Aurelion — Morning
Noah woke up later than usual.
After getting ready, he sat beside the window and looked down at the busy streets.
Aurelion was already awake.
Carriages moved along the main roads, merchants opened their shops, and workers transported goods between commercial buildings.
Noah picked up his city map.
He had explored the Grand Exchange previously, but the Merchant District was considerably larger than that single commercial complex.
There were specialized streets dedicated to magical equipment, rare materials, transportation, luxury goods, books, and international trade.
He folded the map.
"Let's see what else this place has."
After leaving the hotel, he headed towards the district.
The Grand Commercial Avenue
The main avenue was crowded.
Large merchant houses occupied entire buildings, while smaller businesses operated from narrow streets branching away from the central road.
Noah passed a building displaying the emblem of the Golden Road Trading Company.
Several wagons were unloading crates outside.
A group of merchants discussed an incoming shipment from the southern continent.
He continued walking.
The first shop he entered specialized in enchanted travel equipment.
Inside, he found enchanted backpacks, portable tents, weather-resistant clothing, and magical lanterns.
A shop assistant approached him.
"Welcome, sir. Are you preparing for an expedition?"
"Not immediately. I'm looking around."
"Then perhaps you'd like to see our newer equipment."
The assistant showed him several items.
Noah examined a portable magical tent.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS]
Item: Reinforced Explorer's Tent.
Grade: Rare.
Capacity: 4 Persons.
Properties:
- Weather Resistance.
- Minor Temperature Regulation.
- Basic Defensive Barrier.
- Self-Cleaning Interior.
Noah considered it.
It wasn't particularly impressive compared with the facilities inside his Personal Dimension, but portable equipment could still be useful.
He purchased:
- Reinforced Explorer's Tent ×1 — 32 Gold Coins.
- Portable Magical Lantern ×3 — 5 Gold Coins each.
- Enchanted Water Purification Device ×2 — 8 Gold Coins each.
- Weatherproof Travel Cloak ×1 — 14 Gold Coins.
Total: 77 Gold Coins.
He stored everything.
The assistant smiled.
"Thank you for your purchase. Safe travels!"
The International Trade Gallery
Further along the avenue stood a large commercial building.
Its entrance displayed six different continental emblems.
The International Trade Gallery hosted merchants from across Aetherion.
Noah entered.
The first floor contained products from Elarion, the Central Continent.
There were magical fabrics, enchanted jewelry, agricultural products, and refined mana crystals.
The second floor represented Vhaldris, the Northern Continent.
Its merchants specialized in cold-resistant equipment, rare minerals, monster materials, and products collected from mountainous regions.
Noah noticed several frost-resistant ores.
He examined a display containing a small piece of blue metal.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS]
Item: Froststeel Ore.
Grade: Rare.
Origin: Frozen Crown Mountains, Vhaldris.
Properties:
- High resistance to extreme cold.
- Suitable for defensive equipment.
- Compatible with ice-based enchantments.
Noah found the material interesting.
However, the displayed price was 180 Gold Coins for a single kilogram.
He decided not to purchase it.
The third floor contained products from Solmara.
There were medicinal plants, alchemical ingredients, gemstones, and beautifully crafted ornaments.
The fourth floor displayed goods from Kaelthar.
Noah noticed several unusual mechanical devices and enchanted tools.
The fifth floor contained products from Shinkai.
Its merchants displayed traditional weapons, silk fabrics, ceramics, and specialized magical equipment.
Finally, the sixth floor represented Nymoria.
It contained materials from oceanic civilizations.
There were pearls, coral-based magical objects, deep-sea minerals, and preserved marine specimens.
One merchant displayed a beautiful blue crystal.
"Interested, young man?"
Noah approached.
"What is it?"
"Abyssal Pearl. Collected from the deeper regions of the Nymorian Ocean."
"Properties?"
"It can store small amounts of water-attributed mana. Useful for certain enchantments."
Noah analyzed it.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS]
Item: Abyssal Pearl.
Grade: Epic.
