The metal door of the elevator closed with a quiet sound.
The runes carved on the inner walls lit up one after another, and a faint blue light filled the entire cabin space.
Unlike normal elevators, this one had no buttons.
Only after the identity was confirmed by someone at the destination, the runes would activate and the transfer path would open.
A few seconds later, the cabin began to move smoothly.
"I never thought I’d be able to go above the third floor." Kain looked around with a curious gaze and said.
This was not just any tower, but a place known in the Black Market among customers and members as an organization.
And each floor had its own uses, more precisely, it was reserved for Lady Miranda’s special clients.
Lian gave a short smile but said nothing, the quiet sound of the elevator system echoed in the enclosed space.
The market floors passed by one after another.
The first to third floors were the public market; where most customers, hunters, and adventurers came and went.
All the buying and selling done here had profits going into Miranda’s pocket.
The fourth floor was for VIP customers; higher-value transactions, rarer equipment, and more security.
The fifth floor was dedicated to private transactions; where many large contracts, buying and selling of level 40+ Fallen monsters, or private auctions took place.
The sixth floor hosted secret auctions; where sometimes only a few people in the entire country were allowed entry.
There, auctions were held where the most powerful people of the continent would send anonymous representatives to participate, and their values were in the billions to even tens and hundreds of billions of dollars.
And finally, the seventh floor, the office of one of the Black Market’s directors, Lady Miranda.
With a quiet sound, the elevator doors opened, the seventh floor, unlike the busy market below, was submerged in absolute silence.
A wide corridor with dark marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and walls covered with old paintings lay before them.
At the end of the corridor, a large door of black wood could be seen.
Two guards in formal attire, without saying even a single word, opened the door for them.
Miranda’s office looked more like a noble’s room than the office of the director of the country’s largest Black Market.
Floor-to-ceiling windows showed a view of the entire market, a massive library housed hundreds of old books.
On one wall, a very large map of the Ruined Realm was installed, with dozens of colored marks on it.
In another corner, several historical weapons were kept inside glass cases; spears, swords, and axes that just from their appearance one could tell belonged to a very distant era.
Miranda stood up from behind her desk upon seeing the two, and a gentle smile settled on her lips.
"You returned sooner than I expected, Mr. Vorhelm."
"Every time I come here... I feel more and more that the Black Market directors are richer than half the country’s ministries." Kain was still looking around with a surprised gaze.
The value of all the collection pieces here was above hundreds of millions and maybe billions of dollars.
Who exactly was this woman? How had she managed to reach such power and position in the Black Market? This was a question that now made him curious too.
"Please, have a seat." Miranda calmly told them, and after a brief greeting, Miranda went straight to the point.
"The news of Base #3 has spread everywhere these past few days." She gave a brief look at Lian.
"Your name has been heard a lot, it seems your journey to the Ruined Realm was not very peaceful, Mr. Vorhelm."
"Trouble always finds a way to get close to the Vorhelms." Lian just gave a faint smile.
Miranda gave him a calm look, but deep in her eyes there was a sign of satisfaction, as if she was truly happy with the decision she had made to establish a friendly relationship with this boy.
"So, what are you looking for this time?"
"I’m preparing for a long journey, I need suitable equipment." Lian said without introduction.
"Destination?" Miranda asked calmly.
"Special Area."
Her gaze became a little more serious, currently only one sample had been discovered, and its information was not hidden from her or the Black Market.
"Mission duration?"
"Not clear."
"Threat level?" The questions being asked, aside from gathering information, were for the lady to understand exactly what she should bring for her client.
"No one knows yet, but it shouldn’t be that high." Lian shrugged.
"So we are talking about something more dangerous than I thought."
She was silent for a few moments and then said calmly.
"A Special Area is different from the Ruined Realm."
"There, you might not find a base for weeks, and most people who enter for the first time run out of supplies, not their lives."
Lian listened carefully.
Miranda continued.
"Lack of food, lack of water, running out of healing equipment, tents, fuel, or even proper clothing, these things kill people more than monsters."
Awakened ones who had not yet passed their first evolution still needed food and water to survive, and even sleep was still necessary.
"So what you need is not weapons, it’s preparedness, and I think I know what would be useful for you." Miranda contacted her staff and ordered that certain equipment be brought immediately.
It did not take long for all the equipment she had ordered to be brought to her office by a number of staff members and placed in front of them.
Several locks were opened one after another, and then she brought out a few small metal boxes and arranged them on the table.
The first box opened, and inside it was a scroll with a golden seal.
"Scroll of Sanctuary."
"Rank: B."
"After activation, it creates a hemispherical Barrier, lasts about one minute, and can withstand a few direct hits from level 30 creatures."
She placed the scroll on the table.
"It’s made to save a life, not for battle, it’s a one-time use and then it’s gone, based on the possible threat level, I doubt you’ll face anything above level 30."
The second box opened, and inside it was a white scroll.
"Scroll of Sacred Restoration."
"Rank: B."
"Bone fractures, organ tears, severe bleeding, it heals all without consuming mana, but only once."
"I want several of these, as many as you can sell." Lian said without hesitation, both this and the previous one were extremely useful.
The third box.
"Scroll of Purification."
"Rank: C."
"Removes poison, curses, and mana corruption and contamination, of course it depends on their power level, but based on the possible threat level, it should be enough."
The fourth box, a transparent crystal with a calm blue light flowing inside it.
"Emergency Mana Crystal."
"If your mana is completely exhausted... this can restore a large amount of mana within seconds, but only once."
Lian also ordered a large number of these, one of the problems he might face was exactly this, but unfortunately, only five were available for purchase.
The previous item also had limited stock, but he only bought two, with his poison resistance, he didn’t need it that much and only bought it to reduce risk.
The last box opened, and inside it was a small cylinder of silver metal.
"Emergency Beacon."
"If you activate it, a column of light rises several kilometers high, both for requesting help and for your teammates to find your location."
Lian stared at it for a few moments, this one was also useful, if the group got separated in the Special Area, such a device could save everyone’s lives.
"I want eight of these." He said calmly.
"Ten?" Miranda raised an eyebrow.
"For all group members, if someone gets lost... at least we can find them." He planned to give one to each of the eight group members.
About those other two members... that’s not his concern, if they need it, they can buy it themselves.
"A good decision."
After that, Lian said.
"I also want a few of the others."
Then he listed them one by one, also ordering a significant amount of monster meat known for its excellent taste.
Along with a device they could use for cooking, an item that took up little space and cooked food quickly.
Miranda took notes without stopping, and when the list was complete, she closed the notebook.
A few moments of silence followed, and then the lady said.
"I also have a free piece of advice, if your destination really is Base #9, it’s better to buy information about that area too, or even a map of the areas explored so far."
"Information?" Kain asked in surprise, was it really necessary? After all, Lian and the others were supposed to enter the Special Area as soon as they arrived there.
Miranda nodded.
"Monsters are dangerous, but ignorance is more dangerous."
She pointed to the large map on the wall.
"Every caravan that returns from that route discovers something new, safe routes, monster territories, rivers, and even monster settlement locations."
"Before entering the Special Area, buy any report you can, sometimes a piece of information is more valuable than a legendary sword."
"And finally, all your orders will be ready within an hour."
Lian nodded.
"Thank you." He thought for a few seconds and then said again.
"I agree with your suggestion, actually, I was going to ask the same thing, about Base #9, do you have any information that might be useful to me?"