The roast meats were objectively delicious. They had been smoked and seasoned to a flavorful perfection. Randidly had complained while visiting Kharon about the automaton-made food in the City Hall canteen, but all of the food of Kharon was made to taste bland in comparison to the food that the floppy-eared goblin casually shoved onto the table.

When they finished the first platter, the goblin returned to the kitchen and continued to cook. Luckily, the second course was easier to prepare than the first.

After the meats were a cool and slightly sweet soup and then a tray of roast vegetables. There were potatoes, green onions, peppers, and other strange vegetables Randidly didn’t recognize but was only too happy to stuff into his mouth. Under their care, the mound of food rapidly disintegrated. But what really brought Randidly joy was that after a larger belch over the empty veggie tray, the goblin had dusted off his shoulders and said. “Okay, that’s a good appetizer. Let's start on the main courses.”

Please forgive me for ever doubting you, hobbit-goblin, Randidly bowed his head toward the departing back of the chef. At this point, his appetite was only whetted, but it seemed the chef shared his intentions. Then he turned his attention back to the Path screen.

Again, his eyes first went to Fiber of the Nether System Path. Randidly tapped a finger on the heavy wooden table and his expression turned serious. He could handle the 5000 PP price tag and it definitely seemed like the Path would improve his chances of success in incorporating planets into his Alpha Cosmos. In terms of his immediate goals, this was exactly what he wanted.

Just spending this PP takes away an opportunity to solve another deficiency in the short term… but well, what else will I need but this…? So after letting loose a sigh, Randidly began freely spending his PP.

To his surprise, he didn’t earn any Stats from adding PP to the Path. But at the same time, every 50 PP he poured down the Path earned him +1 Weight.

I suppose Nether is part of the underpinnings of the System… and Weight is an Attribute of Nether… but actually this is quite a boost... Heh, and considering how long the Path is...

In total, the Path earned Randidly another 100 points in Weight, which was equivalent to another 10% boost in his capabilities. And that was even before he received the bonus from completing the Path.

Congratulations! You have completed the Fiber of the Nether System Path! Beyond the limits of the normal Nexus and its Ways lies a vast network of connections that rely on the mysterious energy of Nether to function. The Nexus’s foundation are deep and broad. Although taking this route has not bought you time in our Path to the Pinnacle, the depths of this vista hint at universal truths. The value of such a view resonates with your soul.

Weight +50! Congratulations, you have learned the Skill Nether Draftsman (R)-

Synchronicity detected… Recalculating…

Congratulations! You have learned the Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath (M)! Level set at 100 due to synchronicity.

Right Hand of the Nether Polymath (M): By relying on your analytical sense of touch, you are able to have a deep degree of insight into any Nether Arrays that you encounter. In addition, there is a small likelihood that you are able to detect and sense flaws in a Nether Array, due to your experience with observing Nether behavior. Efficacy of utilizing Nether increases with Skill Level. Chance to detect flaws slightly increases with Skill Level.

Randidly was quite pleased with the rewards of this Path. Even just the Weight he received would have left him with a smile, but the new passive Nether Skill was an added bonus. Unlike Left Hand of the Nether Oracle, the Right had of the Nether Polymath was a much more practical Skill, aimed at his ability to understand and identify flaws in Nether Arrays. Having such a Skill would save him quite a bit of time.

Even just sitting here, as he reconsidered the organic weave of the Nether Rituals that Randidly had been using in his practice, he found a few areas that felt wrong or incomplete to him. The entire Nether Array didn’t need to be uniform; part of organic systems were organic transitions…

Congratulations! Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath (M) has grown to Level 101!

Congratulations! Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath (M) has grown to Level 102!

Plus, I’ll never say no to a new source of Skill Levels, Randidly grinned at the notification but was soon distracted by the kitchen door being kicked open again. This course was an extravagant six suckling pigs (or at least they were pig-like enough that Randidly didn’t dig any deeper into their origin) stuffed with saffron, sage, and ground chickpeas. The little piglets were covered in a sweet apple glaze that filled the slightly sunk dwelling with a rich aroma.

The two set about the quiet task of eating their food with the utmost sincerity. Neither spoke to each other; they were simply accompanying each other for a meal. Teeth and meat danced, a prelude to digestion.

After they both cleaned their plates, the goblin produced a wooden pick and began to flick pieces of gristle out from between his tiny teeth. He eyed Randidly speculatively. “You full yet?”

“Nope,” Randidly grinned.

The goblin nodded sagely and then got up to amble back to the kitchen. “Good, good. Hum, what should we eat next…?”

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“Oh, wait,” Randidly called out, abruptly making a decision. He hesitated for a second as the goblin turned around, but forced him to release a breath and continue. “Can I… invite someone else?”

“Will they be eating?” Suddenly the goblins face turned cold. His eyes were small and beady, but extremely potent. But when Randidly shook his head, the goblin grinned and all his suspicion disappeared. “Fine, fine. As long as they don’t try to steal food, it’s fine.”

Randidly rolled his eyes. Is this why you don’t have any customers? Because you are constantly worried about people walking in here to take your food…? But he didn’t say anything. Instead, he thoughtfully composed a message for Claudette Beigon and sent it.

