A day after the clash between the Progenitor and Ength, Dollar Tiberius walked along the lakebed, crossing over stubborn rocks and patches of sand as he fought against the current flowing over him. The necklace of water breathing swayed gently in the water, and his vision was a cacophony of glimmering lights each belonging to a different creature. Colonies of tiny animals glittered like gemstones as they swam in groups, larger creatures moved in solitary vigil, and others were immobile, waiting for prey, and most of them were hidden in crags and peeking out from underneath rocks.

A profound sense of admiration swaddled him as he viewed the world with a new sense. On Earth, he’d never imagined experiencing something like this, and now that he was, he could see how much a new perspective could change his entire view on life.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of the confines of the dome’s magic and allowed his vision to diminish as the murky waters encompassed him. Normally, he would have hesitated to exit the protection of the dome without Mitsy or Bill, but the lights didn’t vanish alongside his sight, instead, red, green, blue, silver, and even gold greeted him wherever he looked, a rainbow of lights twinkling across the lake.

He’d never realized just how full of life the world was.

This was the power of his [Aura Sense], and his bloodline. A uniqueness to life presented itself, and now that he could see auras, he could also see how deeply varied life was, and how the ecosystem had adapted to it. No two creatures held the same light, each aura varying subtly in tone, depth and shade.

Most auras were silver, with a few glimmering with golden specks. Others held curious red, and grimacing purple. Green shimmered brightly among the reeds and underwater plants, while several creatures attached to the rocks seemed to glow dull brown and gray, mixing in with their environment.

It’s like camouflage. Dollar admired them. Which means they evolved to develop their own aura protections, even if I wasn’t aware of them.

He wondered if this was how the invisible creature had found them time after time. It didn't have eyes, unless he’d burned them off with his fire symbol, but if it had a way of sensing auras then it would make sense.

That could be why it attacked us when I was holding the Greil petals. It must have looked like I’d unlocked my life essence. Dollar was keeping a wary eye out for the invisible predator, but he wasn’t worrying. After all, life couldn’t be lived in fear of risks.

Above him Ength’s aura barrier glimmered bright silver and gold, visible to all.

I can’t believe it worked. Dollar allowed himself a moment of weakness to admit his doubts. I acted like it would. I knew it would, like I know everything I do works out. But even then, I had some doubts.

Dollar shut off that part of him with a smile, and continued gazing at the barrier he’d created.

The shield of aura was constantly active, cutting off the surface of the lake from the outside world. Dollar couldn’t gauge just how long it would stay put, but judging from his grandmother’s words it would likely be a few months.

Which was absolutely perfect for him.

His plans had gone perfectly, with passage through the lake blocked off entirely. Ships were moored, and luxury supplies were dwindling. Several skyships had begun doing emergency runs for the richest clientele, and Dollar had watched them from the dome with a smile. It would have cost House Tiberius an arm and a leg to commission the skyships to do those supply trips. His uncle’s reputation would suffer the entire time, and Dollar would be given the peace and quiet he needed to study the new symbols and artifacts he’d gained.

It was a perfect ploy. And now he was reaping the rewards.

Crash.

Dollar jolted as he was hit by a playful shoulder and flung through the water, the currents gathering like a stream around him. His body glimmered as a transparent shield appeared, his protection symbol revealing itself and mitigating the damage.

“What was that?” Dollar mouthed to his assailant.

I really need to make an artifact that lets me transmit sound to her and Bill through the water, Dollar thought. And something to defend myself. Actually, I think I just need to make everything.

A head of blonde hair and vibrant green eyes greeted him as Mitsy bobbed up and down, kicking fiercely until she’d reached his side. With a grin she raised her fists mischievously, punching out at the water in a clear invitation to fight.

“Surprise attack practice,” she said, her words dissipating into the water.

“It’s not very surprising if you keep doing it every time I go out,” Dollar shook his head.

His words had barely left his lips when a shadow loomed over him, and he looked back in horror to see a giant peach-furred belly flying toward him. Bill slammed into him with the force of a car and Dollar yelped as he was thrown onto the ground.

Beside him, Mitsy laughed her head off, and Bill let out a joyful oink and then immediately regretted it as his mouth filled with water. Unlike Dollar and Mitsy, he didn’t have an artifact of water breathing. Dollar watched as the grec ran back to the safety of the dome and he groaned, spreading his arms out wide and surrendering to the gentle pull of the water as it helped him float in peace.

