The bloody gate

Everyone was excited at first, but after hearing what Maximus said, everyone's faces hardened, and the responsibility on their shoulders is not a joke.

'Do not worry about it, I will ensure that you grow in the future to become the desired saviors and the hope of the continent.'

Maximus assured them that he would ensure their growth to save the world.

.........

After a short talk, he asked the youngsters to get to know each other because a team whose members did not know each other well is not a cohesive team.

After the acquaintance ended, everyone followed Maximus leaving the house. He was heading towards the market to buy what they would need in the future.

Starting with the clothing store, each of them bought two adventurers' clothing sets because it has some advantages: practical, unattractive and effective for both combat and training.

'Where now? Where should we go?'

He thought for a moment as he walked until he remembered a blacksmith shop he knew and changed the way. It was not long before they passed by the blacksmith workshop, which belonged to two friends of Maximus. From the outside the workshop was not something special but from the inside something else; many antiques hung on the walls and placed on the shelves.

'Beautiful, what a wonderful weapons here and there!'

For young boys, this was like a dream. Whoever has lived a simple life and has too low expectations to dream of seeing something like this, he cannot even imagine having it.

'Watch this sword; it's an amazing sword I've never seen a similar one to it before.'

Orion could not help but pick up one of the ornate swords and started waving it left and right, Aliana shouted at him warning him that it was dangerous.

.........

'Why do customers always make so much noise? It has been playing on my nerves lately.'

You could have forgotten to drink your morning coffee today too. Try to be nice to your customers.'

Not a moment later, a dwarf came out with thick arms with many of the wounds and burns that had inflicted on him over the years, short hair and a chaotic black beard with burnt edges covered on his big nose and narrow eyes.

An elf accompanied him wearing clothes similar to his colleague, a moderate gait and a very elegant appearance from the one he came out of the workshop lab with him. The two were slightly surprised by the new visitors. The surprise was even greater when Maximus came forward to greet old comrades: the stone blacksmith Dualen and the Green Leaf Galleon.

In this continent, every person with sufficient reputation has a title related to his distinctive characteristic, for example, Dualen has won his nickname for two things: his hands are hard like rocks and his hammer is able to break rocks with a few blows. Galleon’s story is slightly different, due to his outstanding engraving and decorating skills; with just a knife, he was able to carve on wood, metal and even jewels with agility and graceful movements like a green leaf swaying on a tree branch on a stormy day.

Orion apologized for carrying the sword without asking for permission; the owners of the workshop accepted his apology and asked Maximus, who did not resemble the one they knew about why he was coming.

'I came to buy weapons and equipment suitable for these little ones: a double-edged sword supporting both halo and mana for Orion. Two black steel daggers soaked in the waters of the Black Lake for Dante. One long and one short bow with a magic dart quiver holding up to 100 arrows for Eric. A black iron spear with a double-edged blade for Tai Min. hand-to-hand combat gloves supported by magic stones to double the attack effect. Do not forget the light armor for each of them to match the clothes of adventurers.'

The blacksmiths were surprised by this large and detailed request, but for an experienced blacksmith, it is not a big of a deal.

'A week... A week is all we need plus please prepay to cover the costs of the materials needed to the order.'

Maximus took out of his robe a purple cloth bag, which did not look too special, as you know nothing about it. Dante suddenly Talked:

'Magical storage? That is fantastic. I only saw it twice, once with a famous magician and once with a rich merchant.'

Dante quickly realized the value of this item, increased his confidence in Maximus and smiled lightly.

"He's fairly rich, at least we won't starve."

Maximus took out three gold coins, paid them and added a small order.

'The additional money is for weapon decoration only, don't change the appearance of armor and keep their designs as simple as possible.'

The two blacksmiths understood the detailed order that they rarely got a similar one, it gave them a boost of enthusiasm. Maximus came out and the boys followed, it was not a moment before a glitter appeared in Eric's eyes and unleashed his tongue after he had previously been silent.

'Are you really going to buy us all that stuff? You are generous, sir.'

Mira's face was disturbed, and except for a light shield, he bought her nothing. Dante gave her a light blow to the head and then admonished her.

"You're a little foolish for a witch, what would he buy for you from a blacksmith shop for example? For magicians' items, there are their own shops.'

Mira caught herself together after being struck by the blow. The blow was really painful; she rubbed her hair for a few seconds and then continued to press it until the pain subsided. She was disturbed by Dante's behavior and quickly thought of a suitable response until the little girl found the most appropriate one.

'How do I know if I haven't seen things like this in my village? I was fortunate to be able to learn some magic from books I found in my parents' library.'

Orion and Eric lowered their heads and then laughed at the situation. You could rarely see a similar case.

.........

