That’s a till, or shop register, cash register, with an NFC attachment. That over there is a laser copy machine with an NFC attachment as well. There’s reams of paper, and toner cartridges. Huff. Phew, this, this is insane. Grr Fakeworld, why? Still, still I think this might do it. The other names might not be necessary, at least not for all shops. Perhaps certain individual shops. I hastily wave Lu and Lucky and Leezahna out as I begin setting up. I levitate Leezahna’s chair out to her, and remind her to be kind to Luni and Lucky as she has them making a home for her.

I hear Leeza start, “I’d, I’d like a big open floor plan for the main area, and a private bedroom, with a walk-in closet, and maybe marble columns, and—. I, I, Schism said, I—. I guess I can earn the columns, and maybe get some help with them, maybe, sometime? Then over there—.”

She trails off, describing what might be her little dream home cave to Lu and Lucky. While they’re busy with that, Vyela offers me her usual, “Hmn,” while Te helps me make room for the copying machine, and I utilize a bit of stone elemental magic to do some reshaping to make more room in the dugout, so that I can bring the big battery banks down in here, so that I can plug in all these machines.

I’m giddy, I’m almost ecstatic. If, if any of the shops have the magical equipment to reproduce the shop stalls, or, or, or shop stalls themselves, or, I don’t even know what, there’s so many possibilities. Possibilities that might be able to save the Can’Z’aasian aura even if someone destroys this stall, or generate a new one, or, or so many things. Hooking things up, I begin booting up all the devices, but now I’m a bit struck. How are the *devices* going to know who’s behind the sho—.

I flip through the notes in the phone, and there’s one with nine digit codes assigned to hundreds, maybe thousands of names. I rush to the copier to try to figure out how to get it to print that specific note. It’s rather intuitive, just leave the phone on the NFC hotspot, and use the touch-screen interface to find the file-name of what you’d like to print out. I’m vibrating with anticipation. The names are all alphabetical, and I’m pretty sure it’s everyone we could possibly have gotten to run the shop for us, since it includes people who’ve perished like Aymeshtu. I hesitate to leave the sheet with her name on it in the stack, but—. Te offers me a sad frown and nods. In case some of these other names are people who live in Mount Solace, who might want to utilize the system, I’d better leave the sheet in the stack.

Either I, or Nala, will get this printout bound, and we’ll put in tabs to indicate the letter cutoffs, so people can flip to their letter more easily. I’m pretty sure binders and binder tabs are easy enough to get out of the shop system at this point. Thankfully, there’s an option for three-hole-punching the printouts as they occur, and I selected that one, as well as double-siding, though maybe I shouldn’t have chosen that, since it makes the sheets busier, and a little harder to parse quickly and easily.

Still, with this—, oh wow. I think I don’t even need to have all of these people show up. I think—. I think with Lu, or Kinzul behind the counter, if we plug in their nine digit code, we can drum up anyone’s shop inventory. Or, or maybe even without them? Just, just let’s just see mine first. I hunt down my code in the Rs. Of effing course it is. I start laughing, cackling even. It’s nine zeroes. Hahahah. Teuila giggles along with me, and even Vyela snorts once as she notices, and easily puts two and two together. The Void Dragon Honoris Causa is all null digits.

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh. My heart rate is so frantic, I feel like I’m going to pass out. Teuila nudges me playfully, bopping me softly on the head, slugging me gently in the shoulder, and slapping me ever so lightly on my cheek. I try to calm myself, to breathe deeply. Te smiles proudly at me, not entirely sure what everything is, but trusting that my excitement means we’ve succeeded at something important. I—. I need to commemorate this. Maybe a selfie with Teuila. Te—. She’s at my side, and posing towards where I’ll hold the phone.

How do you know what a selfie is? Whatever, it’s fine. I ask Vyela, “Would you want to be in a commemorative photo of this partial success of our endeavor? Ah, erm, no problem.”

