Elydes

Chapter 172 - Shopping Done Right

“Found anything to your liking, young man?” The owner of the shop rubbed his hands with a salesman’s smile. “Here at Salsbury’s, we only acquire the very best goods for our clients. Each blade is a unique piece enchanted by a master runesmith.”

You and every other store in the upper city. Do you also sell Excalibur, or is that not good enough for your shelves?

“Really?” Kai gave his very best performance as an impressionable kid. Mouth opened in wonder at the shining knives and short swords on the ebony counter. It was undoubtedly the worst collection of tacky weapons he had ever seen, not an easy feat. He had become something of a connoisseur of ornamental junk since returning from the trip two weeks earlier.

He picked a dagger with a curved handle inlaid with silver filigree, purple amethysts and polished quartzes. It was a marvel how someone could fit so much useless clutter on a single weapon.

A dagger was supposed to be quick and strike deep in close quarters. This thing was the exact opposite: unbalanced, cumbersome and unwieldy.

The merchant slickened his receding hairline, showing a golden tooth. “I could tell you had a good eye, young man. That’s an excellent choice! One of the finest daggers that has graced my establishment. You see,” he tapped on the chain of runes that lined the gleaming steel. “With these enchantments, the blade will never lose its edge or rust. You cut a dragon’s scales and not—”

Kai tuned out the nonsense pitch. Mana Echo needed time to copy the enchantment, so he was forced to play along, but he didn't need to listen. Judging by the inefficient linkage between the runes and the sloppy composition, the blade had been crafted by an apprentice—and not a very skilled one at that.

Every weapon shop he visited was the same story. As soon as the owner saw his jiggling bag of coins and young age, they tried to saddle him with a piece of flashy garbage. And every time he had to perform his wide-eyed acting.

At least it’s good training for Improvisation.

“I think I might like this one best…” Playing the indecisive, Kai moved through the entire display and made an echo of each enchantment. None of them were particularly interesting, but the more runes he collected, the more ideas he would have to create his own designs.

Inscribing a weapon presented a different set of challenges than what Kai was used to. The enchantment had to be reliable, able to endure some punishment without breaking. No one wanted to have their sword fizzle out while they fought for their life. Which was why most runic chains were short and stable.

The skill of the runesmith lay in the precision of the runic inscription and in the efficiency of the integration with the material. With Mana Echo at level 47, he could copy and store them without worrying the skill would reach its limit.

Kai pursed his lips. “Do you have anything else? I don’t think any of these is the one.”

“Of course, of course.” The man suspiciously glanced at the window before pulling an ornate red leather box from the shelf behind him. He leaned on the counter and whispered. “Why don’t you take a look at this?”

Kai noted the man must have eaten onions for lunch, a bit of wasted brain space he wouldn’t be getting back. The velvet interior revealed a double-edged blade encrusted in cheap gemstones.

Unless this one boils water and does my laundry, I’ll pass.

“It's a Tyranese knife,” the man explained, offering him the blade with both hands.

It might have piqued his interest two weeks ago—if he was drunk and blind. Now Kai knew Tyran was just an independent city-state famous for exporting cheap weapons, and not some mystical dwarven foundry. Like any other, Tyranese blades could be priceless pieces or crap.

“It’s a must-have for every young man on the mainland.” The salesman continued to speak too close for comfort. “It must be the Moons’ grace that I got my hands on one. I’m only willing to part with it because I see the seed of a great warrior in you.”

Well, the other guy said I could be the second coming of Quert, the Broken Blade. Maybe I should go back to him.

“Oh,” Kai hung his head low. “Then it’s not for me, I want to be a baker.”

The merchant faltered, his eyebrows formed curious wiggles as his brain failed to compute. “…a baker?”

“Yes, I want to open the greatest bakery in the Merian Republic.” He nodded emphatically with total seriousness. “The blade is a gift for my father.”

“I see.” He collected himself with another oily smile, crouching behind the counter. “In that case, I’ve just received something that would make the perfect gift. Trust me, your father will be the envy of the city. Where did I put it… Here.”

