Imri watched as the timer ticked down towards the first phase’s conclusion. He had occasionally checked the list for more interesting items, but none had appeared. This wasn’t surprising, as the only items he had been interested in were rare and powerful, something that typically wasn’t held back. Since his initial shopping binge, Imri had held back from buying items outright. He had bid on several items, all of which had reasonable prices.


    As the timer reached zero, a notification appeared in Imri’s mind.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9817%; background-color: rgba(52, 73, 94, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.9589%">The first phase of the auction has concluded. All items have been delivered to the current bidder, and all sellers have been credited. There will be a one-hour intermission, and then the second phase will commence. There will be a ten thousand credit entrance fee, with nobles owning the nexus, or their lieges, getting a fifty percent discount. All items for sale are provided by the system, with each item having a two percent increase minimum per bid with no buyout option. Each item will be auctioned one at a time, with the final bid being accepted after no bid activity for fifteen seconds. The auction is open information, so current and final bids will be known to all involved.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Imri read and re-read the notification several times, despite his high mental stats, which allowed him to recall the information perfectly after a single speed read. The entire world would be competing for these items, so he doubted there would be good value on any purchase. However, if he could obtain several essential items to increase his abilities, then it wouldn’t matter if he overpaid. He also hoped to learn which factions had power based on the amount of resources they brought to bear. It would also be telling what everyone was interested in.


    During the intermission, he checked what he had won. The vast majority were metals in various states of refinement, which he intended to use as the base material for his enchantments. The remaining items were various luxuries he had been missing: spices, alcohol, and coffee beans, all in full pallet quantities. They were dumped near his feet as he retrieved them from the nexus. Touching each item in turn, they all disappeared into his Inner domain. He smiled, knowing this would tide him over until Celestia had time to grow and integrate with other cities.


    Imri’s smile grew even wider as he checked his credit balance. Despite his purchases, his credits had ballooned to over a hundred and fifty million, thanks to the constant sales of his enchantments. He worried the market would become oversaturated with his continuous production last month. Fortunately, almost all his inventory sold, most at or near the buyout price. Both his portals had sold, and he was surprised to see there had even been a small bidding war for them, as they wouldn’t be immediately helpful for the purchasers. Even the dragon scales sold well, not nearly the hundred million mark Corrolth had implied they were worth, but well above the poultry sum the system store offered.


    Beyond making him wealthy, Imri’s enchantments would hopefully help the various human factions in whatever conflicts they were embroiled in. This was especially true since he likely could have gotten higher profits but chose not to push for every last credit and leave his customer base bereft of resources.


    He noticed mixed reactions as he checked in with the others participating in the auction. Laura was quite pleased, as Celestia had mostly been sellers, making a tidy sum off of Espeonite, Zopralt, healing water, and mana-dense stones. In contrast, the representatives from New Chicago were quite despondent; as Imri had predicted, the price of most essentials had been inflated. Christoph had a smug grin, and Imri quickly learned why: he had sold the extra nexuses he had purchased to prove a point, and they had sold for over a million credits each. That was only one of the many items he had sold, with nearly as many sales as Imri. However, he hadn’t made quite the profit Imri had, as most of his items were purchased and resold.


    As the second phase was nearing, Imri found a comfortable spot to sit. He had been so busy monitoring his items that he hadn’t had time to appreciate the event spectacle. The auction itself entirely took place in the theater of the mind, thanks to the system''s direct connection to everyone. However, only one thing could happen whenever it forced people together. The entire thing had become one big block party, reminding Imri of tailgating before a big football game. Instead of barbeque, people had deep-fried Drake—a few enterprising individuals sold alcohol to eager patrons. Drunken revelers lamented missing out on a critical item that would have made all the difference, while others realized that they had overpaid for an item they didn’t need.


    It felt incongruous with the suffering of the people who lived within the city, as most of the revelers were from Celestia. However, Imri knew it would do no good for everyone to feel guilty and miserable; life hadn’t been easy on them, and they earned the right to let loose a little. Still, he didn’t feel like celebrating.


    “People are going to think you hate parties if you always have a scowl during one,” Emelia commented as she sat beside him.


    “Maybe I do,” he said with a shrug. They both knew he didn’t exactly love raucous crowds and drunken debauchery. He would have preferred a quiet room with just the two of them.


    “Did you end up purchasing anything?” she asked.


    “I did,” Imri said, producing the pomegranate that permanently increased charisma.


    “Did you want more charisma to deal with sloshed idiots?” she asked skeptically after Imri explained what it did.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    “You know it’s for you.”


    “I just don’t feel like I’ve earned it. I don’t want to become powerful solely because of you,” she said.


    “I hardly think two points of charisma would be the sole reason you succeed or fail,” he pointed out.


