Nero left the foundry satisfied. He blew most of his Essence, bringing his reserves down to less than a million but he bought enough yellow-grade materials to craft almost a hundred [Twin Skill Boosters], among other things. He also bought a smaller amount of purple-grade components and enough materials to hopefully make two orange-grade boosters, one for Altia and another for Crystal. Wholesale purchases straight from the manufacturer combined with the discount Arlyana gave him made an opportunity too good to pass.
But not everyone was happy with his spending spree. While they rode the horseless carriage back to the Lyceum, someone vented her frustration.
"And now you need to obtain a hundred-twenty million Essence in four months," Altia fumed. "You are insane!"
"Four months is time enough to get the required Essence," Nero pointed out. "One million each day. I can go to Yrkandia and kill some goblins, for example."
By his estimates, he could run Yrkandia each day near midnight and reach his quota. Two or three clears using his [Dungeon Breaker] ability would net him more than enough.
Bezzias let out a light chuckle. When the professor noticed he had the attention of his associates, he explained. "It is amazing to see something I envisioned decades ago become reality. Once you become able to tackle stronger Dungeons, you'll become an unstoppable economic force."
Nero squeezed Altia's hand and nodded. "Let's hope this doesn't happen. There are lots of envious people buzzing around us already."
"You can earn a lot from the patent of your [Skill Boosters]," Glom added. "You can earn up to eighty thousand on each sale, depending on the grade."
Gadgeteering services and patents were a hot business. Nero learned that Arbitrii bought wholesale could cost as low as one hundred and forty thousand per unit. That's why the Lyceum went merrily around the country activating devices for two hundred thousand. A four-day trip to a backwater village like Hom where twenty youngsters received their devices earned the institution more than a million.
"Is there any drawback?" He asked.
"Unless you want to keep the device a secret. But I don't see why you would," Glom answered.
"And once people know that you did, you'll be the target of industrial espionage, assassination, and all kinds of shady tricks to get the blueprints," Bezzias said with the sadness of someone that saw it happen before. "It is safer to patent. People that want one of these boxes at any cost would find it cheaper to just pay the commission."
"All right. What should I do?"
"You should let us look at the blueprint. Maybe we can suggest improvements," Glom suggested. "Then you'll need to register at the Gadgeteer Guild and submit the patent. They'll ask for a working prototype. People usually submit a white-grade watered-down version."
Nero pondered for a while then asked. "But my blueprint is not complete. I use a whole card reader module from an Arbitrium. I don't even know what it is made of."
Bezzias dismissed Nero's worries with a hand wave, "That won't be an issue. Aside from the core controller that we have no idea how is made, the Arbitrium blueprint is common knowledge. One of the hardest contraptions to craft, but anyone can find out what it is made of."
The [Dungeon Keeper] took a blueprint canister from his storage. "This is a copy. It has the schematics for both the module and the prosthetic limb. Doesn't have to be a leg."
Bezzias took the canister with a thankful smile. "We will look into it with the utmost care. Lamuril has orders to escort you around town on your errands. Do come back to my mansion for dinner, if the prince doesn't invite you."
"Thanks, professor," Altia nodded.
----------------------------------------
After dropping the scholars at the Lyceum gates, Lamuril brought them to the palace. They were called to meet prince Ahadi in the library a few minutes after they arrived, a sign that the royal scion was looking forward to their meeting.
"Lord Nero and Lady Altia of Honeywitch," The usher announced out loud.
Maybe he shouldn't be making noise in the library, but the only person using the room was the prince. Ahadi came with two servants behind him. The youngest prince looked very happy.
"Your Highness," Nero lowered his head in respect.
The prince relaxed his stance and sent his servants away with a light wave of his hand. "Now, now, we are alone here, we can ditch the formalities. Nero! How was your winter? Did you have any trouble securing food for the city? I did delay the reopening of the train track the most I could. I heard a lot of people wanted to return over winter!"
"Nero went farming for food cards every single day, Your Highness," Altia boasted with pride.
"That's impressive!" Ahadi's compliment sounded sincere. "We are grateful you devoted yourself that much for our people, Nero. People from all around the country want to see the reborn Honeywitch. The train is sold out for weeks. I'm afraid things will get hectic now."
They sat on comfortable armchairs around a coffee table. The moment the last of them hit the cushion, maids appeared from a side door to serve them tea and refreshments.
"My sister is helping our parents run the fief. And We'll be back every day to help."
