Lena heard from Livia and Elin how Kalle may have gotten scammed, but that their Skills had provided no warning and the [Esperlock] himself had not seemed suspicious at the time either.
Yet Lena agreed that the signs were all there, the shopkeeper had been way too happy with the sale.
It was not just [Regional Player’s Barter] they were relying on for a sense of the price, but also [Cultural Dabbler] and [Socialite’s Allure] to give them other advantages. Not to mention how they counted on Kalle being able to sense if there was any ill intent with his [Esper’s Balm].
But it was not that simple, as Lena–the more experienced business owner–gladly explained. First of all, magic items were a completely different market to what they’d been able to measure so far on their journey and in Solhem.
Even if Elin’s Skill gave her a regional analysis on more common wares whose availability did not fluctuate much, it still needed more than one item to go off of when it came to sales as rare as those revolving around magic, where the pockets and wallets were deep indeed, meaning the price shifted as easily as the demand and supply.
Her other reasons made it clear how despite [Merchants] being a rather rare Class, with most people interested in earning coin just going the craftsmen-centric route and selling their wares themselves, [Merchants] were still around for good reason.
If Kalle expected a true sense of the man’s inner feelings he would have had to flare his Skill and even then the likely result would be him running into a defensive Skill meant to avoid manipulation of precisely that kind. Likewise the [Shopkeeper] would often have something to clear his mind too, in order to not be taken in by stuff like Livia’s charm Skill in [Socialite’s Allure].
And the available tools went even beyond Skills, sometimes you kept a clear head or stayed extra focused by way of some alchemical tincture, which was what Lena suspected Sten had run into when he told her about meeting the Solhem healer. He might not always be so rude, but may have just been working on something important enough to use something expensive.
And even that was only needed if they were about the same level as Livia. He would barely have needed to flex to disregard her low-level Skills if he was a full capstone ahead. Lower-level merchant Skills did not bite that deep at all on the well-prepared and experienced.
And these kinds of men were often chosen to carry their whole village's wares to market, and if you did not have anyone of a level high enough to do so profitably, then you might as well sell it at the nearest large town and save yourself the delay in your investment’s return.
It was a different way from how Salcret did things. Redd had simply bought the largest portion of the mill’s work outright, and the profits would now be his–just as the risks of bringing it all here had been.
And those profits would then by extension become the [Guild]’s–so long as he kept to what had been promised as they set out.
Livia had confided in Lena that she was emotionally prepared for him to change his mind, despite not having indicated as much during the trip.
Lena felt urged to set things straight that time. “You misread him, there is no hidden depth to that man,” Livia just looked surprised that Lena seemed so confident in her insight. “I don’t know his every reason for wanting to leave Salcret, but I do know that if there was one that affected you then directly then he would certainly tell you. He is too straightforward for anything else,"
That seemed to allay her worries, but Lena knew it would keep nagging until Redd had a proven track record. That was fine, it was the burden of leadership to rely on others and be relied on by many in return.
Livia seemed well-suited to it, if nothing else. In that she did not let it go to her head, but worked hard and seemed to know how it was important not to be seen profiting from your position personally. Not that the job shouldn't come with perks, but flaunting it too much was not only likely to breed resentment but it could also be an indication of low ambition. You had to ask, if they were reaping the rewards and resting on their laurels at this early stage, then how far could the talent beneath count on them to take this project of theirs?
Which seemed to Lena like a rare insight to have at her age.
It was reassuring.
Lena had plenty worries of her own. She was now a level 29 [Weaver], rising from 28 after working hard all winter and letting interns run her places of business.
It was a sacrifice, in terms of her contribution to the funds. Despite her not having [Innkeeper] Skills, it was more about the atmosphere you generated. Lena just knew how to really get people to stay around having a good time, until you may as well have another meal.
But Livia had agreed it should be worth it, despite the decrease in profits for their springtime-fundraising. Lena was glad, but it gave her something to live up to.