I probably should have expected the confused brow and the eyeroll from Vyela. Still, I snag a selfie with Teuila, and I’m blown away, both by the quality, and just, just the ability to capture a moment. I have a picture with my beloved Wings. She looks so happy, and excited for me to be as excited as I am. My eyes wet with tears as I hug the phone to my chest. Te rolls her eyes and shoulder bashes me playfully, reminding me that she’s still right next to me.

I’m beginning to pant a bit exhaustedly, hyperventilating from the excitement. Okay Reggie, calm down. Get it together. Punch in my code, stand behind the shop. Hand the phone to Te so she can hold it near the NFC attachment. Alright, let’s see what shows up on the phone. I—. I don’t recognize that filetype. I mean, why would I? But still—. I frown and furrow my brow. I can’t open that type of file on my phone as far as I’m aware. Do I need a PC, and conversion software? I wonder if the copier knows that filetype.

Let’s see, is there some sort of note detailing—. Okay, here we go. Non-keyed sequential file. Something something AS400, RPG, COBOL, printable! Okay, okay, okay, calm down. Phew, huff, phew. NFC up to the copier, select the—. Huh. Print source, or result? Well, I guess the source would be just like, code and formatting, and the result would be the actual catalog, or database. Huh. I’m curious about the source, but it says it’s something like a thousand seventy one pages. Or wait, there’s like a line space between the digits that looks like it could hide an entire extra digit, is that ten thousand seventy one? Jeebez. The results are only a few pages. As curious as I am about the source code, I really don’t want to waste ten thousand pages and that much toner.

Okay, okay, okay. Results it is. What’s this? Standard plus the following, plus unlock—able? I, I definitely didn’t expect this, and I don’t even know what the standard is. Is that just the stuff that everyone was able to sell infinite of back home on Can’Z’aas more or less? Produce mostly, as well as wooden goods, and so on. The really general items that almost every shop seemed to carry an infinite supply of. Perhaps every shop.

So these are my expanded inventory beyond the standard eh? Huh.

