"Where are you from?" the young boy curiously asked after he observed them for a while.
The way the three of them did not hide their curiosity as they looked around everywhere made it clear to him that they had not been to a city before.
Yes, the City of Azensday was rather impressive, but it should not pique so much curiosity and interest from anyone who had been to a city before.
"Somewhere far away. We are visiting Westesia for the first time," Rebecca playfully said. "And we just hope someone won't rip us off. It's considered a bad omen in our family to kill someone as soon as you arrive in a new land."
Daim raised his brow at her words, not showing any hint of fear, and then just shrugged his shoulders, continuing to walk towards the Cirian Gallery.
"Killing is forbidden in the City of Sin, no matter how big your grievances are. If you kill someone, you will have to pay for it with your life or pay a huge sum of Blood Money. Half of it will go to the Authorities, and the other half will go to the Victim's Family. The sum of Blood Money depends on the victim's status, but even for common folk, the least amount to be paid is one million Spirit Stones."
"Really?" She, of course, already knew this law but feigned some surprise.
"Yes." The boy nodded his head. "The last time someone was killed here was eleven years ago. And the man who did it just wanted to see his enemy die, and so he paid for it with his life. He had nothing else to lose."
All three of them raised their brows, sensing a hint of melancholy in his voice.
"The one who was killed was my mother," he lightly said.
"Do you have any family left?" Avriel curiously asked, not really bothered by Daim's words.
For some reason, hearing her casual question without any hint of pity made the boy smile.
"Yes. My older sister, Safa. She works at the Cirian Gallery."
Hearing his words, all three of them laughed lightly.
"So, you are leading us to secure some commission for your sister?" Rebecca teased him, and Daim blushed a little.
"Money is important." He truthfully voiced his belief, and none of them had any disagreement with it. "One hundred Spirit Stones is indeed a lot to just lead you to the Cirian Gallery, so, if you want, I can show you all around the city for the next five hours."
"We will think about it," Keith said, and then paid attention to a tall tower that was standing in the middle of the City of Sin.
It was the most eye-catching building in the entire city, seeming as though it had been created out of a dream.
The tower was built in the shape of a spiral, almost as if a serpent were climbing a tree, and the top resembled a great crown of branches, where airships were constantly landing and leaving. Glimmers of runes shimmered faintly across its dark surface, as though alive with restrained power.
"That's the Tower of Loki," Daim suddenly said. "The Tower of Loki is present in all the Major Cities and Capitals all over Amaya, and its Headquarters is in Noxville. That is where all Mercenary Guilds register themselves, and where Guild Hall exists. Additionally, the Tower of Loki is responsible for monitoring the official Wars and Battles, and also for keeping tabs on the strength of the Nations, Sects, Kingdoms, Empires, Continents, other Organisations, and even Individuals. It's the biggest Intelligence Network in existence."
The boy then stopped and pulled back his sleeve, showing them a gadget that resembled a watch.
As if responding to his thoughts, a faint hum accompanied the sudden appearance of a holographic screen that emerged from it, its edges glowing with runic light.
"You can get this from the Tower of Loki. They create most of the drones and other gadgets that people use every day, and this watch is called the Iris. You can use it to view the live Network, stay updated on what's happening around the world, and keep tabs on the Ranking Boards." He smiled. "The Ranking Boards are what people usually buy this for. You can keep a check on the most powerful people in the world, the best of talents, organisations, nations, and much more. They even publish Rankings for the most beautiful ladies and most handsome men in the world, and you can filter it down to the Major Cities..."
Daim excitedly informed him about how useful the gadget was, and he made sure to tell them that it was a gift from his older sister on his last birthday, when he turned twelve years old.
"However, the individual Rankings only list people who make themselves public, and the Tower of Loki would keep your identity a secret if you asked them to. You will see that even though there are names of some Princesses and Princes on these lists, their images and videos are not available. Even on the Power Rankings, no details about the individuals are revealed, so it is basically the assessment of the Tower of Loki, and not necessarily the truth. However, the consensus is that these rankings are around eighty per cent truthful, which is why people pay great attention to them. Overall, the Tower of Loki is one of the most prestigious organisations in the world, and everyone respects it a lot."
"Why wouldn't they?" Rebecca giggled. "It was created by the God of Mischief himself, and it is believed that this project of his is very dear to him."
Daim looked at them in surprise.
He had not expected that they already knew these things, and he felt a little embarrassed now, having gone into such detail to explain them.
"At least you know some things." He quipped, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Oh, we know a lot." The blonde teased him. "And you should focus more on your cultivation. You are fairly talented. Why haven't you joined an Academy or a Sect yet? The resources wouldn't be an issue."
"Not interested." Daim immediately shook his head. "I just want to live comfortably in this city."
Rebecca smiled at his words, sensing the restlessness in the boy's temperament, but she did not confront him about his true feelings.
