The anchor Graemire planted in Sterblich, the nexus of the Mortal Realms, proudly jutted one meter into the air, an unadorned rectangular stele made of a metal that was a dusky gold under a rainbow of reflected light. Woody vines wrapped around it, partly obscuring the glint of the metal. A space of a few meters in radius gave them room to appear next to the stele, but they were surrounded by a tall thicket of thorn bushes.
Graemire wasn't feeling social, so he had taken on his viney shape and arranged himself into a cloak. This had the added benefit of letting him wrap his vines around Kestra, vine to skin. Kestra wasn't yet able to keep up the deliberate tidal surge of mana between them without the breathing mnemonic, but their mana harmonized well enough on its own that the close contact felt pleasant for both of them.
She wore the communications device that Ralouf had upgraded for her from their pre-Sortalheim invasion trip. Being mana, Graemire had already stuffed his into a non-space in his body, the same as his storage devices and a few other magical bits and baubles he had soul-bound over his lifetime.
Kestra chose to ignore just how long that lifetime had likely been so far. Graemire had shared some of the highlights: he, along with Eilith, Ambrose, Yorgin, and a few others, had Awakened while bound to an unclaimed dungeon core, the Dungeon Master recently deceased. He had only hazy recollections of what his life before Awakening had been like, but they had been stuck in that dungeon, guarding the core, for "a time too long to count". The dungeon fed them all during that time, and their elemental cores grew, slowly but more solidly for all that.
Dungeon Hunters arrived at the end, and the Awakened made a bargain with them: free the Awakened from the dungeon and they would step aside for the Hunters to claim the ancient core. The Dungeon Hunters made their oaths before the Heavens, and the Awakened discovered that their dungeon had been on one of the realms tied into the Kuruk nexus. Kuruk had nicknames like the Nexus of War, the Battlefields, and the Proving Grounds. They had been stuck there so long that most of the dungeon's Awakened were able to immediately Ascend to the Low Immortal Realms. The warning of having to pass a Tribulation hadn't dissuaded some of them, Yorgin included, but Graemire, Eilith, and Ambrose had wandered a bit.
As Creatures of the Transcendental Realms, they were only subject to Tribulations when they crossed into the Immortal and then the Divine Realms. All three had now long since undergone those Tribulations, however Graemire had spent enough of his cultivation to reduce his Elemental Core from the equivalent of an Ascended in the high ninetieth levels down to the mid sixtieth levels. Even though he was no longer subject to Tribulations, the pathways between the realms that were open to sufficiently powerful Creatures (Awakened or not) were no longer open to him above the Low Immortal Realms. He could use a jie gate, but those were only available in cities, which were hives for the Ascended races.
Awakened were still Creatures, which meant that taming skills could be used upon them. Graemire had reached his Elemental Emperor Enlightenment, which wasn't tied to power, but did multiply what power he had, much like the opening of mana foramina did for Ascended races. He was potentially very interesting to the right Creature collectors, and he had no intention of being forcibly bound to anyone at all ever again.
Which was another reason he chose to pretend he was merely an interesting article of clothing instead of a sapient being.
Using a tiny tendril to point the way, he spoke through their communications devices. "That way lies Hadenshire city. It was reported to me as being a quiet place with few Sects to throw their pomposity about. It does have a Jade Pearl Auction House and a Guild Office. The office here--"
Kestra stroked a hand over the finely interwoven vines draped down her arm as she picked up the reminder. "Focuses on glassworks because of the rich sand dunes near by. How did we end up in a thorn bush if this is a sand zone?"
"Trapper Thorns are common growths in this region. Unless Ascended want the land for something, they're also commonly avoided as being too much of a nuisance and not enough of a threat to deal with casually."
They weren't a nuisance for an Elemental of Wood, however, and with some care, the pair set off to see the city ... with a small stop at the sand dunes. One or two metric tons may or may not have been appropriated for Kestra's growing fascination with glassworks, but neither she nor Graemire were likely to say one way or the other about it.
The walk up to the city's gates was a nice, leisurely stroll, and they took care to come from a direction that was neither the sand dunes nor the anchor to Kestra's personal retreat realm.
