Chapter 446: The Guild Shop

For several weeks, one room on the first floor of the Grand Guild Hall had remained locked. Most employees assumed Sage had simply not decided what to do with it.

The room sat near the Exchange but had its own entrance, counters, reinforced display cases and a secure storage chamber behind the wall.

That morning, however, Sage stood inside with Boren and Irene Vwhile several wooden crates rested across the floor. None had come from the Capital.

Sage had withdrawn their contents privately from his System Storage before sunrise, long before anyone else entered the building, then arranged everything inside the room himself before calling Irene and Boren in.

Boren crouched beside the nearest crate and carefully lifted a sheathed sword.

"You’re finally selling these?" he asked, drawing several inches of the blade before Sage immediately motioned for him to put it back.

"Some of them," Sage replied as Boren returned the sword to its place. "The important word is some. I’m not emptying everything we brought back from the Vault just because the Capital has wealthy Warriors willing to throw gold at us."

Irene glanced over the inventory she had begun preparing and asked, "Then I need to know exactly what counts as sellable. Once people see what we have, they’ll start asking whether there’s anything better hidden somewhere."

"There is," Sage answered without hesitation, causing Boren to look up immediately.

Sage ignored his sudden interest and continued, "And they’re not getting it. Selected weapons, selected equipment and a limited number of Skill Stones. Anything I consider too useful, too dangerous or too difficult to replace stays with us."

Boren moved toward another crate containing Skill Stones separated into padded compartments. Some were dull grey, while others carried faint traces of mana beneath their surfaces.

He kept both hands safely away from them, prompting Irene to glance at him with visible surprise before remarking, "I’m impressed. You actually learned not to touch mysterious treasures."

Boren frowned at her. "I’m capable of learning from experience."

Sage smiled while checking another crate. "Eventually."

Boren looked between them with an offended expression. "You two can arrange your own shop."

The final items weren’t inside the larger crates. Sage crossed toward the secure counter, unlocked a smaller chest and lifted its lid. Rows of sealed glass bottles rested within padded slots, each containing clear liquid carrying a faint bluish sheen.

Boren’s annoyance disappeared immediately. He stepped closer and asked, "You’re selling Mana Liquid too?"

"A limited amount," Sage replied, deliberately emphasizing the words. "Not everything we have."

Irene studied the bottles before asking Sage how much remained from the first dungeon in Evergreen. Sage didn’t give her the full amount, but he assured her that the Guild possessed enough for a controlled release without exhausting its reserve.

Keeping every bottle hidden forever served little purpose, especially now that the Kingdom Headquarters needed valuable goods capable of attracting Warriors on their own.

Irene nodded slowly. "Then don’t sell it like ordinary merchandise. If the supply is limited, letting the first wealthy buyer purchase everything would be stupid."

"Exactly," Sage replied. "Purchase limits. No private reservations. No merchant buying the entire stock and reselling it at three times the price tomorrow."

Boren pointed toward Sage with approval. "Especially that last one. Garen would smell the opportunity from Riverdale."

They spent the next hour establishing the rules. The Guild Shop wouldn’t replace the Exchange. The Exchange remained a place where Adventurers, merchants and other customers could trade materials and goods between themselves.

The Guild Shop would sell property belonging directly to the Guild. Every weapon, piece of equipment and Skill Stone would be recorded before sale, while the rarest goods would have strict purchase limits. Sage also retained the right to remove anything from sale whenever he wished.

Boren listened until Irene began discussing sales records, then looked toward the Skill Stones and warned Sage, "The moment people hear those are here, this room will be packed."

Sage smiled. "That’s why we’re opening quietly."

By midday, Sage discovered that quietly had been an extremely optimistic word.

The Guild Shop opened without banners or any grand announcement. A single notice was posted near the Mission Hall, and the first visitors were Adventurers who happened to walk past the previously locked doors and noticed them standing open.

They entered expecting ordinary equipment. Less than twenty minutes later, one experienced Warrior recognized a Skill Stone inside the display case.

The news spread through the Headquarters almost immediately.

Mina was among the first people to arrive. She squeezed through the growing crowd, found Sage behind one counter and demanded, "Why didn’t you tell me you were opening a treasure shop?"

Sage looked at her suspiciously. "Because you don’t need anything in here."

Mina immediately pointed toward a short blade with a dark green hilt. "What about that? Maybe I need that."

"Do you use short blades?" Sage asked, already knowing the answer.

Mina hesitated, glanced at the weapon again and admitted, "No, but I could learn."

Boren laughed from the opposite counter. "And now you know exactly why he didn’t tell you."

Lucan arrived not long afterward, apparently having heard the words rare equipment and abandoned whatever he had been doing.

He entered wearing another unnecessarily expensive coat, surveyed the display cases and spread his hands with obvious satisfaction. "Now this is an excellent idea. Finally, Guildmaster, you’ve opened something that properly understands me."

Sage stared at him. "You haven’t even seen the prices."

Lucan’s expression became genuinely confused. "Why would that matter?"

Boren groaned loudly. "I hate rich people."

Lucan ignored him and stopped before a longsword displayed behind reinforced glass. "I’ll take this one."

"You haven’t asked what it does," Sage pointed out.

Lucan paused, considered that problem and then asked Sage, "Fine. What does it do?"

