Micro led his party through the woods, temporarily abandoning their quickly growing road, in the direction of his alleged acquaintance. He counted a total of six people in the group, and was confused when four of the group suddenly dispersed. Two hid in bushes nearby, and two quickly climbed up tall trees, while the remaining two stood cautiously, apparently aware of Micro's approach.

“Bandits, beware!” One of the stationary people shouted, his voice echoing his anxiety.

“Our treasures are many, but they are guarded as such!”

“We are defended by twenty members of the strongest sect in these lands!” The other, a young woman, shouted as Micro came into sight.

“What are you talking about, Tohan?” Micro asked the surprised merchant, beside whom stood a young woman in similar attire.

“There are only four cultivators hiding, and they all have jade cores.”

Micro smiled at Tohan, the generous merchant from whom he'd received so many gold coins at the tournament in the Imperial City not long ago. Tohan blinked in confusion as Micro's friends soon appeared behind him, but his face soon brightened.

“My boy of good fortune!” Tohan shouted, his accessories jingling as he clapped his hands excitedly.

“It's alright, everyone! They are friends!”

He raced forward to greet Micro, though he stopped to bow to Lena with a graceful gesture.

“I am honoured once again to greet the Imperial Guard on behalf of-” Tohan began, but Lena sighed, cutting him off.

“Ignore me.” Lena said flatly.

“I am presently far removed from my duties to the empire.”

Tohan's face froze as he looked up at Lena, unsure whether he should ask for clarification. However, Micro patted his back reassuringly.

“So, how have you been?” Micro asked, his casual tone cutting through the tense air.

“I...” Tohan stuttered, but he cleared his throat and continued, reviving his boisterous tone.

“Excuse me! I am overjoyed to see you in good health and good spirits. There was talk of you being hunted and destroyed by the Imperial Guard shortly after the... events... at the tournament. But business has never been better!”

“That's good to hear.” Micro replied with a wide smile.

“We had some errands to run, but now we're taking some to clear a way back to town.”

“I see, I see.” Tohan nodded his head, scratching his thick beard with one hand.

“I hope you have not been bothered by the bandits. They have been growing in number recently.”

“Aren't bandits much weaker than cultivators?” Micro tilted his head in confusion, recalling his unpleasant experience.

“I am guarded by members of the Dark Cat Sect, whom you skillfully uncovered.” Tohan replied.

“They are famed for their information gathering abilities, but not even they know what is happening in the world of bandits. Many cultivators and mundane merchants alike have reported large groups of bandits traveling with cultivators recently. Can you imagine something as vulgar as a cultivator associating with such vile beings? And with magicians rampant throughout the kingdom, it is a truly unstable situation.”

“So bandits are cultivating, and magicians are everywhere, huh...” Micro said.

“Well, I'm glad business is going well for you.”

“Indeed! It was almost the end of my sect, but a marvelous opportunity arose!” Tohan announced happily.

“Just when so many of our trade partners abandoned the area, would you believe that six new towns have appeared north of the Imperial City?! And they are all connected by a single, luxurious road! It’s a spectacle to behold!”

“Oh, did they already finish it?” Micro asked.

“You know of the road?” Tohan asked in surprise.

“Of course I do.” Micro

“I paid Margo to have it built not long ago.”

“The road is yours?!” Tohan screamed.

“I paid with the coins you gave me, actually.” Micro explained.

“That road alone has made me richer than I thought possible, and in such a short time...” Tohan replied, his face turning pale.

“Are you the Immortal Merchant King spoken of in legends?”

“I only have a few coins left.” Micro shook his head.

“I'm just Micro.”

“With just the spare change I gave you, you multiplied my own wealth ten times... My sect has never seen so much business.” Tohan continued with a hoarse voice.

“What heavenly spirit possessed an amber stage cultivator to spend what little coinage he possessed on the mundane construction of a road?”

“You're saying this man commissioned the new road?” The young woman approached Micro with her hands raised in front of her, wrapping her right hand around her left fist. With a graceful bow, she continued.

“I have heard of no merchant sect lowering themselves to the level of trading in mundane services. Throwing gold on the ground before a pig would be less embarrassing, regardless of the profits.”

“Silence, daughter!” Tohan shouted, turning to rebuke her.

“The traditions of this master's sect are not to be judged by fools like us! In the time since I last met him, he has ascended from jade to amber stage, and his strange actions have given us opportunities unknown!”

“But profit with no honour is-” She argued, but she was surprised by her father’s expression.

“Daughter!”

“Apologies, father, young master...” The woman bowed in panic.

“Beautiful...” Kolt blurted out as the woman's hair swayed, the ornaments decorating it shining brightly.

“Shut up.” Kira quietly snapped, elbowing him in the side so hard that he buckled over with a grunt.