"Ten silver for entry, no brawling, register duels at the coliseum," the guard announced with the brevity of one who had to say the same thing so many times that it had become rote.
While Kestra handed over her entry fee, she asked, "Good inns for crafters?"
"The Cracked Glass is middling priced, good food. Upscale is Tang's Hospitality, lower prices are scattered around Grimple Square. Ten silver for a city map scroll."
Kestra added another ten silver and took the scroll, handing it off to Inspri as if putting it in storage.
"Much obliged. Should I mention your name at the Cracked Glass?"
"Talog, if you would," the guard replied, his face scrunching a little as if he had heard something that was enough off script to poke at the mental somnolence of his routine.
Kestra departed. The city map provided the location of the Jade Pearl Auction House, and she wanted to head there before deciding if they were staying the night in Hadenshire.
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The closer Kestra got to the Jade Pearl, the fancier everyone's clothes became. Near the gate through which she had entered, most of the people wore rough spun linens and heavier flaxen twills with equally rough woolen jackets. The temperature didn't feel that cool to Kestra, but it was a desert area in the autumn and still daylight.
On the way to the Jade Pearl, rough spun turned to fine, and then became fine spun wools with silk jackets, until near the auction house, silk brocade suits were more common than woolens.
One thing Kestra noticed was a distinct lack of lace. She wasn't particularly good at making hook-lace, but it had been a nice bit of income before she was old enough to join the Free Lancers. A bit of wood with a carved notch made for the hook and a spool of evenly spun yarn half again the diameter of her hook had kept her hands busy during the winter, too.
Maybe she would find a tailor shop and buy some yarn. Ribbon, if it was thin enough, would work, too. That was something that she could try while working to develop her ability to multi-focus all over again. She was already able to read and synchronize her mana with Graemire's during their breath cultivation. Adding in lace making should be about right for pushing her limits.
Distracted by her thoughts, Kestra simply ascended the steps to the auction house, absently going around the slow moving group ahead of her. The guards in their bronze uniform armors opened the doors for her, which she acknowledged with a vague smile and nod.
Kestra turned to the counter, saw that the counter attendant was helping another customer, and queued.
A younger man, barely old enough to shave in Kestra's estimation, stomped up to her. "Rude woman!" he loudly exclaimed. "How dare you shame my great aunt! Apologize at once!"
Kestra glanced at the boy, pricked up an eyebrow, and then looked away, back to waiting for the attendant. Even if she had somehow offended someone, well, now she wasn't going to reward the child for his bad behavior.
The young man gasped in outrage, then pulled back his hand with the obvious intent to slap her. Kestra raised her arm, blocking his strike, but continued to twist her arm around his, turning him away from her and putting him off balance. Her hand landed on his shoulder, and she took hold of the hand that had swung at her as she shoved him onto his knees in a controlled manner. Even so, she felt the pop of his arm dislocating at the shoulder.
The boy screamed in pain and terror.
Kestra said, "If you cannot land the blow, you are too weak to raise your hand. Know your place, child."
The guards were instantly around them. Kestra calmly released her hold on the young man and stepped away. The boy might surprise her and attack again, but the pain sounds he was making held notes of shock that told her this was the first time he had felt genuine pain. It was a debilitating thing, the first time, especially when unexpected.
No, she was more wary of the people he had walked in with.
At the center was a woman with dark eyes and skin about the same shade of Kestra's own peanut brown. Those eyes were wide, the face they sat upon a thin one with the first lines of maturity highlighting the corners of her eyes and lips. Her expression was pulled back in shock, lips parted with a sudden inhale. Her brocade silks were finely woven with detailed motifs of bird heads emerging from lotuses.
Two more men, one appearing maybe a few years older than the woman and one around the age of the young man Kestra had put on his knees just now, were dressed as finely as the woman in their party. The older man had stepped in front of the woman, the younger man starting toward the one on his knees. They were attended by four servants, based on the plain nature of the silks they wore.
"How dare you assault my cousin!" the younger man yelled, turning from his cousin when he realized the guards weren't going to let him through.
Kestra did the thing Graemire had been teach her, the same push of presence that he had done with Master Alchemist Sung Eliza when she did not show him sufficient courtesy at their first meeting.
