"Workshops from the Artisan Quarter?"
Alex smiled with faint mockery on his lips as he looked at the man and woman in front of him.
His gaze then fixed on the fat man.
"I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. All the workshops we had have already been sold to this gentleman."
He politely pointed toward Eren, who stood there with an amused expression.
"There are no other workshops available for sale in our branch at the moment. We will keep you updated if any workshops become available in the future, if you provide us with your contact information."
Even though Alex spoke with a polite tone, there was no hint of respect or warmth in it.
It sounded cold and mechanical, as if he were reciting something he had practiced many times before.
Jessica, hearing those words, was momentarily stunned before slowly understanding each and every word Alex had said.
"S-sold?... Not booked?... W-wait! Did you just say he bought all the workshops available?!"
The more she realized it, the whiter her face became.
Her whole body trembled in anger as she looked Eren and his friends up and down, pointing a finger at them.
"Y-you are lying! How could that be?! Look, these guys are wearing such cheap clothes… There is no wa—"
"JESSICA, enough!"
Alex immediately cut her off with a very cold tone.
"This gentleman is now our VVIP customer. Not only did you fail to apologize for your previous attitude, but you continue to be disrespectful. Treating a VVIP member of the Golden Plains Agency poorly is a serious offense."
Giving a polite bow to Eren, Alex spoke again.
"Mr. Eren, I am truly sorry for our executive's behavior. If you give us a chance to repent for our actions, I will immediately raise this issue with our headquarters and make sure she receives proper punishment."
Instantly, Jessica's face turned pale as all the color drained from it.
"…"
Eren had stood there silently from start to finish as the drama unfolded.
'This guy… seriously…'
Eren's mouth twitched slightly as he looked at Alex.
He gave Eren a VVIP card out of nowhere and used his presence as leverage to get rid of Jessica.
But Eren didn't feel offended at being used.
In fact, he was impressed and nodded his head.
"Yeah, you should inform your headquarters about this incident. I really felt disrespected by your executive today."
Jessica immediately fell to her knees.
"PLEASE FORGIVE ME!"
Her forehead slammed against the floor, but no one paid her any more attention as Eren and his friends were led out by Alex.
The fat man simply stood beside Jessica, watching them leave without uttering a single word.
His face was covered in sweat.
'Fuck! I really messed up big time. I shouldn't have wasted my time playing with this slut…'
He clenched his fists in visible frustration.
'Now what should I tell Young Master Julian?! Who the hell are these guys? Where the hell did they come from? These guys bought all the workshops in a single payment… they must belong to a powerful force. I can't mess with them. What should I do? Damn it!'
Meanwhile, Eren and his friends booked a taxi and hopped inside.
"Taxi?... Mr. Eren, you don't have a car?"
Alex asked with a puzzled look as he watched them sitting comfortably inside the taxi.
"No. Is there a problem?"
"No, no… I'm just a little surprised by your humble nature."
Alex then handed everyone his contact information so they could reach him if they needed anything.
He also offered to act as a middleman for purchasing all the materials necessary for smithing, farming, alchemy, and cooking.
Eren gladly agreed after Alex assured them of good quality products at lower prices.
During the ride, everyone recounted what had happened that day and still couldn't believe the treatment they received at the end.
Dorian was the first one to express his honest feelings.
"They really spent hundreds of millions like it was nothing… I'm really starting to feel afraid. I don't know if I can truly become useful for them."
Kael, Rowan, and Lyra shared the same thoughts at that moment.
They still couldn't believe that such a resourceful group was willing to invest in four after seeing their capabilities.
Eren wanted to assure them that it was fine, but he stopped when he saw the determination in their eyes as Rowan muttered,
"This is the first time we've been treated with respect, unlike usual."
No more words were spoken after that.
Seeing the fire in their eyes, Eren felt uncomfortable with the mix of guilt.
"Guys, just take it easy. No need to be so fired up."
They completely disregarded Eren's words and started planning what they should do after this.
The taxi stopped in front of the healing hall, and Eren and his friends went in to greet Eren's father and his family.
"Eren, your father will be discharged tomorrow. The healers said there is no problem with his health anymore."
His mother shared another piece of good news that day.
Eren ordered food for everyone, and they all enjoyed eating together.
"Guys, give me all of your account numbers…"
As he was about to send his friends off, Eren asked for their account numbers and sent 50 million to each of them.
"…!"
"This is…!"
