"HEEEEYYY!!!

Lucian rolled his eyes as he waited for the man to reach him.

Soon, he reached them as the dust behind him wafted all over him and Lucian, forcing a cough out of them.

Irritated, Lucian gave him an evil stare that the man simply ignored like nothing. He smiled with full teeth. "Hey, there, brother! I see ya back! Would you care to see some of my newer products?! They're completely brand new with even better-"

"No," Lucian he said simply.

"Ah! Not a fan of the watches, I see! No problem! I have just the right thing for ya. It's an awesome sp-"

"No"

"I understand...fortunately for ya-"

Lucian sighed as the man rambled on and on. At this rate, he would be talked to death before long.

Sighing once again, he raised a hand in an attempt to silence his rambling. Fortunately, it was successful as the man stopped talking and gave him a charismatic smile.

Seeing this, Lucian felt a bit better. "I just need a couple things," he said.

"Well, I have everything ya need at a small affordable price! Ya name it, I got it! All ya need to do is ask. I actually got this great armor that increases all ya stats by 200%! Isn't that amazing?! I also got this weapon that has a power level over 900-"

"Yea, no, I'm okay, thanks. I simply need an array and inscription." Lucian said calmly.

Soon enough, his friendly smile twisted into what Lucian could only describe as 'predatory.' Lucian almost flinched.

He exclaimed, "Sounds good! I got all types of arrays and inscriptions far stronger than any ya find anywhere around. I got arrays of power, Arrays of the wind domain-"

Lucian swallowed his curses and interjected. "Just the most basic one you can find!" he asked as quickly as possible. He would rather just get this over with as soon as possible.

"In that case, I have the Array of Domain and a basic strengthening inscription for ya! Here, have it a go!" He said as he handed him two different Items. Lucian read its descriptions.

Array of Domain (Rank G) - Create a 10-meter domain for 10 minutes. It can be Stacked.

Inscription (Rank G)(Strengthening) - Fortify an Item with a strengthening effect. A significant chance of inscribing 5% Physical Attack power to an item.

Compared to the other items he saw in different shops, these were pretty basic! The designs that made up its structure were simple and easy to follow. Lucian knew that with some more time, he would be able to analyze it further to glean more from it.

Lucian smiled slightly. This was a great start.

Looking towards the man's eager eyes, he commented. "These ones aren't damaged like the last one."

The man scoffed as he put a hand on his heart in outrage. "Ya hurt my integrity, young man! How could ya accuse me of such a thing! Without no proof, I might add."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Lucian chuckled. "Oh, I have proof. However, I'm not here to trouble you. Did you create these items yourself?"

He shook his head as he gave him a weird look. "Of course not! Do I look like someone with a profession to ya?" He said as he gave him a quick fashion-like showcase. With his uneven gray beard, tattered clothes, and chubby body, he certainly didn't even do the title of civilian justice. At least he was pretty self-aware.

"Then who does?" Lucian asked.

"Hmm...I would tell ya. I'm just having quite a hard time thinking right now...something to jog the memory would definitely do me some good..." he said as he put a hand on his beard with a confused look. His eye periodically drifted to the coin purse on his waist every once in a while.

Rolling his eyes, Lucian gave him 30 Astral Currencies for him and his items.

"hmm...I remember now! I usually obtain them by recycling some shop's unneeded items." He explained vaguely.

"So, you sift through their trash," Lucian confirmed as his eyes narrowed.

"What? No! How dare you say such a thing about my products! I'll have ya know that these are the best qual-"

"Nevermind" Lucian shook his head with a sigh. "Any ideas on how they create these effects?"

"That, unfortunately, I do not know, my friend. Most shops like to keep their personal styles of creation hidden from the masses. Ya can always learn a general style, but that is usually quite a bit weaker than some stores' more unique styles."

"If that's the case, do you know the process of making effects through the generalized style?" Lucian asked.

Nodding with a charismatic smile, he said, "Why ya, I do!"