Essentially, she flavored the ambient mana with her intent, a reflection of her Will, and Kestra had no qualms with killing everyone in the room if they attacked her.
The guards and the counter attendant were the only ones left standing.
Calmly, deliberately, she repeated herself. "Know your place, child."
Satisfied her point had been made, Kestra stretched her neck and pulled in the mana she had just flavored, removing the oppression from the very air.
The guards facing her had a fine tremble in their hands that firmed up even as she noticed it.
Stolen story; please report.
She saw the boy on his knees fumbling with a potion in his hand. Her Identify spell labeled it an Apprentice grade Healing potion. No one was stopping the idiot, so Kestra took two strides back and took the potion from his hand. "Are you trying to cripple yourself, you lackwit?! Put your arm back in the socket before you drink the potion!"
Handing the bottle to a nearby guard, she reached down, heeding Graemire's "Careful of your strength!" just in time. In the pause to keep herself from just yanking on the arm as she would have when she was her team's [Healer] substitute, the guards reached to stop her. She pushed them back with a more careful use of Control Air, then used her Organic Assay as she aligned the boy's joints properly once more.
Remembering Yorgin saying that using Alchemy would keep the Healing skill from forming, she stopped at that. If the boy doused himself now, at least he wouldn't risk the small tendons of the socket healing without the joint properly settled.
The boy let out another brief scream, before he started choking on his sobs.
Kestra stepped back once more, waving the man she had handed the potion to back over. "He can drink it now without ill effects." She turned to meet the terrified gaze of the woman she presumed was the boy's aunt. "Are children always this troublesome?"
The woman's mouth worked a few times, before she said, "I fear the answer is as often yes as no."
"My condolences," Kestra said.
An older woman with an orange complexion and wearing the managerial uniform of the Jade Pearl came rushing down the stairs, more guards behind her. She pulled to a stop at the tableau before her.
"What happened?" she demanded.
The aunt bowed to the presumed-manager. "Dear Scarlet, I must apologize for my over proud nephew. The kind ... Healer? Was forced to instruct Ben Hadiaram in the manners one must conduct oneself with in the presence of Immortals."
The woman addressed as Scarlet breathed in quickly through her nose, and then bowed to Kestra. "Esteemed Immortal, my apologies for the disturbance. Please permit me to share tea with you and see to your needs personally."
"That was going to be needed anyhow," Kestra said, showing off a little as she pulled out her token and wafted it over with some Air and Gravity control spells.
Everyone she knew back in Tellenhook had wanted to be a [Mage], even people near to breaking through to the Expert class. Now that she was one, it was just too much fun not to play around with magic.
The casual display also made more than a few eyes bulge. Few people here seemed to realize how well the lower level spells synergized, especially the Elemental spells. Then again, Kestra hung out with Divine level Elementals, and had sprites steeped in each of the five Elements bound to her through her mana well. Maybe she should write up a small dissertation on her observations of their friendly interactions?
Scarlet took the token, pulled out a device from her storage, and slotted in the token. Her eyes bulged and she visibly swallowed. She wet her lips, and then asked, "Would you be willing to delay long enough for us to send a messenger up to the High Transcendental Office? Master Sung has requested that we do what we can to arrange a meeting with you and she as soon as possible, Honorable Divine."
Kestra smiled. "Oh, good! That was my main reason for needing to speak with you. And my Elemental friends are the Honorable Divines. I'm more accurately Honorable Transcendental. As for the waiting, why don't we have some tea and discuss that?"
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Relocated and with much more mannerly introductions concluded, Kestra and Branch Manager Defhar Scarlet had their ceremonial sips of tea.
This was a bitter tea, one more focused on the flavor than on the mild stimulant from the tea leaves themselves. Kestra actually had a few names for the flavors, now that she'd had some time to familiarize herself with the plants of the Myriad Realms.
"Winter Spirit petals, dried rind of Summer's Passing, North Valley Tea of the black preparation, a floral note I'm not familiar with but would like to be, and ... Cardimum bark?" Kestra asked after analyzing the flavors.
Manager Scarlet paused, then smiled. "You can tell so much from a single sip? The floral note is a special preparation of Ben-Lis Qadal's. I am honor-bound to speak no more, though."