“Nothing too flashy, if possible,” Kai recommended. “My dad doesn't like showy blades, says it alerts his targets before he guts them.”

“Targets?” The man hit his head in his hurry to stand up, biting down a curse.

“I mean awakened beasts, he’s a hunter,” Kai said with an innocent smile. “What else could I be talking about, mister?”

“Beasts, right. I just… It doesn’t matter.” The man dried the sweat on his forehead with a silk handkerchief. “Why don’t we check a different selection?”

An hour later, Kai walked out of Salsbury’s Wares with a straight dagger of dark gray alloy, and a head full of new schematics. He had now visited all the major shops in Higharbor. He always made one purchase to not arouse suspicion and repay the donation.

His hands twitched, eager to write down the echoes floating in his mind. He hid them in his pockets and strolled down the hill towards his house. Transcribing the enchantments before the shop was too brazen even for him. Once again, he was treading a gray line. No merchant would welcome him in their shop if the story got out.

In his room, the walls were covered in sheets of paper. The rune section was encroaching on the walls devoted to the Vastaire mystery, with more piles stacked on his floor and desk.

It was impressive how many he had gathered since he came back from the journey.

Dipping one of his quills in a bottle of Kai’s Handy Mixture, Kai adjusted his breathing and let the skill take over. The replicas came out better after he Meditated. His hands moved with precise and quick motions, copying the runes he had observed earlier.

And done.

Two hours had flown by, Kai put the last paper down and hung the ink to dry. There were always tiny imperfections, but he could fix those later with Runes and Inspect. Phase one of his project was finally completed, he had gathered the available knowledge. Now he just had to figure out the best design for his weapon.

Looking at the stacks of papers, he massaged his eyes and lay on his bed.

Why does every project get out of hand?

A gleaming crystal fang hung over his desk, longer than his arm, almost transparent and wickedly sharp. Two dozen more of different sizes lay in a crate below his bed. The rest he had sold to Reishi with the shares the Republic had delivered. He had just kept enough hide to commission a few sets of armor.

‘Let me know when you want to take another trip, I’ll pay for transportation.’ The merfolk had shown his pointy grin, laughing when Kai tried to convince him it had been an accident. Yet, Reishi’s enthusiasm for the unexpected goods hadn’t stopped him from demanding the backlog of potions.

And he has the nerve to call his father a greedy fish.

The coins from the beast’s sales were still flowing in. Lou had been right, Kai had underestimated how much a sea serpent was worth. He had received his first gold mesar three days ago, a fat piece of yellow metal worth a hundred freaking silvers.

It was completely impractical to use since most shops had no goods that pricey, but he had no intention to spend it. It was a reminder of how far he’d come from starving in Greenside. Reishi estimated he would make another coin, yellow beasts were rare and expensive in the archipelago.

Okay, this project isn’t going to complete itself.

It was good training for his skills, and fit the domain of Mana Child. The clash with the serpent had left a dent in the sword Elijah gave him, so it was only fair the beast provided the replacement. He’d start by designing a dagger, a smaller challenge before the main course.

It would have been easier to commission the entire work, but he was too deep to turn back now. He had tested how sharp and durable those fangs were on his flesh. And, let's be honest, there was nothing cooler than making a weapon out of the beast that had tried to eat him.

Initially, he had planned to complete the whole project by himself, but reality made him readjust his ambitions. He couldn’t draw the runes with a quill, and without an etching skill, he’d waste the material.

Shuffling the new papers, Kai added another layer to the wall. It was easier to get his ideas in order if he could see them. He would design the schematics himself.

Sharpness and toughness for sure, they are a staple for a reason. And then maybe a wind rune to reduce air friction? Lighting my sword on fire could also be cool, though I don’t think it’s compatible with the fang.

The sea serpent wasn’t an elemental beast, but ocean creatures rarely worked well with Fire. One of the reasons that made beasts' parts valuable was the mana they naturally contained. They could support enchantments without wasting precious space for a condensing array, or a manual reserve.

