The Ancients World

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~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~

~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Islands Of Haestar)~~~

~~~(Time: 10:11 AM)~~~

Marcus and I finish our brief conversation over messages, and I turn my focus back to where it should be. That's the massive building ahead of us down the street. It's a local Live Branch of The Auction House.

Most of the time, people do their business through the Player Interface. The Auction House Tab is used by pretty much everyone.

However, there are real locations around Gaia where you can walk around and talk to other Players and NPCs Turned Players. It's a valuable place in Jaerey since so many Big Guilds are in town. We can learn about many potential enemies in that place by just standing around.

"Okay, I get why we're going to The Live Branch of The Auction. That doesn't explain how we're getting the information about Big Guilds. Are we going to buy it or just listen in on people talking?"

Rianna is walking next to me, and she's on the right track. There are various strategies that we can employ while gathering information. She's just not aware of what they are. She's inexperienced when it comes to this kind of thing.

She's lucky to have a teacher like me. I learned from Cera, the best I've ever seen when it comes to anything regarding the world we're in. And I'm going to share that knowledge with Rianna. Well, not all of it. Only some of it.

I'm keeping my skepticism alive when it comes to her, but I can see that she's telling the truth about some of the things she's already said so far.

"Look, there are things you're going to learn that you didn't know about. When it comes to an event like the one we're in, information is worth more than almost anything."

She nods along as I talk. I can see from the look in her eyes she's genuinely interested in what I have to teach her. I will admit it's gratifying to be teaching someone. As fun as it is with Marcus, it's better with someone who won't challenge me most of the time.

"First, we're going to walk around and identify heavy hitters that have come to Jaerey. The biggest names will be easy to find. After that, we'll find out where they're staying and how many Players they've brought."

These are the questions I want answered. There are too many Big Guilds that have shown up to get a handle on them all from just walking around and asking. So, the better option is to head to where you know information flows.

"I can listen to people talking, spy on them if you want. But when it comes to talking, people have a bad habit of using my low-level and petite stature against me. As you've already seen."

Rianna isn't what I'd call afraid of trouble. I'd say she's more cautious about it. Last night was something that happens to many pretty women when they're being cautious or not. I don't think Rianna is an idiot.

I do know that she's uncertain of herself. Her weakness in levels and experience has led to a habit of inferiority within her. It's not my responsibility to fix that, but I will give her the tools to do it herself.

"That's a nice offer, but I have a plan. There are certain types of people you can find and talk to within Live Branches of The Auction Houses. Information brokers, you could call it."

This isn't my first time going to a place like this, and it won't be the last. I've learned a few tricks of my own that I haven't learned from Cera.

After a few minutes of walking, we make it inside the building, and you can see activity everywhere you look. Rianna takes a step forward and looks at the digital boards. Seeing the things being sold and added to The Auction House.

"Sorry if I'm a little starstruck. The last time I was in a place like this, it wasn't nearly this big or developed."

That's another mechanic of The Live Branches of The Auctions Houses. They can be built by any city, but to upgrade it. It costs a lot of money. Some even have places to rent out and sleep. Restaurants and other such amenities.

This seems to be a place on the higher-medium end. There are only a few places in the world that could be called first class. This is a few leagues below that. I've never been to one of the best, but I've heard stories.

This place is the current best I've seen before.

"You don't need to apologize. It is a wonderful creation. It's a part of Earth that's come with us. You can see it in the architecture and technology in this place."

Players feel at home in places like this. Rianna and I both come from America and know what it's like to have access to such things. After a while in The Ancients World... In Gaia... You get used to not seeing things like this.

"Where should we go first?"

She asks a good question, and one I'm going to answer. We both have our hoods up, and that's just a safety precaution I've gotten used to doing.

"Information Brokers can be found in various areas within a Live Branch of The Auctions House this size. You'd think they'd be in obvious and public places. But they only cater to customers looking for them. Which means they go to an area less conspicuous."

We walk side by side as I explain what we're doing. Essentially, we're going to a place where you can find an Information Broker. But that doesn't mean one will actually be there. We'll have to search and after a while. We'll get one.

It doesn't take us long to find a relatively unused bar. Considering how much traffic is coming through this place, it's a little strange it doesn't have any customers.

Once we're inside, I take a look around, and there are a few patrons around the bar. My eyes land on a singular individual sitting in a booth, taking a drink of beer. She's a Player. I make my way over, and Rianna is right behind me.

The woman looks up from her book and sees we're standing there. Waiting for her to speak. She sees that we're hiding our identities, and that's a sign in itself that we're here for information.

"Go ahead, take a seat."

She offers us the spots across from her in the booth, and we both sit down. She closes her book and pushes her drink aside.

"Don't take too long. I have other places to be."

She's the type of person we're looking for. You don't ask for a price until after you learn what they know. It's the unwritten rules of dealing with Information Brokers. It's also a sign of respect among the community that runs that part of the Players.

"I want to know the big names of the people in town. It's obvious powerful Players have arrived, but there are too many for me to figure out on my own. Anything you've got will help."

She takes a moment to think about something, and after a couple of seconds. She opens her Player Inventory and pulls out a paper.

"Right here is a list of names for all the major Players in town. Some you'd know, others. Not so much."

After a single moment, I know that she's waiting for an offer. This is a dangerous situation. Not because she's dangerous, but I could be wasting gold on a piece of paper with random names on it. A way to see if it's genuine is to ask for a name I already know.

"Is Wilted Rose on that list?"

The woman nods her head a single time, and that's confirmation.

"I'll pay 800 gold."

An entire list of all the top Players here in Jaerey at the moment isn't something I can pass up.

"Deal."

That's one of the objectives for the day finished.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Below this line, I'll be keeping Cera's player information. That way, I won't have to place it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up.

[Slayer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4]

[Exp: 72/100%]

[Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)]

[Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660]

[Mana aura control: 6/100%]

[Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000]

[Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500]

[Inventory] [Dice of Wayland (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir's Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra's Panties (Black Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)]

[Passive Perks]

[Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [Slayer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever]

[Active Skills]

[Heaven's light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [Slash Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingslayer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)]