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  “Who are they to make Manager Su Wei act so?”

  “That gauntlet looks simple, but look at formation Master Pan Lim’s face—it looks rather ugly, no?”

  All kinds of comments could be heard as Su Wei showed an awkward smile.

  “I am sorry for the way that you have been treated. Would you like to take this to a private room where we can talk?” Su Wei asked.

  The man Rugrat seemed to only become more enraged before the other talked in his ear. They looked at each other as if they could communicate by look alone.

  The bow and arrow disappeared into the man’s storage ring.

  “Very well,” Rugrat said. They pulled out cloaks and put it over their armor. Hats also appeared and they used them to obscure their features and hide their weapons underneath.

  Su Wei, who hadn’t been paying much attention to the other man, now gave him a deeper look. Still, he couldn’t figure out much more. He hadn’t pulled out a weapon even as he looked ready to fight. He also seemed to be calmer than Rugrat.

  Simply put, he seemed to be a side character or a guard.

  He’s probably Mister Rugrat’s guard, though he must have defended him for a long time to have his words listened to by his Master.

  Due to Su Wei’s upbringing and the way of the Ten Realms, he didn’t give the other man another glance as he quickly led the group away.

  Pan Lim had a forced smile on his face as he held onto the gauntlet awkwardly.

  ***

  It was just a few moments later but they were now back in Su Wei’s office with a new pot of tea. Su Wei had poured for everyone. Pan Lim took some with a thankful gaze; the other two men simply sat on the other couch, hidden in their doupengs, a conical hat with a veil that fell down to cover one’s face and cloaks.

  The guard casually drank the tea as Su Wei cleared his throat.

  “Again, I am sorry for the disturbance downstairs,” Su Wei said.

  “I’m here to sell items and get information,” Rugrat said.

  “I am Su Wei, the manager of this Blue Lotus.”

  “I am Pan Lim, an Apprentice formations Master of the Blue Lotus,” Pan Lim said, recovering some of his standing.

  “Apprentice? Do you know any Journeyman formations Masters?” Rugrat leaned forward in interest.

  Pan Lim nearly choked on his tea at Rugrat’s words.

  “Mister Rugrat should know how hard it is to find a Journeyman formations Master,” Su Wei said, covering for Pan Lim.

  “Looks like we won’t be finding a Master-level formations Master here. Kind of annoying that there are two Masters in the name,” Rugrat muttered to his guard, who simply sighed.

  Su Wei was only able to pick it up with the training he had undergone to improve his hearing. It was a simple trick but it made it harder for people to have private discussions by themselves.

  “May I ask what kinds of items you want to sell and the information you need?” Su Wei asked.

  Rugrat seemed to pause.

  Su Wei cleared his throat and set down his tea. “One thing that Mister Rugrat might not know of is the Blue Lotus Oath. It is something that governs how we act. We will not pass on seller’s information but to other Blue Lotus staff. We will abide by every contract that is signed by a Blue Lotus employee, as long as it is done in good faith. We will not look to harm any customers or sellers unless they break the rules of the Blue Lotus. This is an oath that we make to the Blue Lotus and we make upon the Ten Realms.”

  Rugrat seemed to take a few moments before he waved his hand. Two daggers, two gauntlets, a breast plate, and a shield appeared, all of them made with iron. Each and every piece was of Journeyman-level quality. Though only the gauntlets and one of the daggers had formations on them.

  A formation was engraved into the dagger, enchanting it, showing that it was a Journeyman-level item. Although it was easier to do, the level of the formation increased in power.

  “I don’t know if these are any good.” Rugrat pulled out another twenty metal plates. They were covered in carvings, magical circles that connected to one another, creating impressive formations. Most of the formations were Mana gathering formations; others were made to create light.

  All of them are well made, but there are no gems inserted into them to act as a Mana source. Are these all just Mana based? The formations themselves should be of a mid-Apprentice level, but then the power systems are nonexistent.