He began to explain. "To create an Array, Inscription, or Rune, the most important item is a proper tool to use each. They are the Array Knife, Inscription Pen, and Rune Brush. These Items are usually infused with mana crystals to help formulate the complexities that went into creating items. A good tool is usually the main determining factor in the creation process. Without one, ya will only have failure no matter how talented you are."

"The second thing ya must have is the technique or, as they call it, Style. Style is the process of creating an item goes under to bring out its effects. Some styles focus on strong but niche abilities. Some have more general but weaker abilities, or even some with unique ones. It really shapes how ya product will work."

"Usually, one must be under the tutelage of another to acquire a Style due to how secretive most professionals are"

"With a generalized Style, on the other hand, it is usually pretty straightforward. All ya gotta do is learn the basics and fit in the pieces of the puzzle to create one. Although it will not be the strongest one out there, it would still be powerful enough to be useful."

Nodding in understanding, he asked. "Does it require mana to create an item?"

The man gave him a weird look. "Well, of course, it does! You been living under a rock or something?"

Lucian's excitement immediately died down. He was right. It was only possible to get started once he fixed his mana problem.

"Well, at early levels, the mana crystal in each tool can take care of the bulk of the energy demands. However, past Rank C items in Grade 1, mana is all but required to create anything." He concluded.

Hearing this, Lucian regained some hope. He just might be able to start after all!

Lucian smiled. "Thank you for the information."

The man nodded with a crafty smile. "Oh, my pleasure, young man! ya'know if ya wanna further compensat-"

Lucian was already multiple meters away. Halia was right behind him.

"HEY! NAME'S ALFRED! COME TO ME FIRST IF YA NEED ANYTHING," a loud yell echoed to Lucian as he ran.

Hearing this, a small smile tugged on the edges of his lips.

A few minutes passed, and Lucian was soon back in his room. By this time, it was already dark out. Bright lights turned on one by one as each store owner began to pack things up.

He had lost track of time with everything he had to do. "I surely have to begin my experimentation tomorrow," he said to himself as he hopped into bed. Although he didn't need as much food, he still needed at least a fair amount of sleep. Surprisingly, Halia decided to lay beside him in bed, which he found slightly more comforting than alone.

Closing his eyes, he drifted to sleep once again.

Lucian woke up early to practice some of his skills when before he began his lesson with Giffard. The sun had yet to appear, creating a calm, grey dawn in the early morning.

Moving through each movement, he harnessed the insights he learned yesterday to perfect his actions. Thanks to his increased level in [Beginner Blade Mastery], he felt a much greater connection with his blade, which was reflected in how fast he advanced his movements.

"I believe I can finally learn those three moves from Giffard today," he thought to himself. On the day he introduced those movements, he had tried to learn them. However, they were rather tricky since his body couldn't move as the skill would need him to. Each one was locked behind a skill and experience he didn't have at the time.

Now, however, he believed he would be able to learn those three.

"I wonder where Giffard is...it is a bit later than we usually meet." Lucian believed Giffard might have been caught up with something. Either way, he wasn't in a hurry, so he patiently waited, spending his time practicing his movements.

As he continually refined his movements, his [Soul Sight] caught two souls walking in his direction. One had a sense of familiarity, while the other was wholly foreign. Hearing their footsteps, Lucian turned in their direction to find Giffard escorting an extremely tall man clothed in a white robe and golden necklaces and rings all over his body. He did not look like a local or a mercenary whatsoever.

He had a head of short silver hair, neatly slicked back as it faded toward its size. Piercing green eyes showed on his brown-colored face. Golden piercings hung from his nostril and ears as he frowned in discomfort.

"Ah, Lucian, I'm glad you're here. This is Renold Dreslin, an Ambassador of the Kingdom. He came to meet you, answer your questions, and escort you to the Kingdom." Giffard began as he politely stood behind Renold.

The man stared at him with an untold sense of superiority. A smug sneer hung on his face.

Lucian's eyes narrowed. This was a problem.