And so she’d kept weaving, and using up most of the good materials she had saved up over the years for if she ever got a Skill that could really use it. Now they spent it hoping for something else, hoping to fuel inspiration and progression of the craft, despite how she’d gone from trying to create beauty to instead creating sturdy cloths fit for outdoor-use mostly, at the request of Livia. If I'd ever gotten the right Skill, I could have had this canvas turned to something as sturdy and fine-looking as silk.
Now she was close to her capstone, and the first thing she had to do when they arrived to Dormata was set up shop at one of the rentals and work her ass off for the duration of the week, to finally close out the level and earn her Class upgrade.
Otherwise she would be waiting to level 40, an official late bloomer, in terms of earning more than a basic Class. That was if she got there at all–there was certainly no guarantee. She was only 32 years old, and being level 29 was not bad. Average, but certainly useful.
But after level 30 was a whole new grade of challenges, even for crafters who did not usually need to risk their life in combat. Plenty of people died of old age in their late 30s in terms of their Class.
It was where the line between veteran workers and artisans was drawn, and Lena had not ever felt like an artisan as a [Weaver]. It all felt too simple in her mind, and she had regretted the choice just a few years after picking it. It was just a way to stay busy, to keep earning her own keep and becoming grown up, independent. And as she found out eventually: Locked in.
Now here came her chance to change things. If she could earn it.
Livia had tasked her with creating their official [Guild] banner, sporting the motif they had figured out together with Oscar.
It was a surprise for everyone else; just in case the emotion of their unveiling and how impressed they were had any effect on Lena's odds of upgrading to something rare. Which was a far-fetched idea, but not the only one they were taking into account. It was hard not to get superstitious when dealing with something like the System.
At least Lena had a proper budget for the project.
They were only staying in Dormata for a week before heading back out again, but during that time she would have access to the markets, and her own workstation in a place that had the more advanced machines available too.
If this did not grant her the required level in the end, then she would be forced to wait behind here instead, and get started working on other ambitions, while they found a home for the [Guild].
It was not due to them forcing her away, but rather that she wanted a true place among them–not just as a friend but as a professional with a Class they could truly use–before she was just given one based on future promise that may well never be realised.
It was her own hang-up, but that did not make the choice any less clear.
When they finally went down the last bit of road and passed through the gates was when Lena finally stopped being distracted and focused on her [Guild] mate’s reactions to the capital.
They were of course ogling everything in sight like peasants, but not in the skyscraper fashion of craning your neck, no.
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Instead they were trying to watch both sides at once, and kept looking far down the streets whenever they passed another turn down a different passage.
The… Art. It was everywhere.
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Harold was in awe.
He had been since they made their way down the incline from Dormat and then approached the gates on the road between the fields of barley.
The city's buildings were mostly not huge, but certainly wide. And not one of them had less than five stories, with nothing but family businesses and smaller venues for entertainmant, mostly in the form of bars, all on the bottom row.
That’s not to say everything was uniform, in fact there were plenty of training halls and warehouses and even robust but welcoming inns with no attached taverns.
But compared to home, to Salcret... It was so amazing, and unique, with every corner and store having a different sign with artwork beyond any he’d seen before.
It was all so different, even from... Itself.
He did not even care if he was standing out by staring all around like a country-bumpkin, Redd and Lena and the rest who had been here before certainly seemed to find it amusing how he twisted his head back and forth trying to catch every intriguing view–but the thing was that Livia was doing it too.
And she’d been in New York. As a kid but still.
This was nothing like that. Looking one way you would be taken to a scene you recognised from the histories, the next would have a creature you had only heard described by a traumatised [Ranger] enjoying hot mulled apple drink by the fire after suffering an attack and losing his three dogs.
Then he recognised a kin to an old friend; a depiction of a prince of the forest, from someone who had clearly witnessed the true article.
It was like walking through a lane of your life brought up for review by the tip of a brush, but the scenes you did not recognise from your own life were all from the lives of your people, or your heroes.
And the magic flora, fauna and foreign affinities on display–it all painted him a picture of the future, and he did not wish to miss one single premonition. I am going to travel the world and see each of these for real, nothing is going to stop me if I can help it.
This was a new dream taking root, but no less sturdy for it.
