A common person could get directions for a few copper coins, or have the child guide them there for a few dozen. Even a single silver coin would be a good price for that sort of service. A normal laborer only made 3 to 5 silver coins per day, so for a child to be paid a silver coin in an hour or so was pretty spectacular. He only asked for ten because of how expensive Sage’s clothing looked. He gave the boy a silver coin up front and they started their walk through town. They could have rented a coach on the way, but Sage wanted to get a good look at the town. He wasn’t in a hurry.

After walking a couple miles, the boy pointed to a sign down the road, “There it is! Pristine Fortune Coaches.”

The boy started looking at Sage again, waiting to get paid the rest of the money now. Or at least, waiting to see if Sage was going to pay him the high price he’d quoted earlier. Sage merely smiled and ignored the boy’s looks. When they reached the shop, Sage was greeted by a clerk, “Greetings, Sir. How may Pristine Fortune Coaches serve you?”

Sage ignored the antsy look of the boy behind him, “You sell coaches here, correct? I’d like to take a tour of your workshop, and then… Do you have a showroom?”

The clerk nodded, “Yes, of course! I can take you for a tour, but we don’t have a showroom. I can show you the coaches we currently have, but most of our coaches are custom made to order. I can show you the catalog.”

Sage nodded and waved a hand to indicate his agreement, “Let’s get to it then.”

The boy seemed to vacillate on whether he wanted to follow behind Sage or not, but Sage waved his hand to solve the issue. Gesturing for him to come along. The boy probably didn’t have much to do, likely just making pocket change or playing around with his friends. It wouldn’t hurt the boy to follow him for a few more minutes and Sage could get a better insight to his character. He could always use more Little Birds after all.

Sage was taken into the workshop where the coaches were built and he smiled almost immediately. As the best Coachmaker in Golden Cricket Cove, they were likely the best in the whole province. With a reputation like that, it would be surprising if their coaches weren’t special. Watching a coach being assembled he saw more than one profession at work. In the large workshop area, he saw unusual woods and metal being worked by Blacksmiths. In an adjacent room a tailor was creating upholstery, and in the center of the large workshop a Formation Master was carving array symbols into the floor of a coach. From what he observed each of these coaches would be pretty powerful combined magical devices.

Seems I’ve picked a little out of my price range to start out with.

“I’ve seen enough, lets see what you have in stock.”

The clerk nodded and took them into another large room. It had about a half dozen different sized coaches inside, but had room for three times as many quite easily. Upon seeing the coaches, Sage was cheered up again because they were at drastically different levels. One of them was as massive as an RV or tour bus and just oozed expense. Every material he saw in use would cost a fortune, even the ones used merely for decoration. It was also positively glowing with power as he was sure even a Core Formation cultivator would take quite some time to break through its defensive formations.

That was only the most impressive of the coaches. There was another one half the size that was built with comparatively simple materials and had much weaker formations on it. The materials were of course still unusual and expensive, but those on that first coach were easily worth ten times more for every component.

Sage didn’t need such an extravagant coach, and he wasn’t planning on throwing parties or traveling long distances in it. He only needed a suitable vehicle for moving around within cities that wouldn’t draw attention. He also didn’t want to wait for a custom order so he moved over to the three smallest coaches. He indicated his interest to the clerk and the clerk started his sales pitch.

“These three coaches are the smallest we make. They only seat four, but not very comfortably. Truly, they’re more comfortable for one or two inside, of course with room for a driver outside.”

The clerk walked over to the smallest of the three coaches. It was also the most eye-catching, looking like it was carved out of a single block of ivory with some sort of red velvet interior and snowy white fur trimmings. He pointed out the features as he spoke, “...it has been built to our highest standard, carved from the horn of a deep sea narwhal. It doesn’t have any room for luggage or a footman, nor does it need any. Not only does it have our top notch defensive formations, the interior is also loaded with our latest conveniences.”

The clerk pointed out an array that automatically flipped the door down for use as a ramp, along with a pair of built in storage chests, one to keep food warm and one to cool drinks. It also had a sort of privacy array that created dark window coverings to block vision and sound. There were even special arrays made to smooth the ride and make it more comfortable for those on board.

Sage had of course seen and heard of all these things individually, but it was his first time being exposed to all these arrays being used for the comfort of rich cultivators. Back in the Holy Flame Sect he’d never really attained a high rank as a Blacksmith. He’d always been relegated to doing menial tasks. As a legendary dabbler, they didn’t really take him seriously. He definitely hadn’t apprenticed to a Coachmaker to see how detailed and intricate the combinations of many magical devices could get.

“This coach, the Whitehorn Dream, costs 5 million Spirit Stones.”

Even Sage couldn’t help but cough at that price. The clerk smiled bitterly, “Please don’t be offended, Sir. The master really outdid himself on this piece. He acquired a rare material and so he went all out using it. The Whitehorn Dream has been here for many years, no one is really willing to spend so much on a coach, so it has become our showpiece.”

The clerk went on to detail the other two coaches. They were both far more reasonable. They were a little larger than the Whitehorn Dream, with room for a Storage Chest on the roof, and either a footman or another Storage Chest on the back. They were similar in design, but at two different levels of quality. They were both made with very budget friendly materials rank 2 materials, like Spirit Steel. The main difference between the two coaches was the lack of adornment. One of the two coaches had detailed carvings on the corners and wooden parts. The leather seats were carefully embroidered with contrasting colored threads. Even the metal had some lovely scrollwork on it. Meanwhile, the other coach was very simple and elegantly formed. Instead of precise detail work, the lines of the body were just a little more elegantly shaped and sculpted. The seat was slightly curved and the cushions were more shapely. All in all, the second of the two would require many times less work to construct than the first. It was also far more elegant in its simplicity.

Surprisingly, both coaches cost the same to purchase. Sage smiled when he realized the trick. The more elaborate and exquisite looking carriage had weaker formations installed. They merely had mortal craftsmen spend more time on all the delicate art and detail work, while the other carriage required more expense on formations and the work of true Professionals and not mortal craftsmen.

Sage spent 5,000 Spirit Stones and ordered the second of the two carriages. Even if it was a quarter of his current funds, it was fine because he was going to the auction house next. He didn’t need to be too eye-catching yet, so he had them hitch it to some normal horses, which conveniently came from a stable down the street. They only cost a few dozen gold coins, so he didn’t mind.

“Hey kid, can you drive a coach?”