmured, his gaze drifting toward the towering spires of Heaven Dou City in the distance.
The real game would begin at the auction.
Where names, ambitions, and desires all tangled together — and where a shadow like him could gather more than gold.
Of course, to someone like him who did not have a single gold coin to his name, the gold coins were still of a huge value.
It would mark his first gathering of material wealth for the first time in his life. In the silver cities, he only did jobs if he needed something urgently. And unless you were a noble that made huge deals in that world – gold coins weren't really used.
After all, in the mage society, bartering between people's services and items was the main method of trading things.
Then he thought about the silver cities. It was quieter than this place, there was a scholarly aura that simply didn't exist in any way shape or form on this continent – he started to miss it somewhat. But he thought that returning now was kind of useless.
The world of Might and Magic had nothing really to bid him anymore. At least not until he was strong enough to fuck around with contracts to demons. To fight against magic resistant orcs in clans of hundreds of thousands. Or to have something of value to trade against the dwarves that guarded their knowledge of runes fiercely.
"So many things to do – at least I will not be bored for a while." Alaric smirked as he and James disappeared, shaking of some low-ranking spirit masters that tried to follow him.