Libo Town

Libo Town was named after the ancient castle of Libo that once stood here. As more and more people came to the area, houses sprang up around the castle, gradually forming the Libo Town of today. Baron Rex, the current mayor, lived in the old castle.

By the time they arrived in Libo Town, the sun was already nearing noon. Abel discussed it with Norman, and they first went to the church, where they spent ten silver coins to hire a priest to use Heal Lesser Wounds on Norman's injured leg.

As they left the church, Abel looked at the towering, solemn building and could not help shaking his head. Churches really did make money. A low-level Divine Spell alone cost ten silver coins. Ten silver coins were enough to support an ordinary family for a month, yet for a priest, it was no more than a wave of the hand.

Then, under Norman's guidance, they arrived at a shop in the eastern part of town that purchased hides. When the shop owner saw the Shadow Leopard, he was greatly surprised. Other than a wound along its back, the beast was completely intact. Since it was such a valuable Shadow Leopard, the owner readily offered ten gold coins for it.

Norman was very satisfied with the price. Abel did not know much about the market, so when he saw Norman nod, he agreed to the deal.

With these ten gold coins, plus the one gold coin Zack had given him and the five gold coins he had saved, he now had sixteen gold coins in total. Gold coins still had considerable purchasing power here, which always made Abel feel as though he had some money.

Abel had come to Libo Town for a purpose. He told Norman to purchase the supplies on his own, since he did not want anyone to know about what he was going to buy next.

He arrived at the Libo Trading Company in the center of town. Its sign bore the silhouette of Libo Castle. The storefront was large, and with noon approaching, there were not many people inside.

Abel went to the counter and looked over the goods within. There were all kinds of daily necessities, as well as jewelry, clothing, and more. It was like a general store.

"Are you Young Master Abel?" A plump middle-aged man emerged from behind the counter with a broad smile and gave Abel a noble flower salute.

Though the man's noble salute was far from standard, and a flower salute was not appropriate here, Abel still politely returned the gesture. Ordinary people found it difficult to learn noble etiquette. It was already quite impressive that this plump middle-aged man could perform a noble salute at all.

"Yes. You know me?"

"I am Tim, the owner of this shop. There is the Thorn Shield emblem of Bennett Knight's Territory on the hem of your clothes, and I also know your elder brother, Young Master Zack. That is why I dared to address you so." Tim gave another strange salute.

The Thorn Shield was the crest of the Bennett Family. For one to become a qualified noble, memorizing as many noble crests as possible was an essential part of the path. In Abel's memories, he had received instruction in literature, music, and noble etiquette from childhood, with heraldry being one of the most important subjects.

"Mr. Tim, do you sell individual gemstones?"

Tim was delighted that Abel addressed him so politely as "Mr." Although the young man before him, the second son of a knight, was not a noble himself, his status was still exceptionally distinguished. The respect shown to him by someone of such standing put Tim in an excellent mood, and he quickly replied, "Yes, Libo Trading Company can provide you with all kinds of gemstones, Young Master Abel."

As he spoke, Tim had someone open a large box beneath the counter. Several rows of gemstones lay inside. They were all very small. In such a small place, few people could afford gemstones, and larger ones had other uses and would not appear in a shop like this.

Abel selected six rubies of the same color and roughly the same size from the box, then asked, "Mr. Tim, how much are these?"

"Six gold coins will do, Young Master Abel."

Without bargaining further, Abel knew that a shop run by a local merchant would not randomly overcharge a local, much less overcharge a direct member of a knightly family. He took six gold coins from his clothes and handed them to Tim.

Tim accepted the coins with both hands, found a cloth pouch, placed the six rubies inside for Abel, and respectfully saw him out of the shop.

After leaving the Libo Trading Company, Abel found an empty alley. He took three rubies from the pouch, tapped them with his finger, and stored them in the Horadric Cube. He silently recited the transmutation formula once more: three identical gemstones could be combined into a gemstone one grade higher. If he was correct, once he pressed the transmute button, the three gemstones should disappear, leaving behind a larger ruby.

Suppressing his excitement, he lightly tapped the transmute button below the twelve slots before him. The three rubies flashed with white light and vanished. In the topmost slot of the Horadric Cube appeared a ruby one size larger. Abel took it out and examined it beneath the sunlight. It truly was a beautiful gemstone. Every facet perfectly reflected the sun's brilliance, radiating a pure glow. Its crystal-clear red shimmered beneath the sunlight.

Whether in size or quality, this ruby was a grade above the three rubies from before. Though Abel did not know its value, he believed it was definitely worth far more than three gold coins.

He then combined the second set of rubies as well, placed the two larger rubies into the cloth pouch, and considered where to sell them. He certainly could not go to the Libo Trading Company. After all, he had just bought six rubies from there, only to return shortly afterward to sell two superior rubies. Even a fool would know something was wrong.

After walking along the town's main street for a while, he saw an auction house ahead. It was the Edmund Auction House. Looking at its sign, Abel found the relevant information in his memories. The Edmund Auction House was the largest auction house in the duchy, with branches in practically every town throughout the Duchy of Camai. Its five hundred years of history guaranteed its reputation. Every year, the Edmund Auction House in the capital auctioned rare treasures, attracting nobles and wealthy figures from across the Duchy of Camai and neighboring duchies.

"Welcome to the Edmund Auction House. How may I assist you?" A beautiful woman with a standard oval face greeted Abel with a midday salutation. She wore a lavish formal dress made from silk imported from the East, with long golden hair, bright and clear eyes without the slightest impurity, flawless fair skin, and a soft, melodious voice.

"Beautiful lady, I would like to have a gemstone appraised." Abel returned the midday salutation before replying.

This etiquette alone revealed the Edmund Auction House's strength. Using the proper etiquette at the proper time was the standard expected of nobles. Anyone proficient in such etiquette had at least studied noble etiquette, and those courses were not something one could learn simply by wishing to. Without the proper status, no one would teach them to you.

"You may call me Yvette, young and handsome sir. I am the manager here. Let us speak upstairs." The moment Yvette saw Abel enter, she knew he was someone of status. Therefore, she had not allowed anyone else to receive him and had attended to him personally.

After they sat down in the reception room on the second floor, attendants served them two cups of coffee. Having walked for half the day, Abel could not help picking up his cup and taking a small sip. It was excellent coffee. Though he could not tell where it had been produced, he could still judge good coffee from bad. His family's finances were poor, and he had not had coffee this good in a long time.

Yvette looked at the young man before her, who could almost be called a boy. Respect for those of high status did not depend on their age. This phrase, often repeated by nobles, was the auction house's service principle.

Abel took the cloth pouch from his clothes, removed a ruby, and handed it to Yvette. "Lady Yvette, please assess the value of this gemstone."

Yvette accepted the gemstone and carefully inspected its interior against the light. Several minutes later, she looked up and said excitedly, "Perfect cut, perfect structure, without the slightest flaw, and excellent transparency. Are you willing to sell this ruby? I can offer you the highest price—three hundred gold coins."