It took them nearly an hour to reach the Cirian Gallery, which was situated in the City Centre.
Like all other buildings, it was also dark, seemingly made out of shining black marble, and next to its name, which was carved with white marble, was the emblem of the Empire of Ciria.
It was a massive place with over twelve floors, and since each floor was quite tall, the building was close to one hundred and eighty metres high.
The entrance was massive too, big enough to let people of all sizes and even beasts enter it. Runes flickered softly along its archway, the glow ebbing and flowing like a silent breath, a reminder of the city's blend of architecture and arcane technology.
Daim said hello to the two guards, both of whom were Peak Stage Martial Generals, and under his lead, they entered the premises without any check.
The inside of the building was pure white, all created out of white stone, and on the left side was the Sales Centre, and on the right side was the Exchange Centre. Floating crystals lit the hall, their light pulsing in rhythm like a heartbeat, lending an otherworldly clarity to the space.
For other customers, as soon as they entered, someone approached them to be their guide, but no one came over to them.
Perhaps it was because Daim was already guiding them, and he did lead them straight to the large booth where his sister worked.
The girl, who was around fourteen years old, could not help but smile when she saw her younger brother.
Two cute dimples formed on her cheeks, and coupled with her beautiful green hair and similar eyes, the same as Daim's, and her near-perfect facial features, she was quite a charming girl.
"Welcome to the Cirian Gallery. How may I help you?" she politely asked, curiously looking at them, and even though their faces were covered in half-masks, the surprise in her eyes at their beauty was unmistakable.
"We would like to exchange a few things for Spirit Stones," Keith informed her, and then took out a dozen Space Storage Rings, placing them on the counter.
Safa looked a little surprised at seeing that they wanted to exchange, and she picked up one ring to carefully inspect it.
"They are our property," Rebecca suddenly said, and Safa smiled at her words.
The Cirian Gallery would still exchange these things if they were not their property and were stolen goods, but the price would, of course, be much lower in that case.
"Please wait a moment. I will verify their details and give you a price." She said as she put the Rings inside a transparent device on the counter to scan them.
The process only took a few seconds before the details of each ring appeared on a holographic screen, flickering faintly as runic symbols scrolled across.
[Grade: Profound (Unranked)]
[Quality: Perfect]
[Space: 1 Cubic Metre]
[Status: Unmarked and Unused]
[Market Price: 300 Spirit Stones]
"Thank you for your patience." Safa took the Rings out of the scanner and placed them on the counter. "The Gallery will offer you 285 Spirit Stones for each one of these Rings, keeping a margin of five per cent profit."
"We will take it." Keith agreed.
Rebecca and Avriel had already guessed how much each of these Rings would sell for, and it was the same number.
Safa happily nodded to them and accepted the Rings.
"Do you want the amount transferred to your account?"
"No. I want the Stones."
She nodded her head and opened a drawer.
Under Keith's curious eyes, she waved her hand, casting a spell, and then small colourful and sparkling stones, all of a standard size of three centimetres in diameter and in a biconvex shape, started flowing out of the drawer and into a bowl. The stones glowed faintly, humming with restrained energy, as if alive.
Two seconds later, a pile of exactly 3420 Spirit Stones was waiting for Keith in the bowl, and he nodded his head before waving his hand and putting them inside his Storage Ring.
"Is there anything else that I can help you with?" Safa asked, and Keith nodded his head, much to Rebecca and Avriel's curiosity.
They watched as he took out a Manual from his Ring and placed it on the table.
"It is a Fist Style Battle Art. I would like to exchange it." He said, and Rebecca glanced at the Manual, which seemed to have never been touched.
She remembered giving Keith a Fist Style Battle Art which she had found in one of the Commander's Rings, but this was a different Art.
And she was right.
Keith had just spent several thousand System Points to refine the Battle Art that she had given to him.
Now, this one was a better version, and an entire Grade higher.
Safa picked up the Manual and glanced inside it. Realising that it was not something that she could appraise, she placed it back on the counter and excused herself.
Keith had to wait for two minutes before two men, who looked to be in their early forties, arrived at the booth with Safa, and they respectfully greeted him before checking the Manual.
Both of these men were powerful individuals at the Peak of the Fifth Martial Realm. They took their time going through the Battle Art, consulted with each other, and in the end, turned to look at him.
"Sir, is this Manual an Earth Grade Manual?" the man with the beard politely asked, and seeing Keith nod his head, both Avriel and Rebecca lost their interest in the Manual.
To them, an Earth Grade Battle Art held no allure.
However, Safa and the two men were pleasantly surprised, and they invited them to the Head Appraiser's Office.
"Our apologies for the inconvenience, but we promise to offer you a good price after verifying its exact grade."
"It's fine." He nodded and then followed the three of them upstairs.