Mana Attribute: Water.
Storage Capacity: Moderate.
Additional Property: Minor pressure resistance.
Noah shook his head.
"Interesting, but I'll pass."
The merchant didn't insist.
Noah continued exploring.
He spent nearly two hours examining the different collections.
The gallery gave him a better idea of how interconnected Aetherion's trade networks were.
Even distant continents exchanged goods regularly.
The Rare Materials Exchange
After leaving the gallery, Noah visited a building dedicated to rare materials.
It was a smaller commercial establishment, but the security was considerably stronger.
Visitors had to register before entering the main trading hall.
Noah presented his identification crystal.
A receptionist checked it.
"Welcome. Are you interested in purchasing or selling materials?"
"Purchasing, mainly."
"Understood. Please follow the marked sections. All items have been verified by our appraisal department."
Inside, several counters displayed rare minerals, magical plants, monster cores, and unusual components.
Noah walked through the mineral section.
He saw refined mithril, adamantite, moonstone, and several types of mana crystals.
Some prices were surprisingly high.
A small display contained a polished black mineral.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS]
Item: Shadowglass Ore.
Grade: Epic.
Properties:
- Naturally absorbs surrounding light.
- Compatible with concealment enchantments.
- Useful in specialized spatial equipment.
Noah examined its price.
One kilogram cost 420 Gold Coins.
He didn't buy it.
His current collection already contained enough interesting materials to keep Archivist-07 occupied for some time.
However, he found a different item worth purchasing.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS]
Item: Pure Mana Crystal.
Grade: Rare.
Quantity: 1 Kilogram.
Properties:
- Stable magical energy storage.
- Suitable for magical engineering.
- High compatibility with mana-powered devices.
Price: 65 Gold Coins.
Noah purchased 2 kilograms.
[Purchase]
Pure Mana Crystal ×2 kg — 130 Gold Coins.
He stored the crystals.
They might prove useful in future repairs or experiments.
The Enchanted Jewelry Street
Noah then visited a street famous for enchanted jewelry.
Unlike ordinary jewelry stores, these shops sold accessories containing magical effects.
There were protective necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, and decorative hair ornaments.
One shop displayed a collection of elemental gemstones.
The owner was a middle-aged human woman.
"Welcome. Looking for something special?"
"Just browsing."
She showed him a collection of bracelets.
One contained a small protective enchantment.
Another could regulate body temperature.
A third improved resistance against minor magical interference.
Noah examined them.
Most were ordinary items.
However, one bracelet caught his attention.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS]
Item: Mana Regulation Bracelet.
Grade: Epic.
Properties:
- Stabilizes internal mana circulation.
- Reduces minor energy fluctuations.
- Improves mana control during prolonged spellcasting.
Noah considered it.
He already possessed exceptional mana control, but the bracelet could still be useful when experimenting with unfamiliar magic.
"How much?"
"One hundred and eighty Gold Coins."
He purchased it.
[Purchase]
Mana Regulation Bracelet ×1 — 180 Gold Coins.
He placed it around his left wrist.
The enchantment activated gently.
Noah could feel a subtle stabilizing effect, although the difference was small.
"Not bad."
The shopkeeper smiled.
"Thank you. It's one of our better products."
A Merchant from the Eastern Continent
As Noah left the jewelry shop, he noticed a merchant arranging several wooden boxes outside a neighboring store.
The man's clothing was different from the local style.
His coat was dark blue, with silver embroidery along the sleeves.
A sign above his shop read:
SHINKAI COLLECTIONS — IMPORTED GOODS
Noah entered.
The merchant greeted him.
"Welcome, traveler. My name is Renji. I bring goods from the eastern continent." New chapters come out on g.com first.
Noah looked around.
The shop contained traditional decorations, handcrafted objects, small magical devices, and several books written in the eastern script.
Renji showed him a decorative compass.
"This is a traditional navigation instrument from Shinkai. It can detect changes in the surrounding magnetic field."
Noah examined it.
