"Gray Stone Grand Store", Lloyd mumbled.

All of the infrastructures in the city, rather resembles the ancient Chinese buildings so it's not surprising to see that the store they were about to enter also has that style. Moreover, just like what Lloyd has seen so far from the buildings around the city, this store has a stone statue on both sides of the entrance. Although here, the statues were both grander and more beautiful than most normal statues found on the neighboring stores. They were fire phoenixes, their poses were also awe-inspiring because their fire wings were spread apart as if they were about to soar high up in the sky. These stone statues were made even more life-like due to the superb artisanship of the master stone carver.

"Let's go in, Bro, Trisha," Francis said to the two who have been frozen in place.

Lloyd and Trisha came back to their senses when they heard Francis. They were about to go in when something, no, someone hindered them in their path.

"What's the meaning of this?" Francis calmly asked.

"Sir and madam, we are terribly sorry for saying this but the two of you can go in except for that piece of trash by your side," one of the man guarding the store politely said while smiling but his eyes were cold and seemed to be full of disgust as he looked at Lloyd.

"How impolite!"

"The audacity!"

Francis and Trisha immediately shouted at the same time.

Francis took a step toward the guard, looked at him dead in the eyes and said, "Do you know who I am?"

This was the first time that Lloyd saw Francis acting like what a spoiled rich kid should be.

The guard retracted his menacing gaze, looked at the angry Francis and returned to his usual subservient attitude.

"We really apologize but if you still continue to insist your unreasonable demand, then you won't be able to enter our prestigious store," the guard politely said.

"W-what the!? Good...Very Good...call your manager, no, call your owner. That ugly owner of yours forgot to tie up his dog!" Francis cursed.

"Enough, Francis," Lloyd suddenly interjected.

"But, bro...this guard dared to bar our path!" Francis concernedly said to Lloyd.

"I know...and I really appreciate you and Trisha on getting angry for my sake. But now's not the right time to act," Lloyd explained. Lloyd was not the sort of person to get into fights just because of some verbal insults. And even if Lloyd does get angry, he knows that he currently do not have the power to struggle. He would just have to extend his patience until the result of the upcoming tournament was decided. But it does not mean that Lloyd was that soft-hearted, he will still remember the incident today and he will just settle this when the right time comes.

"But bro-," Francis added.

Lloyd placed his left hand on Francis' shoulder and said, "Please..."

Francis calmed down a little and said, "Okay bro, I understand. I will let this go for now. But before we go, I need to know the reason why you are not allowed in that lousy store."

Francis turned back his attention to the guard who's patiently waiting for them.

"Be thankful because I shall let this go for now in consideration of my brother's big heart. Tell me, what is the reason why my brother's not allowed in your ugly store?" Francis calmly asked.

"Sir, that person is the trash of our city. Isn't it obvious why he's not allowed inside? That trash going inside will only tarnish our store's great reputation, even him standing outside is already so gross. Besides, our master is supporting young master Jon as the true and rightful heir of Blanc Clan," the guard explained while grinning.

"I see. I shall let this very rude encounter slide for today in consideration of my brother. Be thankful." Francis calmly said. Even though Francis was very infuriated, he believes that Lloyd have some plans for it. Even though Trisha was not saying anything, Lloyd and Francis know that she was also very infuriated by the attitude of the guard because of her piercing gaze and trembling hands.

After Francis said his piece, the trio left the store and searched for a new store.

"I am very sorry, bro. If only I knew what was going to happen, I wouldn't have brought you there in the first place. Our clan's business focuses on food and even though we do have some stores which sells potions, they're still kind of small compared to other stores," Francis sincerely apologized.

"It's fine, Francis. Who would have thought something like that was going to happen, right?" Lloyd reassured Francis.

"Anyway, let's find another store to buy some potions, shall we?" Lloyd added.

Francis slightly smiled and then straightened his back. After that, he patted his chest and loudly said, "Let's go, bro, Trisha. I shall bring you to a shop that has some connections with our clan. Surely, they would not disrespect you."

Lloyd smiled a little when he heard it and replied, "We're counting on you, tour guide."

"Leave it to me!" Francis enthusiastically replied.

The trio proceeded to their destination according to Francis' directions. They walked for about 10 minutes before reaching the next store, which means that the distance was not far.

"Here we are! Welcome to Red Bricks Store!" Francis introduced to the two.

'Why is everything here have grand in their names?' Lloyd mused.

The store that Francis introduced to them was also a big building and doesn't lose out to the previous store. It was also made out of red bricks with stone statues on each side of the front building. Instead of fire phoenixes, the statues here were only ordinary. They were stone deers, which were also finely carved making the deers looked alive and seemed to be proudly standing guard. At the signage located on top of the main door, it says, "Red Bricks Store."