He’d had similar thoughts, of wanting to meet every denizen of the forest for example, but this one was more daring, it was bolder. In fact it was a challenge; where if he did not make friends, then he would be like Van Vicci and the Panda-Ra–refusing to stop exploring, and challenging any who would stop him.
But the art was not all of it.
There were even other races of Elderwood here, supposedly come for trade, even including the notorious Foxkin whose members wore weapons openly to boot, including what looked to be magic staves and the like. Harold even spotted a huge, one-headed Ogre, who was plenty bigger and with a far deeper blue hue compared to the Island Ogres from the past winter.
He’d been keeping an eye out for [Druids] too, and Oscar was on the lookout as well, but they’d yet to spot anything better than suspects. None were as conspicuous as the [Druids] of the Rainbow Valley, or Harold himself for that matter.
But no matter, it was only just past noon and they had plenty of time to get settled and go searching for the rest of the week. Livia was unlikely to need much help from them after her and Elin helped Redd and Ronia get done with putting up the cargo for sale. Which means nearly a week to find someone who can tell me something crucial about these new Skills.
He was most curious about [Spellguard of Eden] and possibly [Path of the Druid], unless it was just a strict upgrade from [Nourishing Remains] that also allowed him to craft with the spoils left over, but maybe those of higher-tier magic animals? I hope it’s that simple, that would be a nice break from the norm. hah.
The sights all around were inspiring to an overwhelming degree, but even Harold got distracted by his thoughts after a while. That was until they came upon the ancient petrified fortress manor of Dormata, the building that had stood strong since the capital’s founding.
It was a Cloven arboreal palace, standing opposite the city hall on the main square of Dormata. It had taken the expedition nearly four hours of walking to even get here, despite the effectively handled flow of traffic with a barker at every intersection.
For the first time even the oldest members of the expedition stood in awe. This was not a sight you got used to, not unless you lived with it as your neighbour for years.
It looked abandoned, but it seemed nobody was even thinking about trying to enter. It appeared almost like a giant chestnut, but it still had a traditional wall all around it, of sorts. With the key difference being how the bottom, rather than having the one expected gate, had a hundred open arches, each looking very inviting in fact.
Yet nobody was walking in, nobody had business at the Cloven house apparently.
But then as Livia was watching a bright lime bird came flying and entered between the arches, and for just a second there was a slight green flash and Livia could have sworn something like automatic doors in the form of mobile shrubbery were about to close on it hard, just before stopping as the flash identified the creature.
Towering above those walls were beautiful elms in their full natural glory and then some, but the rest of what was visible was all part of the large chestnut structure. One day I’ll figure out how you get inside, I swear that could be the house of someone like Nalai upon a time, but it’s probably some Human noble nowadays who is the head honcho [Druid] or something.
They were headed past all this, and towards the northern gate in order to be closer to where they would be exiting Dormata in a few days; but this was where they said goodbye to their five hangers-on.
It had been one hell of a journey, and they were sad to see them go, but also so grateful they had all made it this far safely. There was no denying this was already a successful journey, no matter the profits; in terms of levels they were winners already.
The [Guild] did ask them to keep an eye out for Brunner and the rest of the lot from Salcret, but they would only remain in the city for a week after all, while most of those who made the trip stayed at least a month. Otherwise what was the point?
Well, if you asked the [Guild], they had a good one for heading out again so soon.
First thing tomorrow was putting everything up for sale, then renting a stall on the auction house floor.
Sten would be going to the adventurer’s [Guild] offices, hopefully to find someone to take responsibility for Jane, maybe even reward them for saving her, but that seemed like they were getting ahead of themselves.
Livia had secretly been hoping she would snap out of whatever had a hold of her mind by coming here, to her supposed home, but it seemed she barely recognised her surroundings, and she still seemed strangely wary of crowds.
There was a lot to get done, including sending Felix off to [Enchanting]-school and Redd & Ronia meeting up with their family.
But when they finally arrived at the inn that came so highly recommended by Brunner they handled the most important things first; they all got properly settled for a rest.