The Emporium,

10th Banem, 1092.

The Emporium, fondly referred to as the 'Jewel of Merriheim,’ certainly lived up to its name. The circular, spectacular structure, the largest of its kind in all of Rosendun, was brightly lit up at night with several varying colored lights drawing the tourists' gazes and admiration from miles away.

Its rapidly soaring popularity had forced the Maggots to create more entrances around the building. However, even with these measures, the building’s surroundings were always tightly packed, and long queues had become par for the course. The hype and craze, deemed unnecessary and crazy by some skeptics, were immediately justified upon stepping a foot into the building.

Gaudily dressed characters in exaggerated poses greeted visitors. Every day, each welcoming staff member would put on a new costume designed by local artists. These colorful cast of characters immediately set the scene for what was, for most, an unforgettable crazy ride.

Tourists and locals could never find themselves bored in this building. Not when every corner was packed with unique activities and events. A person could enter the building, get his portrait drawn, have a sculpture of himself fighting a dragon, watch the performances of local and upcoming bands and musicians and still catch a play or two reenacting glorious moments in history, including some recent ones, of course.

A favorite of most tourists was the reenacting of the Battle for Riven. Especially the part where Kashi the daeben makes his entrance.

By now, there was not a soul in all of Rosendun and most of Merriheim who did not know this name. However, since the rise of Summoned impersonators and the fact there were so few who had met the daeben in person (and knew it was him), most could only turn to these plays to get an inch closer to the legend.

All these activities and more, coupled with savvy merchandising shops and restaurants with food from so many different regions, dictated that Residents who had never known a place like this were more than willing to pay whatever it took to maximize their stay as long as possible. It was no wonder then that while tourists entered empty-handed, they almost always exited carrying various bags filled with merchandise.

This kind of 'want-spending' was new to the Residents, who had always been content with spending on their basic needs. Somehow, the Emporium had become a sort of status symbol among Residents—especially the locals. Men who wanted to impress their intended beau needed to have at least taken them once or twice.

This, in turn, had created a chain reaction in the labor market. Men and women who would typically laze around the house rushed out into the streets eager to land well-paying jobs. Furthermore, even though the mines paid well, Emporium's existence meant that a faction of citizens had begun to develop the addictive drug called 'ambition.'

They wanted better-paying jobs that would allow them to enjoy themselves even more. Some wanted better pay for the sake of impressing their romantic partners, while others sought the power that came with wealth.

All in all, the bottom line was, Residents had slowly begun to graduate from primitive thinking of satisfying only needs to the insatiable nature of pleasures and wants. The desire for better-paying jobs pleased the upper echelon of the Hopeful Maggots because it meant that when they completed the Academy, it would not lack individuals looking to learn specialized employment with better pay.

However, all of this had nothing to do with a certain daeben who awkwardly stood outside a door with "STAFF ONLY" written boldly. Kashi scratched the back of his head as he looked at the mertian security guard glaring at him, baton in hand.

The security guard looked to be a retired warrior in his late forties, standing at about 190cm (6'2ft) with a broad, muscular frame that boasted his strength. A massive battle scar down the right side of his neck might have been the reason for his early retirement. Many adventurers and mercenaries chose to hang up their blades after experiencing such close shaves with death.

Larsial cupped her hand over her mouth in a bid to stifle the chuckle that threatened to rise up her throat. "It seems the great Kashi cannot get into his own building."

Kashi chose to ignore the apparent joy in Larsial's teasing voice. Unwilling to make a scene, once again pleaded his case. "I swear I am Kashi, Guild Leader of the Hopeful Maggots."

"Sure, and I am King Parissius," the guard scoffed with disdain. "Already met four of you posers today. Look at you. At least the other three took the effort. See those skinny arms. I bet they couldn't even crack a walnut. You think the great Kashi would look like you? At the very least, return after working on your muscles."

Kashi looked at his arms in shock. Muscles? He was a Summoned! By default, Summoned were incapable of building muscles getting fat regardless of how much hardwork or lack thereof they put in.

Larsial, who by this point was struggling to stand upright, forcefully suppressed her laughter just enough to ask, "Out of curiosity, how does the real Kashi look?"

"I've met him before, you know?" The security guard remarked as he puffed his chest in pride.

"Oh, you have, have you?" Kashi muttered in equal parts amusement and irritation. He shook his head as he took a sip from a drink he bought at a nearby store.