"It harmonizes very well, and brightens the flavors. Am I to guess Ben Qadal is the uncle of the young man needing instructions in observation skills?"
Manager Scarlet dipped her head. "That is so."
"Please feel free to pass along my compliments to his skill as you see fit. I do hope there won't be any backlash against your branch for that altercation. I can make it quite clear that they are to direct any upset my way, if you feel it might be needful." Kestra was sincere in her offer, but not naively so. The Zonzhi Association was known to strictly enforce their neutrality. If Scarlet took her up on her offer, this branch was not the one where she wanted to do business in the future, either because Scarlet was more of the sneaky-political type or they weren't as strongly situated in the city's structure to be as neutral as Kestra preferred to deal with.
Manager Scarlet waved it away. "That won't be needful. Lis-Ben Julia has her family well in hand, and she knows where the fault lies. I expect she will attempt to determine what appeasement gift the family should prepare."
Kestra grimaced and sighed. "Should you have advice to give on that matter, I will hear you."
"The family is known for the beauty of their stained glass art," Manager Scarlet offered.
Kestra perked up. "That would be lovely! Vase or window? Pieced or whole?"
"They have been known to accept commissions for all."
That gave Kestra a reason to smile. "Then if it comes up I'll simply give them the option to present an object of their art, as they deem appropriate. Glass or gourmet. This has a very nice flavor. I almost want to try mixing it with brumi juice, maybe with some alustace syrup if the juice has more sour than sweet."
"I confess I am not familiar with either brumi or alustace. Are they preparations?"
Kestra popped out a ceramic jar of each, the syrup's container more the size of her fingers and the juice a proper carafe. "Pardon the crudity of my jars. I've only just taken up the Pottery skill. The taller holds a blend of the three flavors of the brumi fruit and the smaller syrup of alustace. The syrup is quite concentrated; I use a few drops to sweeten black preparation tea leaves in a cup about the size of these when my first care is for the stimulant."
She added a metal stir stick to the syrup jar, which Manager Scarlet used to get a drop of the syrup without contaminating the jar. Her eyes opened wide when she transferred the drop from her fingertip to her tongue. "So sweet!" she said, her eyes bright.
After a nearly visible effort of will, the manager put aside the sample of sweetness and pulled out a another of her cups from her storage. She poured herself a cup of the brumi juice, and Kestra did the same, this time taking the first sip.
Manager Scarlet carefully set the cup down after the first sip, a look of deep concentration on her face.
"That ... is more mana than I should probably finish," she said after a moment.
Kestra blinked, looked at her jars, and shrugged, sending them back. "Take your time. I certainly don't want to cause you harm."
"Do you wish to sell some of those preparations through our House? The brumi juice, as mana rich as it is, would certainly sell well to the sects and elder trade houses."
Kestra shook her head. "Not my intent at the moment. My supply is otherwise engaged. In fact, that segues into my business nicely."
She pulled out a letter and a few pieces of armor that Su'ami had finished. "First, this letter is for Master Alchemist Sung Eliza, requesting to arrange an evaluation of a new technique I'm interested in licensing to the Zonzhi Association, and a potion formulation.
"Second, I have been informed that the Jade Pearl can acquire manuals on techniques to temper the body. My main interest is achieving a Foundational Tempering.
"Third, I've been asked by a friend to get a Smithing and Formations assessment of their apprentice's work." Kestra patted the armor. "I'm also supposed to find ton-weights of the following ores on their behalf. To be clear, I am acting as a broker in this instance. I understand that most of the ores on the list are not substances that the Jade Pearl would trade in, but I would be happy to be directed to trading houses within the Association for my needs.
"Last, I think? Yes, last, I'm hoping for an introduction to one of the Healing Houses. This is another situation in which I am acting as a broker, and the Healer has to be able to assess the condition of mana foramina."
Manager Scarlet took in the items with her gaze. "I will be happy to have your letter couriered up to Master Sung with the notice she has requested. You indicated you might not be able to wait a response, though?"
"That depends where I need to go for the assessment and the ores," Kestra replied. "If I need to use a jie gate to go to another city, well, I might as well meet with Master Sung there."
"Quite reasonable. May I turn your list of ores over to my assistant to verify which of our associate trade houses would best be able to meet your needs?"
