Landen attended the Temple of Wealth's secret information exchange again today. If he hadn't been unwilling to come clean to Jenny for the moment, he would even have wanted to bring her along, to prevent the other members from growing suspicious over "Mr. Sea Turtle" being absent for too long.
Yet when he arrived at the secret chamber, Landen found a "Sea Turtle" symbol appearing on the Magic Mirror.
"Mr. White Wolf, you're very late today. Mr. Magic Claw already left earlier because of something!" The Giant Tree symbol in the Magic Mirror kept flashing, regret coloring his tone.
"Mr. Magic Claw was talking about matters in Dragon Tooth City. I doubt Mr. White Wolf would be interested either!" Another symbol, one that had been present at the previous few meetings, chimed in. "Still, I hope Mr. White Wolf can come earlier next time. I've always wanted to ask you about Magic Plant Cultivation in Frost-Wolf Forest!"
By custom, discussions in this room generally lasted four to five hours. Because of the time difference, the meeting began after lunch in the Empire's Eastern Region, while in Iowa west of the Empire, it began before lunch. This ensured that members from every region of the Empire could attend the meeting on weekends.
During the first part of the gathering, traders scattered across the Empire conducted small-scale free trades, mainly in alchemical products or Magic Pattern Equipment. The true information exchange began with the arrival of Mr. Giant Tree from the Imperial Capital.
Mr. Giant Tree arrived every time at precisely 13:30 Imperial Capital time—12:00 by Night-Kirin City standard time, or 11:30 in Hindukush. After exchanging pleasantries, the members began announcing information from east to west, ending with Mr. Giant Tree. Once Giant Tree left, free discussion or trading continued, but the