As we opened the shop's doors, Mayor Ross eagerly looked inside. He couldn't believe his eyes as he walked in.

"Impossible! This place looks like it hasn't aged a minute! What magic did you use to fix this place?! And how did you get rid of the putrid smell! I need answers, dammit!" Ross said.

"You can thank Ronan for that. He did most of the structural repairs while Justine and I cleaned the place," I said.

As Mayor Ross walked up to me, he placed both of his hands on my shoulders. He was crying tears of happiness.

"You don't know what this means to me, Merchant Owen! You truly deserve to be the legendary hero!" Ross said proudly.

As Mayor Ross gave me a hug, I expressed my confusion.

"I appreciate the friendly words, but don't you think you're overreacting a bit?" I said.

"My father has a ton of sentimental value to this place. He probably didn't expect you to fix it up so quickly.  All he could do was watch the shop decay over the years...until you showed up. Actually, the only reason he even gave you the shop was because of your status as Justine's Champion," Sophia said.

"Is it because of the scythe in the basement?" I said.

"Correct. Speaking of, I need you to do me a huge favor, Merchant Owen. Please watch over and protect that scythe so it doesn't end up in the wrong hands. Frankly, there is no better location in the entire Pheorian Empire to hide the key to our destruction," Ross said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Justine said.

"I hate to interrupt, but we still have a meeting to attend, Mayor Ross. Have you forgotten about Knight Commander Brice?" Faith said.

"I wish I could, Faith. I wish I could," Ross sighed.

"So...you're not going to elaborate on the scythe?" I said.

The Mayor's hands turned a dark blue, as blue portals appeared above and below them.

"Sophia! I've made my decision! You're allowed to join and assist this Merchant's party! Don't make me regret it!" Ross stated.

Sophia grabbed my arm as she smiled.

"Thanks, Daddy!" Sophia said.

"Teleo Aros!" Ross said.

As Mayor Ross and Faith teleported to their destination, it left us with more questions than answers.

"So...he didn't tell us about the scythe on purpose?" Ronan said.

"More importantly, he didn't tell us that the shop was in poor condition before he gave it to us!" I said.

"I don't think that's more important, Owen," Justine said.

"Oh! I get it! He's hiding it in plain sight! No one expects Princess Carnessa to be in an old shop's cellar! They would expect her to be heavily guarded at Pheoria's capital or at some city vault! That's why they haven't found her yet!" Jade said.

"It may sound stupid, but it works. Lord Ogis hasn't been able to find her despite destroying almost every village on the continent," Sophia said.

"What do you mean?" I said.

"There are no villages left for him to plunder. But this is something you would expect when you have 2 Demon Lords invading a continent," Justine said.

"So everyone moved to the cities?" I asked.

"Yup! The Settlement map shows all the cities, kingdoms, and capitals that are left standing. 17 for Pheoria, 12 for Eliyen, and 15 for The Wildlands!" Justine said.

"So if each city is a territory that has as an organized political community under one government, it's essentially the equivalent to a 'state' on earth," Jade said.

"Thanks, Jade," I said.

"So you call this floating ball...Jade? Your homeland seems to have some strange-looking golems, Owen," Sophia said.

"So...we're stuck with you now?" Justine said.

"Why did you have to say it like that?" Sophia said.

"All I've said is the truth," Justine said.

"But couldn't you have phrased it better?" Sophia said.

"Why should I phrase it better when it's true?" Justine said.

"Oh, I see. You're just being protective of Owen, aren't you? You feel threatened by my presence because you know that me and Owen complement each other. You're just jealous, aren't you? You're just—," Sophia said.

Before Sophia could continue, Justine began pinching Sophia's cheeks...aggressively.

"What the hell are you doing, Goddess! Do you know who I am?" Sophia said.

"Since I'm a friend of Mayor Ross, I can't smite you. But this is the next best thing since it makes me feel better," Justine said.

"Stop this at once! You're supposed to be the Goddess Of Justice! That's what my father told me!" Sophia said.

"I'll stop if you apologize," Justine said.

"Why should I apologize when it's true? If anything, you're just proving my—," Sophia said.

As Justine pinched Sophia's cheeks harder, Ronan and I went to check the inventory in the back of the store.

If there's one thing I knew, it's that I shouldn't get involved.

----------------

Since Justine and Sophia were hostile to each other, I sent them to the back of the store to manage inventory with Jade. I hoped that with Jade assisting them, they would form some sort of basic friendship. Meanwhile, Ronan and I were standing at the counter up front.

Unsurprisingly, people like free stuff. But as morning turned to evening, I pondered why the inventory wasn't flying off the shelves.

I decided to ask my final customers for the day: Arcaena & Sern.

They introduced themselves as they walked into the store, but I could tell that they were new adventurers. Specifically, they were new adventurers low on coin. Arcaena was an elven girl while Sern was a human boy. They were both around the age of 16.

"Welcome to the Golden Anomaly! My name is Owen and I'm happy to serve you! What do you need?" I said.

"I need a nice set of dual daggers and a sword!" Sern said.

"I would like bow and staff, please," Arcaena said.

"Ronan, can you retrieve it? I would like to talk to them about something," I said.

"Affirmative!" Ronan said.

As Ronan walked to the back of the store, I waited a few minutes before asking about my lackluster Grand Opening.

"Despite possessing an ideal location and giving away free stuff, I only had 50 customers. It's better than nothing, but I was expecting to have over 100+ by now. Do you guys know why people don't want free stuff? I'm not from this area," I said.

"It shouldn't be a problem if you're with TQ4. Are you partnered with The Quatinum Four?" Arcaena said.

"Who are the Quatinum Four? I've never heard of them," I said.

"The Quatinum Four are the four most powerful traders in Fayhelm. They import and export a majority of the goods in the city. Honestly, it would be difficult to find a store that isn't owned or partnered with one of them," Sophia said.

As I turned around, I saw Ronan and Sophia carrying items. Ronan held a staff and bow while Sophia held the daggers and sword. They placed the items on the shop's counter as Sophia continued.

"There are a variety of small businesses in Fayhelm like this one. However, the Quatinum Four dominate more than 70% of the market in this city," Sophia said.

"So Fayhelm has an Oligopoly?" I said.

"Yes. However, you may be able to change that sooner than you think," Sophia said.

"Why's that?" I said.

"Remember the orders that my father gave you? To find the COO's (Children Of Ogis) hideout, notify the FSF, and wipe them out? Well, we received additional information. There's a rumor that one of the Quatinum Four is actively engaging in COO's Black Market," Sophia said.

"Really? What's his name?" I said.

"Merchant Kirnon. Also known as The Smiling Condor," Sophia said.