Sage stared at him until Lucan started laughing. The weapon was a mana-conductive sword recovered from the Vault, useful for Knights who channeled mana through their blades. Unfortunately, Lucan already possessed a better weapon. When Sage explained that,

Lucan looked disappointed rather than relieved and asked, "So you’re actually refusing my money?"

"I’m stopping you from buying something useless just because it’s expensive," Sage replied.

Lucan sighed dramatically. "This Guild remains strangely hostile toward commerce."

The Skill Stones attracted far more serious attention. Each Stone contained the foundation of a particular technique, allowing someone compatible with it to receive knowledge directly rather than spending months deciphering manuals.

Sage made sure every description clearly warned buyers that receiving knowledge wasn’t the same as mastering it. A Warrior still needed the correct physical foundation, mana control and considerable practice.

He had also deliberately chosen useful Skills rather than the most dangerous ones recovered from the Vault.

Leon arrived with two Ardent Sun Knights and spent several minutes reading the descriptions before approaching Sage. "You’re really selling Skill Stones openly?"

"Selected ones," Sage replied, gesturing toward the displays. "Don’t mistake what you see here for everything we possess."

Leon nodded and pointed toward a Stone containing a defensive sword technique. "Can anyone purchase one if they meet the requirements?"

"If they can afford it and the description says they’re compatible, yes," Sage answered.

One of Leon’s Knights immediately began counting the coins inside his pouch.

Leon noticed and turned toward the man with a dry expression. "Tomas, you have a wife."

Tomas slowly stopped counting. "Captain, I haven’t bought anything."

Leon glanced at the Skill Stone before reminding him, "You were about to spend enough gold to ensure you sleep outside for a month."

Tomas reluctantly closed his pouch.

Sage laughed. "Apparently marriage is a stronger purchase restriction than anything Irene created."

By midafternoon, additional Guild workers had to control entry into the room. Some visitors genuinely intended to buy, while many simply wanted to see what the Guild possessed. Several weapons sold first, followed by protective equipment.

A Skill Stone nearly caused an argument when two Warriors tried negotiating against each other until Irene calmly informed them that this wasn’t an auction and the written price wasn’t changing.

Then Iris Dawncaster arrived.

She walked past the weapons without stopping.

She barely glanced at the Skill Stones.

Then she reached the locked case containing the Mana Liquid and stopped so abruptly that the Adventurer walking behind her almost collided with her.

Sage saw her expression from across the room and immediately knew he was about to have a problem.

Iris slowly turned toward him and asked, "You’re selling the Mana Liquid?"

"Some of it," Sage replied cautiously.

Iris pointed toward the bottles as though Sage might somehow misunderstand which Mana Liquid she meant. "The same substance you allowed me to examine only a tiny sample of because, according to you, the Guild’s supply was valuable?"

"Yes, Iris," Sage answered, already regretting the conversation. "That Mana Liquid."

Iris stared at him in disbelief. "You wouldn’t give me an entire bottle for research, but you’re going to let Knights buy it and drink it?"

"They’re paying for it," Sage reminded her.

Iris immediately stepped closer. "Then I’ll pay for one."

Sage gestured toward the displayed price. "Nobody is stopping you."

Iris turned toward the label.

Her expression changed.

Boren saw it and immediately covered his mouth.

Iris looked back at Sage with outrage. "This is robbery."

Irene answered before Sage could defend himself. "It’s a rare substance recovered from a dungeon, available in limited quantities and possessing verified value for mana cultivation. The price reflects scarcity."

Iris narrowed her eyes at Sage. "You taught her to say that."

Irene closed her ledger with a soft thump. "No. I understand money."

The first bottle sold less than an hour later.

That purchase changed the atmosphere immediately. Warriors who had been merely curious moved toward the counter and began asking questions at once.

Could one person purchase multiple bottles? Would more be available tomorrow? Could Knight Orders purchase stock for their members? Could noble Houses send representatives? Could merchants reserve future supplies?

Sage rejected most of those ideas immediately. "One bottle per buyer during the initial release," he announced, making sure everyone nearby heard him. "No bulk purchases, no reservations, and sending ten servants doesn’t mean one person gets ten bottles. If we release more later, the Guild will announce it."

A merchant near the counter asked whether the restriction applied even if someone offered twice the listed price.

Sage looked directly at him. "Yes."

Lucan appeared genuinely disturbed by the answer.

Then Garen Holtweiss arrived.

The fat merchant entered, surveyed the crowded shop and slowly developed the expression of a man who had discovered someone counting gold without inviting him.

He pushed through the customers until he found Sage and complained, "My friend, you opened a shop filled with rare treasures and didn’t invite a merchant?"

Sage folded his arms. "You found out anyway."

Garen placed one hand against his chest. "Coin speaks to me."

From behind another counter, Boren muttered, "Coin probably tries to hide when it hears you coming."

Garen’s head snapped around, and delight immediately filled his face. "Brother Boren! Even surrounded by treasure, I discover something more precious!"

Boren’s face collapsed. "I shouldn’t have spoken."

Sage left them to their argument and looked across the Guild Shop. Adventurers examined weapons, Knights discussed Skill Stones, Guild workers recorded purchases, and Iris remained beside the Mana Liquid with the expression of someone calculating whether research justified poverty.

The Guild had begun as a place where people accepted missions.

Now Sage had placed treasures directly into the growing flow of Warriors, merchants and gold surrounding it.

By sunset, stories about the Guild Shop were already spreading beyond the Headquarters.

Tomorrow, Sage suspected, the crowd would be much worse.