Osran seemed taken aback by Verdan’s rejection of his offer, and they spent a good minute in silence as he considered matters.

“I have another offer,” Osran said abruptly, looking over to Verdan once more.

“I’m listening,” Verdan said, giving the road ahead a meaningful look. They were nearly at his destination, so this would be the last chance Osran would have at convincing him.

“The same as before, but I will also arrange for my Clan to open trade with your city. We are aware that Clan Thrain is considering constructing a trading post. Such a place will have far more impact if it represents two Clans, not just one.”

Verdan considered the offer, but he knew he was already on board with it. A second string to the trading post would make everything move faster with his plans.

“You’re aware I’m leaving today and that you will need to travel south with me for this training?” Verdan asked, waiting for Osran to nod before continuing. “Very well, you have a deal.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Osran said with a smile, though it looked a little strained to Verdan’s eyes. “I’ll see about speaking with my grandfather as soon as possible to make the arrangements.”

“I won’t keep you, then,” Verdan said, nodding to the Chosen before carrying on toward Sebastian’s home.

Thankfully, Osran and his Blade left matters at that and hurried off, leaving Verdan to consider the implications of that deal.

Expanding the trade that Hobson’s Point would have access to would be incredibly valuable, and it would lower their reliance on Clan Thrain as well.

Verdan had nothing against the Clan, but he’d rather deal with the Clans as a whole, rather than just the one. Perhaps doing it this way would prompt other Clans to make overtures as well.

A pair of shieldguards were standing watch at the entrance to Sebastian’s home when Verdan arrived, but they simply braced to attention as he approached. “Wizard, the Keeper is expecting you. He said he will be waiting in his office.”

The closer of the two reached out and opened the door for Verdan, closing it behind him as he stepped inside.

Shieldguards at the door was unusual, to say the least, so Verdan continued forward cautiously, making his way to Sebastian’s office.

The Keeper was sitting at his desk with the door open when Verdan arrived, with a thick wooden box set at one end of his desk under the watchful eye of someone that Verdan didn’t recognise.

The newcomer was an older man who had long since gone grey and his caelin was partially obscured by the deep set wrinkles in his face.

The two men were having a quiet conversation, though the older man seemed unhappy with whatever Sebastian was suggesting.

Verdan was just considering waiting elsewhere when Sebastian noticed him and held up a hand. “Ah, Verdan, you’re here more quickly than I anticipated. Please, take a seat.”

“This is the man?” The other Kranjir asked, sitting up in his chair and giving Verdan a measuring look. The man’s voice was still firm and strong despite his age, which Verdan thought to be well past that of the Thane.

The older man’s eyes had a slightly milky appearance to them and he had to lean forward and peer across the desk to be able to see Verdan clearly.

“This is Keeper Aevan Thullstan, a contemporary of Keeper Barkstar and the holder of many of our most antiquated artifacts,” Sebastian said, giving Verdan an apologetic look.

“A pleasure, Keeper,” Verdan said respectfully, nodding carefully to the older man before turning to Sebastian. “I came from working with the quartermaster, did you send for me?”

“Ah, yes, I did,” Sebastian said, glancing at the other Keeper for a moment before continuing. “Keeper Thullstan asked that I send for you so he could take your measure before discussing what artifacts we would be willing to part with.”

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“I see,” Verdan said, keeping his expression carefully neutral even as he reached out with his Aether senses to check if there was anything magical in the box.

He doubted the Kranjir had a magical artifact on hand that they were unaware of, but it was still worth checking.

“Keeper Macstan tells me that you are performing a great service for us, and asked for some of our relics and artifacts in exchange,” Keeper Thullstan said bluntly, still peering at Verdan from where he sat. “Why?”

“I have a deep interest in the past, and, if I’m honest, there is little else you could offer me that would be of interest,” Verdan said, feeling that now wasn’t the time to keep up the polite lie that whatever was in that box wasn’t essentially a payment.

“Hmm, I don’t like it. Not at all.”

“The Thane has approved it,” Sebastian said with a mix of weariness and frustration. “He’s even agreed to your stipulations.”

“I still don’t like it,” the old Keeper snapped, whipping around to glare at Sebastian. “He’s an outsider, a southerner!”