Emerald eyes gazed down at him and Mitsy’s lips parted into a beaming grin, “surprise.”

Dollar threw a glob of wet sand at her face, but Mitsy swatted it out of the way with ease.

His protection symbol flickered in and out of existence as it timed out, disappearing and leaving him vulnerable. Dollar considered renewing it but shook his head and righted himself, walking back into the dome. There was work to be done.

With a pop he crossed through the transparent wall, greeted happily by Bill. The grec trotted beside him, his hulking figure now a constant bastion of calm. Dollar scratched the uni-pig’s belly as he sat down. He’d taken the time to carve out a particular spot for himself, and had chosen an area toward the edge of the dome that allowed him a full view of the radiant world of life unveiled by his aura sight.

A plume of sand rose and fell as Bill plonked himself onto the ground beside Dollar, gazing at the waters with his opal eyes and watching out for stray fish.

“You cover a large portion of that light,” Dollar told Bill. “I can see you brighter than anything else here.”

“Oink? Oink.” Bill nodded, then dug his snout into the sand and rolled around. He growled happily the entire time.

Dollar chuckled, and then gazed up as Mitsy joined him. She still held the remains of the sand glob in her hands.

“You missed me,” Mitsy said.

“I wasn’t trying to hit you,” Dollar smirked. “According to grandma, nobody can enter the lake until the barrier is gone, and she can’t be here anymore. Not around me.”

“And we can’t go to the surface without Lotan,” Mitsy said. “Which means we can’t afford to get hurt while we’re here.”

Huh. I hadn’t thought of that, Dollar thought.

“I know,” Mitsy said.

Dollar shot her a sharp glance, and she giggled. “If we had the gravity symbol, we could.”

With a flick of his hand Parelius’ broken wristband appeared in Dollar’s palm. The weight of the gravity symbol inside the destroyed artifact resonated with his being and pushed against his mind. It was a deep purple color, and he was surprised to realize that it wasn’t aura. The symbol was simply purple.

I wonder if that has something to do with its element? Dollar wondered.

He examined the wristband in the same way he had a hundred times before, hoping to discern its secrets without the months of hard work he knew he’d need.

“Is gravity magic a thing?” Dollar asked.

“If it is, it’s rare enough that I haven’t met anyone with it,” Mitsy glanced at the band. “How long will it take you to learn that?”

Dollar glanced at her, wondering if she wanted to know how long it would be until they could escape, but, curiously, she didn’t seem upset at being trapped in the lake for a period of months. She’d agreed to his plan to block off the lake, but he’d assumed that was just a decision she’d made based on practicality, and that she’d come to resent it.

Instead, she looked relieved.

In fact, if he didn’t know better, he’d say that she was positively giddy about the respite. As though the shield was as much a benefit to her as it was to him. Unfortunately, Mitsy was always joyful, so he couldn’t tell if his observations were genuine or if she was just being herself.

But why? Does she have something or someone she wants to hide from? Dollar wondered.

“I’ll get it done as soon as possible.” Dollar promised, tucking the gravity wristband away. “How do you feel about all this?”

“I’m fine, why?” Mitsy asked. “Bill’s been a lot trottier around me lately too, don’t think I haven’t noticed.

He saw Bill glancing at him, and then the grec looked at Mitsy.

Dollar and Bill shrugged in unison.

“Oink.” “Just curious.”

He lifted himself off the sand and brushed himself off as Bill joined them. Together, the trio made their way to the house and soon found themselves relaxing in the kitchen. They lounged back, relaxed and exhausted after the events of the day.

Entwined between the chairs was a piece of string that Bill liked to play with. The grec bounced his horn against it, and when it was at its breaking point he released the tension, his head flying back dramatically as he squealed with joy.

Dollar and Mitsy chuckled, and Mitsy tapped the table, drawing their attention.

“It’s not a bad thing to be trapped in here for a while,” Mitsy said, her eyes lingering on the duo. Her smile shifted, losing part of its beam as Mitsy grew calm. “It’s kind of nostalgic, actually. The adventure of it all, not the trapping part.”

“Oh, really?” Dollar asked.

“I feel like I used to feel when I was younger, very excited and out of the loop,” Mitsy said, her tone honest. “You know, back when it was me and my mum, she would always do these amazing things, magic and all, and then she’d tell me, ‘you’ll learn this stuff when you’re older’. Well, it's fine to see it happen, but not knowing how or why is really annoying.”

