Unable to repay my student loans, I had no choice but to work part-time as a demon hunter.

The monastery's forecourt has been turned into an antique market.

Stalls stretched along the corridor, covered with tarpaulins for rain protection. Merchants displayed their goods on various wooden crates, separated from the wet ground. Handicrafts, exotic materials, ancient books, spices, and source equipment were mixed together.

Gordon scanned the area.

[Love Crystal. People who are heartbroken should go to bed early.]

[The Blade of Resentment. Harbors a personal grudge against breakfast.]

[Source Material Armguards. They can withstand four attacks, and there are exactly four dents on them.]

Gordon didn't see any truly dangerous antiques, but instead stopped at a merchant's jewelry stall and picked out a hair comb.

The comb is made of gold-threaded enamel, embroidered with blooming irises, with the flower centers inlaid with diamonds, and the comb teeth are made of smooth tortoiseshell.

"How much?" Gordon asked.

"50 gold pounds, sir, left by the ancient royal family of Gallia..." the merchant began to boast skillfully.

Gordon fought with the merchant for ten minutes and finally bought it for 5 gold pounds.

He picked up the comb and turned to hand it to Charlotte.

"Give it to me?" Charlotte was delighted. She had thought Gordon bought it for himself and was wondering when Gordon had taken a liking to something like this.

“It’s perfect for you,” Gordon explained. “I’m the most discerning person in town.”

"I like it." Charlotte stroked the comb. Her mother was from Gallia, so she also had some Gallia blood and sentiment. At this moment, she couldn't help but carefully put the comb away.

When Gordon gave her the tattered spider shell, Charlotte had said that next time she gave a girl a gift, she should be more thoughtful.

Unexpectedly, Gordon has now seriously and carefully chosen a gift for her.

Further on, merchants from various Elamite kingdoms were setting up food stalls against the walls of the monastery.

Elam, located at the edge of the Probian continent on the eastern shore of the Narrow Sea, is currently under the influence of the Logris Empire.

They were once local tyrants, and now they mainly provide food and entertainment on the streets of Lundnim.

Two merchants wearing small red caps turned the grill, skewering mutton and beef on large iron skewers, the outer layer charred and crispy, with fat dripping down the grain.

There were various snacks piled up next to it, including candied dates, pistachios, pomegranates, cumin-flavored dried meat, and various imported spices.

Vera paused, looking away, but Gordon had already grasped the whole message.

"One serving, please." Gao Deng stepped forward to order.

The little hat merchant chattered a few words, thanking Gordon for his kindness, and then cut off a piece of delicious roast meat for Gordon, rolled it in a thin pancake, stuffed with pickles, onions, and sesame sauce, and rolled it into a large serving.

Vera took it, took a big bite, and her expression clearly improved.

She held the other end to Gordon's mouth, and Gordon took a bite.

The fragrant roasted meat, seasoned with Elamite's signature spices, is spicy yet intensely aromatic, offering ultimate satisfaction.

Then, Gordon visited a traveling merchant from Probia and bought Eve an ebony hairpin to replace the simple wooden hairpin she was wearing.

"This suits your hairstyle."

"Worth three gold pounds." Eve glanced at the price tag.

"You're worth a lot of money. Even a casual remark from you can spark a fight among a group of people," Gordon said.

"Thank you then." Eve removed the original wooden hairpin, her black hair sliding down her shoulders. Then she raised her arms, re-gathered her long hair, and threaded the wooden hairpin given to her by Gordon through the bun, making her hair up high and beautiful.

Since Charlotte was still peeking around, Eve didn't say anything more. It would be bad if Charlotte entered the second stage.

Aside from Gordon buying her things, Eve didn't buy anything for herself. Since Eve didn't actually have much disposable income, Gordon buying her things was a very considerate gesture for her.

Charlotte's gaze eventually landed on a merchant.

The other party was from the New Albion colony across the ocean. They chose a dark brown leather wallet with fine textures left by the hand-tanning process. Inside, there were compartments for banknotes, coin pockets, and multiple card slots. The brass clasp was printed with maple leaves.