  “May I?” Su Wei asked, indicating to the items on the table.

  Rugrat nodded.

  Su Wei picked up the armor. It was well made but limited by the materials. “Iron armor, well made. Journeyman-level workmanship at least.” Su Wei found it hard to hold back his surprise. To bring iron, a simple metal, to this level showed the skill of the blacksmith.

  Pan Lim picked up one of the formations. “This metal has been used many times, reforged again and again, from weapons to armor, to formation plates. This was iron ore mined from an open pit iron mine and refined in a coal-burning smithy. Part of the smith’s Mana has bled into the iron, increasing its purity and strength. It’s reached the level of half Mortal iron, being handled for so long by the same smith and infused with Mana.” Pan Lim looked at Rugrat with greater respect before he turned to the plate again.

  “This is a basic Mana gathering formation. It should gather all ambient Mana within five meters and focus it internally, but there isn’t a gem or core within the formation to store the energy.” Pan Lim’s voice turned disappointed.

  “I didn’t think to store the energy,” Rugrat admitted.

  Su Wei was a bit shocked. Even Novice formation Masters would know this. Based on his work, he was a genius, but why did he sound like he barely knew anything at the same time?

  “I built it to supply power to the other formations,” Rugrat said.

  “Linking formations?” Pan Lim quickly looked over the other formation plates. After some time, he put them down, his face pale. “I have heard of one or two formations being interconnected. But I haven’t heard of multiple formations being interconnected, even interchangeable with one another.”

  “It’s a bit complicated, but as long as you use the same base knowledge and think not of just the formation you’re building, but the system of formations that it will create, it becomes much easier,” Rugrat said. “What’s the purpose of the jewels for Mana retainment?”

  Pan Lim’s face was flush as he thought of the new possibilities that Rugrat’s ideas brought.

  “So, everything in the Ten Realms is capable of absorbing Mana. Metals like silver, gold, thorium, obsidium, and elementium allow greater control over Mana and are great conductors for it. Jewels are good at collecting, holding, and then discharging Mana. None of them are greater than Mana stones, but although Mana stones can gather all kinds of Mana, the jewels are more specific, gathering different elementally orientated Mana, like diamonds are great at collecting Fire-orientated Mana as they have been subjected to massive heat and pressure to be created.”

  Su Wei sat back, seeing the excitement in Pan Lim and Rugrat’s body language as they leaned forward.

  “The energy of these jewels can be used and directed through formations to create an effect. Think of a spell: there is the power, function, and direction. The power is the jewels, with the function and direction controlled by the formation.”

  “Then, lining up the attributes of the formation with specific kinds of jewels will increase the effects,” Rugrat said, catching on.

  “Exactly! Jewels are used in the lower realms. As one moves higher, then people use monster cores or Mana stones instead,” Pan Lim said.

  “When the jewels are used, what happens?” Rugrat asked.

  “If they are drained of all power, then they will turn to dust and fall apart. They can be recharged by directly injecting them with non-attribute Mana, or with Mana that is directly aligned with its attributes. Also one can use Mana stones to restore powe
r,” Pan Lim said.

  “So, if I was to incorporate jewels, then I could alter and focus the Mana that is channeled into a formation, increasing the power that it produces,” Rugrat said, his tone completely different from how it had been, as if he were realizing something new.

  If he was able to make these without this basic knowledge, what will he do in the future? Su Wei couldn’t help but think off to the side.

  The two of them sunk back into their seats as if reviewing what the other had said. Pan Lim’s eyes shone. This was completely different than his normal aloof figure; instead, this was the heart of someone who pursued their craft fully.

  Rugrat seemed to calm down after a few minutes. “Oh, yes, so, the information. I am looking for dungeons, smiths who are capable of refining Mortal iron, formation Masters, as well as anything on Alchemy and alchemists.”

  Pan Lim looked to Su Wei. This was his city, after all. He knew it better than any other.

