Beta Town was a small town outside Alpha Academy.
Those wealthy and generous senior wizards of First University were the finest customers in the eyes of all merchants in the Wizarding World. The young, inexperienced students at the school, meanwhile, were the best choice for cultivating a loyal customer base.
Yet the heavily guarded First University was not a good place to do business. Strict security protocols restricted merchants' logistics, while steep on-campus rents devoured their profits.
But capital was also fleeing war and conflict—it was cowardly by nature. Far from First University, peace in the Wizarding World seemed terribly fragile. Any cunning demon would not hesitate to waste a few expendable minions to smash through the paper-thin defenses of small markets and plunder their rich spoils.
Thus, threatened by both demons and profit, the merchants of the Wizarding World chose a compromise.
They opened markets beyond the defensive perimeters of First University's four academies.
It had to be said that it was indeed a good solution.
Capable demons disdained to risk becoming enemies of First University just to rob a few shops; incapable demons were even less likely to gamble with their lives merely for a little gold, testing the limits of First University's defenses.
As for First University, it did not mind a few merchants sheltering beneath its wings. In fact, many of the school's old professors hoped to use the school's strength to protect more weak and vulnerable wizards.
As time passed, three of the markets established outside the four academies withered away.
Jiuyou Academy's towering walls restricted students' movements, while the abundant variety of goods within the academy made the merchants' wares seem pale by comparison. With so few customers, the merchants gradually abandoned this unprofitable market.
Atlas students were accustomed to lives of ascetic self-restraint.