“Anyways...” Micro continued awkwardly.

“Don't worry about… umm, whatever you were talking about.”

“Your wisdom is matched by your grace, young master!” Tohan replied in relief.

Four cultivators, dressed in black robes which covered even their faces, except for their glowing yellow eyes, suddenly appeared behind Tohan and his daughter. One of them stepped forward to speak.

“Our destination is not far from here.” The cultivator in black whispered.

“Must we adjust our plans?”

“Ah, of course.” Tohan replied, then turned back to Micro.

“My apologies, young master. We have behaved shamefully. You see, as a result of the events which transpired at that fateful tournament, many sects have been seeking higher stages of cultivation. Well, those that haven’t gone into hiding, at least…”

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“That's fair.” Micro nodded.

“The events left nearly every sect in the region feeling vulnerable and ashamed.” Tohan continued.

“Not yours though?” Micro asked.

“Especially ours!” Tohan lamented.

“Our sect is founded on the paradoxical relationship between the material and the immaterial! Our greed for luxury is what drives us. Be it currency, information, or ancient treasures, there is nothing we forsake. For our sect to be so utterly blindsided by the workings of the mundane was eye opening.”

“The old man would call that the cost of doing business.” Micro laughed.

“Please elaborate.” Tohan abruptly paused his story and leaned in to hear Micro's explanation.

“I sense a great merchant's wisdom.”

“The old man wasn't rich, but he made it through some hard times.” Micro nodded, his face brightening as he spoke.

“He worked really hard with the neighbour's son to divert a local stream so he wouldn't have to count on the rain every year. Sometimes it rains too much, and other years it doesn't rain at all. There were all sorts of problems, and it took a while for it to pay off. He called that sort of thing the cost of doing business.”

“This master you speak of was able to profit by accounting for the forces of nature itself...” Tohan replied in awe.

“He used to joke about it, but the weather can seem really mean sometimes.” Micro sighed.

“The weather was… mean?” Tohan gasped.

“What a terrifying place…”

“He was certain that a rain cloud heard him say he’d fix the roof later.” Micro laughed.

“His son said he was being silly, but it started raining in the middle of a drought that same day.”

“To the Master Micro comes from a world where even nature is one’s enemy…” Arbur whispered.

“Intriguing.” Lena remarked.

“I thank you for your story.” Tohan said, still contemplating the anecdote.

“Indeed, we must take the precautions we can afford to take. That is why we have commissioned the Dark Cat Sect to guide us to the Amber Dragon Dungeon. My sect has been a jade level sect for too long, or so it seems. That is why we invested much of our recent windfall into locating the Amber Water Dragon Art Dungeon's entrance. It is time to ascend.”

“Do you mind if I join you?” Micro asked.

“You are more than welcome!” Tohan shouted happily.

“I wonder if Kel's sect will aim for amber cores soon.” Micro wondered aloud.

“Oh? You haven't heard?” Tohan asked, then shook his head.

“No, of course not. You've been very busy. The Fire Mountain Turtle Sect ascended to the amber level not long ago. I hear the new sect leader is your friend, Kel. It caused quite the stir in the region.”

“Wow, that's great!” Micro said.

“What about his grandfather?”

“Apparently Kel and the sect leader were cultivating together, but the elder did not survive the endeavour.” Tohan replied solemnly.

“Nobody expected him to be able to ascend at that age, and yet he sacrificed himself in solidarity with the younger generation's goals, a truly admirable man.”

“Oh...” Micro frowned.

“I see...”

“Micro.” Lena quietly called out with a sharp tone.

“Mind your manners.”

“What do you mean?” Micro asked, his sadness only growing.

“His death was neither meaningless nor shameful.” Lena said.

“Shed no tears. Be honoured to have known him.”

“Indeed!” Tohan reassured Micro.

“In any case, we must move. Even with a Sapphire level ally, attracting bandits by remaining still in this place is a risk not worth taking.”

“Okay...” Micro nodded.

“Let's go.”

~

Micro introduced Arbur, Kira, and Kolt to Tohan as they continued to the location of the dungeon. The hired members of the Dark Cat Sect continued to patrol the area around the party diligently, as they had been hired to do. Tohan and his daughter had many questions for Micro about his experiences after the tournament, but Micro's mood did not recover quickly, and Kira enthusiastically recalled their adventures in his stead.

Kolt attempted to brag about his own contributions to their quest, though he was ultimately too shy to raise his voice in front of Tohan's daughter for long.

After Micro's mood had finally started to lift, thanks in large part to Kira's excited storytelling, he asked Tohan about his business as a merchant. Tohan didn't hesitate to explain the dealings he had done with the many people who had relocated to the newly emerging towns to the north of the Imperial City.

