When Eren was dropped at his location, he stood in front of the bustling streets of Virelith City.
Unlike Tidewatch, this place felt much louder and livelier.
Hunters, merchants, and guild members moved in waves through the streets.
When Eren looked at the trading center he had come for, he saw a four-story building bustling with people.
The moment he stepped inside, he found himself in a massive hall lined with counters, where appraisers inspected monster materials and merchants negotiated prices.
Hunters stood in long lines in front of every counter, each carrying bags, crates, or storage artifacts filled with their dungeon spoils.
Eren quietly joined one of the lines.
At first, everything seemed normal.
The line moved slowly, but it did move.
Then suddenly,
"Make way! It's Silverfang Union!"
A group of well-equipped hunters walked straight past everyone and headed directly to the counter.
The staff immediately attended to them without hesitation, leaving the hunters waiting in line behind.
Eren frowned slightly at the sight.
The hunters standing at the front clearly disliked the behavior, but none of them uttered a single word.
No one questioned anything.
After a long while, once the staff had finished dealing with the guild members, it happened again.
"Move! It's The Hollow Court!"
Once again, the staff at the counter ignored the hunters and proceeded to deal with the guild members.
And it wasn't just at a single counter this happening.
Eren noticed the same thing happening across the hall, normal hunters were blatantly ignored, while those belonging to organizations received preferential treatment.
Despite their obvious displeasure, the hunters stood there, gritting their teeth and waiting for their turns.
The line barely moved.
Eren glanced at the counter, then at the growing crowd ahead of him.
His expression remained calm, but his patience had already begun to wear thin.
So this is how it works here...
Eren simply shook his head in disappointment and sighed.
"This is a waste of time..."
He turned toward the exit, considering finding another trading center.
Taking out his phone, he began to search, but a sudden voice interrupted him.
"Hey…!"
A small hand grabbed his sleeve.
Eren looked down and saw a boy standing there.
He didn't look older than eleven or twelve.
His clothes were tattered, his face bruised, and his cheeks slightly hollow, clear signs of malnourishment.
But what stood out the most were his sharp eyes, constantly scanning the surroundings.
"You want to sell your drop items, right...?" the boy muttered under his breath.
"I know someone who can help you sell your items," he added quickly.
"Better prices than here. Way better than any trading center in this city. He only takes a small cut as a fee."
Eren's gaze lingered on the boy for a moment before his presence detection spread in all directions.
He relaxed slightly, knowing no one else was currently watching him.
A scam?
That was his first thought when the boy approached him out of nowhere.
But then he noticed the details, the boy's weak and desperate appearance.
There wasn't the confidence of a con artist.
Another possibility came to mind: the boy might be forced to lure people who looked like easy targets to dangerous individuals.
That was a common occurrence that happens to independent hunters.
People tended to lower their guard around children, not out of pity, but because they believed them to be weak.
And that was often a fatal mistake, one that criminals and thugs frequently exploited.
Eren simply smiled at the boy and didn't reject him outright.
"...Lead the way," he said calmly, ready to find out what was really going on.
The boy blinked, clearly surprised that it worked so easily, then nodded quickly.
"Please follow me," the boy whispered before turning and slipping into the crowd.
Eren followed at a steady pace, keeping a few meters' distance.
They moved through busy streets into quieter alleys, and eventually into a part of the city that looked far less maintained compared to the main roads.
Most of the houses here were older, some even abandoned for a long time, while others were barely standing.
The boy stopped in front of a half-ruined house and knocked on the door twice.
Until now, Eren hadn't sensed anyone tailing them or sneaking nearby.
After a brief pause, the door creaked open as a young man peeked outside cautiously.
"...!"
His face stiffened, and his expression darkened the moment he saw the boy standing beside Eren.
The young man yanked the door open.
"You did it again! How many times do I have to tell you to stop bringing strangers?!" he snapped in a harsh whisper.
"Are you a fool? What will you do if this guy ends up being dangerous?"
Eren simply stood there, watching the drama unfold without interrupting.
The boy flinched at first but quickly shook his head with confidence.
"It's fine, Marcus. He is not a bad guy. I saw it... He has the brightest gold—"
"SHUT UP!"
Marcus's face instantly turned pale as he immediately cut the boy off.
The boy's eyes widened as if he had just realized something, and he quickly covered his mouth apologetically.
Eren remained calm, watching the boy with growing interest.
This boy... he was about to say something about seeing gold or something...
From his appraisal ability, Eren hadn't noticed anything unusual about the boy.
The kid appeared to be a perfectly normal, unawakened child.
But his words, and the way both of them reacted, suggested otherwise.
Silence lingered for a few moments before Marcus grabbed the boy by the shoulder and pulled him aside.
"Go back home," he said in a low voice.
"I'll bring medicine for your mother this evening. And don't come here again..."
The boy's eyes lingered on Eren, as if he wanted to say something more, but Marcus's tone left no room for argument.
"I said go..."
The boy glanced at Eren one last time before nodding and quickly leaving the area.
Marcus vigilantly watched Eren until the boy disappeared from sight.
Only then did he turn back, his expression shifting.
"...Please, come inside," Marcus said in a polite tone, though his eyes remained cautious.
Since Eren already knew there was no one else inside or nearby, he stepped in without worry.
The interior of the house was far more organized than he had expected.
It was clean and well maintained.
"Please, have a seat."
Marcus gestured toward a wooden chair.
Eren sat down calmly.
The man remained standing for a moment before asking in a cautious tone,
"What materials are you looking to sell?"
[Marcus - Spirit Shaman Lv.15]
Eren met his gaze, silently assessing the information of young man before listing out the materials one by one.
"Body of Voidscale Basilisk, Voidscale Fragments, Abyssal Serpent Skin, Basilisk Eye Crystal, Nightmare Silks, Nightmare Essence, Abyss Weaver Wands, Dusk Sovereign Cores, Nightmare Crystals, Widow Venom Hearts, Body of Grazing Stag, Antler Fragments, Umbra Tyrant Cores, Void Scale Plates, Void-Tail Fragment, Blood of an Abyssal Predator, Abyssal Void Furnace, Verdant Blade Feathers, and Dual Crest Eldritch Cores."
Eren paused before adding,
"I also have a lot of food ingredients dropped from the dungeon, Verdant Breast Meat, Chimera Thigh Meat, and Unfertile Chimera Eggs."
The room fell silent for a moment before Marcus asked for clarification,
"How many of each do you have?"
"At least a thousand of each," Eren replied without hesitation.
"...!!!"
A heavy silence filled the room.