We arrived at Malii's workshop and were about to enter when Carol spoke up :

"Are you sure we can trust this fish? He seemed only interested in gold."

"He's the only person who had some idea of who we are. Probably not in great detail, but I'm hoping his greed might help us gather some information. Plus, we need to sell our loot," I explained.

Carol nodded, understanding my reasoning, and we entered the shop.

Malii was busy working on a piece of armor, attaching strange wiring on the chest part. As he saw us approaching, he quickly cleaned his hands and came to welcome us.

"Revivals!" he exclaimed with a melodic voice. "Welcome, welcome! My two favorite customers! How may I assist you today?"

"Hi, Malii," I greeted him. "We were wondering if you could help us."

"Of course! Always," he replied eagerly. "Armors? Weapons? I've got a whole set of Ice Bolts - they have a 50% chance to freeze your target upon hit. And for you, I'll offer a fantastic discount, of course!"

Carol let out a sigh and sent me a private message:

CAROL : This guy is a weasel, all he cares about is gold.

SIMON : Then gold is what we'll use. Let me handle it.

CAROL : Be my guest.

"Malii," I began in a friendly tone. "We're actually looking for information."

He peered at us curiously.

"I have information, of course," he responded.

"You don't know yet what it's about," I countered, smiling.

"Oh, but I do. It's about the second floor," he said, surprising both Carol and me.

"How? How do you know that's what we're interested in?"

"Because that's what every Revival wants. You all aim to reach the next floor and eventually the top of the Tower. But I don't believe it's ever been accomplished."

"What do you know about Revivals?" Carol interjected.

Malii looked at her, a smile on his face.

"I don't know the details, but I know that you're only here temporarily. You come in waves every year, trying to reach the top of the Tower to get back to your world. I don't know why you are sent here, but I know that's what you want. To go back. And to do that, you first need to get to the starting point of the Tower," he explained.

"The starting point?" I asked. "I thought this was the starting point."

"No," he replied. "This is the peaceful part before the Tower."

He turned around and retrieved a rolled-up parchment from one of his shelves, then unrolled it on a table.

"You see," he explained, pointing at the parchment. "You are here."

On the parchment was a stylized art piece depicting the Tower floating atop a lush green forest. In the middle of the forest, there was a drawing of a small house that seemed out of place with the rest of the painting - crude and clearly added later.

"You are in the forest surrounding the Tower," Malii explained. "To reach the actual structure of the Tower, you need to catch an elevator. There may be other ways up there, but those paths aren't accessible to Revivals."

"So you know about the elevator?" I asked.

Malii grinned, clearly proud of himself.

"I know about the elevator, and I know where it is."

"Where?" Carol exclaimed eagerly.

He looked at her briefly before turning his gaze back to me.

"This is dangerous information. Information has value," Malii started.

Before he could continue, Carol interrupted him.

"How much?" she asked bluntly.

A smile spread across his face.

"500 gold," he replied.

"That's a lot," I commented.

"You just received 1000 gold from Danalii, didn't you?" he said.

"That was a reward for saving YOUR village," Carol snapped, her patience wearing thin.

He stared at her, his grin suddenly disappearing.

"That was a significant amount of our village's funds. Money we needed," he retorted.

Carol and I exchanged glances.

CAROL : He's trying to play the good guy. I don't buy it for a second.

SIMON : We don't have much of a choice.

CAROL : I could smash his head with my hammer until he spills the carrots.

SIMON : I think you mean the beans.

Malii looked at us, his smile returning as he commented :

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"It's not good to exclude me from the discussion."

Both of us stared back at him in shock.

"How do you know so much?" Carol asked with suspicion.

This wasn't ordinary NPC behavior; Malii was different. Could he be a real person? Were all the villagers real people? Or was it just him?

"I learned," he replied cryptically. "I learned and I remembered."

His answers did little to clear the confusion, and I could sense that Carol wasn't going to tolerate his evasiveness for much longer. So, I decided to change tactics quickly :

"500 gold and all the loot I have on me that I was planning to sell to you. In exchange, you tell us what you know about Revivals, including how you know about private messaging. And you point us in the direction of the elevator."

He looked at me skeptically.

CAROL : Are you insane?

SIMON : Knowledge is power.

CAROL : You don't have 500 gold.

SIMON : But you do.

CAROL : * middle finger emoji *

SIMON : Lend it to me, and I'll give it back as soon as possible.

CAROL : With interest.

SIMON : Deal.

"So?" I asked Malii.

He paused for a moment, contemplating, and finally said :

"Deal."

Carol handed him 500 gold, and I emptied my extra loot onto the table. Malii swiftly pocketed the money, a mischievous grin playing on his face. He then pointed us toward a table with four chairs.

"Let's sit down. I'll bring some tea," he suggested.

Carol and I took our seats, and Malii returned with a tray containing cups and a teapot. He served each of us a cup and prepared one for himself before settling down across from us.

"Alright, spill the beans!" Carol demanded angrily as I felt somewhat proud that she used the correct term.

"Alright, alright," Malii began, sipping his tea. "First, let's talk about the elevator. You must have realized that the Tower is located north from here."

We nodded in agreement, urging him to continue.

"The elevator is actually west, about five miles or so from here. Most Revivals waste time searching a way up North, but that's just not the correct path. I can point you in the right direction. It's not far, but be warned, it is guarded by goblins. And I mean a lot of them."

"How many?" Carol asked, her curiosity piqued.

"It's difficult to say, but there are quite a few. And they are well-protected. They are paid to guard and maintain the elevator," Malii explained.

"Paid by who?" I inquired.

"That, I do not know," he replied honestly.