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"Of course!" the guard affirmed with a thump on his chest. "Was about a fortnight ago." The guard had clearly told this tale a thousand times. His voice dropped to a low whisper to build up suspense. "It was a dark night. I was hunting for some red scorpions for the wife, you see. She loves them fresh. Says the ones sold at the market are all days old. Gets the little ones' stomach running. So, anyway, that's when it happened. I was just about to kill my third for the night, had it in my sights and everything when the ground suddenly starts shaking something fierce. Now, I was mad, right? I mean, all that shaking scared my prey underground. But I'm a brave guy. So, I decide to see what's going on. So I walk for a bit right and climb this cliff close by. I look down, and what do I see?" The guard's eyes widened, hand spread wide to emphasize the largeness of the situation. "One daeben fighting against thousands of sand demons!"

"*Cough* What!?" Kashi coughed and spluttered, nearly choking on the drink. "Did you say thousands?"

"Yes!" The guard exclaimed with admiration and worship in his earnest gaze. "The lord's strength! Ah, you should've been there. The sand demons exploded with every punch. He would raise his hands, and dozens would just burst to ash! In all my years, I've never seen anything like that!" The security guard's gaze suddenly turned compassionate as he turned to Kashi and patted the daeben's shoulder. "I know you're a fan, but instead of impersonating him, you should do something productive to help our lord. Like me. I have given my life to protecting this little place as a show of my support for the lord."

Kashi let out a sigh. No wonder this guy misunderstood. Kashi knew the flames must have distorted his form, so he appeared bigger. Also, the explosions were a result of the gems in those sand ghouls going off. Kashi could not get mad at someone who was just doing his job. Even more so, when that person just spent five minutes waxing lyrical about Kashi's greatness.

"Hey, out of curiosity," Kashi, taking a page out of Larsial's book, started. "If Kashi were to come here, what would you ask of him?"

"Hehe, to get into the Hopeful Maggots, of course," the security guard replied with a sheepish smile. "But if that's too much, I'd take an autograph for the kids. Little tykes would worship me for a whole year, hehe."

"I hope your wishes come true," Kashi said, with his hand held out. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Me? I'm Lekan Varta." The guard grasped the daeben's hand in a firm handshake. "Ready to tell me your name now?"

"I already told you." Kashi grinned. "I'm Kashi of the Daeben."

"Of course you are." Lekan rolled his eyes. "Come ba--" Lekan quickly stepped aside as the door behind him cracked open.

"Kashi?" A little blue head poked through the tiny crack. However, upon seeing the smiling daeben, the door swung wide open, and a figure rushed into the daeben's embrace, almost tackling him to the ground in the process.

Lunette greedily buried her head in Kashi's chest and took in his scent. Smiling softly, she said, "Welcome back."

Kashi's grin softened to a warm smile. Gently patting her head, he muttered, "I'm back."

"Y-y-you're actually him?!"

Kashi glanced at Lekan, whose jaw had dropped, eyes wide in fear and shock. He exposed a teasing smile. "I did tell you."

"Um-Uh..." Lekan stuttered, his body visibly shaking. "I meant no offense, please."

Kashi laughed as Lunette released him and glanced at Lekan with curiosity. "None taken, Lekan-san," the daeben reassured. "In fact," he said as he took out Rosario's Brush. "Do you have anything I can sign on?"

"Huh? Sign? You mean-you really? Sign? Oh, Sweet Mera!" Lekan spluttered and stuttered as he rapidly patted himself down till he finally found the notebook in his breast pocket. He quickly opened it to the front page then held it out with both hands."H-h-here, Kashi-dono! Please sign this!"

The depths of Kashi's eyes brightened as he ran Rosario's brush across the front page. "Done."

Lekan nearly shuddered with joy as he hugged the notebook to his chest. "I... I will cherish this."

Kashi cracked at a teasing smile as he pointed at the door. "So, may I pass now?"

Lekan froze. His eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what was happening. Was his great lord actually joking with him? He immediately caught himself, and vigorously nodded. "Of course, of course!"

"Thanks for the hard work," Kashi pleasantly said as he passed by Lekan with Lunette and Larsial in tow.

Lekan had yet to get over his joy when Kashi's head popped back out. "Oh, and one other thing. Welcome to the Hopeful Maggots, Varta-san. Hard work is always appreciated in our guild. Someone will come by later to make things official."

Lekan's eyes almost rolled to the back of his head as he fought to steady himself. Wow! He could only imagine his children's reactions when he got home. Hehehe... he could almost imagine the jealousy on his friends' faces when he told them he was now part of the esteemed Hopeful Maggots.

With Kashi gone, Lekan opened the notebook to the first page.

From Kashi,

To Lekan and the Cute Little Ones

Underneath was a signature, the Hopeful Maggots' guild emblem, and a set of obscure images, which any mage would recognize as protection runes. Lekan had no idea at the time, but that notebook would become a family heirloom passed down through generations of his family.