"Isn't it too much?!"
"For real?!"
Eren reassured them with a smiling face.
"Don't ask any questions. Just take it and use it as you like."
After repeatedly being assured by Eren that it was okay to receive the money, they hesitantly accepted it.
When they went home, they were even more determined.
"Hey Eren, are you sure your friends are okay? Their condition seemed to be getting worse…" his sister said.
Eren shared the same concern as his sister.
The day ended peacefully, just like yesterday.
When night approached, his mother, sister, and Eren returned to their home.
Only when he went into his room did Eren take out his phone and check the details of the sold items.
"As I thought, all Lesser Elixirs have already been sold. The average selling price is 12.3 million. Alpha Core Fragments and Gloomfang Hearts were also sold completely, but the Shadowstep Boots still remain, only 12 have been sold so far."
As he looked at the balance amount, it had once again risen to more than 110 million.
After his spending spree yesterday, he should have had only about 97 million left, but the other items he sold increased his balance considerably.
"Ha…"
Eren let out a big sigh as he looked over the inbox section.
Countless messages had poured in.
When he opened a couple of them, Eren realized most of them were divided into two kinds.
One group was trying to recruit him.
[Host#XXXXXXXXXXX: Hello Sir/Madam, I am a representative of Celestial Wardens Guild. Our guild would like to offer your team an opportunity to join our guild with conditions of your choice. If you are interested, please contact me at this number XXXXXXXXXX.]
The other group was trying to buy loot directly from him.
[Host#XXXXXXXXXXX: Hi, I am a direct executive of Sapphire Enclave Corporation. I bought more than 30 Lesser Elixirs from you, but unfortunately we came to know about your auction very late. If you have more Lesser Elixirs that you haven't sold yet, please send a message to my phone #XXXXXXXXXX. I am willing to buy all of your Lesser Elixirs at the price of 15 million each.]
"These people thinks I have some kind of guild or a powerful team on my back."
Eren didn't even give a second look at those messages as he continued searching the forum.
Everyone seemed to be going crazy over his items.
Some people were regretting that they didn't know about it sooner, while others were proudly declaring that they had bought the potion at a cheaper price.
"Wow… there are really a lot of people with money…"
Many people were ready to offer huge amounts for his potions.
He was really tempted to sell them at a premium price, but he stopped himself from contacting them directly.
"Most of these guys are asking for contact information, or want me to contact them… It's not safe for me."
Even though everyone could send messages through this very app, no one could track his ID due to the protection of the Gaya System, which had the majority control over this network.
So he was safe even after earning more than a billion.
But if he attempted to make direct contact with any powerhouse while he was still at such a weak stage, Eren didn't know what they might do.
He wanted to believe in other humans, but he knew how twisted and greedy humans could be.
No one could predict what a fellow human might do when driven by their desires.
"Whatever… As long as you all want to buy, I can give you as much as you ask."
Eren immediately chose to place another 100 Lesser Elixirs, 100 Alpha Core Fragments, and 100 Gloomfang Hearts on the auction and went to sleep.
When he woke up next, it was already past 9:00 am, and breakfast was already ready on the table.
"Mom, why didn't you wake me up? I need to go to the dungeon!"
Eren was still pretending to go to the beginner dungeon for leveling up, so he naturally put on an act, but he received piercing gazes from both his mother and sister.
"…What? Why are you two looking at me like that?"
His mother asked with a doubtful gaze,
"Didn't you know?"
"Know what?"
"Beginner dungeon raids have been cancelled today. Even we know that, it was even telecast on TV. Your teachers should have told you yesterday. Did you forget?"
Eren's whole body froze as he tried to understand the situation under the two pairs of doubtful gazes.
"W-why is that?"
"You really don't know!" his mother exclaimed in surprise.
"Tch, this is why you should listen when teachers talk, you idiot…"
Eren controlled his intense urge to punch his sister's head and listened as his mother continued,
"Yesterday evening, one of our Tier 1 dungeons evolved directly to the pinnacle of Tier 2. It caused a huge uproar, and the Awakener Association recalled all Tier 2 and above combat profession holders for security reasons. No one remained to oversee the beginner dungeons."
"All of our city's security officials were on high alert. They are suspecting it has something to do with the Demon Cult… What was that dungeon's name again…?"
"It's Gloomfang Den, Mom…"
When his sister said that name, Eren's face instantly went pale.
'Oh shit!'