Kestra passed over a copy of the list, and within the time it took to take another appreciative sip of the tea an assistant had entered and left. Even with that being a slow sip, the speed surprised Kestra.
"While our city is not as well known for our smiths, I am sure we could arrange for one of our specialist appraisers to come here. If your order is in the range of tonnes of ores, well, it would take a bit to get the order together in the first place.
"The manuals are actually a fairly common topic in this ring of the Mortal Realms, given that the Battlefields lie just above us, and most here choose Violence for their Tribulation to cross into Chaoyuejie and the Transcendental Realms. The manuals we have are currently scheduled for tomorrow's auction, and they are considered the standard by which other tempering manuals are measured.
"As to your last request, Hadenshire is host to a well respected Healing House. They are a bit ... eccentric, not associated with any of the higher realms to our knowledge, and they are one of the only lower realm Healing Houses I have heard rumored to have aided in the successful opening of mana foramina, though that is a rumor only.
"With these considerations, would you be willing to await a response?"
Kestra smiled wryly. "Yes, you have quite convinced me."
Her letter disappeared just as quickly as the list of ores.
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Lis-Ben Julia graciously accepted the necessity of handling her business with the Assistant Branch Manager, thankful that Scarlet had taken the brunt of appeasing the Honorable Transcendental. She would still need to find an acceptable gift with which to buy her nephew's life from any future punishment the powerful being might decide to visit upon him.
Thankfully, they had very good ties with the Hadenshire Jade Pearl Auction House. Assistant Branch Manager Cai-Ben Feng passed along that the Transcendental was a Very August Being, of Great Significance to those behind the Jade Pearl.
Manager Defhar Scarlet passed along a quiet message through marriage-sister Feng that the Transcendental was inclined to accept gifts of their art. Further, they would be honored to host senior officials of the Jade Pearl from the High Transcendental Offices shortly. Manager Defhar would be happy to visit with her dear friend, but later. Perhaps in a few days. And the Transcendental complimented Qadal's tea blend, even after hearing he was the author of the recipe.
They decided not to linger in wait.
Hadiaram and Stefram had the confused look of young idiots about them still, and she couldn't help but recall how the Transcendental had named them each: child.
When they were private, Julia didn't have time to speak. Qadal had already grabbed the pair of them by the backs of their necks. "I should pound your heads together! Maybe that will loosen your feathercocking pride enough for sense and reason to penetrate!"
Turning first to Hadiaram, he put his face a finger's width away from his nephew, his voice not quite a yell, but quite forceful. "What did you think you were doing, accosting someone in Sister Feng's House!? Did you think how you might have cost her her position!? And then to raise your hand to a patron of the Jade Pearl! What insanity possessed you!?"
Hadiaram sputtered and stuttered, somehow more shocked by Qadal's reaction than ending up on his knees before the Transcendental.
Qadal then turned to their own son. "And you! What part of what you witnessed made you think opening your mouth was anything but a disaster!?"
"She attack--!"
Qadal shoved the boys away, his fury making the veins in his face stand out. "IDIOT! Even now?! NOW?! Knowing how close you both came to being ripped apart in front of your mother and me!? You dare to think you have any answer but that you screwed up!?"
The boys looked to Julia. She turned a stone-like expression on them. "Neither of you have the wit or the wisdom to take up my House as you are," she declared, her own emotions freezing. "I have indulged you both too much. Hadi, your parents would weep at how I have spoiled their boy, and to hear my own child deny his wrongful acts? I have failed you.
"When we arrive home, you will pack a single change of clothes and leave behind every storage device, every communications device, and every bit and shiny bauble with which you have impressed those foolish toads you think are your friends. I will inspect what you pack, and then Qadal will take you to your Grand Uncle Lis Naheg. If you are going to pick fights, then as the Merciful Transcendental warned you, you will have the strength to land your blows.
"I will be picking out pieces from my gallery with which to buy your lives, and to appease Manager Defhar for the insult of your actions to a patron of her House. We shall be most grateful if the Jade Pearl will still sell our wares after this."
Shock dropped their mouths open like carp. Stefram protested, "But you love those pieces!"
"I love you more!" she snapped back.
Finally, their expressions fell into sickened remorse.