Just the day before, Severin had decided to take things a bit more slowly and relaxed, to take some time off and lighten up.

But now, it seemed like he would have to break this promise he had made to himself.

Though at least for now he was not directly affected by what he just learned, Severin couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency.

In hindsight, he even wondered why he hadn’t come up with the idea himself.

Coming from a world like his own, it should not only have been obvious, but he also knew that the power of brand recognition could not be underestimated - no matter how confident he was in the quality of his products or how much the Society would be willing to endorse him.

If everyone else had a brand logo, then he too would need one as well.

Severin could hardly wait to go back and shut himself inside his room at Milly’s. Hopefully, he would find something useful inside the System’s store.

But then again. Wasn’t the branding of his store something the System should’ve provided to him right from day one, anyway?

On a different note, coming up with his own answer to this situation, without overly relying on the System, was maybe even part of his current quest that asked him to advertise his store.

If only he could head right back and didn’t have to wait for Timothy and Miriam.

But he didn’t fool himself. Severin thought it was almost impossible that the two youths had already done their shopping and thought it equally unlikely that the two would set off to the agreed meeting place before then.

In fact, he deemed it more likely that they still hadn’t even noticed he was missing.

As such, Severin decided to make the best of it.

He took one last look at the flask and sickle that had been artfully engraved on the jar he carefully held with both hands before placing it back on the shelf next to the hundreds of similarly airtight jars containing all manner of finely ground plants, and exited the store.

‘In that case, I might as well check out some of the other stores and stalls. Especially since this is probably be the perfect location for my portal station. Shouldn’t hurt to have a look around. And who knows, maybe I’ll come across some branding agency,’ Severin joked to himself as he plunged himself back into the crowd while on the lookout for anything that might be of concern to him.

Like the one stall where it seemed not only quieter but also less crowded.

The store he had just left had a similar feeling to it, but upon approaching this stall Severin realized the reasons were completely different.

Because of the Games, a disproportionate number of adventurers were currently staying in these parts of the city - not the kind of people who would normally be interested in a store that specialized in ingredients and tools for classbearers with crafting professions. And the craftsmen who came from out of town usually had their own established sources, anyway.

As for the stall, none of the adventurers currently standing in line even dared to breathe for fear that the muscular owner who was engraving a heavy-looking metal breastplate might lose her concentration.

Only when she wiped away the sweat from her autumn-brown scaled forehead - which was a curious sight in itself for Severin - and loudly announced, "Done!" did things suddenly become lively.

“Okay, okay, calm down. Who’s next? You. Show me what you got for me.”

The boy in question stepped into the respectfully cleared space around the woman’s booth and summoned a magic wand.

“Metalwork only!” she immediately pointed towards a sign next to her with an expression that seemed to ask, “can’t you read?”.

“For wood and cloth-based stuff, go look for Marcy some three stands over.

For leatherwork…”

Initially Severin had wondered whether the woman, just like the potion seller from before, might also end up as his competition in case the portal station ever became reality.

A few moments later, he realized how unlikely this was.

His weapon oils and heir engravings might try to accomplish very similar things, but they were so fundamentally different in nature - one a permanent modification of the equipment itself, the other only a temporary application - that Severin thought it more likely that the two enchantments would reinforce each other rather than suppressing each other.

‘A potential partner, maybe, but not an enemy,’ he thought while observing her skillful work for a few more minutes.

Severin then turned around and, while continuously on the lookout, walked towards the huge skyscraper with its unmistakable green windows, which, he realized only belatedly, were in a way also a kind of brand logo.

…

Just half an hour later - mostly because he couldn't find any eateries along the way that also offered buff-food - Severin was standing in front of four centaur-sized, wide-open doors that allowed for smooth traffic in and out of an equally huge lobby. Even without entering, he could make out a good two dozen or so counters located on the opposite side, each with their own line waiting in front.

Only half an hour later - mainly because he couldn't find any places that also offered buff food along the way - Severin was standing in front of four centaur-sized, wide-open doors that allowed for smooth traffic in and out of an equally large lobby. Even without entering, he could make out a good two dozen or so counters on the opposite side, each with its own short queue.

For an instant, Severin was stunned by the sheer size of everything and only snapped out of it when a small group of people almost pumped into him as they entered the lobby. He quickly hurried towards one of the queues that, with only four people waiting in front of him, seemed to be one of the shorter ones.

To his surprise, he quickly noticed that the people who joined these lines were clearly in the minority. Most visitors went directly to one of the many stairwells or to what looked like the magically powered equivalent of a modern elevator.

Without realizing as he was too busy staring like a country pumpkin arriving in the big city, Severin’s queue quickly advanced until it was his turn.

Severin was too busy gawking like a country bumpkin in the big city, so that without him noticing, the line had moved forward until it was suddenly his turn.

“Good day. How can I help you?” a smart-looking elf greeted him with trained politeness.