"Wow, this building doesn't lose out at all to that other building which we have visited," Lloyd said in awe.

"Indeed, bro. Again, I am really sorry because we visited that lousy store first because they were publicly known as the store with the best potions so I thought that their customer service was also superb, turned out, it was the worst. But don't worry, this store is known as the second best store when it comes to potions and stuffs," Francis said.

"Come on, Francis. I never said that I want the best potions so it's okay. As long as it's decent, I will buy it. Besides, I am actually quite thrifty and I would hate to buy something which is above my budget," Lloyd consoled Francis.

"Come, lead the way Francis," Lloyd said.

"You got it, bro! Let's go in, guys!" Francis excitedly said.

Unlike the previous treatment, which they received, the guards welcomed them with smile. Most probably because they recognized Francis leading the way.

"Welcome to Red Bricks Store, Sirs and Madam!" simultaneously greeted by the two guards.

The three of them didn't stop on walking and just smiled back at the guards. When they got in, Lloyd and Trisha were instantly captivated by the interior, especially Lloyd.

'What!? The interior actually closely resembles the interior of a mall!?' Lloyd thought.

Indeed, the arrangements of the products as well as the lightings inside closely resembled that of malls in Lloyd's previous world.

The products being displayed were being protected by glass, yes, glass.

'They already invented glass here? Even though their style of buildings as well as most technologies closely resembles that of medieval era? Hmm... Well, I don't know when glass was invented on Earth so I can't compare the two,' Lloyd further thought.

While Lloyd was busy thinking about these things, their group was approached by a teenage girl about Trisha's age wearing a white t-shirt with a red ribbon on her neck and black pants as well as black shoes, making her look like a boy even with the long black hair. From her dress and amicable appearance, it's obvious that she's an attendant of the store.

"Good Morning, lady and gentlemen! How may I help you today? We offer top quality mana arts manuals, hermetic magic manuals, as well as ordinary and elite armaments," the attendant politely asked the trio.

Lloyd took a step forward and greeted back, "Hi, I'm looking for a potion which can allow a cultivator to breakthrough to Mana Creating Realm. Do you have something like that?"

"Certainly, Sir! Please come with me," the attendant energetically said.

They followed the attendant until they arrived at the middle of the store where a stall was located. It was more like a small building or hut but made with bricks. On the top of the hut, a signage can be seen. It says, "All kinds of Potions" and was engraved into the bricks.

"Here we are, sir. In this stall, you can find what you are looking for," the attendant said.

"Thank you," Lloyd said while giving the attendant some spare money for the assistance.

After that, they walked closer to the stall.

"Good Morning, Sirs and Madam! How may I help you today?" the male attendant politely asked. He was wearing the exact same type of clothes just like the girl before so Lloyd thought that maybe it was the standard uniform here.

"Hello, do you have a potion which can help a cultivator in making a breakthrough to Mana Creating Realm?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes Sir! We have three kinds of potions for your need. We have the stone potion, which can add 10% success rate for breaking through. We have the bronze potion which offers a 15% success rate and finally, we have the silver potion which can offer a staggering 25% success rate," the attendant said.

"Hmm... How much for the stone potion?" Lloyd asked.

"It's only 1,500 copper stones sir! So cheap right?" the attendant said.

"Only 1,500 copper stones!? Why don't you just straight up ask for all of our money!?" Trisha who has been quiet for all this time, said.

"Trisha, the price is actually quite understandable considering that it is a potion which can help a cultivator to achieve a breakthrough to the next realm," Francis said.

"And how much for the silver potion?" Lloyd asked.

"It's 3,500 copper stones, Sir," the attendant replied.

Lloyd went silent for a while before responding, "Okay, I'll get the silver potion."

"Is it possible to drink two silver potions?" Lloyd inquired.

"I'm afraid it's not possible, Sir. Theoretically, yes. But some cultivators got curious and tried the stone potions twice but ended up having cultivation deviation and ended their life then and there," the attendant warned Lloyd.

"Ok, I understand. I will buy two silver potions," Lloyd said.

"But, sir! Haven't you heard me? It is not possible to take two at once!" the attendant said.

"I heard you the first time. Don't worry, I am not that stupid," Lloyd calmly said.

After Lloyd bought two silver potions, they walked around the store to see if they can find some Mana stones to use for Lloyd's faster cultivation.

While they were walking around the various stalls, Trisha suddenly stopped and just stared at a stall selling some exquisite jewelries. Being a girl, she also fancies girly things so she can't help but stare in awe at beautiful accessories.

