The immense building of the merchant guild stood imposingly at the back of the plaza, guarded by golden banners.

But when they reached the perimeter and observed the main entrance, they noticed a very restrictive access pattern.

There was no crowded multitude or a bustling line waiting to get in. People arrived occasionally, forming in very small groups of two or three individuals at most.

They stopped in front of the door attendants, exchanged a few brief words, were identified one by one by checking documents, and finally passed quickly into the interior of the enclosure.

Karol, Ryan, and Beatrice did not approach the entrance immediately. In a coordinated movement, they veered off the main path and stayed behind a decorative stone wall.

In a blind spot where they were not visible to the auction guards or to the nobles stepping out of their carriages.

"I think we got excited for nothing. I doubt they’ll let us enter like that," Beatrice said, letting out a heavy sigh, leaning her back against the wall while making sure her scarf perfectly covered the area of her horns.

"They are filtering every single person who crosses those doors. A group of unknown outsiders will be rejected instantly."

"Yeah, and to think I was excited by the idea of seeing what they would be selling in there," Karol commented, crossing her arms and furrowing her brow with evident disappointment.

Ryan observed the flow of entry from the corner of his eye, analyzing the situation.

’They are controlling the capacity to maintain the exclusivity of the auction, that is obvious,’ Ryan thought, evaluating the equipment of the few people who managed to get through.

’But not everyone entering is wearing silks or gold crowns. I’ve seen a couple of swordsmen pass by with combat-worn armor. If they can enter, it means noble status is not the only valid requirement.’

"Maybe we should go try it anyway. They might let us in simply for being adventurers," Ryan said, turning toward the girls.

"Aren’t they the ones who buy those relics and weapons the most at the end of the day to explore dungeons?"

Karol thought about it for a second, looking up.

"Yes, you might be right. The merchant guilds know that high-ranking adventurers are the ones who bring real money into these cities after clearing danger zones," Karol added, recovering a bit of enthusiasm.

"So, are we all three going together?" Beatrice asked, preparing to step out of hiding.

But Ryan immediately shook his head with a firm gesture of his hand.

"For now, let me go alone. Going in a group without knowing the entry rules will raise unnecessary suspicions. If I manage to get in, then you guys go one after the other."

"Understood," they both said in unison, trusting their leader’s judgment.

Ryan detached himself from the wall, adjusted the collar of his dark coat, and walked straight to the entrance area with a completely relaxed posture.

At that moment, two people were talking to the door attendant; after being checked off a paper list, they were allowed to pass.

Then Ryan stepped forward until he was face to face with the security attendant.

The attendant was a bald man with a robust build, dressed in an impeccable tunic with silver trim.

In his right hand, he held a fine quill, and in his left, a thick parchment with a list of names.

"Greetings, please tell me your name," the bald man requested in a monotonous voice, without even bothering to look up from the parchment.

Ryan, maintaining the usual calm that characterized him, responded with a clear voice.

"Krai. I have come because I am interested in one of the items that will be auctioned here."

The bald man began to check the list, sliding the quill down the lines. Ryan, with his senses boosted to the extreme by his new SS rank, immediately noticed how he did it.

His eyes followed the movement of the attendant’s pupils. He realized that the man checked the list twice, from top to bottom, searching for a name that clearly did not appear on the list.

After the double-check, the bald man lowered the parchment, placed it against his chest, and looked Ryan straight in the eyes.

"I’m sorry, young Krai, but you cannot enter this place if you haven’t registered to participate in the auction beforehand."

"Hmm, so it’s like that?" Ryan asked, feigning slight surprise at the protocol.

"Yes, that is done in advance to verify that those who participate in the auction can actually afford the items sold."

"I understand, thank you for the explanation," Ryan replied, nodding slightly, ready to turn around and leave.

"Don’t take it the wrong way," the bald man added, softening his expression a bit upon noticing the foreigner’s polite attitude.

"You know this also prevents troublemakers from coming in and ruining the event."

Ryan sighed in resignation. His mind was already calculating whether it was worth looking for a black market or simply asking Runa to forge something new when they returned to the dungeon.

But before he could take a single step away, he heard a refined and imposing voice right behind him.

"Relax, this man is my guest."

’What?’

Ryan turned around immediately, keeping his neutral expression despite the internal alert.

Barely two steps away, stood a middle-aged man in an extremely ostentatious outfit.

His coat was embroidered with threads that looked like pure gold, and he wore precious stone rings on almost every finger. He emanated an aura of authority that only high-ranking nobles possessed.

And right next to him, staying slightly behind, was a companion.

Ryan fixed his gaze on that companion for a second. The subject wore dark, simple clothes, displaying a tone and posture as if he were a simple administrative assistant.

However, his breathing was non-existent, his steps made absolutely no sound, and his body language hid a perfect lethality. That behavior instantly reminded Ryan of the way Alicia acted back in the village.

’That is not an assistant, that’s an elite bodyguard,’ Ryan analyzed in his head after inspecting him and confirming a powerful A-rank.

Then, the bald man at the door reacted to the noble’s arrival. His posture straightened abruptly, and he bowed his head in a pronounced reverence.

"I understand perfectly. If he is coming with you, Lord Edwin, then there are no objections. You may pass, young Krai."

The bald man said, extending his hand to Ryan to hand him what looked like a small silver badge with a pin on the back. It had a number deeply engraved in the metal. The number 136.

Ryan took it in silence. The door attendant indicated with a silent gesture that he should put it on before entering, and Ryan did so, pinning the badge to the lapel of his coat.

’Who is this person and why was he interested enough to pretend he knows me in front of the guard?’

Ryan evaluated his options in the blink of an eye.

’Whatever, if I reject this right now or question it in front of the door, I will only make that noble go on high alert and draw the attention of all the guards in the plaza. For now, I’ll just go.’

"Let’s go, Krai, the auction is about to begin," the noble named Edwin said, flashing a polite smile.

"Yes. Let’s go," Ryan responded with his typical calm voice, playing along with the facade.

Then they advanced together, crossing the great threshold of the building’s bronze doors.

The interior of the place was exaggeratedly spacious, with architecture and acoustics that immediately reminded Ryan of what an opera house would look like in his world before reincarnating.

The ceiling was adorned with massive crystal chandeliers that illuminated the hall, and in front of them was a wide stage of polished wood where they would surely exhibit the items.

Many people were already seated in the rows of cushioned chairs on the lower level. The majority wore rich tunics, ceremonial armor, or cloaks of important guilds.

Near them, in the entrance hallway, there was no one either standing or sitting waiting.

When Ryan was wondering where he should sit among the crowd on the first floor, Edwin stopped and spoke to him.

"Let’s go, Krai, our place is upstairs."

Edwin said it with such calmness and serenity in his words that the comment only served to further ignite Ryan’s suspicions.

The seats upstairs weren’t ordinary chairs; they were private boxes. Exclusive, closed-off areas where figures of true power observed the event away from the eyes of the commoners.

Going upstairs meant locking himself in a limited space with a mysterious man and a lethal bodyguard.

Edwin began to walk toward the grand carpeted staircase that led to the second level, expecting Ryan to follow him like an obedient dog.

But Ryan stopped his steps dead in their tracks, planting himself firmly at the base of the stairs.

He had already crossed the bronze doors, he was already inside the event, and he no longer needed to fake camaraderie in front of the security guards outside.

"There is no need to keep pretending, Lord Edwin. Tell me right now, why did you allow me to enter this place?"