Adam walked through the cobblestoned streets of the Outer City on his own, looking around with curiosity and wonder.

It had been a few days since he'd arrived at Acryon. After Elaine had shown him around, he was now familiar with most places here.

As he walked toward his destination, his heart was gripped by nervousness and even a hint of fear. His hands clenched tightly as he thought to himself, If it's truly as Elaine said, then I'm doomed.

Suddenly his eyes narrowed and he extended the area of his Sphere of Resonance.

Then there's these guys. They've been following me around since I landed. Hmm, although I do have an idea of who they might be

These people who had been following him didn't reveal any ill intent, or else Adam would have confronted them and possibly even taken care of them.

Back in the Southern Federation, he had already learned his lesson about leaving behind loose ends.

He would never make the same mistake again.

But if these people turned out to be one of them, and I attacked them That would be a bit troublesome.

In the end, he decided to ignore these people for the time being and focus on his true objective.

However, just thinking about it made his heart ache.

As he was lost in thought, he had already arrived at the place known as the Grand Bazaar.

The thriving market that sprawled before him was a sea of colorful stalls and bustling activity. Traders from all over the Empire had gathered here.

Adam was surprised to see that the vast majority of the traders as well as the customers here were actually Magi. In some well-established stores, he could even see Rank 2 Magi running operations.

"Truly the ultimate destination for all Magi in the Ulier Continent," Adam marveled.

From exotic spices, freshly baked bread, and rare herbs, to magical artifacts, potions, and even arcane spellbooks, Adam was able to see it all in the span of only a few steps.

At one place, a trader barked out prices for an exotic fabric apparently made from the silk of a Rank 2 Tundra Spider. At another place, a customer could be seen haggling for the prices of a trinket that the trader had uncovered from an ancient ruin.

Just listening to all these people talk, Adam could feel the excitement bubbling in his heart.

He had wanted to come to the Acadian Empire ever since he had heard about it, and now that he was finally here, it felt so surreal.

But he didn't have time to linger. He had come out of the Inner City today with a purpose. Thinking about it, his eyes turned teary.

He dragged his feet through the bazaar, completely unwilling to reach his destination. After what felt like forever, he finally arrived at a two-story building.

Above its entrance, hung a metal signage board.

"Foreign Exchange Center" Adam weakly read aloud the words carved on it.

He took a deep breath and walked inside the building.

Half a dozen metallic golems stood at the entrance. From the subtle mana signature radiating from them, Adam could tell that these constructs could easily take care of Rank 1 Magi.

"As expected of this place. They really do have tight security," he muttered under his breath.

Walking past these golems, he could see tens of booths inside the building. Magi could be seen exchanging currencies with the employees there.

Seeing that, the life in Adam's eyes seemed to have considerably dimmed. His shoulders slouched as he walked toward an empty booth and listlessly sat down.

"Good morning, sir," a young man sitting behind the booth greeted him cheerfully. "What currencies are you exchanging today?"

"Haa The ones from the Southern Federation," said Adam weakly.

"Excellent!" The young man smiled. "We can handle that for you. May I take a look first?"

"It's a lot," Adam glanced at the enthusiastic kid and muttered.

The young man's smile threatened to break. "I'm sure I can"

Adam cut him off, "Close to fifty thousand gold pieces. You sure you can handle it?"

The employee's eyes widened. "Fif-Fifty thousand?!" He loudly gulped before walking out from behind the counter and approaching Adam with a fawning smile.

"My good sir, for that I will have to take you to our lounge upstairs." He bowed respectfully. "I have clearance for up to ten thousand Federation gold pieces. Anything above that will fall under my superior's jurisdiction."

Adam nodded. "Lead the way."

As the pair climbed the stairs to the second floor, Adam called out from behind. "By the way what is the exchange rate between Federation and Acadian gold?"

The young man replied confidently, "Esteemed Sir, 1 Acadian Gold is equivalent to 80 Federation Gold pieces."

Adam nearly stumbled in his footsteps. He clutched his chest and almost coughed out a mouthful of blood.

"Sir!" The employee panicked. "Sir, are you alright?! You look pale! Should I call for medical help?"

Adam waved his hand. "No, I'm fine Just exchange all my money."

The young man helped Adam up and led him to the second floor. There, he called his superior and helped the youth exchange all his platinum and gold pieces.

In the Ulier Continent, it was a given that the Acadian Gold would be worth significantly more than that of the Southern Federation.

Compared to the Federation, the Acadian Empire was rich in resources. Moreover, it was also ruled by a very powerful and wise Magus, maintaining its economic stability.

These were the two main reasons why there would be such a gap between the currency of the two lands.

Adam exited the exchange center after about thirty minutes. He had gone in with close to fifty thousand gold pieces, now he only had about 600 Acadian Gold with him.

What enraged him even more was that the exchange center also took a percentage of the money.

But he was helpless.

He sat down on the stairs leading to the building, glancing at the clouds in the distance, rethinking his life.

"I'm screwed" he kept repeating the same phrase with a listless expression on his face.

Suddenly, a large commotion was heard near the exchange center. A group of Magi wearing white cloaks suddenly walked toward him.

"Magus Adam Constantine, we've been looking for you!"