Kai sifted through his collection of borrowed designs, narrowing down the list of options to his favorites that were also compatible. Probably. He’d have to consult an expert to make sure.

He was left with a thick stack of papers. Starting from the basics, he got to work sketching different combinations.

Ahhh! There are too many variables to consider, he raked his fingers through his hair and wondered if pulling them would make him feel better.

“Are you okay?” Flynn poked his head through the door with a double knock.

Kai put his hand down in his lap. “Why wouldn’t I be?” He said, sitting on the floor surrounded by loose papers and arcane sketches. “It’s just my creative process. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Sure… Just remember to mention me in your will before you go insane, ‘kay?” Flynn tiptoed into the room trying to avoid the sketches and picked up the dagger from Salsbury’s Wares on the desk. “Hey, is this for me? You didn’t have to buy me another gift.”

He balanced the blade on one finger before making it disappear in one of his pockets or sleeves. Same as every other knife Kai had bought in the last two weeks.

Guess I can take a break.

“I didn’t.” he collected the papers and stood up. “Why do you even need another one, weren’t the last five enough?”

“You can never have enough knives,” Flynn said like it was obvious. “I’d like a serrated one for my next present.”

“I’m done visiting shops for now.” Kai was about to gather another stack of paper from the floor when he noticed a blinking notification. “Go play with your toys downstairs.” He shooed his friend out of the door.

*Ding*

Gifted Novice has reached lv50, requisite for the first milestone met, congratulations!

Nothing like some good news to cheer his mood. He had been looking forward to his first profession skill upgrade. Gifted Novice was a strange skill to train. Anything that made him gain XP with Mana Child worked, but nothing could make it jump a level or progress faster.

Slow and constant. Its effects were equally hard to test.

Gifted Novice (lv42>50) – When passion meets diligence, true talent is born. A Mana Child is naturally gifted at developing knowledge and skills of the arcane.

It made him better at anything in the domain of mana and magic. With such a wide-ranging ability, it wasn’t surprising the effects were subtle. He was progressing faster in his mana skills, though it was impossible to tell what was due to the skill and what to the bonus attributes in Mind and Spirit.

An upgrade can’t hurt.

Gifted Novice (lv50) ➔

As you reach the first milestone, you are presented with two choices to continue your journey. This choice might influence the future of your profession:

Improve your comprehension and memory when learning new disciplines. The bonus doesn’t apply when using a skill over lv30.

Improve your comprehension and memory when delving deeper into known disciplines. The bonus only applies when using a skill over lv30.

Huh… that’s refreshing.

The Guide went straight to the point without the ambiguous wording it often used for general skills. He only had two options, though there might not be a third considering they covered everything.

Get better at learning new or old disciplines.

The choice was easy, another welcome change. He already had his hands full with Alchemy, Runes and spellcraft without branching into new areas. Doubling down on his specialties was better in every way.

Confident in his choice, Kai reread the options out of habit.

You sneaky bastard! Do new disciplines also include those I have no skill for?

It simply said he couldn’t use a skill over level 30, not that he needed one in the first place. Like that, the options were much more balanced. The benefits of improving his strong suits were obvious, but new disciplines included a myriad more areas that his fourteen skills couldn’t cover.

Ultimately it didn’t change his decision, he was already enough of a generalist as it was, but it made him feel the sting of giving up on a useful ability.

Damned Guide! You couldn’t give up the last laugh, could you?

*Ding*

You chose to improve your comprehension and memory of known disciplines. Gifted Novice (lv50) can now reach lv75.

Perhaps now I should be able to tell the difference.

Before procrastination could get a hold of him, Kai picked a clean notebook and noted down his skill levels with the last time he had leveled them. While the Guide had no mercy, it never lied. He’d track his progress to see the effects of the skill.

His eyes fell on the pile of runes. He was going to get plenty of time to test it. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to consult with a runesmith to analyze the fangs.

Work smarter, not harder.