On the West Side of Manhattan, a magnificent building stood on the banks of the Hudson River. Almost all of its walls were glass, which looked shiny when the sunlight hit it. If one flew a drone with a camera into the sky, one would see grass flourishing on the roof like a soccer field.
It was the convention center building where the Golden Hammer Expo took place.
The event organizer was Golden Hammer Company. It was a guild that operated in the field of dungeon commodities. They did not sell or buy items as usual but auctioned them off.
The guild was famous for its auction house that helped millions of awakeners sell their items at reasonable prices. With a revenue-sharing system, Golden Hammer Company got 30% of the profit from the auction. They earned millions of dollars every week just from auction transactions. Of course, the items they sold were of high quality. Every item and arcana they auctioned was at least heroic-grade.
Every June, they held a trade expo that attracted companies or guilds from all over the USA. They gathered to showcase their products to the general public or business partners, especially products closely related to dungeons. Almost 90% of the industry players at this event produced gear or supplies for the awakener.
Last year's Golden Hammer Expo was a massive success after the 17-acre building recorded 250,000 guests from all over the USA.
"Wow, look at this."
A bustling, crowded atmosphere greeted Klaus as he got out of the car. Hundreds of people in casual or formal attire could be seen filling the vast outer courtyard, flocking to the entrance like sheep going into a pen. Even Sheila sighed as she saw the hecticness of this place.
However, what caught Klaus' attention were the banners and billboards around the convention center. Most of them featured the logo of a golden star on a red background. The guild symbol of the Morning Star.
"Look at those advertisements. How many millions of dollars did they spend on promotion?" Klaus pointed at the dozens of banners.
"They're earnest about this expo. They must be pretty confident in their products," Sheila replied, a little worried.
Klaus smirked. "The more confident they are, the better. Let's go."
Raising her eyebrows, Sheila looked at her boss curiously as he said so.
They went through the sea of people that filled the courtyard and headed for the entrance. The atmosphere inside was similar to outside. Even worse, they could smell the summer sweat of the people visiting.
Various vendors' booths stood everywhere, showcasing their products to potential customers. Banners and holograms of sponsored vendors adorned the halls. Saleswomen and men handed out flyers to anyone who passed by them.
Apart from the visitors and vendors, journalists also joined in the festivities. They were seen covering the expo situation or interviewing the guests.
The main building at the convention center covered an area of about 1,8 million square feet with 4 floors and had several exhibition halls, meeting rooms, and other facilities. Klaus made an appointment with Alexa; they would meet in the auditorium.
But before that, Klaus and Sheila wandered to see the product exhibits. Each booth displayed different items, such as weapons, equipment, potions, and even gadgets like smartlinks. However, they did not find any interesting products.
"What do you think of the items sold here, Sheila?" asked Klaus.
"Nothing special so far. It's the same as last year. They just upgraded the specifications without adding any new features."
"I thought so too."
Klaus decided to head to the auditorium on the top floor with nothing else of interest to see.
While the boss and his secretary were waiting for the elevator, excitement could be heard in the crowd. A group of people in neat suits caught the visitors' attention, especially the reporters. A man wearing sunglasses led the group. His long brown coat waved as he walked confidently, and his fair skin and black hair glistened under the lights.
"Hey! Look at that!"
"They're here!"
"Hurry up!"
In droves, the reporters swarmed around the group of men in suits, taking pictures of the man with sunglasses. He ignored the reporters completely and walked right past them.
Naturally, Klaus turned his attention to them.
"Do you know who they are?" Klaus whispered to Sheila.
"They're the Divine Ursine Alliance, one of the Five Pillars. They should have stayed in San Francisco. Why did they come here?" Sheila twisted her face.
Raising his eyebrows, Klaus was a little surprised as he heard one of the top five guilds in the USA was coming to this event. "This expo looks like it's going to be exciting."
Sheila nodded. "Morning Star won't like it."
The Hammer Golden Expo was a public event. Anyone could come to visit. However, one unwritten rule was that fellow guilds from the Five Pillars did not enter each other's territory. Although Morning Star ruled Queens, they considered Manhattan and all the boroughs of New York as their own.