Mermaid's Tear

Crystal Ball with Stand

Mechanical Gauntlet

Potions and Brews Recipe Book

Vintage Diving Helmet

Spellbound Tarot Deck

Ancient Egyptian Ankh

Dragon Claw Letter Opener

Victorian Phantom Masks

Time-Traveler's Pocket Watch

Werewolf Fur Rug

Egyptian Hieroglyphics Decoder

Mechanical Music Box

Wishing Well Coin Collection

Enchanted Forest Canvas Art

Vintage Spyglass Telescope

Phoenix Feather Quill Pen

Timeless Hourglass

Gilded Renaissance Mirror

Dragon Claw Bookends

Atlantean Crystal Orb

Alchemist's Mortar and Pestle

Magical Grimoire

Goggles with Gears

Potion of Invisibility

Viking Rune Stones Set

Victorian Cameo Brooch

Enchanted Snow Globe

Elven Leaf Fragment

Rustic Pirate Treasure Chest

Time Traveler's Top Hat

Vintage World Map

Crystal Healing Wand

Antique Brass Compass

Faerie Wing Hair Clip

Egyptian Scarab Amulet

Mechanical Pocket Watch Necklace

Leprechaun's Lucky Coin

Renaissance Knight Chess Set

Celtic Knot Leather Journal

Fairy Garden Miniature Set

Vintage Phonograph Gramophone

Unicorn Horn Pendant

Ancient Sumerian Cuneiform Tablet

Egyptian Cat Statue

Fortune Teller's Crystal Ball

Aztec Sun Stone Calendar

Mechanical Clockwork Bird

Werewolf Moon Phase Calendar

Enchanted Forest Incense Burner

Potion of Love Elixir

Samurai Warrior Armor Miniature

Rustic Celtic Knot Wall Art

Airship Model

Greek Mythology Tarot Cards

Magical Fairy Dust Bottles

Viking Ship Figurine

Phoenix Rising Tapestry

Egyptian Pyramid Puzzle Box

Astral Projection Guidebook

Enchanted Crystal Pendant

Antique Skeleton Key Set

Pocket Watch Stand

Haunted House Candle Holder

Celtic Druid's Staff

Wizard's Potion Cauldron

Victorian Opera Glasses

Mythical Creature Wood Carvings

Pirate Ship in a Bottle

Fairy Tale Pop-Up Book

Dreamcatcher Amulet Necklace

Egyptian Papyrus Scroll

Gear Bracelet

Crystal Energy Charging Plate

Vintage Compass Watch

Antique Vampire Hunter Kit

Fairy Tale Storybook Collection

Dragon's Eye Gemstone

Fortune Teller's Crystal Ball Stand

Pirate Treasure Map Puzzle

Time Traveler's Journal

Vintage Crystal Decanter Set

Magical Firefly Jar

Airship Blueprint

Egyptian Scarab Bracelet

Unicorn Tapestry Throw Blanket

Mermaid Song Music Box

Antique World Globe

Mystic Tarot Cloth

Viking Drinking Horn

Mechanical Cogwheel Wall Clock

Sorcerer's Crystal Ball Stand

Renaissance Court Jester Doll

Egyptian Ankh Keychain

Fairy Tale Pop-Up Card Set

Astronomical Pocket Watch

Aviator Goggles

Celtic Knot Amulet

Unicorn Enamel Pin

Alchemist's Elixir Crafting Set

A—. A time traveler’s journal!? I shout though Te is right next to me, “Teuila, quick, quick buy from my shop, a time traveler’s journal!”

Teuila starts to chide me for shouting, but her eyes fly wide in realization. There’s also a time traveler’s top-hat, and time traveler’s pocket watch, but I’m not exactly a top-hat kind of person, and I don’t see a pocket watch being as helpful as information. My heart skips beats as I rush back to the other side of the stall to greet Teuila, “Hello my utterly beloved, ultra wonderful customer, please, let me serve you today. How may I be of service?”

Te looses a Shellcracker Family Squee at my over-the-top’ness of my shopkeep introduction, but after a short laugh, she simply responds, “One time traveler’s journal please.”

I gulp, waiting with bated breath as the money on the counter derezzes out, while a journal rezzes in. If, if anything could contain a clue on how to save Kinzul, it would be this. Right? This has to be it. Right? Please. Please be it. I can’t grab it, so Te has to grab it for me, and she’s tantalizingly teasingly keeping it out of my reach. I’m tempted to telekinetically grab it from her, but I don’t want to spoil her fun, or hurt her feelings. I shouldn’t be in quite so much of a rush anyway. Plus, she could read it herself.

Checking out the journal, Teuila mutters, “Erm, actually, no I can’t. It’s some kinda mooney runies. Bah. When did you learn to write like this? They aren’t even Rayileklian runes.”

I gulp, apprehensive, because I didn’t, I’ve never seen them before. My translation enchantment gets to work though. Wait, are these Hiragana? Or maybe Katakana? Or traditional Chinese? What the everliving—. Okay, okay, calm down, let’s read, hm, hm—. I, I don’t think this is about me, or by me. It, it seems like a piece of fiction. I mean, not like it’s unbelievable or out there or wild or anything, it’s just written more like a story rather than an actual journal. Like, seriously, time traveler’s log, star date yada yada. Plus, it’s mostly about planets in some galactic quadrant or something or other. What the hell?

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

My heart plummets into my stomach, my excitement suddenly abated. Huff. I sigh slowly, and breathe deeply, weeping at the loss of the possibility to save Kinzul. I, I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. This does however also end up making me doubt that anything else in here that happens to sound marvelous, actually is marvelous. Like a phoenix-feather quill pen? It’s probably just colored orange or something. A magical grimoire? It’s probably just a fake or empty spellbook. Still, I guess maybe it’s worth snagging them to check them out. Some things are ridiculously high-priced, which leads me to believe that they might actually be magic items. I’m not even sure we can afford to be buying the ones with prices like that. There’s so many zeroes. We’ve got tons of cash, sure, but we’re not infinitillionaires.