The prince sipped his tea before replying. "I hope I can visit soon. Could I bother you with travel arrangements for me and my escort?"
"That wouldn't be a bother at all, Your Highness," Altia cooed.
She seemed to be warming up to the young prince. Ahadi was an easy person to talk to. Compared to his older brothers, he almost didn't look like a prince. He seemed eager to travel.
"We can arrange something in the near future. I can set up a portal array linking the palace to our keep," Nero replied. "Then you can send some of your men to secure the other end before you cross through."
"That would be perfect," Ahadi winked. "It would put those that worry about this method of travel at ease."
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"That's my intention," Nero nodded.
They talked about some inane issues like the nobles that traveled in the first train and barged into the soup kitchen, some gossip about the capital. Finally, Ahadi broached a subject that by his body language, was something delicate."
"The Honeywitch mansion here at the capital is abandoned," Ahadi said. "I had to task our governess with assigning staff to take care of the house because the former servants quit for lack of payment."
Altia looked up from her cup of tea and gasped, "What?"
Ahadi chuckled. "I guess it is partially our fault. We did confiscate all assets from the former Count. But yes, Honeywitch has a mansion here at the capital. I wasn't sure if you knew but when the governess told me my letters went unanswered it became moot. Only recently I learned you were receiving mail at the Lyceum's dorm."
"Nobody told us anything," Altia mumbled. She seemed about to bolt to check the mansion.
"We did get your letter as soon as we arrived this morning," Nero said.
There was no profit in hiding it. The Royal family knew he had a network of portals everywhere anyway. Which was a bother to maintain as he had to renew them every five days.
"I'm glad it worked out. Well, we will return the assets to your family as you are the owners now, minus the upkeep cost of the mansion through winter. But that's now why I asked you to come here. I wanted to see you."
He said that with such admiration that Nero got uncomfortable. He flinched involuntarily and Ahadi noticed.
"Yes, I wanted to see you," The prince repeated but with a complete shift in his stance to dismiss the previous misunderstanding. "I got only part of your reward. I'm sorry, but I could only secure the [Shackles] card. I did obtain two copies of the [Chains], but it seems that the drop rate lowers the further one goes in this series I'm calling Kherghak's Legacy. The combination of all three would knock the level of a person all the way down to zero from whichever value it is."
Ahadi produced a velvet sleeve and drew the three orange cards. He showed them, pushed the cards back in the sleeve, and handed it over to Nero. He tried to activate a second [Chains of Kherghak] but the Arbitrium refused to process the card with a message that he already knew that Skill. The text was exactly as he remembered, down to the punctuation. It seemed to be one of those cards that didn't have variants.
> [Shackles of Kherghak] - Orange Skill - Requires [Chains of Kherghak] Skill.
>
> +X% All Attributes.
>
> "Those who willingly restrain themselves shall find clarity of purpose."
>
> - This Skill requires no Skill slot. Divide your level cap by X, where X is one higher than the X-value used for [Chains of Kherghak]. You have ( X/2 ) extra first-tier Skill slots. You ignore level requirements lower than forty-nine.
Nero read the card three, four times. He couldn't believe it. "This is awesome," He gushed.
"I know, right? Three Skill slots, it is almost as if you gained half a tier," Ahadi said with a smile.
Altia took the card and she giggled as she too figured out why Nero was so excited. She also noticed the prince had no idea the three Skill slots were just icing on the cake.
"I'll use it right now," Nero said and slotted the card. His status went up immediately. He broke the thousand mana barrier and gained another library slot. The boost granted by the [Shackles] was lower than the fifteen points from the [Chains] but it was one that would grow with him.
"The [Noose] is eluding me," The prince laughed at his own pun eliciting a genuine smile from the minnid couple. "And it seems my inquiries sparked a lot of curiosity. Other parties are moving to collect these cards out of curiosity and spite. You'll have to..."
An elf servant showed up from the side door. "What is it?" The prince asked. With a deep bow, the elf said, "Your Highness, your guests have arrived."
"Send them in." After the servant left, he met Nero's eyes. "I took the liberty of inviting Mayleefa's wife to meet you. She has some words for you."
The front door to the library opened. A minotaur woman, wearing a steel breastplate and an armored robe entered and knelt before Ahadi. "Your Highness," Her deep voice boomed. "I'm honored."
"Dame Kisara, you may stand," Ahadi said softly. "I'd like to introduce you to Lord Nero and Lady Altia."
