Koren, Vyrania, and I stood in front of the door to the downstairs bathroom in my shop. It was shut. Which was odd. I certainly hadn’t shut it, and it wasn’t the kind to shut on its own.

“Get ready to run,” I said, then quickly opened the door and leapt back, worried about getting sucked in like with the keymaster’s portal tunnel.

The portal was still there, but inactive.

Whitehall Tower Entrance Portal

Status: Deactivated

The bathroom was still accessible, as the portal was actually about a foot inside, but it meant having to squeeze around it. And if it were active, that could be a dangerous proposition. I wondered if I could move it somehow, but got no response from the system.

“What’s that smell?” Vyrania asked.

I grunted. “Bob didn’t flush again.” I carefully edged around the portal, holding my breath, and flushed the toilet, then came back out, gasping.

“What an odd spot for a portal,” Koren observed.

“Yeah,” I agreed, shutting the door and putting the out of order sign on it. “There’s a bathroom upstairs, we’ll just use that one. Do you even need a bathroom?”

“No.”

“What happens to the beer you just drank?”

“I absorb it, unfortunately,” he said as we headed back to the front of the store.

“Feeling buzzed already?”

“Mildly. Yours is different from what we have. It doesn’t appear I have much of a tolerance to it.”

I grabbed my beer and took a sip. “How does that even work if you don’t have any organs?”

“I still have a brain.”

“For the moment,” Vyrania added.

“Huh.”

“So you sell food, drink, and those things?” Vyrania asked, pointing at the bikes that were stored inside.

“And books,” I said, pointing out the bookcases at the front of the store currently blocking the door and window.

“Can I look through them?”

“Go for it.”

While she explored the books, I went behind the counter. “Help me find my phone,” I said to Koren.

“I don’t see it.”

“You don’t even know what it looks like.”

I crawled around on the floor. I didn’t have it with me when I’d gone in the tower, so I must have dropped it. I tried to remember the last time I’d had it. I remembered playing a game on it before falling asleep.

“Come on,” I said. “You have better eyes. It’s a black rectangle.”

He pointed toward the bookshelves Vyrania was perusing. “I see several items matching that description.”

I sighed. “It wouldn’t be there.” I got up and rummaged through the stuff behind the counter, but didn’t see it.

“How much for this?” Vyrania called.

I looked up to find her holding a book.

I shrugged. “You can just read it here if you want. Or you can have it. I don’t think I’ll be getting many customers.”

“Nonsense.” She came to the counter and set the book on it. “This is where transactions are conducted?”

“Yeah. But really, you can just have it.”

“Noah, you run a store. You have the Merchant profession. Allow me the honor of being your first customer.”

I chuckled. “If you insist.” I picked the book up to ring up. I encountered two problems. One, I didn’t usually sell books, just had them on hand for people to read. I’d keep a few bestsellers up front to sell, but the backlist acted more like a library for customers to peruse, so I wasn’t sure what to charge. And two, I doubted she had any cash.

“What is it?” Vyrania asked as I stared at the book.

“I’m not sure what to charge you.”

“You don’t have to give me a discount.”

“Not that. Well, yes, I don’t know what to charge for the book. But I more mean, what currency.”

“Do you not take fragments?”

“I guess I do now. But I don’t know what they’re worth. Like, how much is…” I trailed off. “I was going to ask how much a meal would cost, but you don’t even need food.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Some do,” Koren put in, taking the book from me and flipping through it. “Is this a rare book?”

“Not particularly.”

“Does it give you any abilities?”

“Like a skillbook? Uh no, we don’t have that.” I considered this. “Well, you can learn skills from reading. But nothing like what a card does.”

“I’d say it’s worth a fragment or two then, as long as they’re not too valuable of fragments.”

I frowned. “Are fragments not fungible?”

Koren tilted his head. “Of equal worth? Is that what you’re asking?”

I nodded. “Yeah, our currency, for example”—I opened up the cash register and pulled out several five dollar bills in various conditions—“are worth the same. See, these are fives, and no matter what condition they’re in, or how old, the value of it is always what’s printed on it. Collectors might pay more for old or rare bills, but the currency value of it is the same.”

“Fragments are similar,” Vyrania said. “Some can be worth more than others, based on their potential. All the ones I collected in the tower are about the same.”

“Oh, is that what low potential means? I got some from broadcast revenue.”

She nodded. “Yes, we did as well. And yes, the potential is exactly what it sounds like.”

“Okay, so I guess, one fragment? Does that seem fair?”

“Not fair at all.” She pulled out three fragments from her storage. “It’s too little.” She held them out to me.

“You really don’t—”

“Go on. I have plenty thanks to all the people watching you.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

She wiggled the fragments.

I sighed, taking them.

