"I decided to go with simple and rustic for you, Gareth, and elegant for Lawrence," said Master Carlos, laying out detailed physical designs for their rings. "As for you, Sorin, your style is all over the place, so I decided to go with rich and domineering." Looking at the large and square ring the man had designed for him, Sorin couldn't help but admit that rich and domineering described the ring to a tee.

"Out of the three of you, Sorin has the most silver light, followed by Gareth, and lastly, Lawrence," continued Master Carlos.

"Wait, how is that possible?" said Lawrence. "You have barely any achievements on the Hero Stele, Gareth."

"No comment," said Gareth, and Sorin remained silent. Gareth's redacted mission to protect and guide him wasn't something most people could see, and he did not doubt that guiding him through his descent into madness had netted him a hefty amount of silver light.

"I go based on what I measure, and your medal is the dimmest," said Master Carlos to Lawrence. "Now, let's go over your options and lock them in." He started with Sorin. "Heroic Mind Ward, Advanced Spell Stabilization, Advanced Quick Cast, and Advanced Weapon Stabilization. That last one will apply to any spells you hold and only those spells.

"Please note that these are only the suggested enchantments. The first three would be supported by matching perfect sapphires, while the Advanced Weapon Stabilization enchantment will be worked into a band of volcanic gold."

"Can they be emeralds?" asked Sorin.

"Can they be emeralds?!" said Master Carlos, laughing. "Dead gods, you're serious. The answer is no, of course. Sapphires are required for your specific piece because even though emeralds have better poison amplification, they'd corrode the weapon stabilization enchantment.

"The base model costs 115,000 gold. As for options, I can do one of two things. Firstly, I can switch up Spell Stabilization for Quick Cast and vice versa at no additional cost. Alternatively, I can triple up on Weapon Stabilization, which will harmonize with the mind-warding properties."

"Could you do emotional stabilization?" asked Sorin.

"That… possible, yes," said Master Carlos. "Yes, give me an extra 7,000 gold, and I'll do a triple stabilization: Spell, Weapon, and Emotional. This should improve the Mind Ward gem's performance by 20% as well."

"Then let's do it," said Sorin. "How quickly can it be ready?"

"Five days," replied Master Carlos. "That's non-negotiable because it has to change hands three times between enchanters, metal workers, and finally, me, the gemsmith.

"That brings us to Gareth's ring. I've got a range of options for you, Gareth, ranging from three intermediate quick shot gems and an enchanted Quick Shot band made of Windwrought Silver, a similar setup with Concussion Shot gems and Deep Sea Silver, and a third option with Piercing Shot gems set in Ash Weep Oak. It'll be emeralds for you, regardless of the options you pick. The concussion option will run you 70,000 gold, while the Quick Shot option will run you 60,000 gold. I suggest specializing the gems, though if you like, I can always do a mix. In that case, we're looking closer to 75,000 gold.

Gareth thought a moment before ultimately choosing the quick shot option. "It's not about the cost," he said, noticing Sorin's look. "It's about utility. Looking at these stats, I can either increase the power of my shots by 30% or increase the number of shots I can make by 30%. Given that I rely heavily on skills, speed is the better option. It also happens to be cheaper."

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"A reasonable course of action," said Master Carlos. "Those who are quick with their hands and feet live longer. Which leaves us with your ring, Lawrence. I designed an abomination as you requested, but I also drafted two more options that I feel would suit you quite well." Lawrence directly grabbed the papers out of the artisan's hands. The short man gasped and immediately retreated to an open area and doused himself with a clearmist vial.

"What the hell is this?" said Lawrence, reviewing the documents. "Only a 60% increase over 5 seconds? Why does Gareth get 30% all the time as an option, and I don't?"

"Budget," answered Master Carlos. "You can afford 60% over 5 seconds with your silver light. The theoretical maximum is 100% over 10 seconds. The biggest reason is the amount of strain it puts on the gems, you see, and—"

"Not interested," interrupted Lawrence. "This Silver Tongue ring, on the other hand, isn't bad. And what's this about an interaction and reflection effect when combined with Mind Ward?"

Master Carlos's eye twitched. "It's simple logic, really. If you add mind-altering gems to a mind-ward ring, you get counterattacking capabilities. It'll also work against auras, to a lesser extent."

"And this other option… why does it look like it paints a target on my back?" asked Lawrence.

"That's because it does," said Master Carlos. "I even called it the 'Bullseye Ring' for good measure.

"The logic behind the ring is that since you're good at dodging and evidently skilled at provoking people, it's a perfect fit. As an upside, a successfully provoked enemy's mental attacks and restraining spells will be 50% less effective against you. Please note that this effect stacks with the mind ward enchantment."

"I'll take it," said Lawrence.

"… don't you want to hear the price?" asked Master Carlos.

"Naw, I can tell it's the cheapest," said Lawrence. "Plus, it's written on this piece of paper. Fifty-five thousand gold. It also says here to "make sure he wants to get this" and "taunt=death."

Master Carlos cleared his throat. "To be clear, I was talking about the death of your enemies."

"Uh-huh," said Lawrence. "Anyway, it seems like a steal of a deal. Wait, are you taking a loss on this ring? That's… awesome!"

"Not the answer I expected, but if you're sure," said Master Carlos, snatching back his papers. Then, realizing Lawrence had touched them, he threw them on the floor and doused himself with another clearmist vial. "Since we're done here, you can all leave. Come back in five days to collect your rings downstairs from the main shop. Say you have a custom order. The password is Dally Dove Dave."

With that, Master Carlos exited the premises, and a wary doorman came up to get them. He eyed the pile of papers on the floor strangely, then sighed as he picked them up. "I'll need to have these copied on disinfected paper before he'll read them again. I take it he refused to fulfill your order?"

"Not at all," said Lawrence. "In fact, he seemed quite keen on fulfilling it."

"That's very strange, but I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth either," said the doorman. "Master Carlos's works can't be bought with just money."

Having finished their business, the three friends grabbed a meal together and shared their plans for the next two weeks leading up to the Shrine Descent. Gareth intended to train his archery, while Lawrence planned to provoke additional Flesh-Sanctification cultivators. For practice, of course.

"Provocation isn't just an art," Lawrence explained between mouthfuls of food. "It's a lifestyle."

"You're going to get yourself killed," warned Gareth. "Try to be a little more careful. And what about you and Lorimer? Nothing dangerous, I hope."

"Ree!" said the rat, finally free to act.

"Lorimer intends to gorge himself silly and break through to the third forging," said Sorin. "As for me, now that the issue of your bones is solved, I'm going to try broadening the range of poisons I can concoct. I also need to fine-tune my spelling and test out if they're still as effective.

"Just remember to take it slow," said Gareth. "My father always said cultivation is a marathon and not a sprint."

"You know what my father said about cultivation?" said Lawrence. "He said it's a damn waste of time, and you're far better off chasing skirts and eating cookies."

"Words of wisdom if I ever heard them," said Sorin, rolling his eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I need to go buy a collar for Lorimer. I was originally going to ask Master Carlos for a companion collar, but I had a hunch that he might have burned the building down if I pulled Lorimer out."

"Reee!" said Lorimer, poking his head out of his shirt pocket.

"Yes, I know he's unreasonable," said Sorin. "But when you're asking for the best you need to play by their rules." There was also the fact that Lorimer couldn't wear S-Tier gear. A-Tier would have to do.

Lorimer needed a collar because of one of Sorin's recent discoveries: Violence and Madness weren't truly incompatible, and they had a strange relationship that he was just beginning to understand.