“Huh,” Dollar fell into thought.

Has she ever mentioned her mother before? Dollar wondered.

Mitsy saw his pause and a look of realization crossed her features.

“Wait, no, that sounded bad, but it’s good,” Mitsy held her hand up and her cheeks puffed up. “I mean, we’re here, trapped in a lake filled with creatures I’ve never seen before. An invisible assassin is out there, unless it was locked outside too, and here I am, stuck between a godly presence and a stubborn child, and wondering how I even got here. That’s the kind of feeling I wanted to capture when I became an adventurer. That's why I did it.”

Dollar turned to Bill. “She called you stubborn.”

“Oink,” Bill shook his head indignantly, and then gazed at Mitsy a hurt stare, his opal eyes watering.

The chair underneath Dollar jolted as Mitsy kicked its legs, and Dollar gulped.

“So, you traveled with your mother?” Dollar asked.

She paused, and he could see he’d hit a sore spot. As far as he could recall, Mitsy had travelled with Grisham and only ever mentioned her father. Mitsy hadn’t intended to let that little detail slip, and she instantly clamped her lips shut and shook her head.

“I’m just pouting,” Mitsy waved her hand dismissively. “But I’m actually really happy. You have no idea how much I need this break.”

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“Really?”

“Absopositively,” Mitsy beamed.

“Normal Mitsy then.” Dollar held back a smile, and her pout deepened. “Hey, I just call it like I see it. Well, I’m not going to keep you out of the loop here. Mostly. Let me just figure out where to start.”

“I already figured out most of it,” Mitsy said. “I’m more curious about him.”

Her finger directed Dollar’s attention to Bill, and the grec tried to look behind him, before realizing she meant him. Bill trotted forward and then plopped down, exposing his belly for scratches. Dollar obliged as he and Mitsy stared at the grec’s new movement symbol. He had seen it glowing gold when using his [Aura Sense].

“That’s something I can’t explain.” Dollar said. Which is really annoying, since I’d like to know how Bill is doing that. “My best guess is a bloodline, like you said before.”

“Oink,” Bill nodded. It was his best guess too.

The lights of the symbol’s auras disappeared as Dollar turned off his [Aura Sense]. It was a strange ability. Unlike his other [skills], it wasn’t instant or instinctual, instead, it felt like he had to shut his mind’s eye to turn off his new senses.

It was a little uncomfortable, and every few seconds his mind’s eye would open up again when it got tired of being shut. That made the world flicker periodically with lights if Dollar wasn’t being careful.

I can see Bill’s symbols clearly. Each one a patch of gold among silver. Then there’s Mitsy, who’s aura is glowing an entirely different color across half her body. Dollar pursed his lips. Everybody had their secrets, and it wasn’t his place to pry, but he wasn’t going to hide that he could see it either.

Not revealing those kinds of things tended to blow up in people’s faces and cause unnecessary drama.

But she’s not the only one holding back, is she? Dollar pondered.

“We’re going to be here for months because I’m running from my enemies. House Tiberius is one thing, but now, apparently, the other side of my family is trying to kill me too,” Dollar said. “Neither of you are saying anything about it, but I know that knowledge, and the lack of context, has to be weighing on your minds.”

Bill glanced up at him, and laid his head against Dollar’s side.

“You really don’t have to explain all this. If a bloodline clan wants you dead, then that’s that. It’s confusing, but I can handle it,” Mitsy said. She leaned back on her chair, tapping the back of her hand against the door of the kitchen’s pantry. “I know what it’s like to keep secrets and I won’t judge you for staying silent. It’s the smart thing to do.”

“The smart thing to do,” Dollar repeated. “You’re right.”

That’s always been the way with me, hasn’t it? Doing the smart thing. Dollar thought. Knowing House Tiberius wants me dead is one thing, but the forces gathering against me are growing in number and power. She’s keeping a straight face, but Mitsy must have felt the clash between the Progenitor and Ength. Two beings far beyond us fought, and we were caught in the crossfire. But like she said. The smart thing would be to keep quiet. After all, if she knew just how strong the Progenitor was, and just how angry the being had been, then she might choose to abandon me. Keeping her in the dark would help me avoid that possibility.