I want to meet to talk about your proposal. Are you free?

Then Randidly settled back in his seat to practice with Nether Arrays underneath the table, but the woman replied almost instantly. Thank you for your openness. Where are you?

Randidly looked toward the closed door to the kitchen and sent the address of the strange restaurant to Claudette Beigon. This time there was a long break between her messages before Randidly eventually received an ‘on my way’ from the student of the Frost Matriarch. Randidly leaned back in the chair and spread his fingers back out on the table. Thin threads of Nether wrapped around his fingers.

At the same time, it was quite difficult to concentrate. New, appetizing scents began wafting out of the kitchen.

Randidly was practically licking his lips in anticipation when a door opened, but he was a little disappointed that it was Claudette, opening the creaking oak front door and peering past the threshold into the dimly lit almost basement. When she saw Randidly, her expression brightened into a charming smile and she walked forward to join him at the booth. Unlike their encounter in the reformatted space of the Nether King and Commandant Wick, she currently wore a fluttering sundress that was white with a single drop of blue pigment, earning it a color several shades more delicate than robin’s egg.

Without her armor, her limbs were thin and elegant. Truly, she oozed refinement and privilege.

She folded her legs underneath her and pushed her golden hair behind her ears. “Mr. Ghosthound. I’m surprised you reached out so soon. After our previous meeting… well, I was a bit afraid that you didn’t want anything to do with me. You treated me quite coldly.”

Randidly’s lips twitched. “I think we both know that I was too distracted by the situation to seriously consider your offer. But I’ve had some time in time dilation to give it some thought… and before I get any more details, I want to ask you something. Your identity… your situation… it isn’t simple, right?”

“You could say so,” Claudette’s smile shyly widened.

Randidly kept his gaze firm as he looked at her. “Then the fact that I’m your best choice… let’s be frank. For all the different personas I’ve seen you assume to fit the situation, the core of Claudette Beigon is calculating. If you genuinely believe that I’m your best option… without any experience, after only the briefest of chances to know me, then something is going on behind the scenes. And me interfering… I want to know who I’m antagonizing.”

Some of Claudette’s smile began to wilt. “Well… that’s a long story. But… you cannot deny that you accomplished something on the frontlines that none of the others present could replicate. Your ability to utilize Nether… well, I hope-”

Her words were cut off by the long-awaited kick-down of the kitchen door. The goblin marched out caring two large trays, barely sparing a glance for the newly arrived Claudette. As for the young woman, she gargled strangely as the words she was about to say were caught in her throat. She tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrows at Randidly, as though to say, ‘who is this?’.

Randidly grinned and half-shrugged in return. “This is the chef.”

“I was told you wouldn’t be eating,” The goblin informed Claudette as he plopped down next to her. Her smile was somewhat brittle as she scooted deeper into the booth to make room. This course was thinly sliced meats that were covered in a strange, nut spread and rolled, but Randidly gratefully dug into the food without questioning how much this goblin relied on meat for its diet.

“But if you do want something…” The goblin spoke with his mouth open, sliding the meats down into his gullet. He pointed at Randidly’s tray. “...steal from him.”

“It smells delicious,” Claudette said politely. Then she remained silent, her smile pinned to her place until both Randidly and the goblin had finished their meal and patted their stomach in satisfaction. After the chef had taken the plates away and gone back to the kitchen, she quirked her eyebrow upward.

“The chef is eating with a customer?”

“So who am I offending by helping you?” Randidly countered.

Claudette sighed. Randidly could almost see her mentally acknowledge that charm wouldn’t work with him, so she took a different tack; her eyes glittered with earnestness as she spoke. “...my father, indirectly. Both because… he wants to use me as a bargaining chip and your actions will, hopefully, give me the capability to resist that. But also… he can be somewhat possessive. And although I am not sure if this is the case, I suspect… he has already ‘sold’ me to someone. If you can help me improve my image enough for it to matter… whoever that is… will likely also hold a grudge. And they are likely-”

Claudette paused and stared at Randidly. “...why are you making that face?”

Randidly shook his head slowly. With his emotional senses, he could pick out the lonely chord of truth in what Claudette had been saying. And that chord resonated powerfully with his own childhood. “...your father is selling you for his own benefit? I’m… sorry. I sorta also haven’t had… a great relationship with my father either, so… I get how rough that can be. That you don’t matter, not really, not compared to what he wants, until you are useful to him.”

“Oh.” Claudette reached up and fussed with her hair for a second. The two individuals didn’t look at each other. Randidly pressed his fingers against the table, while his heart shifted uncomfortably as he thought of Ezekiel.

I didn’t sense his image in my visit, but… that just means he’s definitely not in Kharon. Where did he go, I wonder…?

Claudette cleared her throat. “It’s just the way my life has always been; I don’t really think about it. But what I was saying is that… the person who bought me is probably quite an influential individual in their own right. So you’d be offending them too.”

Randidly clenched his jaw briefly, then forced himself to relax. Somehow, it was difficult to think about the people he would need to be wary of after helping Claudette, especially when he imagined the gleeful act of smashing her father in the face.

But I need to find out the truth first. Randidly gave Claudette a searching glance. And how I can benefit from this arrangement...