It wasn't magical enough to compete with his Ancient Spatial Compass, but the craftsmanship was excellent.
He purchased a small decorative model of an eastern sailing vessel for 8 Gold Coins.
Renji wrapped it carefully.
"Are you planning to visit Shinkai?"
"Eventually, perhaps."
"Then I hope you enjoy the journey. The eastern continent has many beautiful cities, though its internal political situation can be complicated."
Noah nodded.
"Every continent seems to have its own problems."
Renji laughed.
"That's true."
They spoke briefly about Shinkai's coastal cities, mountain temples, merchant ports, and traditional festivals.
Noah found the conversation useful.
It was always better to learn about a place from someone who had actually lived there.
The Public Merchant Registry
Before leaving the district, Noah visited the Merchant Registry.
The building maintained public records of trade routes, licensed merchant companies, and major commercial events.
He browsed several public documents.
One record listed the largest trading organizations operating across the six continents.
The Golden Road Trading Company was among the most influential.
Other organizations included the Silver Crown Consortium, Eastern Azure Trading Alliance, and Nymorian Maritime Exchange.
Noah also discovered that several major merchant companies maintained their own private transportation networks.
Some used enchanted carriages, others operated airships, and the wealthiest organizations possessed spatial transportation devices.
He spent some time reading the available information.
Aetherion's economy was much more developed than he had initially expected.
Late Afternoon — A Quiet Bookshop
On his way back, Noah stopped at a small bookshop.
Unlike the Grand Library, it specialized in practical travel literature.
He browsed the shelves.
Several titles caught his attention.
[Purchases]
- A Traveler's Guide to the Six Continents ×1 — 26 Gold Coins.
- International Trade Routes of Aetherion ×1 — 18 Gold Coins.
- Magical Transportation and Communication ×1 — 22 Gold Coins.
- Common Languages and Scripts of Aetherion ×1 — 15 Gold Coins.
Total: 81 Gold Coins.
He stored the books.
The shopkeeper offered him a small paper bookmark as a complimentary gift.
Noah accepted it.
"Thank you."
"Enjoy your reading."
Evening — Personal Dimension
Noah returned to the hotel as evening approached.
After resting briefly, he entered his Personal Dimension.
Archivist-07 greeted him.
"Welcome back, Master."
Noah placed the newly purchased materials into the automated storage system.
"Two kilograms of Pure Mana Crystal. Please add them to the research inventory."
"Understood. The materials have been registered."
Noah then asked about the ongoing research.
"The First Architects Technology Fragment has reached 22% data recovery. The recovered information includes additional specifications for energy storage devices and spatial synchronization systems."
"Anything about the transportation gate?"
"Some compatibility information has been recovered. However, the activation sequence remains incomplete."
"Keep working on it."
"Understood."
Noah walked towards the lake.
He summoned a small amount of mana and began practicing elemental control.
He formed a sphere of water above his palm, then transformed it into ice.
Next, he converted it into mist before dispersing it.
He repeated the process with fire, wind, and earth.
The exercises were simple, but they helped him maintain precise control over his elemental energy.
After a while, he stopped.
He looked towards the mansion.
"Tomorrow should be another relaxed day."
[SUPREME DRAGON SYSTEM]
Daily Reward Available.
[Reward Claimed]
- Evolution Points ×2,500.
- System Gold Coins ×45,000.
- Advanced Skill Development Scroll ×1.
[Updated Resources]
Evolution Points: 107,000.
System Gold Coins: 1,962,000.
Noah examined the new scroll.
[Advanced Skill Development Scroll]
Grade: Legendary.
Effect: Can be used to improve one compatible skill through accelerated mastery development.
Noah placed it in his inventory.
He wasn't in a hurry to use it.
Choosing the correct skill would be more important than using the scroll immediately.
He returned to the mansion and settled down with one of his newly purchased books.
Aurelion continued glowing outside.
The city was full of merchants, travelers, craftsmen, and people from distant continents.
Noah had only explored a small part of it.
And for once, he was perfectly content with that.
End of Chapter 23