"This is for you." Charlotte bought it without looking at the price and stuffed the wallet into Gordon's hand.

"I... I really don't have a wallet." Gordon touched the inside pocket of his clothes.

"A man must have a decent wallet, especially a man who is prepared to have a lot of money." Charlotte put the wallet into Gordon's pocket.

Now, Gordon had a wallet, Charlotte had a hair comb, Eve had some trinkets, and Vera had a big meal. They all gained something from the market and felt that their trip was worthwhile.

But then the auction officially began, and Gordon knew that was the main event.

……

After the monastery bells rang, the guests moved along the arcades toward the inner courtyard of St. Bartholomew's Monastery, which was originally the residence of nuns and hermits and was only open on market day of the year.

Gordon sensed his surroundings and didn't find anyone particularly hostile, but there were many ability users, all of whom were representatives and guards sent by various families.

Martin wasn't there either; he was probably rummaging through things in the storeroom deeper inside the monastery.

As soon as they entered the inner courtyard, they heard the sound of a cane tapping on the railing coming from the second-floor corridor.

"Welcome." Luanna waved to them, with the Steam Knight standing guard directly behind her. "This is the best view."

"Oh, oh." Charlotte was clearly reluctant, but she didn't refuse, since she was going to take Gordon to Luanna's ball to dance later.

They ascended the spiral staircase to the second floor of the monastery, where several round tables were set up behind the railings. On the tables were telescopes, a dish of candied fruit and pastries, as well as checks, gold pounds, and vouchers, all symbolizing Luanna's immense wealth.

Luanna glanced at Gordon and Charlotte for a while.

"You should get engaged as soon as possible," she said.

"?" Vera frowned.

"!" Eve stroked her chin.

"...Luanna!" Charlotte exclaimed in surprise.

"Honestly, Gordon possesses Crimson Alchemy, the academic standing of the Winslow School, and the Highman Corporation. As far as I know, he also has influence over public policy. And you possess fame, a large dowry, the inheritance rights to the entire Monford family, and a medium-sized source material. Individually, you are all valuable, but your value will multiply after you are bound together. This is exorbitant profit!" Luanna gestured with her hands raised upwards.

Money, money, and more money.

"This is a serious matter, Miss Ravenhurst," Gordon questioned, now somewhat aware of how others perceived him.

"This, this is too fast." Charlotte thought about getting engaged, then about getting married, then about getting married, then about her wedding night, and then about having a baby.

"We must act quickly," Luanna said. "The positions of the nine great families are not static, and some families are clearly declining and falling behind..."

Please remember the only URL of this novel: ".". The website owner has only this one website, and other websites may be discontinued at any time.

"You want the Monford family to rise in status?" Gordon asked. "Why would you think that?"

"That's very interesting," Luanna concluded. "The young and promising only daughter of the Montfort family and the Crimson Alchemist from a commoner background, together, establish a new family, acquire the assets of a declining duke, and eventually become one of the new nine great families. You can create a lot of amazing changes."

Charlotte instinctively gripped Gordon's hand.

"What do you think?" she asked softly.

"I think we shouldn't let three sentences from others decide things. Let's get our attention back to the auction." Gordon felt the warmth rising from Charlotte's palm.

Inside the courtyard, the auctioneer tapped his ivory gavel.

"Distinguished guests! The first item up for auction at St. Bartholomew's Monastery today comes from the Querva River in Bharat... According to local ancient records, this object can sense changes in the heavens and earth, condensing into water droplets during heavy rains and clearing itself when the sun shines brightly. In the local language, it is... 'Tears of the Sky'!"

Two priests placed a short, stout glass bottle on the auction table.

The bottle is blue-green in color, with a thin tube inserted inside and water droplets hanging from the top. Due to the current weather, the water inside is indeed murky.

Gao Deng adjusted his focus and observed carefully. Sure enough, the water inside was extremely turbid and contained many flocculent substances.

[Weather bottle. I haven't seen this in a long time.]

"Oh!"

"That's amazing!"

"Buy this..." The guests in the room were very enthusiastic.

They all assumed that things from foreign lands carried various treasures.