My eyes gloss over as I try to read my shop’s inventory again and again. I beg Vyela to find her number, and punch it in, and Teuila to try hers, to snag the files onto the phone while I’m reading. I’m pretty sure I could just enter them myselves. Erm, myself, bluh, I’m discombobulated from the let-down. Anyway, I might be wrong about being able to enter them myself. It may be more like a sort of combined digital-biological password lock thing that unlocks a certain file when the person whose passcode is punched in, stands behind the counter.

Still, this information about unlockables leads me to believe we might be able to find people whose shops can contain entire smartphones, fully constructed and charged, or something like that. We’d just have to do whatever task happens to unlock them. What are the conditions on my unlockables? Something something, a thousand sales over fifty dollars. Bluh. It sounds like it’ll produce a new file after I perform some very videogamey achievement style things, and that file will be my unlocked additional inventory. Oy vey. Friggin’ hell. Genre senses are going wild about all this. That one might even have another set of achievements for even more unlocks. Hah. Ugh.

So much of this stuff sounds like basically cosplay or maybe just intricate costume jewelry or nonsense patterned in ways or named in ways to sound impressive. Hm, Te’s list? Similar. Hell it even has another time traveler’s journal, for a different price. Ugh. Should we even bother? Still—. If there’s any chance, that one of them might be my own, we should take it, right? It’s eight minutes, and we could just snag a bunch of the affordable stuff at once. What all does Te have?

