After ten minutes, the tram slowed to a stop.

They alighted, checking the map again before making their way to the bank.

The building was tall, with a wide facade and several pillars along the wide steps.

There were two guards on either side of the wide doors and they were both S-rank Awakeners, but Lukas knew they weren’t there for actually defending the bank.

As a bank, it would be one of the more protected places in the city, and due to the nature of the business taking place in it, its actual protections would be hidden.

Maybe they’d have powerful Adepts on stand by, along with whatever protections a powerful [Artificer] is able to put in place. Those are what would stop anyone with ill intent before any guard could even raise a hand.

The guards were there as a show of prestige. To simply stand there and maybe guide people. That was all.

They stepped inside, and as Lukas had expected, the interior was vast and quiet.

There was a bit of a hush, and the people currently inside spoke softly, as if they were taking care to not disturb the sanctity of the place.

After all, this was the church of one of the most powerful religions. The religion of money. Many might not know or care but they were slaves to money.

The floors of the hall were made of white stone, which had golden veins threaded through it, which Lukas suspected wasn’t merely decorative.

Soft light filtered down from high windows, and a dozen or so desks were arranged in neat rows, each staffed by an official in a dark uniform.

There was a suited attendant near the entrance whom Lukas approached.

"We’re here to open accounts," Lukas said.

The attendant gave them a smile and gestured towards the far left of the hall. "Third desk from the end. There, you’ll find the assistance you need."

Lukas nodded and led the group to the desk. Luckily, the desk had no queue, with just a middle-aged official with neatly combed hair sitting behind the desk.

"Good afternoon," the official said with a polite smile. "Welcome to Faustian Bank. Looking to open an account today?"

"That’s right," Lukas said, taking a seat. "I’d like to open an account and receive a bank card."

"Of course." The official folded his hands on the desk. "May I see your ID?"

Lukas produced it. The official examined it briefly, then set it down.

"And the opening deposit, do you have a figure in mind?"

"Around one million gold coins," Lukas said.

The man paused, a slight frown appearing on his face before he caught it. He straightened, a slightly warmer smile appearing on his face.

"I see." He glanced past Lukas to where Melody and Akira stood. "And the two with you, will they be opening accounts as well?"

"They will," Lukas said.

This time, the official smiled fully. "I’d be more than happy to help all three of you. This won’t take long at all."

It took thirty minutes.

They had to fill several forms, wait for verifications, then had to draw their blood onto each card.

Just like the key cards, this was a process that bound the card irrevocably to its owner, ensuring no other hand could ever use it.

The official walked them through each step with that same accommodating smile, and by the end, he was certainly more friendly.

Lukas could tell that by opening an account with him and depositing more than a million each, they’d certainly boosted his performance in some way.

The man would probably get a bonus at the end of the month or something.

They walked out of the bank with their cards in hand.

Lukas examined his card, a smile on his face. Now, he won’t have to keep counting out coins anytime he wants to pay for something.

The bank card in his hand was metal, and a bit heavier than it looked.

The bank’s logo, which was two hands clasped in a handshake, enclosed within a clean ring, sat at the center of the card.

To the side was a unique bank number, and below it, his name had been etched.

He sent a tiny thread of mana into the card and a small hologram bloomed above it, displaying his bank balance.

He smiled at the sight.

"I’ll never get used to how convenient everything is here," Akira said, turning her own card over between her fingers.

"Salaria is a tier four city and it shows," Melody said thoughtfully, descending the wide steps beside them. "I’m sure that the work done in this building alone, including the protections, would cost a small fortune to replicate in Havenhart."

"And this isn’t even a major branch." She smiled. "That’s probably why they’re not in Havenhart. The profits might be minuscule in comparison with the cost of setting up the place."

She glanced behind her at the bank. "I wonder sometimes what a tier three city looks like. If this is tier four, I can barely imagine what they’ve managed to build."

Lukas sent the card into his spatial ring and said nothing, but he wondered too.

But that would have to wait until they ascended to the Third Floor.

He retrieved the map, unfolding it. Melody and Akira stepped closer, the three of them staring at it.

"We need a spatial ring store," he said. "And somewhere that sells pocket watches."

He ran his finger across the sector, checking the labeled landmarks.

"There." He tapped a spot near the center of the map. It was a building marked the Golden Emporium. The label beneath it read: General Goods and Specialty Items. "We’ll start there."

He folded the map.

They descended the bank steps, and as their feet hit the bottom, Melody gasped beside him.

A sharp, sudden intake of breath.

"What’s wrong?" Akira asked immediately.

Without speaking, Melody pointed straight across the street.

On the other side of the road, set back slightly from the pavement with several gleaming vehicles arranged out front, was a car dealership.

Lukas opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Melody was already moving, crossing the road without looking back, her brown hat bobbing as she went.

"Melody," Akira called.

She didn’t stop.