The laughter was still spreading among the Crimson Caravan. They weren’t doing it out of malice or fear of being punished by their master. They were having a good time laughing at their own defeat.
"Using the fruit barrels was great." "They're smarter than they look."
The members were praising them now that the carnival was over. They had no bad feelings after losing. This was the way of the Crimson Caravan.
"We lost this carnival as promised; we’ll give you information and the materials for a gate to travel between worlds."
"Are you really going to keep your promise?" Jacob asked.
"Of course. There is no point to doing all of this if we were planning to fight you anyway. We’re a business, and from this moment you’re our clients."
"Eh, that sounds wrong. I don’t want to be friends with people like you." Nadine was not going to entertain the idea of getting close with them.
"Hahahaha, that's fine; we're not friends, just merchants and customers. We won’t force you to do business anymore. You have proven you’re worth making deals with. But at least let me shake your hand for that game."
Jacob hesitated for a moment, but he was about to do it when Silas grabbed Grimdow’s hand instead.
"My guildmates here don’t like to lie or put up face. If you truly want to have a future with us, I’ll take your hand. I'll accept any deals that help me or them, no matter the devil; if we can talk, I’ll listen."
The two smiled at each other. There was no more hostility or rage.
"Very well. I take it you want to claim your prize now? Come with me on our bandwagon. David, Se’ky, pack things up; we’re leaving soon."
"Yes Master!" They ordered the subordinates to dismantle the stands and save the food. The beasts were caged, and the slaves prepared the wheels. The carnival was over.
***
"Over here, Sertis is the one in charge of the rare materials." Grimdow was in front, making his way to the storage room. Right behind was the snake, followed by Silas, Emily, and Nadine.
They passed between boxes full of weapons and armor. They were made with a variety of materials and strange designs. Some of the items were also enchanted with spells, and others had functions that looked like they came from the future. The Crimson Caravan dealt with everything.
After entering a room to the right, Grimdow showed them the material. "As part of our bet, I‘ll tell you a bit about travel between the worlds of the system. First, the ones to invent travel were the Valein; their little empire discovered how to make gates powered by natural resources."
"Of course, they have kept it a secret for thousands of years. I don’t know if someone else knows the way the technology works, but the chances of finding that guy are close to zero. As a result, the world's native races had to go through a difficult process of failure before discovering another way," he said as he tapped into the dark mineral.
"This stone can work just like the gates of the Valein empire. It’s called World Stone. At some point, someone made gates with this stone. It's a very rare material that many people will kill to get their hands on."
"How does it work?"
"You build a gate or a bridge, or like us, just put it in your transport, and you can go to another world."
"Mmh, traveling without control is pretty risky. Is there a way to set another way point?" Nadine asked; she was the one who was going to use the stone to build their way of traveling.
"Yes, you can cut the stone in two, making sure the core in the center is split evenly. If you do that, you can make two gates that are connected, but you need to build them in different worlds first. Otherwise, you end up with two gates in the same world."
It wasn’t a problem since they had Silvano’s power to reach new places.
"Just asking, but how much would it cost us if we bought from your group?" Emily asked, but Sertis interjected.
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"It is hard to say; the cost of this stone is very high. We don't use currency like the Valein; our trades are mostly based on materials and resources; in your case, little plant, I'd say about 2.000 slaves for a stone this size."
"2.000! How the hell do you find someone willing to pay something like that?"
"Oh, you'll be surprised. There are many groups, such as the Great Bastion of the Tolgar, that buy us a lot of slaves. I was thinking about it for a while, but would you like to see my relics? I have something you may find interesting; maybe we can make a trade for the orb you’re carrying." His yellow eyes were gleaming with greed.
"I refuse." She immediately denied the proposition; she wasn’t going to trade the orb for anything. It was part of her connection to Meliae and Azasie. She still had a lot to learn about the Bors.
"Give it a rest, old snake; we can’t make more businesses after we lost."
"True, we need to inform the Baron and pay for our defeat."
"You’re acting like he’s going to punish you for losing the bet." Silas went straight to the point. He had been wondering for a long time. "Who is exactly the Crimson Baron?"