"How do you know about the elevator?" Carol questioned.

"Because drunk goblins talk," he simply stated. "And this brings me to the rest of our deal ; as drunk Revivals talk as much."

He took another sip of his tea.

"Every year, we see Revivals like you. Some never leave the forest. They are either scared or lack the will to venture further, each case is different. They prefer to stay in the safety of the village. And they drown their sorrows in ale."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

"And I listen," he continued. "I listen and gather information."

"But where are they?" I asked, unable to recall any other Revivals in Green Tree.

"One day, just before the new wave arrives, they vanish," he replied.

"Liar!" Carol shouted in disbelief.

I tried to calm her down.

"What do you mean by 'they vanish'?" I questioned further.

"They go to bed, and the next morning, there is no one in their beds," he explained. "Then, a few days later, the first new wave of Revivals arrives."

Once again, he took a sip of his tea, and I followed suit. The tea was sweet and had a subtle hint of mint. Malii cleared his throat, ready to continue.

"I witnessed this phenomenon year after year, and I started keeping track of it. Most Enki and even Goblins don't pay much attention. Revivals are just a part of the world to them. But for me, I began to notice the patterns because... well, it was good for business."

He smiled at us knowingly.

"You can be angry, of course," he said calmly. "But learning in advance when the Revival waves occur allowed me to acquire gear at lower prices and prepare to sell them to you. That's why I have a better stock and the best merchandise."

"You work with the goblins," Carol stated bluntly.

"Sometimes," Malii admitted, not bothering to deny it. "I buy from them, or sell to them. I give them ale, and they talk. Information holds value."

"You're a traitor!" Carol shouted, slamming her fist on the table.

"I am not," he replied simply in a calm manner. "Not all goblins are our enemies. While we don't mix freely, we do engage in trade with one another. Their willingness to trade depends on the leader they follow."

"How many leaders are out there?" I inquired.

"I cannot say precisely," he replied, taking another sip of his tea.

Carol muttered, "This is bullshit."

"A deal is a deal," Malii said softly. "Don't let my greed cloud your judgment. I told the truth when I mentioned that the 1000 gold you received was part of the village's funds. 700 of those gold pieces belonged to me. The contacts I have, the information I gather, I share them with Danalii and others. Well, almost everything."

"What do you mean by 'almost everything'?" I asked, seeking clarification.

"I do not share information about Revivals. You are different, you don't fit into our world," he replied honestly.

We sat in silence for a moment, sipping our tea, except for Carol who still hadn't touched her cup. I finally broke the silence ;

"How do you know about the private messages?" I inquired.

"Some Revivals have talked to me about it," Malii replied.

"What else do you know about us?"

"I know that somehow our gear and weapons grant you special abilities, something to do with numbers, although I don't fully grasp what it means. I just understand that you don't fit into our world. You don't abide by the same rules. Even Gems react differently with you," he explained.

He paused for a moment and then continued :

"And I've learned that you are only here temporarily, whether you like it or not, while we are here all the time."

Once again, silence enveloped us as we processed his words.

This entire conversation had my mind racing. Everything I thought I knew was being challenged. If this was a game, NPCs should somehow reset at some point, if not that means this world was persistent, but how long as it been like that? If they were NPC, they were far more intelligent than anything we had built. It was becoming increasingly likely that NPCs were, in fact, real. But then what about us?

My brain hurt from this flow of information. This needed deeper investigation. If what Malii was saying was true, then my assumptions could be completely wrong. At the same time, this could all be part of the game, and Malii was merely an NPC following scripted lines. I needed time to process this.

"Malii," I asked, seeking more insight. "Have you ever tried to reach the Tower?"

He appeared surprised by my question.

"Why would I?" he replied. "This is the best spot for business. Also, it's where I was born and raised. Why would I want to leave?"

Fair enough, I thought. Malii was indeed a valuable source of information.

"Thank you for sharing," I finally said.

"Of course," he nodded. "You paid me for information, and I provided it. And don't think for a second that I'm not grateful for you saving Green Tree. That's why I only asked for half the payment compare to the usual price I give other Revivals when they can't find the elevator."

"You greedy motherfucker," Carol couldn't help but utter.

Malii lost his smile and met her gaze.

"You come by, disrupt our lives, and then move on, while we are left to deal with the consequences of your actions," he said in a serious tone. "Greed, maybe. But for a reason."

Carol remained silent, her eyes fixed on him, while he shifted his attention to his cup of tea and took another sip.

"I have more questions about the Elevator," I spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Of course," he replied.

"Have you been there? When you mentioned it is well-guarded, just how well are we talking about?"

"I haven't been there myself, but I've heard stories. This, however, wasn't part of our deal," he explained.

"Talk!" Carol shouted, smashing the table once more.

I signaled her to calm down. Then looked at Malii ;

"What if I could tell you something you don't know? Something that could bring you a lot of money?" I proposed.

He looked at me, visibly intrigued.

"Go on," he waved at me.

I reached into my inventory and pulled out the Knowledge Stone, then proceeded to explain its significance :

"These stones, just like the one you sold me for 5 gold, are actually how we, the Revivals, learn spells," I revealed.

His eyes widened as he stared at the stone in awe.

"All of them?" he asked, clearly astonished.

"I'm not sure if it applies to all of them, but Revivals can discern which ones are what we call 'Knowledge Stones.' And these stones allow us to learn spells. It seems that Enkis cannot use them, but for us, they are worth far more than 5 gold."

He paused, still fixated on the mossy stone.

"This information is worth my assistance," he finally said, his voice filled with newfound enthusiasm. "We need more tea."