She smiled. “Your store is officially open for business.”

And she was right, it was.

You have activated profession ability, [Currency Vault].

Congratulations, you have initiated your first transaction as a Merchant, and the first transaction of [Whitehall’s BBC].

You have reached the Profession rank of Merchant Knight.

You have gained access to [Corporate Network].

[Whitehall’s BBC] has reached level 4.

“Wow, I just got a bunch of new things.” I made it so Koren and Vyrania could see the messages.

Vyrania smiled, holding the book she’d just purchased. “Happy to help.”

“I imagine you’ll be getting a lot more customers soon now that it’s out that the tower is Titan class,” Koren said. “Now you just need to work on upgrading your pastries.” He motioned disdainfully at the ones under the display case.

“You offering? I could use a baker. Those are all premade. They’re okay, but nothing special. Also, probably stale by now.”

“I might be convinced.”

I raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Really?”

“The only other thing I have to do is train you. I’m not getting far from the tower.”

“It’s Titan, though.”

“I’ll just have to reach Steel before it reopens.”

“How long do you think it will take to reopen? Torath thought they’d stretch it out as long as they could.”

Vyrania nodded. “Right, the grace period.” She shrugged. “I’m not sure. They can only keep it closed for a limited amount of time. Then they have to replace the keymaster. Not sure if that’s longer or shorter than the grace period. I’d go by whatever Torath told you. Tower staff would know better than I would about their rules and treaties.”

“Oh, that reminds me, I got a message about hiring an attorney.” I brought it up and showed it to them.

If you have a complaint about how The Corporation is running your integration, you are entitled to an attorney and review by the Oversight Committee. Would you like to initiate this process?

“You could try,” Vyrania said. “Whether you’ll be successful is another matter. I’m actually surprised The Corporation hasn’t sent a representative already to try to buy the tower from you now that it being Titan is public.”

I sighed. “Well, I’ll think about it. I need some rest first. Want to go into it with a clear head.” I looked at Koren. “And if you are serious about baking, I’d be happy to hire you. Even for more than baking. If I am going to have a lot of customers soon, I’m going to need the help.”

“Indeed you will.”

“What is the corporate network?” Vyrania asked, looking at the messages I’d received.

“It’s…” Koren began, then trailed off. “I’m not actually sure.”

“Wow,” Vyrania said. “The great educator Koren Al-Sagoyn doesn’t know something. Let me just savor this moment.”

He waved his hand at me. “I’m sure he can get the answer from the system.”

He was right, I could.

The Corporate Network is a system interface that provides access to Corporate services, allows for trade between Merchants and the cataloging of items, and enables the use of special Store item types.

“That’s useful,” Vyrania said, reading the message. “Don’t have to trek around carrying merchandise. I wonder if the trading part works only for this civ.”

I activated the trade network portion of the ability and was shown a list of one item.

“Says its range expands as the store levels up. Right now it’s only listing one other store.” I sighed. “Of course it’s him.” I did have to laugh at the name, though. The sign outside read the grand hotel, but according to the system that was no longer its name.

Finnegan’s Place

Level 8 Lodge

“You know the owner?”

“Unfortunately. I wonder why me and him are the only ones who kept our businesses. I guess it could be that he owned the building itself and was present when it happened. I owned this building technically, though really it belongs to my Hyde.”

“Your monstrous alter ego?” Vyrania asked.

“Exactly. Most of the other shops around here didn’t have their owners working in them. Though some did. Hope they’re okay.” I yawned and rubbed my eyes. “Man, I’m getting tired suddenly. Don’t think I should have had that beer. You guys need sleep at Iron? Did I already ask you that?”

“We need sleep,” she said. “Not as much as you do. Rest. You should do it while you can. You can’t stay in here forever.”

“Oh I disagree. I am not leaving this store if I don’t have to.”

“Unfortunately, you will have to.”

“What do you mean? I have plenty of supplies, and with access to the network I should be able to stay here indefinitely.”

“Not that. Your store is a safe zone. As a prospector, you can’t stay inside a safe zone for longer than a certain amount of time. It might be more than usual since we just came from a tower.” She paused, looking at something I couldn’t see. “I have thirty days, I’m guessing yours will be similar.”

As I wondered how to check, a message appeared, the voice accompanying it speaking swiftly like it was reading through terms and conditions at the end of a commercial.

You have 29 days and 23 hours before you must exit any and all safe zones; until this time you are permitted to find sanctuary within the confines of designated safe zones across the civ.

Upon the cessation of this pre-defined interval, you will be compelled to traverse the boundary that segregates safety from uncertainty. This mandate requires your continuous absence from any recognized safe zones for a minimum of seven contiguous days, after which time you may return to a safe zone, thereby marking the end of your mandated Adventure in the perilous unknown.