After sealing the deal, Leonard stored the Crimson Wraith's body in his storage ring. Dante then retrieved the corpses of a fox and a wolf.
Leonard scrutinized their bodies before remarking,
"Hmm. A three-tailed fox and a Wind Wolf. Their body condition isn't that bad. How about 70 Luminal Essence? Although they're useful in making basic potions, they're far inferior to the Crimson Wraith, an exotic creature."
Dante nodded, as if he already knew the information, and replied, "Although they're not rare creatures and are quite common, their bodies aren't as dismembered as you mentioned. ...Seeing that you also have to sell them for a profit, how about 100 Luminal Essence?"
"This is a good price for two corpses. I can't go any lower than this."
Leonard hesitated for a second before closing the deal.
"Also, while I was traveling, I stumbled upon this flower. What do you know about this?" Dante presented the flower he obtained from the pond to Leonard.
Leonard's eyes sized up the flower for a whole moment before brightly shining. "Sir, your luck is very good. This is not an ordinary flower but an Imperial Essence Lily that can purify the Essence and increase the attacks of even a Nodesmith."
"Are you willing to sell it? Although I don't have any need for it, I know someone who would be willing to buy it from you. But obviously, I will charge some fees for that." Leonard gazed towards Dante with shining eyes that dimmed very quickly as he heard Dante's reply.
"No need for that. I am not planning to sell it for now." With that, Dante took the 180 Luminal Essence and stuffed them into a bag that Leonard gave him and left the area.
After some time of walking, he arrived in front of the Exchange Area. It was a place where you can convert your Luminal Shards to Radiant shards or Luminal Shards to Bits or Radiant Shards to Etherial Shards.
The exchange area was a dome-shaped structure, supported by two massive golden towers with carvings of a lion and a dragon fighting. The dome was made of a glass-like structure but had a light blue color. On top of the dome was a board in which 'Solar Exchange' was written in bright golden colors.
Dante entered the Exchange area and found that it had the same crowd as the Solar Square but compared to the former, it was more organized. There were several counters, above which were written 'Luminal Shards to Radiant Shards Counter', 'Radiant Shards to Ethereal Shards Counter' and other exchanges. Several people were standing at the corner with a warm smile, wearing formal attire with the seal of the Royal Family.
Solar Exchange is managed by the Royal Family... Is it also the same for Solar Square?
Dante thought for a moment before he swiftly walked towards the counter on which 'Luminal Shards to EssenBits Counter' was written.
This confused Dante for a moment before he came to a conclusion.
Hmm...Although it's EssenBits, people like to call it Bits. Haha.
Dante thought about the Bits from his previous life and chuckled inwardly.
The counter had a small line, so he calmly stood on the line, waiting for his turn.
After a few moments, it was finally his turn. The girl at the counter greeted him with a smile.
"Welcome, Sir. How much Luminal Shards do you want to exchange into EssenBits?"
"I want to exchange my 30 Luminal Shards to EssenBits." Dante gave her the amount, and she nodded.
She took out a tray full of small shards of grey, red, and white colors. She counted them for a moment before handing them to Dante.
"Here are your 2850 Essenbits. The remaining 150 Bits have been deducted due to the Exchange Tax. Hope you understand."
Dante nodded at her before stuffing them into the bag that Leonard gave him.
She then leaned on the notebook that was on her side, with a quill in her hand.
"Can I get your name, Sir?"
"Dante Marcellus."
.....
After giving all the necessary information, he left the Exchange area.
A 5% tax on the exchange... The Solarionis Kingdom really is a developed kingdom. Dante thought for a moment before he gazed at the EssenBits in the small bag. He then recalled the information from the Rulebook.
Grey shards are worth 1 Bit, White shards are worth 5 Bits, and Red shards are worth 10 Bits...
Without wasting any time, Dante first walked throughout the area looking for a place to eat.
He then stumbled upon a small building on which 'Solar Grill' was written.
Am I in some kind of paradox? Solar Square, Solar Exchange, Solar Grill....Dante was dumbfounded by the names of places in the kingdom. He then shook his head with a smile and went inside the House.
Squeak
The door opened, revealing a place filled with people who were chatting, eating food, and drinking beer.
Dante gazed at the counter, which was managed by an old lady that looked to be in her 40s, and her husband, who looked the same age as her.
He quietly sat down on a chair whose table was empty and rang the bell that was at the center of the table.
After a few moments, a young lady quickly came to ask him for his order.
"Uh, give me something that your store is famous for and some other complementaries."