  “This…” Su Wei thought for a moment before nodding to himself, compiling all the information.

  “If one is interested in purchasing Alchemy goods, they should seek out the Black Cauldron. For information on a dungeon, there will be an auction in three weeks that will have a number of items up for sale. Among these is a journal that supposedly contains information on a desert dungeon and a piece of a map that supposedly leads to a dungeon. There are three tablets that one might be able to find the stone golems’ armory. Also a memory crystal that could hold memories of an adventurer. There are many such artifacts that are supposed to lead to dungeons. If one can conquer a dungeon, then they can harvest a great number of items from it, sell it on to powers, or if it is a rare event dungeon, they can continue to farm out the dungeon, or charge others who wish to travel into the dungeon.” Su Wei pinched his lips together before he shook his head.

  “Formations Masters are rare. They become more abundant in the higher realms with more resources, but here there is only the Kerose Institute that might have information that interests you, or the information manuals that we auction off,” Pan Lim answered honestly.

  “For a smith who can refine Mortal-grade ingots—” Su Wei frowned. “There is one person that I know of who knows how to refine such metals and might be willing to pass on her knowledge. But her situation is…awkward.”

  “Explain,” Rugrat asked.

  Su Wei found the blunt way Rugrat talked to be refreshing compared to the word games he had to play with others all the time.

  “She is a smith who grew up in this city. Her parents didn’t have much money and she didn’t have forging designs or information books to rely on. Though there was a constant need for materials.

  “She focused on refining ores into ingots. She started off small, got bigger and learned a great deal about smelting and making metals to specified requirements. She even got to the stage of turning iron into Mortal iron. At this stage, she had enough money to support her family.

  “Once coming from the slums to a higher position, they used their daughter, taking and spending her money freely. They went into ruin and she lost her position, once again at the bottom.

  “Now she has cut off all connections, focusing on making Mortal-grade iron to pay off the debts that her family incurred. No smith would usually sell their forging secrets, but Tan Xue might.” Talking of her story, Su Wei had a sour taste in the back of his mouth. But such was the way of the Ten Realms.

  Silence lasted for a few seconds before Rugrat cleared his throat. “Okay, I’ll trade with the Blue Lotus, putting these items up for sale.” Rugrat indicated the items on the table.

  “Very well. I will enter them into the auction set in six weeks,” Su Wei said with a pleased smile.

  “If we have more items we wish to sell in the auction, will we be able to add them?” Rugrat asked.

  “Certainly. Please take this as a token of my thanks and apology. This is a token for our valued customers. With it, you will be able to pass through a lot of the obstacles that others find in the Blue Lotus.” Su Wei smiled as he produced a finely worked metal token with the Blue Lotus’ information upon it. Su Wei had already marked the token; it would act as an identifier at any Blue Lotus location.

  Rugrat hesitated before taking the token and standing. “Good doing business with you.” Rugrat held out his hand.

  Su Wei put his hand forth and shook it. There were many greetings and good-byes across cultures and Su Wei worked to learn them all.

  “Thank you for the talk. You opened my eyes.” Rugrat held out his hand to Pan Lim, who accepted it quickly.

  “Thank you for opening mine as well.” Pan Lim’s expression turned dark. “I will see that Ban Tong learns from the incident downstairs.”

  Rugrat nodded.

  With that, the two men, with their cloaks and doupengs, departed Su Wei’s office.

  Su Wei and Pan Lim looked to each other, filled with questions, before they looked at the items on the table.

  Chapter: Meeting Masters

  Erik reached a shop that smelled of aged wood and a mix of smells that tickled the nose with ever-changing scents. Erik saw a cauldron above the shop.

  We have six weeks until the auction. Till then, we should increase our skills and the different items we can sell. There’s no knowing if there won’t be some noble or powerful group trying to get the dungeon information.

