As I walked out of the tomb, I realized that it was nighttime. I felt different. I wasn't stronger, but I didn't feel weak anymore. Though I was still hungry and tired, I felt better. I attributed this change to the Cursed Sword of Umbra. I sat next to the fountain, stretched my arms, and looked up at the sky. The stars were shining, and I saw a beautiful blue moon, a moon that I will need to visit someday.
Deciding that it was time to focus on my next goal, which was to make money, I began walking around the slums, taking advantage of the night's cover to move around more easily. With the help of the Cursed Sword of Umbra, I could see everything clearly in the dark. After moving away from the slums for a while, I found a commoner's market outside the area. Everyone was asleep, and there wasn't a soul in sight.
I walked around the market, looking for a building that looked nothing more than a run-down hut. Finally, I found it. I decided to use the Cursed Sword of Umbra to turn into a plain black shirt. It was better than the rag I had on. As I walked closer to the hut, I saw the dim red light. I guessed this meant she was still awake. I knocked on the door several times, but she didn't seem to answer. Not wanting to wait any longer, I opened the door.
As I looked around, I couldn't help but notice how dilapidated the hut looked. The wooden beams were warped, and the thatched roof was missing in some places, revealing the bright sky above. The door was made of rotting wood, and the hinges creaked as I pushed it open. The interior was dimly lit, with a few flickering lights casting a red glow over the room. The air was thick with the smell of musty wood and damp earth, and the floorboards creaked under my weight. The walls were covered in cobwebs, and dust and dirt seemed to coat everything in sight. A few rusted tools and pieces of scrap metal were scattered on the floor, alongside piles of half-finished mechanical inventions that looked like they had been abandoned long ago. A small workbench sat in the corner, cluttered with tools, papers, and strange-looking gadgets.
As I took a couple of steps, I was immediately pinned down. I knew this would happen, but it still caught me off guard.
"Who the hell are you? Who the hell sent you? Was it that fucker Steve? Answer me, you fucking moron!" She said in a furious voice.
"Aughhh...seriously, is this how you greet everyone?" I said in a pained voice. She then pushed me deeper into the floor and said, "What the hell are you doing here?" in an angry voice.
"Owww!... I thought this place was abandoned, I was going to spend the night here. Can you let go, please? Can't you see I have a weak body? Why don't you share this old hut for the night?" I said in a painful voice.
"Tsk. And here I thought you were one of those bastards. Get the hell out of here. This is my place," she said as she got off me and let go.
"Hey, come on. Let me stay here for the night. I promise I won't bother you," I pleaded.
Before she could answer me, I looked behind her and noticed the blueprint on the table. "Are you developing some sort of transmitter? By the looks of it, you seem to be struggling. I could help you out, you know," I reached out my hand and said with a smile, "My name's Kael."
"What the hell do you know about transmitters? And just so you know, I'm not struggling," she said, waving my hand away in a bothered and annoyed expression.
"From what I can see, you're struggling to make a stable connection. You know, that's the easiest part," I said mockingly and sarcastically.
"Get the hell out of here bef--" I interrupted her midway.
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"I know the frequency of the mana towers," I said.
"Huh? Do you think I'll believe that BS? The number of people that know the frequency is in the single digits."
"True, but it won't hurt to try, would it?" I said while leaning on the wall.
"Alright then, I'll play your game, but just so you know, if you get it wrong, you're dead," she said with a serious expression.
"Ouch, that's quite harsh of you. But you know I won't just give it to you for free. This is business, after all. If you want it, I want 70% of the profit."
"You're fucking insane if you think I'm going to give you 70%. The TSI is already complete. I just need the frequency, and I'm rich," she said.
"Do you honestly think you're going to find it? How long have you been looking for it? Weeks? Months? Years? At this point, you'll be rich when you're 60. I'm giving you an easy solution here. Will you take it or should I go to Steve?" I said.
"Tsk, alright then, it's a deal. Now spit it out," she said as she walked towards a table.
"Hahaha, you think I'm a moron? Make the oath first," I said.
"Tsk, no trust, huh? Fine," she said. She then placed two fingers near her heart and released a bit of mana. "I swear to give Kael 70% of the profits from the TSI project. I also swear not to harm him as long as he keeps his word. I invoke the god Lyx as a witness. If I break my oath, may I suffer eternal damnation in the pits of hell," she said. As she finished the oath, the mana around her turned black for a second before disappearing.
"Happy now?" she said.
"Very," I said as I walked over to her table. There, I saw a small cylinder-like device. It was roughly 4 inches long, and it had a clean metallic look to it. It had a red line horizontally, and I could see tiny runes carved into the metal, glowing red. At one of the edges was a button, and when I clicked on the button, a red holographic screen popped up.
"Phwwwwwhht," I whistled.
"Almost an exact replica of the MST," I said while inspecting it.
"Well, mine is called TSI for your information, and I developed it further. Mine isn't limited to calls," she said proudly.
"Alright, enough bragging. Let's get to work. You, just like many others who try to copy MST, will never find the frequency because you're too focused on what you can see," I said.
"What the hell are you saying? Are you saying my abilities are lacking?" she said, frustrated.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Seriously, what I'm saying is that you're looking at the wrong wavelength, you moron. Do you honestly think those greedy-ass nobles would make mana towers that anyone can connect to?" I looked at her, disappointed. She looked at me with a confused look.
"Seriously, you're too naive. You should already know that only nobles use MST. In order to prevent others from connecting to the mana tower, they set three different wavelengths. The first two are a hoax meant to cover the last one. They set it up in a way that people won't be able to find the right frequency," I said.
"And how the hell do you know it?" she asked, impatiently.
"That, my friend, is a trade secret," I said with a grin.
"Anyways, the frequency is 3 × 10*26 Hz," I said.
"That wouldn't make sense. It couldn't reach other towers with that frequency. The math doesn't add up," she said, while thinking.
"For God's sake, instead of thinking nonstop, just try to connect to it. It should work. My information is always right," I said while sitting at the table.
"By the way, what's your name?" I asked.
"Tsk, why ask? I'm sure you already know it. You definitely came here knowing who I was. But just in case, if by any miracle you don't know who I am, my name is Eira," she said while tinkering with the panel.
"You're right. I know a lot about you, and I know you suck at business. So why don't we become business partners? You'll make us the products, and I'll distribute them. How about it?" I said with a grin.
"As if. I'm not that naive. If you want to become partners, you ought to make an oath," she said.
"Alright, I'll do it," I said, standing up. Eira seemed to have expected me to decline, as she was slightly taken aback. Although I don't have mana myself, I could use the mana stored in the Cursed Sword of Umbra. Creating an oath doesn't have any mana consumption, so I don't have to worry about energy depletion. All I have to do is circulate the mana through my body, and it is surprisingly easy. I can feel the energy within me. A slight amount of blue mana was covering me. I placed two fingers near my heart and said:
"I swear that I will not betray Eira as long as she does not betray me. I swear that I will not harm, use or expose with bad intentions. I invoke the god Lyx as a witness. If I break my oath, may I suffer eternal damnation in the pits of hell." As I finished the oath, the mana around me turned black for a second before disappearing.
"Happy?" I asked.