A strange sensation of familiarity crossed Dollar’s heart, and he shuddered. On Earth, he’d played with companies and employees like a game of chess. No matter how close a person got to him, they were only ever a piece on the board, never a fellow player. Not to him. People would know his goals, and see his triumphs, but his vulnerabilities, and his weaknesses, were kept tightly locked in his heart and mind.

Those who knew his past could be counted on one hand. Those who knew his heart couldn’t be counted at all.

But Dollar wasn’t the same as he was back then, and this wasn’t a chess game.

Silence fell over the room as he looked at Bill and Mitsy. They had risked their lives to save him, jumping into the maw of a leviathan and fighting against golems and monstrous creatures alike, but now, he was hiding things from them that could endanger their lives.

“Trust is so annoying,” Dollar exhaled, the gesture surprising Mitsy, who paused and stared at him.

“Dollar?” Mitsy probed.

She steadied herself and placed her elbows on the table. Her eyes flickered with concern, but then she met his gaze, and she was hit with a conviction as sturdy as the barrier covering the lake above her. Dollar’s eyes pierced through her, and for a moment she felt as though she were in the presence of a person far, far beyond her.

“Mitsy,” Dollar said, “tell me, how much do you know about Ength?”

Mitsy tilted her head in confusion, her wet hair slapping against her shoulder. “Your fake adventurer name?”

Dollar’s lips curled into a smile. His shoulders felt a lot lighter than they had a moment ago.

“I’ve got a lot of ground to cover. Let’s start from the beginning.”

****

Bill growled in contentment. The uni-pig’s belly had been scratched a hundred times by the time Dollar was finished with his tale. The grec didn’t know what Dollar was talking about, but it was told in an extremely monotone and factual voice as Dollar spoke each segment of his tale as though he were listing out bullet point items in a business meeting. He focused on his mother’s side of the family, and how they were apparently all under the chains of the progenitor. Then he explained a bit about his time with Ength, and what exactly Ength was. Finally, he described just how deep the Progenitor’s hatred dug. His ancestor wouldn’t be content leaving him alone. She would hunt him to the ends of Ioa to crush him under her fist.

Normally, he would demand something in return, like a bit of information that he could use to blackmail the person. That way he’d know that his story wouldn’t get out. But apparently, trusting someone meant believing that they wouldn’t go spilling your secrets at the slightest prompting or bribing.

How do people do this trust thing? Dollar’s skin crawled as he gave away valuable information for free.

Dollar didn’t tell her about all of his [skills] or what they did. This was a little too much trust. And she didn’t want to know. So, he kept his description of [Ength’s Touch] vague, focusing instead on the connection between himself and Ength, and explaining how the two forces of Ength and his bloodline awakening had caused the strange phenomenon.

Mitsy’s mouth opened and closed, and then opened again. She was shocked, that much was clear.

“That was the most epic tale I’ve ever heard, and I deeply regret that you don’t have a bard’s voice,” she raised her hands and made several dynamic motions that loosely mimicked a bard tell a tale, or seizure patient. “I’m not sure if you’d find a following or lose an entire audience with that spiel. Where’s your flair for the dramatic?”

“I left it at home with my parents,” Dollar replied dryly.

It’s not my fault I’m more used to giving business reports than telling tales. Dollar’s cheeks would have flushed, but he maintained a perfect poker face.

Bill oinked in agreement with Mitsy and Dollar poked the animal in the stomach, prompting a retaliatory kick against his chair. The grec’s hoof cracked the seat’s leg and Dollar shot up before it collapsed.

After nudging the seat gently a few times, he tentatively sat back down, worried the chair would collapse underneath him.

“We aren’t going to survive a month,” Mitsy chuckled. “Especially if we’re practicing fighting, and working on [skill] gaining.”

“I’ll spar a bit, but I don’t know how much I can do while memorizing symbols.”

Mitsy raised an eyebrow at him, and Dollar realized he’d misinterpreted her words.

“I’m not saying you’re going to be practicing fighting, but I am,” Mitsy said. “It’s how I level.”

Dollar stared at her.

Mitsy stared back at him, and then smiled lightly.

“You’re telling me all this stuff. So, it’s only fair to give in return,” Mitsy said. “[Skill] gaining, and fighting. That’s how I level up. It doesn’t have to be a real fight, just practicing with the intent to fight in mind is enough for me..”