Kisara stood, faced Nero, and bowed. "Lord Nero, I have no words to express my gratitude for bringing my husband back."
She had a bittersweet kind of smile on her face. It showed sincere gratitude but also the underlying pain of loss. Kisara's eyes glistened and her shoulders trembled. It contrasted with the ferocious appearance of the minotaurs. That hit Nero like a punch. He didn't bring Mayleefa back. He didn't bring anyone back, blinded by his desire to punish Tyre and avenge Crystal. Maybe he could've saved some knights if he had a clear mind.
Even though Nero wasn't a person to dwell in the past, he still felt regret. He sought Altia's waist, some solace in his wife's embrace. She leaned on his shoulder and put a hand over his chest.
"I know what you are thinking," She whispered to him. "It was not your fault."
Nero felt something fighting to climb up from his core. But he was in the prince's presence, he couldn't let his emotions run wild.
Kisara produced Mayleefa's badge. "This," she pointed at the medal. "The flesh can be killed. Honor and memory, last forever. While Captain Mayleefa died in the line of duty, you made him immortal by letting his tale survive." She approached and gently took Nero's right arm. She placed the badge on his hand. "I heard there's a statue in your city."
His heart burned. Anger, shame, loss, most of the negative feelings directed at himself. At his perceived lack of fiber and powerlessness. The minutes stretched in the silent library. Finally, Nero found the will to speak. Nero looked at the medal in his hand.
"Dame Kisara, I have something for you. Would you give me a minute to fetch it?"
She nodded. Nero let go of Altia's waist and turned to face an empty spot. He opened a portal to a blank transition box and walked through. After closing it, he walked to the map room. He knew the paintings on the wall by heart. His memories, immortalized by paint and magic. He used [Mind Library] and stored the image of a particular picture, intent on repainting it later. He took it from the wall and walked back to the box. Isolating the space, he returned to the library.
"Here. I call it "Honor's Last Stand'," He offered the painting to Kisara. "It is yours."
It showed Mayleefa's last moments. In the same pose as the statue in Honeywitch's main square, the buffalo-kin stood defiant among the bodies of knights from both countries. You could see Count Honeywitch's feral face twisted in a rictus of greed and anger lying among them. Prince Tyre was falling in the lower right corner, two wicked swords coated in greenish-purple venom stuck to his back, his face outside the frame. Valanaegornif's visage was like a demon, twisted and wicked as he pounced over the stalwart knight. His weapons and armor were darkened and bloodied. He seemed as if the light couldn't reach him. Mayleefa's armor was shiny and spotless, radiant. There wasn't a beam of light shining upon him, however. It was as if he was the only light in the bleak battlefield littered with corpses and with burning tents and broken weapons in the background.
Aside from the artistic liberties Nero took, it was pretty much the image that haunted his memories.
Dame Kisara stared at the framed painting for very long. Then she recited what probably was a minotaur proverb. "Legacy is not about how you lived, but how you are remembered. You did it, you bastard!" That was the straw that broke the minotaur's back. Dame Kisara lost composure and wept.
Altia grasped Nero's hand. The pain of those left behind. The unfeeling dead were either happy in their afterlife or in the quiet warmth of oblivion, depending on one's beliefs. But the living? Those were made of flesh made to be teared apart by life's ravages. "Bereaved" meant something was stolen from you. Nero looked at the minotaur knight and felt she lost half her heart. He squeezed his wife's hand and blinked some tears. Just the thought of what Kisara was going through made him wish he could stack [Heart Bond] until a point Altia couldn't be hurt by a single thorn.
"Dame Kisara," Ahadi put a paw on her pauldrons and spoke softly. "Know that we share your feelings."
She didn't peel her eyes from the painting. "Your Highness. May I speak freely?" Ahadi nodded. "I wish to travel west."
"I wish to travel to Honeywitch as well, Dame Kisara. You'll be with my escort and after my return, you can stay as long as you wish. If you want to pledge yourself to the Count's service, you may. The King has authorized."
In most other circumstances, Nero would think the King was planting a mole in the fief. But that was not how he felt about Kisara.
"I'm honored to serve, Your Highness. Lord Nero, this is more than I could wish for."
It was obvious she wanted some time alone with her grief. Ahadi sensed it as well as Nero. "You are dismissed, Dame Kisara. Thank you for your service. You are on paid leave until I'm ready to visit Honeywitch."
"As you command, Your Highness," The grieving knight saluted and walked out of the library.