Grimdow looked at him with serenity and faith. "The Crimson Baron is our leader, the one who knows all and guides us through the night. He founded the first caravan hundreds of years ago and has made a name for himself across the worlds."
That’s still vague; I want to know how he looks or about his powers. He tried to think of another question to make them reveal something new, but Grimdow interrupted his thoughts.
"Silas, I know that you want to know more, but we won’t say more. The Baron has our complete loyalty. I can only tell you about our way to act. The Baron taught us that everything in this life is a game. From the moment we’re born until death comes, we travel through life playing games one after another."
"Do not despair in the face of death, because it is just another game. Look at it in the eyes and laugh. Live every day with a pure soul and bloody hands; only that way you’ll reach happiness."
The two masters had a happy expression. Silas could tell this was real; the peace they felt after repeating those words was almost like a prayer.
"If you want to know more, you can join us. As long as the Baron gives his approval, you can join any caravan. He took a liking to humans after meeting David; I’m sure all of you could find a place here."
"No thanks."
"I’ll pass." Neither of the girls wanted to even think about joining them, but Silas was a little bit curious.
No, this isn't the time. Focus on the information.
"We still need the other part of the bet: information about the other worlds."
"Right, what do you want to know? I'll speak about three different worlds.
"I'm interested in learning about the two largest organizations and the world with the best chance of finding more World Stone."
"You just barely learned about the stone, and you’re already looking for more. Haha, I like that attitude, but I don’t recommend it. You'll die trying to get it."
"Why is that?"
"I’ll start with the other two. The two biggest groups by number and combat power are indisputably the Valein Empire and the Great Bastion. These are the main settlements of the frist two races the System brought. They have armies and cities in various worlds, but their main capitals are in two places."
"The valein live in a floating city called Eternus; it’s located in the sky world. They are strict and label everyone who refuses to join them as a threat. Now the sky world is full of clouds and wind currents; you saw one of those currents during our game. If you can’t fly against that kind of wind, don’t even try going."
"What about the Great Bastion?"
"The tolgar are a very aggressive race. They look down on everyone, and the only thing they respect is power. Our Master of slaves decided to join us after we destroyed his village about 100 years ago."
"You mean you killed the Se’ky people and he joined you?"
"It was that or die with the others. After meeting the Baron, he saw the world just as the rest of us did and decided to join us permanently. It’s not weird; most of us are from different worlds, races, and backgrounds, but we decide to follow the Baron’s dream."
"Huh…"
"Mm, going back to the tolgar, they are ruthless and enslave anyone weaker than them. The Bastion is powerful and full of armies. It is located in the middle of the volcanic world. It’s a world full of volcanoes and fire. It is very hard to find food, and the tolgar are always looking for slaves to use as workers, experiments, or food. If you're going there, you need to be prepared to fight."
"What about the world with the most stone?"
"Yes, that is the underworld world. It’s a world full of tunnels buried inside the earth. But the darkness seems to be a factor in generating the World Stone. As a merchant, I can assure you most of the stone I have touched came from there."
"Ok, but why is it dangerous?"
"The Rak is more dangerous than any beast and more enigmatic than any darkness."
"The third race brought by the System."
"They are smart and cunning like no one else. Those shadow things can play tricks on your mind or make you go insane with their weird powers. The worst part is that they grow stronger with age. The men we sent to collect stones always said creepy things and felt eyes on their backs. One day the whole caravan disappeared, and everyone in that group vanished along with it. That’s why I tell you to be careful. A single rak can kill all of you."
He had to think and discuss with the others before choosing a plan.
"Thanks for the information. I think we are done here."
"My pleasure. I wanted to make sure you were satisfied with the results. We may never speak again if the Baron orders my head as punishment."
He was going to say he looked very happy for a man going to meet his judgment, but he remembered his words and kept silence.
It was night, the desert was dark again, and the Crimson Caravan left the Rock. They were going back empty handed to meet their punishment.
He watched their bandwagon one last time.
I wonder, if I were alone in this world, would I have joined them if I met them first?