You’d be eaten alive in the business world. Dollar thought. But he couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

This was the other part of trust he was equally unfamiliar with. Mitsy was giving him her secrets without expecting anything in return, even if she didn’t have to. Not only that, but she seemed to think it was perfectly normal.

Maybe one day that’ll become my normal. Not having to worry about being backstabbed for sharing secrets, and not having the people around me worry if I’ll use them or leave them behind in an instant. Dollar glanced at the ground as an unfamiliar emotion crossed his chest. That doesn’t sound so bad.

“You level up when you gain [skills]?” Dollar asked.

“That’s the main one,” Mitsy beamed. “I also level when I improve my skills in general, not System ones. If I can throw a punch better than I could yesterday, I level. If I can kick better, or in a different way, or even if I learn a new fighting move, then I level. If I can write smoother, eat quicker, and jump higher, I’ll level.”

Dollar’s mouth parted, and his jaw dropped. “That’s so unfair. I would kill for that level shift.”

“You can try. That counts as fighting too,” Mitsy smiled, a predatory grin that made Dollar shiver. “Don’t worry, I don’t know too many killing moves.”

It worries me that she doesn’t know zero. Dollar tapped his side nervously.

Mitsy giggled at his expression and waved her hand dismissively. “If I heard your tale right, we’re stuck here? I thought we would be, but hearing the strength of this Ength being makes it easier to accept.”

“Is that still a good thing for you?” Dollar asked. “Or were you just pretending before?”

“Dollar, there’s treasure below us,” Mitsy’s eyes twinkled with joy. “I don’t care if it’s a symbol or a dungeon, this is our chance to prepare while the competition is scarce. The Tournament of Kings will be drawing people from all over the world, and that means they can’t bother us. Some clans might send a delegation, but most won’t bother to come here at all.”

Oh right, the Tournament of Kings is on soon. Dollar had forgotten about that during the madness of his bloodline awakening.

“Would they really participate in the tournament over this?” Dollar felt a flicker of doubt. “I know you can’t sense it, but this is an extremely powerful symbol.”

Mitsy nodded, “the tournament can make or break a clan. An unknown symbol can’t, especially if it's being pursued by multiple people. I don’t know much about symbologists, but I do know that they tend to break symbols that they can’t have. The chances are high that this symbol won’t make it out of here intact.”

The mentality of, ‘If I can’t have it, nobody else can’, is universal. Dollar thought.

He wasn’t too surprised at her words. His father and uncle had entered the top sixteen of the symbologist portions of the tournament and that had given House Tiberius enough clout to become one of the top seven households in the southern continent. No household or clan would want to miss that opportunity, even if they lost the chance to claim an unknown symbol.

“Well then, there’s no time to waste,” Dollar said. “I have power to grasp.”

With a huff he leapt off the chair and made his way outside, ignoring Mitsy’s and Bill’s surprise at his sudden shift in attitude. Unlike them, he was used to switching between personal chats, business, and necessity at will.

There was a glimmer of power as he brought out the wristband with the gravity symbol and paired it in his hands with his necklace of water breathing. Both would be absolutely vital to his success in the coming months, but even if he was uninterrupted for months, it wouldn’t be easy to memorize the symbols in time, let alone use them, since a middle-rank symbol like the gravity symbol could take years to learn.

I need more time. Or to memorize them faster.

Dollar opened his status screen and watched as several blue boxes appeared at his prompting.

[Available core points to assign: 2.]

[Would you like to promote one of your skills to rank 2? Y/N.]

“Yes,” Dollar nodded.

A new screen popped up, one he hadn’t seen before.

Skills eligible for promotion:

Symbol Memorization (Uncommon): Rank 1, level 50.

Symbol Memorization rank 2: Symbol Memorization’s efficiency increases by 1% per level.

Symbol Library (Uncommon): Rank 1, level 50.

Symbol Library rank 2: Symbol Library will guide your movements when you craft symbols that are recorded within its pages. Speed and accuracy of library symbols crafted increases by 2% per level.

Symbol Obscurity (Rare): Rank 1, level 50.

Symbol Obscurity rank 2: Symbol Obscurity will now obscure the element of any symbol you create with the elemental energy of another.

Ength’s Touch (Legendary): Rank 1, level 50.

Ength’s Touch rank 2: ????.

Unknown? Dollar stared.

That was a surprise.

