Chapter 37: Trade

The Eastern Checkpoint was a chaotic, sprawling mess of cobblestone streets, hastily erected player stalls, and towering stone buildings that looked as though they had stood for centuries before the first human was ever dropped into Eternal Heaven.

To an ordinary player, navigating the checkpoint was a nightmare. The system didn’t offer a convenient minimap in the corner of their vision. There were no glowing arrows pointing toward the nearest inn or blacksmith. If you wanted to find something in the sprawling labyrinth of the settlement, you either paid an exorbitant fee to a local guide, or you wandered aimlessly until you stumbled across it.

Maps, as Leon had quickly learned, were not a basic feature. They were items. And they were exceedingly rare.

Anyone who possessed a functional, detailed map of a settlement immediately became a person of high interest. If a player was caught staring at a piece of parchment that actively tracked their location within the checkpoint, they would be swarmed by dozens of lost, desperate players begging for directions or trying to steal the item outright.

Mira, it turned out, was one of the fortunate few who possessed one.

She didn’t hold it out in the open. She kept the worn, leather-bound parchment tucked discreetly inside the folds of her dark leather jacket, only ever sliding it out a fraction of an inch to glance at the glowing ink that marked their position. She moved through the winding, crowded streets with the effortless grace of a local, her silver braid swaying behind her as she effortlessly bypassed dead ends and congested market squares.

Leon followed a half-step behind her, the heavy Platinum-Rank Sovereign’s Mantle draped over his shoulders. The cloak’s shadow-absorbing properties were doing excellent work, dampening his presence just enough that the frantic, shouting players scrambling for information about the "Anonymous Boss Killer" simply slid past him without a second glance.

"Take a left here," Mira murmured, her voice barely carrying over the din of a nearby blacksmith striking an anvil. "Keep your head down. We’re passing through the lower trading tier. Lots of desperate people looking for an easy mark."

"I’m not exactly dressed like an easy mark," Leon pointed out calmly.

"You’re dressed like someone who has things worth stealing," Mira shot back, glancing over her shoulder. "Which is worse. And considering you agreed to give me five percent of whatever you sell, I consider it my personal responsibility to make sure you actually survive to sell it."

Leon chuckled, adjusting the grip on his silver-ranked sword. "Your dedication to capitalism is inspiring, Mira."

"It’s not capitalism, it’s survival," she replied, coming to a halt before a massive, opulent building made of polished white marble. It stood in stark contrast to the gritty, utilitarian stone of the surrounding checkpoint. Above the grand oak doors hung a gilded sign depicting a pair of perfectly balanced golden scales.

"Here," Mira said, nodding toward the entrance. "The Gilded Anchor. It’s an NPC-run merchant guild. Five-star rating on the map. Most players don’t even bother coming to this district because the NPCs inside won’t even look at you unless you have at least a thousand Eternal Coins just to prove you aren’t wasting their time."

"Five stars," Leon mused, looking up at the pristine marble columns. "Sounds like my kind of place."

"Just don’t act like a complete idiot inside," Mira warned, stepping up to the heavy doors. "The guards in these high-end NPC establishments are usually Level 30 or higher. You start a fight in there, and you die."

Leon offered her a faint, knowing smile. "I promise to be on my best behavior."

They pushed through the heavy oak doors, stepping out of the noisy, chaotic streets and into a haven of quiet, air-conditioned luxury. The interior of the Gilded Anchor smelled of polished cedar and expensive incense. Thick velvet carpets swallowed the sound of their footsteps. Behind a long, curved counter of dark mahogany stood several impeccably dressed NPCs, examining jewels, appraising weapons, and ignoring the few players who had managed to wander inside.

Leon approached the nearest open counter. The NPC standing behind it was an older man with silver hair tied back in a neat ribbon, wearing a monocle that gleamed with faint magical energy. The appraiser looked up, his eyes sweeping over Mira’s dusty leathers with a hint of disdain, before settling on Leon’s Platinum-Rank mantle.

The NPC’s posture instantly straightened. The magical monocle had clearly recognized the tier of the item Leon was wearing.

