“Me and Marta are going to go to Gate 9 to fight Goliath,” Sun-young declared.

Normally, the objective would take forty or so days, so there were certainly gates out there that were still loaded with Goliaths. Kazi had already deduced that Gates didn’t create a new simulation every time they entered a Server Room. No, there were a set number of Server Rooms and therefore gates and objectives.

“You think you can beat him? Goliath was much stronger than William, and William has over double your strength. One wrong move and he will kill you,” Kazi pointed out. Sun-young had been told of Goliath, from his intuitive battle senses to his incredible balance of weaponry. Beating him in close-quarters, especially when he didn’t use magic, would be impossible for her unless she had an in-depth plan.

“We will take a day or two to practice team attacks at the camp,” Marta said. “We should be fine.”

Kazi tilted his head. “That's cutting it close. You might not make it to Gate 10's opening.”

“Better to be leveled up than not to be,” Sun-young stated.

“Plus…” Marta swung her staff confidently, “it will be a good warm up.”

“Goliath is not a warm-up,” William said. “Trust me, blocking his attacks is like hell.”

“I know, I've seen his moves, which is why we won't do that. I have power, Sun-young has speed. We will clutch it out.”

William sighed and shook his head. “Just please don't underestimate him and get yourselves killed though. I've leveled up and I still don't want to fight him.”

“What about you guys?” Kazi gestured to William and Elena.

“I have to go to work in an hour,” Elena said, packing everything up and putting it in her inventory. “This was fun though.”

“I love the sandwiches, by the way,” William said.

“That’s why I make them.” Elena giggled. “My son was the same. He would take them for lunch and beg me to make them for dinner.”

“So are dinner sandwiches a thing?” William joked.

“Yes, but for a price.”

“Can we get a few before we leave?” Marta requested. “The food at the camp was pretty bad and if it wasn’t Kazi always being crazy prepared we would have eaten it.”

Sun-young turned toward Marta curiously. "What did they eat?"

“Terribly burnt fish.”

Elena chuckled, her smile warm and inviting. "Well, let's make sure you leave here with something much better to savor.” She opened her inventory to pick out a basket. Then, one by one, she put a sandwich inside. She handed one over to Marta, then repeated the process with another basket for Sun-young. “Having inventory is amazing. It’s like having refrigeration everywhere you go. I can keep so much leftover food.”

“Thanks!”

“Thank you.”

Not long after, after everything was said and done, everybody chanted, “Return to White Abyss.”

***

In Kazi’s experience, the best smoothies and juices were made by street vendors in Paud Road. In general, the quality of their fruits were a step above anything else he had seen in the world, thus leading to better drinks. Smackdab in the busiest parts of the Nebulous Bazaar was a juice bar run by a genial man from Paud Road by the name of Manish Gogawale.

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At the front of the shop was a chalkboard showcasing their signature blends and combinations. Kazi double-checked the name of the bar—Mango Pulp—and opened the door, the bell chiming, and greeted Manish. Ripe mangoes, luscious berries, and tropical pineapples infused the air within.

A table was already there waiting for him as well as the thirty-four year old David Tremblay. Short black hair, glasses, and a finger tapping on his glass of mango juice, he perked up upon hearing the bell.

“Kazi, hey, you’re here. A little late though. Did training take too long?”

“Yep, my bad.” Kazi took the seat across from him. Manish came by and he casually ordered mango nectar juice. Most places in the Nebulous Bazaar weren’t capable of replicating modern juice but Manish’s Mango Pulp came pretty darn close. “So, about what I told you to do…”

“Yeah, I talked to the factory guys. You were right, they all knew something. Danielle mentioned the Templars were gearing up and buying stuff from a friend of hers. They don’t have the players buy them, the players order stuff and they get guys to fetch it.”

“Stops leaks from happening.” Kazi nodded along. If newbie Templars went to buy stuff right before a raid, information would spread to the other big guilds. After all, guilds held the biggest advantage in raids. Whether they were on one side or the other, it didn’t matter, they would always be allies.

Although…

‘There’s bound to be exceptions. A rogue Templar that betrays them and starts killing. Hm, no, the contract would come into effect and stop them. Still, it is an inconvenience not having everyone on the same team.’

It was just a theory but…would it be possible for the big guilds to bribe the Heavenly Tower somehow? Get everyone affiliated with them on the same side?

“Andy, who does part time at another place, said the Templars were hyping up this player named Cillian.”

Kazi chuckled. “He won’t be a problem.”

“Really? Huh.” David nodded at Manish who put the drink down manually, no magic involved. It seemed not everyone was able to have the sophisticated magic menu. An interesting detail to note. He planned to ask Manish about it next time.

“Here’s a tip,” Kazi said, transferring him an extra ten thousand points. Manish went wide-eyed before thanking him and going off. That left the two alone again. “Continue.”

“Right.” David cleared his throat. “You were right on the nose about Ali too. He was quiet for a reason. After his shift, he says he washes dishes full-time for a restaurant run by the Guardians. Apparently, the second wife of the Caliph goes there often and there’s talk of a new woman joining their cohorts.”

“An Arab woman, right?”

“Yeah, just like you said!” David chuckled. “Are you telepath or something?”

“Nothing like that.” David was getting a bit too loud. Kazi decided to change subjects. “Oh, and the gift for Marta?”

“Oh, yes. Open inventory.” David did two clicks and a chain necklace fell into the palm of his hand. “Can I ask why you bought it? It was fairly cheap.”

“She's been eyeing that thing forever but never mustered the courage to buy it. Marta is afraid to spend. In her old life, she didn't learn to manage money or do much of anything besides…well, it doesn't matter. She'll like it.”

“Sentimental value, huh? Here I thought it was some super secret gemstone.”

“Nope. Anyway, he should be about here…” Kazi trailed off, while David closed his mouth, puzzled. Then the bell of the shop door chimed and walking in was an old man wearing a distinctive cloak belonging to a Chaplain of the Templar. Immediately, Kazi stood up and waved over to the newcomer.

“Oh, Phillip! Here, here!”

Philip smiled brightly. “Hello again.” He turned to David and gave him a nod. “I see your messenger friend is here too. You said you wanted to talk to me?”

“That’s right.” He had David search for the Chaplain and invite him over for dinner. “Sit, sit. Let me bring a chair over.”

Kazi did a bit of theatrics and brought over a chair from another table. For this to work, he needed to give a strong good impression. Philip graciously accepted the seat. It wasn’t long before the second stage kicked in.

“Ooh, juices! My favourite!”

Kazi smiled to himself. ‘I noticed. You don’t buy a lot of fruit just to support local businesses, you do it because you love blending them into juices.’

“Manish makes the best juices in the bazaar.” Kazi gestured for Manish to come over. “All fresh, all done by hand, and no magic, right?”

“No magic, sir,” Manish recited.

“No magic?” Philip beamed at Manish. “That is quite rare nowadays. I would very much like to have a taste of your apple juice.”

“Coming right up, sir,” Manish said. Already, Kazi had given him a hefty tip, so the incentive to give it his best was bolstered. In less than a minute, Manish returned with a fresh glass of apple juice. “Freshly served, sir!”

“Thank you, friend.” Philip didn’t waste any time drinking. He let out a puckered sound, as if tasting something sour. “Oh gosh! It’s just how I like it!”

“I have a favour to ask, Philip.”

“A favour? Of course. Go ahead, friend.”

What an easy-going man. Kazi smiled. “I wish to see the Grand Draper: Sir Nicolas Dirkx.“