    “I know, it just doesn’t seem fair.”


    “Well, you better get used to it because I’m not going to stop,” Imri said. Emelia rolled her eyes but didn’t argue.


    While Emelia begrudgingly ate the pomegranate, Imri began boiling water for the tea using a heat spell. He absent-mindedly tossed a few of the most expensive blueberries he had ever purchased into his mouth. Immediately, a burst of flavor hit his taste buds; it wasn’t overly sweet but somehow had a more robust flavor than anything he had ever eaten, as if it was the essence of blueberry. Warmth spread throughout his body, moving up into his sinuses, eyes, and head. He felt clear-headed, like an allergy had just cleared for the first time.


    Emelia’s reservations ended when she tasted the fruit and eagerly dug out the remaining seeds. A very unladylike moan escaped from her lips, and it nearly distracted Imri to the point of burning a several million credit tea. She then started playing it up when she noticed the effect she was having on him.


    Imri took a sip of the tea after it had been sufficiently steeped. It tasted earthy as if he could taste the dirt and nutrients the leaves grew from, but the floral flavors complemented this perfectly. Like the blueberries, he could feel the warmth spreading throughout his body. His mind felt sharper, and he could work more efficiently to sort through his thoughts. Neither of the treasures was profound, but they were solid improvements, especially the exponential increase that came to his secondary attributes with a corresponding increase to a primary attribute.


    “Are you ready for the second phase?” Christoph asked as he came and sat by them uninvited.


    “I can’t complain about how the first phase went; I’m as prepared as I can be,” Imri said with a shrug.


    “Ah, but what if I told you there was a way to secure additional funding?” Christoph asked.


    “Let me guess, you want to loan me money at an exorbitant rate,” Imri said.


    “You wound me; I offer only fair rates.”


    Imri sighed. He had been harsh on the man; despite their disagreements, he hadn’t done anything predatory. There was no reason for them to be antagonistic towards each other.


    “What did you have in mind?” Imri asked.


    The merchant beamed, “I was thinking of a line of credit for fifty million credits at a five percent interest rate.”


    “That’s a lot of credits. Is that your entire wealth?”


    “It’s a significant percentage of what I have on hand,” Christoph admitted.


    “That’s a lot of credits and at a reasonable rate. What’s the catch?”


    “There is no catch. Believe it or not, I value my life more than credits, and I will do anything I can to help in the war. Besides, it''s a rather safe investment; if you die, we’re screwed, and the amount of credits I lose won’t matter. However, if you survive, you will have plenty of wealth to pay me back,” the merchant said with a shrug.


    “Couldn’t this money be put to better use helping other people? The wraiths or the knights would benefit from better gear, and the fifty million credits would be a bigger percentage for them,” Imri pointed out.


    “Maybe, but the same binary outcome isn’t present for them; there are scenarios where they perish, and Celestia prevails. That’s a disastrous outcome for me, almost as bad as dying, and I’m not willing to take that risk.”


    “What if there wasn’t a risk?”


    “I’m listening,” Christoph said with a wide grin.


    “You make the same offer to the wraiths and the knights, twenty-five million credits each. If, for whatever reason, they can’t pay you back, I will cover the remainder of the balance,” Imri offered.


    “You’d be an unlimited guarantor on a loan you get nothing from; why?”


    “I think you’re wrong about us prevailing if we lose either of those groups. I can’t carry us through this battle alone,” Imri said.


    “That works for me. I’ll have Russ draw up the documents after the fact. I’ll go see if they want to accept the offer,” Christoph said, hurrying to strike a deal before the second phase began.


    “So, I’m not the only one you’re helping?” Emelia asked once Christoph had left.


    “You don’t have to pay me back,” Imri pointed out defensively.


    “That’s not what I meant. I’m glad it’s not just me.”


    “You are?” Imri asked in confusion.


    She nodded. “If it were just me, people would say I slept my way to the top. However, if you’re helping everyone, people will just say you’re generous.”


    “I never thought buying a couple of pomegranates would be such a big deal,” he complained.


    “Imri, that couple of pomegranates is more wealth than most people see in a lifetime. It isn’t some grocery item you picked up on the way home,” she pointed out.


    “It wasn’t that big of a deal,” he mumbled.


    “Just promise me you won’t go buying something for me during the next auction. It’s one thing to buy in an anonymous auction; it’s something else entirely if the whole world knows about it.”


    “I promise I won’t go too crazy, but if there’s a perfect item and a decent price…”


    “Imri…”


    “I make no promises,” he said defiantly.


    Emelia sighed and shook her head. Imri smiled and gave her a quick kiss. He then turned his attention to the timer ticking down–the second phase was about to begin.