"Welcome to the Gilded Anchor, esteemed traveler," the NPC said, his voice smooth and practiced. "How may this humble establishment serve you today? Are you looking to purchase from our premium catalog, or do you have items of exquisite rarity to offer?"

"I have a few things to offload," Leon said casually, leaning against the mahogany counter. "Just clearing out some space in the inventory. Mostly bulk materials. A few uncommon pieces."

"Of course," the appraiser said, waving a hand over the counter. A soft blue light illuminated the wood, creating a designated trading zone. "Please, present your wares. We offer the fairest rates in the entire Eastern Checkpoint."

Mira crossed her arms, standing a few feet away. She was curious to see what the "idiot" who had walked into a Level 22 dungeon actually had in his pockets. She expected a few high-level beast cores, maybe some decent armor scraps.

Leon opened his inventory interface.

He didn’t pull out the Platinum-Rank skill rune. He didn’t pull out the Hellfire Cores, or the Mythic-tier Core of the Underworld, or the Gold-Rank colossus pauldron. Those were far too valuable, and far too specific, to drop on a random counter.

Instead, he selected the accumulated grinding loot from the nine days prior to the dungeon.

Clatter.

A small mountain of materials materialized onto the glowing counter.

Three Decayed Rat Fangs. A glowing Minor Vitality Essence. An Uncommon Boarling Hide. Rare Vipercoil Leather. Three Uncommon Harpy Feathers. A vial of Rhino Marrow Essence. Four pulsing Leech Glands. Three Venom Sacs. A spool of Silkweave Cloth. Six Sonic Membranes from the Duskwing Bats. Two slabs of Reinforced Armor Plating, and a faintly glowing Runed Gauntlet from the Hollow Knights.

And then, just for good measure, he tossed in the six Rat Fangs he had pulled from the eighty-seven Underworld Rats inside the dungeon.

The appraiser stared at the pile. The magical monocle over his eye began to glow intensely, rapidly scanning the staggering variety of high-level monster parts.

Mira’s jaw slowly dropped.

She stared at the pile of loot, her eyes darting from the Venom Sacs of a Level 12 Skitterclaw Spider to the Sonic Membranes of Level 13 Duskwing Bats. These were materials from monsters that entire parties of ten players were currently struggling to hunt. And Leon was just casually dumping them on a counter like he was emptying lint from his pockets.

"Sir," the appraiser stammered, his professional veneer cracking slightly as he carefully picked up the vial of Rhino Marrow Essence. "This... this is a staggering collection of mid-to-high tier biological components. The quality is flawless. The essence is perfectly preserved."

"Can you buy it all in one go?" Leon asked, drumming his fingers against the wood.

"Y-yes. Yes, absolutely. Please, give me a moment to calculate the total sum."

The appraiser’s hands moved in a blur, sorting the items, weighing the essences, and muttering rapid calculations under his breath. Mira slowly sidled up next to Leon, her eyes fixed on the pile of loot.

"Where did you get all this?" she hissed under her breath.

"I took a lot of long walks in the woods," Leon replied smoothly.

"Nobody takes a walk and comes back with Level 14 construct plating!"

"I take very enthusiastic walks."

Before Mira could strangle him, the appraiser cleared his throat.

"Esteemed traveler," the NPC said, bowing deeply. "For the entirety of this collection, the Gilded Anchor is prepared to offer you thirty-four thousand, five hundred Eternal Coins. Does this meet your satisfaction?"

Mira nearly choked on her own saliva. Thirty-four thousand coins. Most players were ecstatic if they managed to scrape together a hundred coins in a day to pay for a stale loaf of bread and a bed of hay in the slums.

Leon barely blinked. He already had over a hundred thousand coins sitting in his inventory from the raw drops alone, not even counting the half-million he’d looted from the Zone Boss. To him, thirty-four thousand was pocket change. But he supposed it was better than letting the items rot in his storage.

"Deal," Leon said.

Ding!

[Transaction Complete.]

[34,500 Eternal Coins have been added to your inventory.]