Michael noticed a few things by comparing the price tag of the items in the Rainbow Koi shop, and the price he was given for the goods he sold.
First, the Tier-1 Monster carcasses of the Untamed Jungle were being sold for a pretty high price. Michael expected many Adventurers to enter the Untamed Jungle to hunt monsters, but it looked like they couldn't supply enough to cover the demand.
Second, Summoning Scrolls and blueprints were ridiculously expensive. In fact, the blueprints Michael sold were priced much higher than the blueprints that were hard to purchase in the House of Witchery, and other shops under humanity's governance.
The blueprints he sold were duplicates that could be procured everywhere in the Untamed Jungle, yet their price was quite high. The price of Summoning Scrolls was even more ridiculous. Using a rough conversion from Zentik to dollars, Michael guessed that Summoning Scrolls were roughly three to four times more expensive.
That was also why Michael ended up signing the deal before he used his small fortune to purchase the blueprints he thought of as rare and cheap, and a few special techniques that had been created specifically for Starless Summons. Apparently, these techniques provided enough information to increase the Summon's probability of attaining enlightenment.
As long as they reached perfect mastery of the respective techniques, their chances to be promoted to 1-Star would increase. That was extremely helpful, and something Michael wished to provide to all of his Summons.
With that thought in mind, he bought two dozen techniques, both combat and non-combat-related techniques while his eyes continued to roam through the shelves in the Rainbow Koi shop.
Michael's interest in the displayed items was extremely high. It was enough to make him retrieve a bunch of Tierless Artifacts, which he placed on the wooden counter in front of the Zantur Merchant.
"How much can you offer me for these Artifacts?" Michael asked, pointing at the batch of Artifacts.
They were 2-Star Tierless Artifacts and worth a small fortune, which was just enough for Michael to buy various Beast Tomes and books about the Zentika Empire, the Untamed Jungle, the adjacent regions, and various other forces within and around the Zentika Empire.
The Rainbow Koi shop had a small library section, which Michael nearly emptied with a single purchase.
Information was the best investment of his money right now. Michael understood that Xiltra's shops were advanced and that they didn't have as many restrictions and requirements to purchase and sell goods. This was something Michael could make use of to become stronger until they arrived in Kelta – even if he could not sell the Monster carcasses to the House of Witchery anymore.
As long as he used the information at his disposal well, Michael could create a loop of infinite money. He merely had to buy certain blueprints for a low price in Xiltra and sell them for an exorbitant price to other human Lords.
Of course, creating a loop of infinite money was just theoretically possible. Practically, it was just temporary income since the price of the cheap blueprints would increase if his purchases decreased the already limited supply of rare and cheap blueprints too fast. The supply would lack and the cheap blueprints would become more expensive.
Nonetheless, Michael would give it a try.
He was starting to become increasingly more interested in Xiltra, which included the races living in the border city, and the seven races that made up the majority of the Zentika Empire's population.
Michael didn't really like being around the Lionhearts because it made him recall the Lionheart Leader, but it was not as if it was fair to turn all Lionhearts into devils just because a bunch of them had invaded his territory. That was not only unfair but also nonsensical. Why would he fault someone for someone else's mistake?
'Instead of acting like a piece of shit, I should focus on procuring information about the Eras before the Third Epoch. There should be a few old veterans in Xiltra.' Michael thought after he mentally chided himself for his earlier thoughts.
Heran took care of the three Bilrox females and left Xiltra riding on one of them. The Lesser Tamer subdued the Bilrox females quickly and he returned, feeling happy that he didn't have to fly back on Icarus anymore.
Heran swore to himself that he would never fly in the sky above the Untamed Jungle anymore. He had learned his lesson!!
Michael – now all by himself – walked through Xiltra's bustling streets. Many people stared at him, but they seemed more curious to figure out about his race rather than glaring at him in hatred. That was also why Michael ignored their gazes as nobody stepped forward to talk to him. It was not as if they had bad intentions, after all.
After walking through the bustling border city for an hour or two, Michael finally reached Xiltra's Adventurer Guild. Most Adventurers would register at a guild. That way, they could earn money easily, purchase Artifacts using secret channels and accumulate more benefits by increasing their Adventurer rank.
However, Michael didn't go to the adventurer guild because he had a mission to post, or because he wanted to register as an Adventurer. Michael went there because he wanted to meet Lilica.
He had yet to see any other Forest Elves, which answered his earlier doubt. Forest Elves didn't have a main spawn point in the Zentika Empire, which also applied to humans.
It was known that all races had a specific area where most of their Lords would emerge. That was also one of the many reasons why certain Supreme Families chose to bond together and join their forces. Their territories in the Origin Expanse were nearby, and they wanted to fight together against their common opponents. To ensure that they would be loyal to each other, they arranged marriages of their descendants so as to strengthen their ties and become one family.
Arranged marriages were more common than one expected in the era of technology and interstellar travel, and it was initiated because of the Origin Expanse most of the time.
Frederik Kolbenheim and Jacqueline Orlando were a great example. They were engaged with each other because their parents' territory was located near each other. They had joined forces decades already, but it had only been ten years since they announced the engagement of their children. One of the reasons may have been because Jacqueline clung to Frederik, but the biggest reason was that a powerful opponent had appeared at the borders of their parents' territories.
Michael didn't think highly of arranged marriages, but it was not as if this affected him, in the first place. Neither his nor his brother's territories were located somewhere near human forces.
Only a few human Lords had spawned in the Zentika Empire or the area around it. Most of them were unlucky souls, who had to give up their territory to survive. Thus, Michael couldn't even hope to encounter a human Lord, or Adventurer in the Origin Expanse. Not anytime soon at least!
But that was fine. Michael didn't have anything against other races. In fact, they may be easier to deal with than humans.
One way or another, Michael was in need of a reliant informant, yet he couldn't find Lilica anywhere.
Where was she when he needed her?!
'In that case, I might as well spy a little!'