Ritzy,
"Where is this school?'.
Caroline and Tuck immediately coughed from hearing Ritzy's response.
Calming down, Tuck spoke.
"The place resides in Elf territory".
Tuck's mind,
'He's a magician, how doesn't he know this famous school? Has he been living under a rock? Wait, maybe he has. Many of my best soldiers are idiots who only train and don't care about the rest of the world. No, wait. That still doesn't make sense. Benedire told me he's a splendid magician with a strong and unique mind. This means he should've picked up at least one book about the famous mage school...'
'Maybe its that he doesn't bother learning things that he knows won't benefit him immediately. He has a pretty dangerous mindset and I shouldn't hire him anymore but I have no options right now'.
Ritzy,
"Oh, that is quite a trip. If I'm approved for this mission by your client, will I be provided any resources while we travel together?".
Caroline's mind,
'You're already taking us there. The coincidence of someone wanting you to escort them there is an amazing surprise!'.
Tuck,
"Typically, no, but since your risking your life against such a foe, I'll give you some money for travels if you're accepted".
Ritzy,
"That's good to hear. I have no more questions".
Tuck,
"Then we'll meet later today at the banquet. The stuff you bought will be held by the hotel in the meantime. Just ask the front desk to bring it to the front when you're ready. Also, the weapons are a small amount so I'll have someone bring them to the banquet. I'm planning on doing a mini-auction but I'll sell it to you before I auction it off.".
Ritzy gulped the last of the tea and stood from his chair,
"Then I'll see you at the banquet Lord Tuck".
...
Exiting the hotel, Ritzy and Caroline were walking towards the auction hall. As they were walking, Caroline was unusually close to Ritzy, almost in touching distance.
Ritzy,
"Where exactly in the auction hall are we going?".
Caroline spoke softly as if not trying to be heard.
"We're going to the storage area of the auction hall. Over there we'll meet with a man in charge of the high-level slaves".
Ritzy was slightly confused by Caroline's actions and noticed some people around them were staring at them.
Ritzy's thoughts,
'A war sure does make people hate you. I just hope this woman doesn't cause more unnecessary trouble. At least, I hope they're looking at her and not me'.
Walking a dozen minutes more, they arrived at the auction hall but instead of going through the front entrance, Caroline led Ritzy to the cargo entrance.
Arriving they were met by a young man leading a couple of armored guards to inspect carriages going inside the auction hall.
Getting closer, the young man noticed Ritzy and Caroline but instead of saying something, he simply gestured for them to continue walking and go inside.
Walking inside, Caroline took the lead. She led Ritzy through a hallway and past a couple of doors but after a while, they reached a dark red door with heavily armored guards and pikes. The guards seeing Ritzy and Caroline quickly spoke threateningly.
Guard 1,
"Holt!... State your business".
Caroline spoke respectfully,
"I came here to introduce this young lord to the vice-guild leader. He desires to buy some special labor".
Guard 1,
"I'll escort you inside then".
Finishing his words, the guard made a knock with a special rhythm on the door and then waited. A second passed and a male voice was heard.
"You may come in".
The guard opened the door and walked in and the second guard signaled for Ritzy and Corline to go inside. As Caroline and Ritzy went inside the room, the guard came in as well and closed the door.
The room was lavishly furnished with red-colored wood and bronze. The room was on the fifth floor of the auction house and had a beautiful view of the city.
In the middle of the room was a grand desk with a large leather chair. On the chair was an older man with tanned skin. He had a rather plump body and chubby fingers which is odd for a tanned person in this world.
Vice-Guilder Leader,
"From your eyes, I can guess your Lord Ritzy. You're a pretty well known up and coming noble. A strong fighter who is qualified to fight beside the Benedire family".
Looking at the opposite side of the desk from the V-Guild leader, Ritzy saw an empty chair. Ritzy touch the top of the chair and asked,
"Is this seat taken Mr?".
Binta,
"You're welcome to take a seat and it's Marquess Binta Jiu".
Pulling the chair back, Ritzy sat down with no care in the world. Getting comfortable, Ritzy then looked at Binta to resume the conversation.
Ritzy,
"I've come here to buy some items I believe will prove useful for my travels".
Binta,
"And what may that be?".
Ritzy turned to Caroline and said,
"Can you repeat the list of personnel I wanted".
Caroline noticed what Ritzy meant so she listed off the names of her friends.
"The first one is a healer called Scarlet, second is the Lizard siblings Dexter and Lizzie who are well-known gladiators, and elf Arod to help me attend to you".
Binta hearing the list caused him to realize that Ritzy was buying Caroline's friends. He now believed that Ritzy was a dumb young noble trying to please a sex slave and this was an opportune moment to make more money.
Ritzy then pointed at Caroline,
"I also desire to buy this one as well so how much will it all cost?".
Binta,
"Those are very high-level merchandise you want to buy. Caroline is a huge moneymaker for the guild, the healer is a specialized one, the gladiators are part of our best entertainment and protection, and the boy is already being desired by someone else. If you'll want to buy them, it'll be a very large amount but since you just turned into a noble today, I think I can give you a hefty discount".
Ritzy pretended to be innocent,
"I thank you for your generosity so please tell me, what will it cost me?".
Binta,
"It's cost a platinum coin and 80 gold in total".
Caroline commenced to genuinely sweat from the cost of her and her friends. She knew nobles had money but she also knew Ritzy was only starting and is very young so he couldn't have that much on him.
Ritzy's face then commenced showing worry and stress. Ritzy was trying to show this was way too much for him and that if it was sold at that price, it would never be bought by him.
The price Binta gave was 50% more than the actual price because he thought the famous Ritzy could afford it but seeing Ritzy's actions caused him to think that he overestimated Ritzy's wallet.
Binta,
"Don't worry that the price without the discount. In reality, it's about one platinum and 30 gold".
Ritzy still didn't distress his face.
Normally Binta wouldn't decrease the price but for some reason, Ritzy's actions were making him want to sell at a cheaper price which caused him to accidentally blurt out a new price.
"How about One platinum?".
As soon as the words escaped his mouth, he started regretting it and started hopping that Ritzy still couldn't afford that price. Being hopeful, Binta looked at Ritzy face for his reaction but as he looked up, he saw a platinum coin on his desk.
Ritzy,
"I thank you for your kindness, you really brought me out of a bind. For such a discount, please don't worry about contacting me about emergency buys or a special favor".
Binta,
"I-ah".
Hearing Binta's hesitation, Ritzy leaned forward and looked straight into Binta's eyes. Ritzy eyes were filled with domineering energy saying you're not worthy to speak to me anymore.
At that moment Binta noticed he was played and couldn't do anything about it. Not only was he tricked, but the person who tricked him is also too dangerous to mess with back.
Not being able to withstand the pressure from Ritzy's gaze, he quickly turned to one of the guards and spoke with a bit of panic.
"Please bring the lizard siblings, our special healer, and an elf boy named Arod".
Turning back to Ritzy worryingly and slowly, he saw Ritzy relaxing on the chair again. The danger he felt before was completely gone and replaced with a sense of a naive young noble.
Brita's mind,
'He's too dangerous! I need to have him leave as fast as possible but at the same time not displease him'.