She nodded and gave the order to the old lady at the counter.
After some time, she came back again with a plate and other utensils.
"This is our store's special food. This is the 'Sunfire Steak'. Along with this, here is the Luminara Soup and a Starlight Elixir. Hope you enjoy your meal here!"
She gently smiled before leaving.
Dante frowned again.
Sunfire steak is also in the list now...
He laughed quietly before munching on the food.
The Sunfire Steak was like beef from his previous life but juicier and had a little more texture. This was the tastiest thing that Dante had ever eaten.
The Luminara soup, on the other hand, glowed a little and hence justified its name Luminara Soup. Its taste was although not comparable to the Sunfire Steak, it was still tasty nonetheless.
The Starlight Elixir was glittering a little and hence its name—Starlight. Its taste was just like coffee but much more refreshing and soothing.
After finishing his meal, Dante leaned back on the chair and relaxed as he heard the sound of the people near him.
"I was just fired from my job! Do you know why? Because I slept for a few minutes. This is bullshit!"
"This is not bullshit! Who the hell sleeps in the middle of a guard shift? You deserved it!"
"Did you know that King Aldric has invested 50,000 Ethereal Shards in the 'Lunar Wardens'? It seems that something is brewing in the kingdom."
"Seriously? How did you know about that? Aren't those pieces of information supposed to be top secret?"
"It was this morning. I was just going to work when a man stopped me and asked me the directions of the Royal Palace. When I told him that I didn't know, he just told me about this out of nowhere. I don't even know if what he said was true or not..."
"Huh? That was a strange encounter you had. How did that man look like?"
"I don't know much except the fact that his eyes were green. His face was covered with a black mask. I couldn't tell much about that."
"Then, why the hell are you spreading this information here?! Don't you know that if the word were to spread about this, then even if it was false, you would be heavily punished! That's why, shut up and don't ever talk about this!"
Hearing this, Dante, who was leaning on the chairs, shuddered slightly.
"Green eyes... It can't be that man, right? The one I asked the direction for Solar Square..." Dante then shook his head.
It's highly unlikely for him to be the same person. But I can't be too sure. The king Aldric has invested 50,000 Ethereal Essence in the Lunar Wardens. Also, what the hell is Lunar Wardens? A squadron? Is something stirring in the kingdom? Was this the reason for the red hue in the kingdom in my divination? I can't be sure about anything.
Dante got up from his chair and paid one Luminal Shard and 20 Bits for the meal and left the restaurant.
He then shopped for some clothes at various shops and bought three different tuxedos, which had a unique design, and hats that complemented them.
The first one had a sleek, single-breasted jacket featuring satin peak lapels. The ensemble is completed with a crisp white dress shirt and a black silk bowtie.
The second one was a midnight blue velvet tuxedo. The shawl collar added a touch of elegance and was complemented by a black silk cummerbund and a matching bowtie.
The third one was an ivory-colored tuxedo jacket paired with black trousers. The ensemble is adorned with black satin details on the peak lapels and a black silk bowtie.
It cost him a total of 10 Luminal Shards as they were of higher quality.
It's going to be nighttime soon. I should first find a hotel to stay in. Then tomorrow, I would search for means to enroll in an academy...
Dante walked around for a bit and finally found a place. The name of the place was Radiant Haven Inn. It was a building that had a mixture of yellow and a dark red mixture and an intricate design on the top on which the name of the Inn was written.
He entered the Inn and headed to the counter, which was managed by a man who was in his 40s. Upon seeing Dante, he immediately got up from the chair and greeted him.
"I am looking to stay here for a day, including dinner. The room should be medium-sized and not too big. What will be the price?"
The man on the counter nodded before replying,
"Sir, a medium-sized room, including dinner, would cost you 8 Luminal Shards per night."
Dante nodded before paying him and took the keys to his room.
"Room 32 is on the first floor on the right side."
Dante then went to his room and opened it. He was greeted with a room that was medium-sized as he had desired. It also had a bathroom and a place to bathe. The room also had a small table and a chair with a medium-sized bed with two pillows. The bed was made of a material that was similar to silk.
Dante nodded, seeing his room, before diverting his attention to the bathing area. The bathing area had a blue crystal on the top and a small circle on the wall. The small circle had a few symbols on its circumference that glowed slightly.
This blue crystal is responsible for creating water. The circle must be some kind of switch...
Dante concluded before he jumped on the smooth and comfortable bed and closed his eyes. In just a few moments, he fell asleep.