“With so many people coming and going along that road, my sect barely had to do any legwork in search of new trade opportunities. Bones of mythical creatures, golden relics of long-lost civilizations, thousand year old roots…!” Tohan explained with a wide smile, revealing several gold teeth Micro hadn't previously noticed.

“My sect's business is treasure, you see? There is no treasure in this world we can not transform into a profit, and there is no client we have ever disappointed.”

“So you buy and sell treasure?” Micro asked.

“That's interesting. I wonder where all those people came from though.”

“It was quite miraculous.” Tohan replied.

“I had the Dark Cat Sect investigate that exact issue. Apparently the population boomed with the influx of tradesmen, joined by their families. The communities which sprung out of the ground near the new road invited countless other trades, and the speed at which imperial forces can come and go has made the region safer than any other for the mundane. The farmers have expanded their own ventures, but imports account for most of what is consumed now. The Imperial City almost feels like a ghost town in comparison.”

“I hope Spark and her family are doing well.” Micro sighed.

“Is that a friend of yours?” Tohan asked.”

“Her father works with metal. He has a nice hammer.” Micro replied.

“They're very good people.”

“A blacksmith that has won the favour of one such as yourself, hmm?” Tohan remarked with a curious light in his eye.

“For me to have overlooked them, I still must have a long way to go as a merchant. Thank you for the recommendation.”

“Does a merchant of a dragon sect seek out the services of a mundane blacksmith now?” Tohan's daughter interjected.

“You must forgive my confusion, master of the...”

“Truck Sect.” Blue chuckled, rolling her eyes.

Tohan's daughter flinched when the pixie appeared near Micro's shoulder, but she held back further questions after seeing her father bow politely to the glowing blue creature.

“I also beg your forgiveness, regarding my daughter's lack of courtesy.” Tohan said boisterously. However, he looked at his daughter with a frustrated expression.

“She is a highly motivated girl, but young Tring is clearly inexperienced in ascertaining the bigger picture.”

“But I do believe it is in the interest of our own sect's honour to be clear on the matter of station. Does our tireless cultivation not separate us from the realm of those who crawl on the ground far beneath us, living by the whims of nature like little animals?” Tring's tone gradually became more assertive as her gaze wandered across Micro's party.

“Do cultivators have any business playing in the dirt with lesser beings while walking the path to immortality? It's bad business, is it not? Do we not distinguish ourselves honourably?”

“You all look the same to me.” Micro shrugged. He was going to leave it there, but he noticed Kolt's expression darkening as it had before, though Kira showed no signs of being shaken by Tring's remarks.

“What do you...” Tring began, but Micro's expression sharpened and he continued.

“The strongest folks you'll meet in this life are the ones who lift up the people around them.” Micro said with a harsh tone.

“The weakest are the selfish type who spend more time putting others down.”

“Truck Sect wisdom?” Blue asked sarcastically.

“Something the old man said to his son after school once.” Micro replied with a warm smile.

Tohan's face turned white as he processed Micro's words, and he nearly jumped in fear as Tring replied almost immediately. He tried to cover her mouth, but she slipped away and continued.

“You dare equate me to some beast of labour?” Tring spat.

“You speak down to me as if from the heights of the immortal realm, yet you lack the honour of the weakest cultivator!”

“Just to be clear...” Lena chuckled.

“The magicians summoned a being of unimaginable power recently.”

Tring stumbled awkwardly as Lena's calm voice interrupted her inquisition, and she replied with her head bowed.

“I was rendered completely immobile.” Lena added with a sharp grin.

“I am aware of the hero summoning which my father witnessed at the tournament recently.” Tring said quietly, shaken by Lena’s inclusion in the conversation.

“But a Cerulean Stage Imperial Envoy was present, and little came of it.”

“It was Micro who prevented the tournament summoning from succeeding, but that is not the summoning of which I am speaking now.” Lena said lightly, and Tring looked up with wide eyes.

“There was another?!” Tohan gasped.

“I was nothing before the being we encountered.” Lena continued.

“I could barely stay conscious in its presence.”

“Have the magicians found a way to create a Ruby Core?!” Tohan looked down at the ground as cold sweat formed on his face.

“It possessed a Silver Core, as a matter of fact.” Lena replied, pointing at the blue pixie hovering above Micro.

“And I witnessed Micro drive the being away to protect his small friend.”

“A silver...” Tring stuttered.

“You may speak as you wish of whomever you wish. The ramblings of the weak are not dissimilar to the frogs croaking in these woods to my ears.” Lena said, turning away to face the direction in which they continued to walk.

“But power and honour are not so easily defined on the path you now walk.”

“The path we now walk?” Tring repeated, then looked around in surprise, noticing that they were no longer in the untamed forest, but on a wide trail carved through the forest.

“What path is this...?”

Micro sighed, and returned his own attention to the way ahead before replying in Lena's stead.

“It's mine.”