Moonlit Enchantress Perfume

Enchanted Evergreen Wreath

Celestial Crystal Pendant

Dragon's Eye Gemstone

Starlight Elixir

Timeless Hourglass

Gilded Fantasy Mirror

Faerie Whisper Candles

Ocean's Song Seashell Necklace

Ancient Rune Stones

Mystical Moonstone Ring

Vintage Locket of Secrets

Crystal Healing Wand

Mermaid Tear Fragment

Enchanted Forest Incense

Astral Projection Guidebook

Phoenix Feather Quill

Serenity Seraph Figurine

Enchanted Unicorn Figurine

Time Traveler's Journal

Dragonfire Amber Bracelet

Celestial Zodiac Tapestry

Sorcerer's Spellbook

Crystal Ball with Stand

Starfall Amulet

Whimsical Music Box

Elemental Potion Vials

Dreamcatcher Wall Art

Enchanted Oak Wand

Mystic Moon Phases Wall Hanging

Vintage Zodiac Constellation Map

Enchanted Forest Canvas Art

Celestial Telescope

Magic Broomstick

Wishing Well Coin Collection

Alchemist's Mortar and Pestle

Mystical Tarot Deck

Rustic Dreamcatcher

Crystal Energy Charging Plate

Enchanted Crystal Skull

Moonlit Garden Lanterns

Mermaid's Lagoon Perfume

Dragonfly Wing Fragment

Celestial Star Fragment

Ancient Egyptian Scarab Bracelet

Timekeeper's Pocket Watch

Enchanted Sapphire Ring

Starry Night Sky Projection

Ocean Waves Sound Machine

Serpent Serenade Bracelet

Moonstone Amulet

Enchanted Serpent Ring

Vintage Treasure Map

Crystal Dragon Figurine

Celestial Moon Mirror

Mystic Amethyst Cluster

Enchanted Crystal Key

Faerie Wings Hairpin

Dragon Claw Necklace

Timeless Pocket Watch Necklace

Mermaid Song Music Box

Celestial Moon Phase Wall Art

Astral Traveler's Guidebook

Enchanted Moonflower Crown

Mystical Moon Phase Mirror

Dreamweaver Quilted Blanket

Crystal Lotus Incense Holder

Phoenix Rising Tapestry

Ocean Tides Seashell Set

Serenity Bath Salts

Moonstone Crystal Ball Stand

Enchanted Rose Amulet

Dragon Claw Letter Opener

Celestial Stargazer Globe

Starry Night Constellation Globe

Crystal Faerie Figurine

Timekeeper's Desk Clock

Serpent Serenade Gambeson

Ocean Breeze Scented Oil

Moonlit Forest Wall Hanging

Mystic Moonlight Candle Holders

Enchanted Star Bracelet

Celestial Moon Phase Journal

Dragonfire Elixir Flask

Ancient Egyptian Ankh Necklace

Timeless Steampunk Pocket Watch

Enchanted Oak Tree Figurine

Faerie Dust Sparkler Wand

Starfall Crystal Chandelier

Ocean Mist Reed Diffuser

Moonlit Serenity Oil Burner

Celestial Zodiac Bracelet

Dragonfly Dance Wall Art

Enchanted Crystal Skull Necklace

Timeless Hourglass Pendant

Serpent Serenade Ring

Ocean Treasure Chest Box

Celestial Crescent Moon Fragment

Dragon's Breath Potion

Crystal Vortex Amulet

Huh. Te’s does have a Dragon’s Breath Potion though, and I know those exist, and that she has used one in the past. During—. During our last fight against Olashax in The Gap. I bite my lips, and scrunch my eyes to fight back my tears. Gulp. I fight my sadness and gulp back my emotions so as not to burden Teuila with the memories of that period of our Rayileklian journey.

Some of these items almost sound like, well, like set items from a massively multiplayer roleplaying game. Like, they might seem like cheap costumes or accessories upon purchase, but what if we find all the items in a set, and wearing them actually does confer magic? Ugh, some of them are so friggin’ expensive, I’m not sure it’s worth it to try until we start getting our own wealth generation going on. I’d prefer to get some extra shop stalls, and maybe see if we can automate them without needing someone standing behind them. Then possibly start a bit of an assembly line that takes some resources, turns them into goods, and automatically sells them. Snag that wealth to get more resources, or just wait for them to respawn, or whatever.

I don’t want to accidentally blow all our wealth before we find out something like the magical tools that could help us make more shop stalls end up costing like umpteen quintillion gold pieces or something. Deep breaths Reggie, keep at it. It’s still progress. I don’t know when we’ll ever have time to do a thousand transactions of over fifty dollars in value, unless we get like five hundred people here at once, to each do two transactions. Y’know. Because doing them one at a time would be eight thousand minutes or so, and that’s, that’s just far too long to invest during the war. I know Reggie, I know. It’s okay, we’ll get through this, we’ll secure things.

I guess this is one of the reasons Lu said I might not get what I want or need though. The Time Traveler’s Journal was a bust. Definitely not what I need to be able to save Kinzul. Alright, alright, let’s see what Vyela’s inventory is while we’re here, then try to pick out what’s worth purchasing. My eyes are hurting as I try to take in all of these items and lists. So far all of them have said standard plus the following, with like a hundred item list or so, plus a mystery file of unlockables after a list of achievements. Here’s Vyela’s.