The group kept walking and it was not more than a few minutes until they reached the next store, unlike the previous blacksmith shop whose design was modest; this is a store whose appearance and design suggest luxury.

With just a single peek, one can be sure it is a store specialized in extravagant goods. The store seemed to shout the following slogan: 'If you don't have a lot of money, don't even think about getting close!!'

Maximus knocked on the glass door and then entered, and the children followed. None of them could hide his surprise like last time.

Behind one of the glass display tables stood a man in his thirties dressed in respectable clothes and professional glasses as he cleaned some of the exhibits before putting them back on the display table. He saw him as simply an experienced businessperson.

In the glass display tables, rows of rings, necklaces and various decorative objects followed, including precious magic artifacts hidden among ordinary decorative objects.

It was a ploy used by many expert traders to distinguish between ordinary and privileged customers. For Maximus it is nothing more than a small trick but he wanted to test the little ones and the depth of their insight. He asked all of them to choose one item that suited them the most. They quickly realized for themselves that it was their first test and they had to pass it.

Among the dozens of exhibits, there are many hidden artifacts, each one must distinguish at least one.

.........

Only a quarter of an hour passed and each of them had finished choosing what they saw fit, Maximus and the storeowner smiled after seeing their options.

"I didn't expect their insight to be so good!!" both said inside their minds.

"Our choices are good otherwise this expression wouldn't have appeared on their faces!!" The boys easily realized it.

'Really good options, give me a minute to get them out for you.'

Moments later put their options on top of the glass table.

-Magic Immunity Ring (Orion): A silver ring with an eight-pointed star with a black jewel in the middle, increases magical resistance and breaks through magical defenses. A ring that is looked highly by the knights.

-Magic penetration Ring (Eric): A black steel ring wrapped around it an emerald-headed patterned snake, a ring that increases the speed of magic projectiles and their ability to cancel the magic defense. A precious ring for magical archers, even though they are few.

-Pocket Watch of Spirits (Alyana): A pocket watch made of gold and decorated with many strange shapes, when an owner is appointed, no one will be able to use it without his permission or relinquishing ownership. When you open it, you find a special magic stone that covers the entire area (on the outside it looks like a watch but on the inside it is not), called hollow quartz, which has the ability to store the spirits of elements and merge them into spirits of higher rank. No one took it because its value is unknown.

-Obsidian (Also known as volcanic glass) gem (Dante): A smooth black ball, reeking of the energy of shadows. Artisans generally uses these gems to decorate the handles of swords, daggers or some accessories. No one could figure out how to extract its full potential.

-Protector Necklace (Mira): A brass necklace with a teardrop-shaped jewel made of polished sapphire. It enhances the magic of water and plants and improves the speed of casting spells.

-Water and Fire Ring (Tai Min and Yoon-Hwa): Two identical silver rings, one with a magical blue essence and the other one is red. 'Blue' increases speed and 'red' power. If there is consistency between the wearers, a state of synchronization can be entered, which brings out the maximum potential of the users. One of the special pieces that are famous especially among twins.

Maximus covered his eyes and laughed like crazy after seeing their choices, for someone with no experience in antiques to choose an object that suits him perfectly... He muttered a few words later.

"I think it is fate after all. As I promised in time, they are destined to become protectors of the world."

Maximus took out his sleeve to pay for the exhibits, but after payment, the shop owner asked him to wait a moment.

.........

Moments later, the shopkeeper returned from the storage with a slightly small box in his hand. After opening it, he found a deep blue magic ball sized comparably to an orange.

'I will give you this, sir, please accept it from me.'

'I can't accept a gift like this, I'll pay for it.'

"No, no, it's not what you think. This is a family treasure that our family has passed down for generations. We have a prophecy that the ball will one day find its owner. For a moment I felt like it wanted you.'

The magician was a little confused, as it was surprising and completely unexpected. There was something wrong in the situation and Maximus did not understand what it was until this moment.

'And what made you sure of that? I mean, you can get your feelings wrong and you can't hand over the heritage of your family like that to someone there hasn't been a few minutes since you met."

'Sir. Look at this manuscript, please.'

Maximus' face changed completely after seeing the manuscript, it describes future heroes and some of the disasters that occurred in the future.

'Is this real?'

He could not believe his eyes, asked to speak with the shopkeeper privately, and went to the storage, which was at the back of the store.

.........

'You're not kidding with me? Is it real? If it's a stupid joke, be prepared to pay for it.'

"It is authentic and I guarantee it with my life, it's a familial legacy over generations for my family, Frederick's family."

"I think I've heard of it somewhere, but I'm still not sure about it."

'The Bloody Gate... Do you believe me now?'

With hearing this name, the face of the heavenly magician turned into serious and shocked expressions, how could he know about this? Maximus realized that what he knew was not as simple as he thought...