“One who has helped our Clan immensely,” Sebastian said with the voice of someone who has made an argument many times already.

“And once he has his reward, will we ever see him again?” The Keeper turned back to Verdan now, his milky eyed gaze seeming to pierce right through to Verdan’s core.

“My apprentice is a Chosen and some of my closest allies are Kranjir,” Verdan said carefully, not wanting to make anything worse. “I will no doubt be working with both this Clan and other Kranjir in the future.”

“I see,” the old Keeper studied Verdan for another moment before opening the box and reverently pulling out an incredibly old looking book. “Tell me what you would use this for.”

“May I?” Verdan asked, holding a hand out for the book.

The Keeper reluctantly nodded and passed it over. “Damage it and I will refuse to provide anything else.”

Verdan didn’t bother to answer, instead drawing on his Aether. “Nercreth.”

Fortifying Aether suffused the book, strengthening it and hopefully preventing any accidental damage that might occur.

Both of the Kranjir perked up, but neither said anything as Verdan opened the book and took in the yellowed and crinkled pages.

The front page was almost completely faded, but the next page held an introduction to the book.

“By the gods…” Verdan’s eyes were wide and his hands trembled as he read it a second time, making sure he wasn’t misunderstanding it.

This was a book written in low imperial discussing the causes of the civil war that had destroyed the Grym Imperium.

The yawning gap in Verdan’s knowledge had never felt so absolute and he knew that he needed this book badly.

“You can read it,” Keeper Thullstan said with a mixture of reverence and hunger. “What is it about? What language is it in?”

“The language is called Low Imperial, the book itself is discussing the civil war that ended the Grym Imperium,” Verdan said, finding no reason to lie about it.

He wanted to be more open about things, and since seeing some of the dangers that still lurked in the world, knowledge like this was hardly the worst threat.

“Tell me more.” The Keeper was gripping his end of the desk with a white-knuckled grip, but was clearly trying to keep calm.

“Show me what else you have,” Verdan said, placing the book down but leaving a hand on it. “I will tell you more afterwards.”

The Keeper looked like he was going to argue but his gaze flicked between Verdan and the book a few times and he eventually nodded.

Verdan watched with growing excitement as the Keeper pulled two more books out of the box, along with two damaged objects.

The first object was one that Verdan recognised, it was one of the light sources that Macannan had first shown him.

The other, however, was a metal box with thick layers of rust and several sections missing. The interior was exposed through a damaged section and Verdan saw the same tight use of sigils as he’d seen on the lights.

Practically, the box had no value, but it would be a fantastic addition to his growing collection of materials to study.

Currently, the best material he had was the remains of the enchanted items the caster working with the Gormagyr had worn.

There had been a ring and an amulet that the other man used, but they had shattered on his death, leaving Verdan with only what shards he could find after the battle.

The Kranjir had all assumed that Zoisam, as the Gormagyr had called him, was a Sorcerer of some kind. Verdan, however, was fairly confident that he’d not been a magic user at all.

No, the way he’d fought, how little variation there had been in his spells, and the fact that they’d shattered led Verdan to believe they were from the items he’d been wearing.

The fragments he’d found had borne traces of sigils on them, so he’d kept them for future study.

These two objects, when paired with those fragments and the notes he’d taken, might finally be enough to let him understand this new type of sigils.

“I see, I’m interested in all three,” Verdan said, tapping a finger on the book next to him. “I’m willing to translate as much of this as I can in the next few hours as part of that.”

“Unacceptable,” Keeper Thullstan declared firmly, placing the other two items back in the box before moving the whole thing over to Verdan. “You will take all three and in return you will translate that book for me before returning the original with a copy of the translation.”

“I won’t delay my trip south,” Verdan said, but the Keeper waved away his comment.

“I know that young Ciaran is going with you. Provide him with the translation and original within the next year and I will be satisfied.”

Verdan considered the offer for a moment before nodding and placing the book into the box with the other two items. A year would be more than enough time, and he had a good idea for how to take advantage of this.

It was fairly clear that Keeper Thullstan was using this as an opportunity to learn low imperial, but if that was the price for this, Verdan would pay it.