However, he wasn’t worried. [Ength’s Touch] was too powerful to have its rank up be anything less than astounding.

“Geez, I thought I had more. I’ve been slacking,” Dollar said.

If his father, Marcus, had been here to hear Dollar, he would have coughed up blood. Most seven-year-olds hadn’t even picked a [class] yet, let alone leveled their abilities to level 50. Unless there were exceptional circumstances, promoting two [skills] was usually done at the same time that a person was having their midlife crisis.

“Let’s see…”

Dollar dismissed [Symbol Library] immediately. It could hold all the symbols he had and more, but even more importantly, his mental fortitude was strong enough to handle the burden of the symbols. [Symbol Library] was meant to aid him there, and currently he didn’t need that help.

[Symbol Obscurity] was his favorite [skill] after [Transcriber of Reality]. It made his symbols impossible to copy or steal. But right now he didn’t have that issue, and anyone powerful enough to get past his ability could probably just take the symbol from him by force.

Right now, what he needed was to speed up his progress and grow in power. There were only two options that granted those benefits, even if one was unknown.

“Promote [Symbol Memorization] and [Ength’s Touch],” Dollar said, his voice laced with certainty.

[Promotion confirmed. A wise choice.]

Dollar’s eyes narrowed at the message, but it was quickly replaced by another.

[Available core points to assign: 2 > 0.]

[Upgrading Symbol Memorization…]

[Congratulations! Symbol Memorization is now rank 2 level 1.]

[Symbol Memorization rank 2: Symbol Memorization’s efficiency increases by 1% per level.]

[Note: Symbol Memorization rank 2 considers prior levels obtained during rank 1. Current memorization boost: 50%.]

[Upgrading Ength’s Touch…]

[Upgrading Ength’s Touch…]

[Upgrading Ength’s Touch…]

“Why did you send that prompt three times?”

Something tugged against his heart as he spoke, and he sensed that he’d asked something he shouldn’t have. With pursed lips, Dollar retracted his curiosity. He would get his answers, but he knew when to pick his battles.

He had enough things to worry about and he didn’t need to add an angry System on top of them.

[Congratulations! Ength’s Touch is now rank 2 level 1.]

[Ength’s Touch rank 2: Strengthen a symbol’s existence by 1% per level. Base boost of 11%. Symbols with higher strength of being carry a small chance of evolving into a higher rank. Symbols that reach 50% strength of being will have a moderate chance of evolving into a higher rank. Higher ranked symbols will be different from their lower ranked counterparts and will have to be re-learned to obtain them permanently.]

[Note: Ength’s Touch rank 2 considers prior levels obtained during rank 1. Current symbol efficiency boost: 70%. Current symbol existence boost: 11%.]

“Holy divine,” Dollar forgot all about his anger at the system as he viewed the effect.

Rank 2 of [Ength’s Touch] allowed him to upgrade the rank of his symbols. No, it would evolve them into higher ranked symbols. Even if it was a low chance now, with more levels it would become an unbeatable ability in his arsenal.

If he could create middle-ranked symbols from low-ranked ones, or even higher-ranked symbols from middle-ranked ones…

It was an infinite source of new symbols. Power, fame, fortune, it would all be his with enough time and levels.

“Yes, this is exactly what I wanted,” Dollar grinned. “Thanks.”

The System didn’t reply, but he felt a brush of something pushing against his will as he spoke.

Dollar’s shock died down slowly, and he found himself surrounded by sand as he pushed away the last of the System notifications. With a gleeful chuckle he laid out the necklace of water breathing on the floor, the gravity symbol with it, and the other odds and ends he’d picked up, including the glowing stone artifact.

“Sit here,” Dollar gestured at Bill.

The uni-pig obliged, happily rolling in the sand. Dollar kept his eyes on the movement symbol on the grec’s fur.

His eyes glimmered at the buffet of artifacts and symbols laid out before him. An ordinary symbologist would take things easy, and work on a single symbol for months on end. They would also have celebrated and partied for a lifetime at seeing the upgrade to [Ength’s Touch]. But Dollar Tiberius wasn’t an ordinary symbologist.

Bill stopped rolling as he saw a dangerous gleam enter Dollar’s eyes. “Oink?”

Dollar didn’t notice the grec’s question. All of his attention was on the symbols before him. Now, he was going to do what he did best.

He was going to grind until the world was dust underneath his fingers.