An excerpt from the journal of Shuye Skullcrusher, Guardian of the Ancient Hill Forest:

When Prince Baiyu knocked on my door an hour past midnight, full of apologies for disturbing my infant daughter’s rest by visiting at such a late hour, and holding a wooden box that radiated an overwhelming qi, I knew immediately that Violet had done something outrageous again.

I’m no alchemist or gemologist, but even I could tell that the so-called “diamonds” Violet had enhanced were not regular enchanted gems. My wife suggested they could be the Sacred Enlightenment Spirit Crystals from the legend of the Millennium Queen, the ones that had been created to capture the light of the First Star.

Prince Baiyu showed us how the qi from his heirloom treasure sword paled in comparison to the gems. According to him, the gemstone’s qi aura was stronger than that of the fabled Celestial Tempest Sword, which was the crown jewel of the Westerlands’ ruling family’s Eight Sacred Treasures.

Thankfully, most clan members weren’t strong enough to wield power of this magnitude, but still… everyone would want one.

He had come in the middle of the night to warn us to strengthen the guard around the Ancient Hill Forest in preparation for the hordes of requests and visitors that would undoubtedly arrive once word spread about the crystals.

I was both overjoyed and worried.

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On the one hand, if Violet could make enchanted gems of this caliber, then the demon egg might truly be no threat to us. On the other hand, knowing how greedy people were, clearly this would create great unrest.

Prince Baiyu relieved me of my other duties in the meantime, saying that he would send a seasoned warrior to oversee my villages’ defenses and training, and wished me luck in dealing with the aftermath of Violet’s revelation that she was the best alchemist since the Dawn Age.

At least I got another raise.

***

Three days after Prince Baiyu visited me, the Lady of West and her consort appeared in public wearing diamond crowns that shimmered with an otherworldly brilliance and staggeringly powerful qi aura.

The Lady declared that there would be a lottery every month that every clan member who didn’t have a gem yet could join.

Theoretically, this should have made it unnecessary for people to bother me about it, but clan members, especially the older ones, were famous for being stubborn.

Delegations from the Guild of Artificers, Smiths' Guild, Enchanters' Guild, Jewelers' Guild, and Alchemists' Guild came to confirm that I wasn’t selling more gems outside of the auction and to complain that they were being forced into the poorhouse by the release of the new gems.

I calmed them down as best as I could by promising that there was a limited supply of gems and that business would surely pick up once the auctions started. They would probably have even more customers than before since Violet was only selling loose gems that would need to be set into weapons, armor, or accessories.

Thanks to Prince Baiyu’s early warning, I was prepared, and, with the help of quite a number of royal guards, my people were able to turn away most of the gawkers and ordinary petitioners. The more high-ranking nobles, who were convinced they were too important to wait for the auction, needed a more delicate touch, so I was kept busy placating them.

I should’ve asked for a bigger raise.