Royal Scepter of Eternity

Moonlit Palace Tapestry

Enchanted Crystal Tiara

Dragon's Tear Gemstone

Celestial Starfire Necklace

Timeless Royal Hourglass

Gilded Royal Mirror

Serenity of the Crown Candles

Ocean's Embrace Opalescent Shell Necklace

Royal Elixir of Youth

Mystical Moonlit Chalice

Vintage Royal Locket

Crystal Heart of the Queen

Mermaid's Lagoon Perfume

Enchanted Palace Incense

Astral Crown Jewel

Phoenix Feather Quill Pen

Serpent's Serenade Bracelet

Ocean Breeze Scented Oil

Royal Timekeeper's Pocket Watch

Dragonfire Amber Fragment

Celestial Crested Tapestry

Regal Queen's Robes

Crystal Ball of Prophecy

Starfall Crown Amulet

Whispers of the Throne Music Box

Elemental Harmony Fragment

Royal Dragon Figurine

Enchanted Orchid Crown

Mystical Queen's Journal

Vintage Regal Map

Enchanted Royal Forest Art

Celestial Observatory Telescope

Majestic Regal Scepter

Ancient Royal Crown Jewels

Timeless Queen's Pocket Watch

Mystic Sapphire Amulet

Whimsical Royal Mask

Crystal Chalice of Wisdom

Enchanted Crystal Crest

Moonlit Queen's Lanterns

Regal Lavender Perfume

Dragon Crested Tapestry

Celestial Star Bracelet

Royal Phoenix Figurine

Timeless Crowned Hourglass

Enchanted Sapphire Ring

Serpent Serenade Fragment

Regal Crested Key

Ocean Starlight Fragment

Moonstone Queen's Mirror

Enchanted Rose Scepter

Vintage Royal Scroll

Crystal Dragonfly Brooch

Celestial Moonlit Crown

Whispers of the Throne Candle Holders

Regal Serpent Crown

Royal Moon Phase Necklace

Enchanted Royal Rose

Mystical Crowned Crystal Ball Stand

Serenity of the Crown Bath Salts

Moonlit Queen's Perfume

Dragonfire Crested Bracelet

Celestial Star Pendant

Timeless Queen's Desk Clock

Enchanted Orchid Fragment

Royal Timekeeper's Pendant

Serpent's Serenade Necklace

Ocean's Embrace Seashell Necklace

Moonstone Crowned Amulet

Regal Phoenix Bracelet

Crystal Crested Bookends

Celestial Moon Phase Journal

Enchanted Rose Necklace

Timeless Crowned Pocket Watch

Royal Moonlit Wall Art

Mystic Queen's Tarot Deck

Whimsical Royal Tea Set

Ocean's Embrace Opalescent Shell Fragment

Serpent Serenade Ring

Moonlit Queen's Oil Burner

Regal Crystal Hairpin

Dragon's Tear Fragment

Celestial Crown Jewel Box

Enchanted Rose Amulet

Timeless Queen's Ring

Royal Moonlit Chalice

Serenity of the Crown Keychain

Ocean Starlight Wall Hanging

Mystic Queen's Crystal Ball

Serpent's Serenade Bracelet

Moonlit Palace Wall Mirror

Enchanted Sapphire Necklace

Regal Crown Crested Comb

Celestial Moon Phase Wall Art

Timeless Queen's Necklace

Royal Dragon Crest

Ocean's Embrace Perfume

Whispers of the Throne Incense

Enchanted Royal Gemstone

Hm, let’s do an experiment, and try to print out someone that we know. Let’s just try Burshis, early enough in the alphabet. It seems to be working. So apparently anyone with a smartphone who has access to the codes can at least get the list. I wonder if the individual even needs to stand behind the counter to purchase from them. Maybe they won’t get achievement progress towards their unlocks, if people purchase while they aren’t attending the shop? Or what if when we purchase select limited items from their shop without them here, that if they would have had enchantments, they don’t have the enchantment? That would be awful. Gnawing at my lip once more, I lean over the counter from the customer side, and punch in my own code. Or worse, what if like, I punch in my own code, and because I’m the seller, and the buyer, the items will rez in, and permanently sit here forever, uninteractable by anyone?

Gulping, a bit apprehensive to even learn what happens, I call out to no one, “Hello, um, shop system? Me? I would like to purchase an alchemist’s elixir crafting kit, as well as the crystal healing wand, from Reggie Shellcracker, code 000000000’s shop please.”

Hm, there’s a pleasant tingle in my—. I’m leveling up my shopkeep skill or something. Somehow. I start to hyperventilate as my eyes fly wide. Can’Z’aas, it’s, it’s here somehow, parts of it! The crafting kit rezzes in along with the wand as another wad of hundred dollar bills derezzes. I, I don’t know what this means. We don’t even need the people to be at the shop? Well, I was technically here when I bought from myself. Whew, I can at least grab the items.

The crystal healing wand has an aura, and it—. Haha. Of course. It heals crystals. It’s even less effective than my mending spell. It only works on absolutely tiny abrasions in crystals, or a few small cracks can be repaired by it. But it is mana-free, and limitless. I guess it could help if someone screws up when gem-cutting if they’re doing enchanted jewelrycrafting.

I should try someone who isn’t here. Let’s look at Burshis’s printout. Heck, let’s print out her partner Nietru DeValor’s as well. What’s in Nietru—! Holy crap! Holy crap holy crap holy crap holy crap!!