Indeed, they were not officially in power. Still, they had a code of conduct not to cross fellow Five Pillars to maintain their status. What the Divine Ursine Alliance did was like a man who entered his neighbor's backyard.
And as it turned out, they were headed to the same elevator where Klaus and Sylvia were waiting.
The man with sunglasses was standing right next to Klaus. Staring at the tightly closed elevator doors, Klaus pretended not to care about their existence. He didn't know and didn't want any trouble before he arrived at the auditorium.
However, his expectation was wrong.
The man with the sunglasses glanced at Klaus and took it off. Of course, Klaus responded, looking into the man's clear brown eyes.
"Is there something on my face?" Klaus asked.
The man with the sunglasses dropped his jaw, audibly sighing slightly. "You're that guy, aren't you?"
Frowning, Klaus did not understand what the man was saying. "What do you mean?" He didn't remember meeting him once.
"You're that guy, right? The party leader who conquered the yellow dungeon in SoHo. I still remember seeing you from the breaking news. Damn, I didn't expect us to meet here."
Suddenly, Klaus twisted his face in confusion. Looking from the outside, the man was typical of an elegant and arrogant boss, but he was not.
"Sorry I haven't introduced myself. I'm Jacob Blake." The man in the brown coat hung his hands in the air.
Klaus, who was initially indifferent and cold, turned friendly. "Ah, Jacob Blake! Guild Master of the Divine Ursine Alliance?! It's a pleasure to meet you." He shook Jacob's hand vigorously.
Of course, Klaus did not expect this situation to occur. But if he saw someone from a big guild initiate a conversation, he wouldn't miss it. It was an opportunity for Klaus to make a connection.
"I just want to say you're really amazing. Not only surviving the yellow dungeon but also conquering it. But even crazier, you defied Vincent's words in front of the reporters. Damn, that's so funny. It's like you face-slapped him in public." Jacob praised Klaus excessively.
And Klaus responded with laughter. "Ah, please don't exaggerate it. We're just from a small guild. We wouldn't dare mess with Morning Star." He pretended to be humble.
Those two began to chat briefly, melting into one as they were swallowed up in the atmosphere. Sheila smiled, watching her boss talk to the number one person in the Divine Ursine Alliance. The people around them looked curious, especially the reporters. They instinctively took pictures of Klaus and Jacob.
Jacob held Klaus by the shoulders. "If I look at you up close, you have a different impression. You look serious and brave on television. I didn't expect you to be this light and friendly."
"People say that too when they meet me. Sometimes you must be tough on the outside so that no one dares to mess with you."
Klaus and Jacob continued chatting as they waited for the elevator to open. A raspy voice and bass stopped them in the middle of their pleasant chat.
"You guys are so engrossed in your conversation that you ignore the people around you. May I join you?"
Another surprise came Klaus' way. Vincent Thomsen and his men arrived, also waiting for the same elevator as them. Instantly, the people around them were excited as they saw the two leaders of the top five guilds in the USA gathered.
The reporters showered them with white light from the camera.
The first person Vincent saw was Jacob Blake. Although the man was smiling, his eyes were sharp and piercing.
"I didn't hear the news that the people from the Divine Ursine Alliance were coming here," Vincent said softly but intimidatingly.
"Well, this is a public event. Anyone can come," Jacob replied casually.
No shouting. No anger. No cursing. But these two people created tension as they looked into each other's eyes.
Vincent then turned his eyes to Klaus. "You were the one back then, weren't you? Rays of Hope. Where is your guild master? I didn't see him with you."
"I didn't come here to represent Rays of Hope or our guild master. I came here as an individual, wanting to see the latest gear launch. I heard that selected companies and guilds will be holding presentations in the auditorium."
Vincent nodded his head. "Hmm, I see."
From the way Vincent looked at Klaus, there was no sign of malice in the look in his eyes despite their disastrous first meeting.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened. The people inside were startled as they saw the people crowded in front of the elevator. They quickly came out with frightened expressions.
"Let's get in." Jacob initiated.
"Go ahead," Vincent said as he made a hand gesture.
Klaus and Sheila entered before Jacob and Vincent. Some of their men waited for the next elevator because there wasn't enough room. Waiting for the elevator to take them to the top floor, they stood silently.
A tense atmosphere enveloped them before the competition began.