  Although this was Erik and Rugrat’s resolve and they were excited to learn more about the crafting skills they’d picked, there was just three and a half months left. This was the timeline that they gave themselves to return to Alva Dungeon with a dungeon core to meet their power needs.

  It made them want to grasp every opportunity to increase their strength, even if they were crafting skills.

  Erik had removed the doupeng. Honestly, it was a pain in the ass to look out of.

  With a deep breath, Erik collected himself and opened the door to the Black Cauldron.

  Inside, there were various instruments that would have looked at home in a laboratory. There were all kinds of mortar and pestles, beakers, droppers, and even stones and metal instruments with formations carved into them that emitted a flame. Cauldrons and books were enclosed behind glass with more formations and runes etched onto their surface.

  “What you looking for?” a man demanded, looking up from his book as he squinted at Erik.

  “I’m looking for information about making potions,” Erik said.

  The man lowered his book and looked over Erik again. “Seems that you have tried some Alchemy in the past.” The man’s statement was a prying question.

  “I have read some on the basics of Alchemy. I have also tried to improve my skill by dealing with the basics of growing and harvesting,” Erik said.

  “Starting from the basics instead of rushing ahead—now you’re looking to advance your simple knowledge.” The man’s expression softened some as he closed the book on the counter before walking around it. “Well, there are multiple paths of the alchemist. There is the basic making powders, which is for those who are unable to understand the complexities of Alchemy. Then there are potion makers, who are able to mix ingredients into potions capable of healing or creating effects to benefit people in battle, or heal them from disease and solve their hunger for weeks. Then there are the pill makers who can create miracles, fusing ingredients that have the power of dragons into a pill that one might be able to use in order to cure an impossible poison, to transform the body, and even open the fourteen gates!” The old man’s excitement built as he talked, a look of pride on his face as he talked about his passion.

  “Now, being an alchemist and delving into the secrets of powders, pills, and potions is not cheap, nor is it easy. One might be stuck working to improve their art for decades before attaining a working product,” the man warned.

  “I’d still like to try.” Erik smiled. The man’s energy was infectious.

  “Good! Good!” The old man pressed a
runed key against a glass cabinet. He talked to himself as he read spines of the books, tapping one and pulling it out. “This is The Basics of Alchemy, written by Norvis Beacham, one of the greatest alchemists to grace the Second Realm! It’s said that he made it all the way to the Eighth Realm, the Celestial Realm no less!” The old man had stars in his eyes as he talked.

  “How much is the book?” Erik was short on funds, using the majority to increase the strength of Alva Dungeon, but he knew he needed this book to know whether it was worth making his own potions, pills, and powders.

  “For a new alchemist, I’ll put it at sixty silver,” the older man said, quite proud of the price.

  “Would you take forty?” Erik asked. He had to save every silver and copper possible.

  “Fifty-eight.” The man’s eyes thinned.

  “Forty-five, though I’ll only buy my supplies from you,” Erik said.

  The man pursed his lips before letting out a breath. “Fifty-two, final offer. And I’ll help you along your path.”

  Erik pondered for a few moments. If Su Wei sent him here, then he doubted that this man or this shop was simple. He didn’t know Su Wei too well but he doubted he would do anything nefarious to a potential customer.

  Erik nodded and pulled out the silvers, passing them to the old man.

  The silver disappeared into his ring of holding as a wry smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “The old me knows a few things. It’s good to see that the younger generation values this kind of information so.” The old man chuckled. With a wave of his hand, he sent the book over to Erik.

  Erik didn’t wait and opened it. A screen appeared above it.

  ==========

  Information Book: Basic Effects of Alchemy Ingredients

  ==========

  Do you wish to activate this Information book? Doing so will destroy this Information book.

  ==========

  YES/NO

  ==========

  Erik selected yes. His eyes went wide as information started to flood his mind. He remained unmoving as the pages of the book turned slowly at first before increasing in speed until the back cover of the book snapped closed.