One Last System

'It's better that way,' Mia thought, feeling how Arthur's storage ring weighted down on her pocket.

For people who were starved for cultivation resources, parting with them was always a heavy burden on the heart. Even if her group was aware of how inefficient it would be to just hoard all the resources that they could, Mia could still tell how dissatisfied they were with her decision.

Even if it was for the better. Even if it would make their growth more efficient.

It was a feeling that they didn't voice out, but a feeling that Mia noticed nonetheless.

'And they would be furious if they learned that I actually had a whole lot of those resources, but I kept them for myself,' Mia thought, perfectly aware of the shady workings of human nature.

If the matter of the ring were to surface, her group wouldn't be likely to care about how everything they have came from Mia's actions. They would be mad why she didn't offer Arthur's resources as well instead!

'Huh?' Mia's thoughts stopped when she suddenly noticed a small but visible change in how people on the street looked at her.

Being deep in her thoughts, she only managed to take notice now, when she was already nearing the building of the auction hall.

'Is this a bit of... respect I see?' Mia thought, returning the stares of the passersby before refocusing her eyes at the building in the distance. 'We only took part in a single tournament and didn't even win it... So how could this change come to be?' Mia asked herself, puzzled by the issue.

But she ultimately didn't have the time to worry about it too much. The second benefit of her new lodging, after all, was its proximity not only to the training grounds but also to the auction hall.

Mia entered through the main door.

It wasn't her first visit to the place. Especially now that the people at the Auction Hall learned about Arthur's support, Mia continued to limit her presence in this building.

Because whenever she appeared here, Fido would approach her and attempt to exert pressure on Arthur through her.

'I wonder how long it will take for him to come today,' Mia thought, lowering her furrows as her mood spoiled a little.

"Hello," she said out loud as she reached the main hall of the building.

Out of nowhere, one of the clerks of the place appeared right before her.

"How can we be of service today, young miss?" the clerk bowed his head in a respectful manner.

'I guess those guys caught the wind of the news as well,' Mia commented in her mind as she put a small smile on her face.

"I actually came here with several matters," she announced. "Would it be possible to organize a private meeting place to settle them?" she requested before nodding her head.

"Right away, young miss, right away," the clerk said as he bowed in response before backing out two steps. "It would be of great help if young miss waited here for a moment," he announced before hurrying away.

'I guess he went to fetch Fido,' Mia thought, feeling how her strength started to leave her body. 'I guess I will have to be on edge today as well,' she thought, steeling herself for the bout of manipulative tactics of her counterpart.

"I'm sorry for the wait," a gentle, feminine voice reached Mia's ears, proving her theory wrong.

It wasn't Fido that came to satisfy her requests, but a woman she had never seen before!

"Oh, I wouldn't dare to mind it," Mia replied, serving a little curtsy to show her respect.

'She has to be someone pretty important,' Mia thought, stealing a glance at the complex arrays imprinted on the woman's elegant dress.

"Then, if you would be so kind as to follow me," the woman uttered, bowing a little as she extended her hand to the side.

Soon, the two of them moved to one of the many rooms available in the massive compound.

"Now then," the woman turned around and sat on the sofa, pointing Mia at the seat opposite to her. "How can my auction hall be of help for you?" she asked.

"First, I would like to sell some cultivation resources," Mia reported, rubbing her ring.

The table that separated the two girls turned out to be pretty useful, allowing Mia to unload all the resources that she wanted to sell.

"That's..." the auction hall clerk hesitated for a moment, shocked by the amount. "Young lady, are you really sure?" she asked, unable to believe that someone was willing to part with so much of this strategic resource.

"Yes, I'm sure," Mia nodded her head. "But this is only the first of my requests," she said, raising her hand to put an emphasis on her next words. "You could say, I'm selling all of those to obtain the funding necessary for my other matters," Mia added.

'I guess they didn't want to part with so much money at once,' Mia thought, a small smile appearing on her lips.

Just like any business, Auction Hall had to have some money to keep its trade going. For a hub like this place, they had to be able to sell and buy any and all at all times.

And if all Mia wanted was to sell the pile of the expensive cultivation resources, the free funds of the auction hall could easily reach a dangerously low level!

"What would be your other requests, then?" the woman asked, crossing her arms on her chest and putting her left leg on her right knee.

'A locked position,' Mia thought, her face darkening a little.

Recognizing the disposition of the other party was one of the few tricks that she managed to learn from Arthur. And the figure that the auction hall clerk assumed didn't bode well for Mia's requests.

"First off, I would like to ask for your help with hiring both formation masters and enough projects to rebuild the training area in the outer sect," Mia explained, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"That's..." the woman calculated for a moment before focusing her eyes on the girl's face. "That's doable, but it will cost you a lot. Do you have any designs on the project?" she asked after informing Mia about the initial look at the situation.

"Yeah," Mia nodded her head, pulling out a paper from her pocket. "This is only a general schematic, but I made sure to copy every last detail I could find," she explained. "Those are the arrays that I saw in the sponsored area of the sect," Mia quickly added.

After all, by how casually she brought up the topic, it would be easy to assume she didn't have the right to use those formations in the first place!

"I see," the clerk rubbed her chin as she took a quick glance at the papers. "But let's put it aside for a moment. It just so happens that we have a renowned formation master at our place, so we can go and ask him about this topic later," the woman replied, a slight hint of dissatisfaction appearing on her lips.

"Then, I would like someone's help with sending a letter," Mia quickly put out her second request.

"Help with sending a letter?" the clerk echoed her words, a look of surprise appearing on her face.

Given the amount of money and resources literally on the table between them, this wasn't the kind of mission that she expected!

"Yes, I need help both in writing and then sending the letters," Mia nodded her head to confirm the situation. She then shook her shoulders.. "I'm illiterate, after all."