I can leave the troops to handle things here and go take care of other things. There are plenty of other things that are waiting for me, so this is probably the best bet. However, I think I can afford to wait until after I spend some more time exploring Soul City.

  Now that I have gotten a look at it, there is no way I can not go back to look around. Besides, I should finish the crafting that I started before I get distracted. So, after breakfast, when Lin returns to the library, I head back to the castle.

  The kids aren't around so I head to my workshop to continue crafting. However, I can't stop thinking about Soul City and have trouble concentrating on my work. All I really want to do is go back and explore the city, that is all I can think about.

  Eventually, I give up on crafting for the time being and have some lunch. Once I am done eating, I enter into meditation and return to the hallway. I appear right outside the white door, which confuses me for a couple of seconds.

  I had forgotten that I had changed my arrival point, but as soon as I remember I calm down. Then I open the white door, walk through, and find myself in front of the city gate. It looks like the same gate that I appeared at before, which is reassuring.

  I quickly walk through the gate and then start exploring the city again. Once again my eyes are dazzled by the buildings and the beings walking around. I wander aimlessly around the city just staring at everything.

  If I have one complaint about this city, it is the lack of signs, there are none. The buildings don't have signs indicating what they are and the streets aren't named. A map at the major intersections would also be very useful, this place is a maze.

  As far as I can tell, this city was not planned out, there seems to be no sense to the streets. Like the buildings, it seems like the streets were added with no thought to the rest of the streets. Streets wander around and intersect with other streets at odd angles, turning the city into a maze.

  However, it is a beautiful maze so even when I end up a little lost I don't mind. I have seen all sorts of beings with wings, but none of them are flying, it might be against the rules. Until I find someone to ask what the rules are, I am not willing to risk it.

  Otherwise, I could just fly up and easily figure out where I am and how to get back. Instead, I just keep wandering around trying to figure out some way to navigate the city. However, before I can figure anything out, I come across a small square formed by the convergence of multiple streets.

  The fact that the square is covered by wooden stalls is what attracts me to the square. I completely forget about being lost as I start looking at the items for sale. Every time I look at an item, a short description and price pop up above it.

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  It is very much like a game function, but I quickly realize that it is an enchantment on the stall. However, the enchantment isn't made with mana, it seems to be made with soul power. Or at least that is my best guess since it isn't similar to any power I have seen before.

  The items for sale are mostly weapons or armor pieces with a few materials mixed in. Not knowing the rules, I carefully walk around looking at all of the items and their prices. Once I have checked all of the stalls, I head back to the one that has the best prices.

  The stall only has a few items, but the man behind it looks somewhat friendly. He also looks to be half dragon, but that isn't what made me choose him. His stall has a material for the soul palace and it is much cheaper than the few others I found.

  "Hi, excuse me, but can I ask a couple of questions?"

  ??? says "Eh? A first-timer?"

  "Ah, yes. Is it that obvious?"

  ??? says "Mostly only first timers are that polite. Those who know the rules and that they are safe tend to be less polite. So, yeah, it is fairly obvious. Now, what did you want to ask?"

  "First, my name is Ash. It is a pleasure to meet you. Second, is there a map of the city? Or a rule book that explains the basics?"

  ??? says "Nice to meet you, Ash. My name is Argannon. There is no map, you just have to slowly memorize the streets. There is also no rule book, sorry. Fighting is absolutely forbidden, attacking someone will get you killed, instantly. Flying is also against the rules, although the punishment is less severe. Normally, whoever introduced you to the city would explain all of this, did you find the door on your own?"

  "No. Actually, a dragon told me about the door, but he only told me that it was completely safe."

  Argannon says "You know a dragon? Impressive!"

  "Do dragons not visit the city?"

  Argannon says "Oh, they do, but they stay disguised. Otherwise too many people bother them trying to buy components from them. Just about every part of a dragon is highly valuable."

  "That makes sense, that would be pretty annoying!"

  Argannon says "Yeah, it is and dragons aren't known for their patience. It is better for them to avoid the situation. Otherwise they have to fight the urge to eat whoever annoys them. So, was that all you wanted to ask?"

  "No, sorry, I have a couple more questions. Is there a way to tell what builds are what? I looked, but I couldn't see any signs or anything. Also, is haggling allowed or are prices set?"

  Argannon laughs and says "There are signs, but you can only see them if you are looking for something. For example, if you walk around thinking that you want to buy armor, the signs of the armor stores will be visible to you. If you could actually see all of the signs all at once it would be really annoying. Most of the signs light up and change colors, it is really painful on the eyes."

  "Ah, I completely understand! I have seen those kinds of signs before."

  Argannon says "As to whether you can haggle or not, that is completely up to the seller. For example, my prices are set, but some of the people in this market put their prices higher expecting to haggle them down."

  "Ah, alright. So, moving on to the reason I chose your stall, I'm interested in this material that helps the soul palace expand. Is it a once only item, or can the same material be used again?"