Lloyd saw Trisha just standing still so he traced where Trisha was looking at and saw an exquisite and beautiful necklace with the string made with some kind of gold metal. The stone was of sparkling blue metal that looks like a diamond but much more entrancing because there's some sort of moving liquid inside. Lloyd smiled and walked toward Trisha.

"Do you like that necklace?" Lloyd asked Trisha.

"Ah! I am very sorry, young master! Let's go please," Trisha was shocked and urged Lloyd to continue their walk.

"Trisha, do you like that necklace?" Lloyd asked once again.

Left with no choice, Trisha replied, "Yes, young master."

Lloyd looked at the smiling attendant of the stall and asked, "How much for that necklace?"

"You have very good eyes for exquisite items, Sir! That is called Azure Heaven Necklace, its strings are forged with gold adamantine metal while the stone itself was a rare mana metal called pristine aqua orb which can only be found on the Solace Dragon Cave located at the southern outskirts of Stone Edge City," the attendant enthusiastically described the necklace.

"A mana metal?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes, Sir! A mana metal. Just like mana stones, mana metals are also a kind of mineral found beneath the earth. The only difference between a mana metal and a mana stone, besides its composition, are its uses. Mana Stones are used for improving one's cultivation while mana metals are used as an enhancement or protection and sometimes can only be a one-time use," the male attendant explained.

"This Azure Heaven Necklace is a protective item and is only one-time use. In times of danger, when it senses that its owner is in a critical situation, it will unleash a protective barrier to protect its owner. It can withstand a full force blow from a cultivator in the third level of mana gathering realm or any offensive techniques with the same level of force," the attendant added.

"A very handy item, indeed. How much do you sell it?" Lloyd inquired.

"It's quite cheap, sir. For only 1,200 copper stone, a person will have a protective item which can save him or her in times of danger," the attendant said.

"1,200? Isn't that just too much?" Lloyd said.

“Young master, please forget it. I was just admiring it a little,” Trisha urged Lloyd.

“It’s fine. Leave this to me,” Lloyd replied. Trisha has no choice but to stay silent while feeling a little happy inside.

"Not at all, Sir. With just 1,200 copper stones, you’ll basically gain a second life," the attendant replied.

"Okay, let's say that it will indeed save your life. However, it can only withstand a blow from a cultivator in the third level of mana gathering realm, right? What if the attacker was a cultivator in the mana-creating realm? Moreover, it is only a single-time use. What if the attacker unleashes a second blow, won't the user be dead by then? I will buy it for 800 copper stones," Lloyd bargained.

When the attendant heard it, his right eyebrow raised slightly but he still smiled and replied, "Sir, indeed, it is just a one-time use and can only withstand a blow from a cultivator in the third level of mana gathering realm, but it is highly unlikely to encounter, much less offend a cultivator in the mana creating realm."

"Highly unlikely? Don't you know that my younger brother is only 10 years-old but is already at the first level of mana creating realm?" Lloyd said.

"What!?" the attendant said while having a shocked face.

"Okay, I won't be unreasonable. 1,000 copper stones and I will purchase your necklace," Lloyd bargained once again.

When the attendant heard it, he made a somewhat pitiful face and said, "But sir, I can't lower the price. I am but a mere attendant here. I do not have the power to decide the prices of important items."

"Okay, I’ll take this chance to intervene. I know the owner of this place, just tell him that Francis of Terra Clan is here with a friend from the Blanc Clan and he’ll definitely understand,” Francis said.

“Thank you, sir! I’ll definitely relay your message to our master!” the attendant replied while bowing slightly. He faced Lloyd and said, ”Sir Lloyd, 1,000  copper stones it is then.”

“Okay, here you go,” Lloyd said. He tossed an ordinary pouch containing 1,000 copper stones to the attendant. After the attendant got the pouch, he also gave the beautiful pendant to Lloyd.

“Are you not going to check the content?” Lloyd asked the attendant.

“No need sir, I trust the friend of Sir Francis,” the attendant replied. Obviously, he was not aware of Lloyd’s identity.

Lloyd calmly nod after hearing it then gave the necklace to Trisha, which she hesitatingly accepted.

“Here you go, Trisha. Justt consider that as a gift for all your hard work. Please treasure it well and wear it at all times. It’s for your own safety,” Lloyd said.

“Certainly, young master! I will definitely treasure your gift!” Trisha replied while sweetly smiling.

Lloyd smiled when he heard it.

“Let’s continue our search, guys,” Lloyd said.

“Okay, bro. Let’s go!” Francis replied.

Their group was about to move when the pendant of samsara in Lloyd’s neck, which is hidden under his shirt suddenly generated a hot feeling.