Vitmori POV

The foundry work was both interesting and monotonous all at once, all I really needed to do was just stand there and run my mana through the console like I had been instructed to from the outset. I'm sure there would be more for me to do and likely focus on if I were the actual Crucible Master, likely his role in all this was more akin to an overseer or a foreman; just watching over everyone and everything to make sure it ran smoothly. But with the rest of the foundry being closed for the night and the fact that these men and women were true professionals in their fields made it so I didn't have to focus on much save for the temperature gauge.

As for the workers themselves, they seemed to be divided between two different output stations as they produced separate products. On one side they seemed to be preparing long poles or bars, they reminded me of some kind of support beams or materials to make frames, so likely they're set to be used in some kind of construction or to reinforce some kind of structure somewhere.

On the other side of the massive crucible, they appear to be shaping ingots. The speed and efficiency with which they worked were astonishing when I considered the few experiences I had touring modern steel mills my family provided security for before everything collapsed. The memories were still fresh in my mind thanks to the dreamwalking I had done not too long ago.

Besides watching the work play out before me, I ended up needing to be mindful of the Crucible Master's assistant who dutifully stayed by my side throughout the night. As far as I could tell, he was stepping up to the plate, acting as the foreman in the Crucible Master's absence as he called out instructions and observations to the best of his ability while looking over some kind of clipboard that was filled with notes and instructions. Beyond that, he was frankly rather attentive when it came to me, his eyes often studying me as he seemed to search for signs of stress or exhaustion that I wasn't displaying.

In the end, I had to at least pretend to have some sort of physical reaction to the intense heat I was subjecting myself to to ease the poor guy's growing worries. The results of which turned out to be rather interesting as I began to conjure balls of water into my storage before releasing them under the surface of my wood. Somehow, the illusion managed to translate this into a somewhat accurate depiction of sweating as the water slowly permeated through the living wood of my body.

When it came to actually conjuring the water, it was an odd mental exercise in multi-tasking since I had to still maintain the heat of the crucible while both conjuring the water and pulling it out of my storage. The mental gymnastics that took place required a great deal of my focus to achieve, and it felt a lot like trying to rub your belly while patting your head and jumping in place on one foot. Yet somehow, I managed to do it without compromising the heat of the crucible.

I wonder how I could apply this in combat if it came down to it... Not necessarily just combining the two elements via some branches of hybrid elements, but casting at least two independent spells simultaneously. It'll have to be something I properly experiment with later since I really ought to focus on the crucible at this point in time.

The hours go by, and the only thing really keeping me on my toes is the Crucible Master's assistant. Quite frankly the young man was a worrywart, or at least he seemed especially worried when I wouldn't ask for things. It eventually got to the point where I would ask him to bring me water and potions just for his peace of mind rather than for my own sake. Though I couldn't really fault him for his work ethic, he was a very kind and diligent young man; and when I had asked for something to drink while I was running the crucible, he went so far as to hold the cup for me and tilt it so I could drink without pulling my one hand away from the console.

Before I knew it, what looked to be the morning crew for the foundry had started to show up and began going through the motions for getting their day going. As for how long I had been running my mana through this crucible... Well, I'm not entirely sure. It does feel like it's been a long while and I have definitely been eating away at my stored mana, at least more than I've ever put out in one sitting.

If I had to compare it to anything, it feels like I've spent more mana than when I built the recreation of my old street back in my mountain. At the very least I was actively outputting more mana than I could passively recover, but it's not like I've exhausted myself in any noticeable way. I couldn't help but wonder if that was because I didn't have the capability to be physically or mentally exhausted or if it just wasn't that hard for me, what with my affinity for fire.

Even with the increase in activity, I found myself zoning out as I continued to maintain the intense heat of the crucible, that was until a whistle of some kind broke me from my thoughts as the men and women started to cheer. I wasn't too sure what was going on until I finally noticed that between the crucible and the multitude of containers that once had the wolfram ores, everything had finally been processed.

"You can stop now, Vito, thank you for your work today." The assistant mentioned in a distinctly cheerful manner that was apparent even through all the layers of protection that were muffling his voice. "When you mentioned how you were like a dragon with fire, I thought you were exaggerating; but after seeing you work, I can't help but believe your claims. Even the Crucible Master would at least be tired after processing wolfram for six hours. But you hardly even look fatigued after all that."

"You guys usually only work six hours a day?" I asked as I used some water magic to pull the excess water from my body and stash it into my storage before pulling my shirt back on now that I was dried off.

The assistant shook his head. "No sir, we work nine-hour days, it's just that when we do get orders for wolfram, the Crucible Master is the only one who is able to maintain the needed heat and maintain it for long enough to process what needs to be done. As you surely know, the melting point for most ores is much lower, though wolfram and a few others are the exception and require exceptionally powerful flames to process it."

"Of course, I knew that." I mentioned, pulling my glove from my storage directly onto my one hand. "How long have I been working anyway?" I ask as I glanced over at the assistant while pulling on my cloak.

The assistant reaches into the layers of his PPE before pulling out a steel pocket watch and looking it over. "Erm... Just over thirteen hours, it is currently seven-forty-two in the morning, Vito."

"Really? It didn't feel that long." I suppose I must have properly gotten into the zone more times than I realized.

The assistant just chuckled a bit before gesturing for me to follow. "If you'll come with me, Guildmaster Tilzim said he would be waiting for you if you were still here when morning came."

"Very well." Is all I have to say to that as I fell into step behind the assistant, following him as he led me away from the foundry floor and into what appears to be a meeting room of some kind. There were multiple chairs around an oval table and smaller tables along the walls that looked like they were used as drink stations or perhaps even snack stations.

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It wasn't more than a few minutes when Tilzim stepped in, a broad smile on his face as he looked clearly excited to see me. "Vito! Good morning, it is such a good morning indeed!" He enthused heartily as he walked over and patted my back. "I should know better by now than to underestimate you, but you continue to surprise me. It's no understatement to say that this Guild is truly in your debt now." He explained as continued to smile. "With what you've done today, we have now caught up with the current orders of wolfram and can now reasonably deny future requests until the Crucible Master is well enough to return to his position. Thank you again for all of this Vito."

I just chuckle a little and shake my head at all his thanks. "No need to thank me, it was all to further my own endeavors in the end."

Tilzim nodded intently, stroking his beard as he considered me. "Well, you could stand to be a little more greedy and selfish Vito, but I've benefitted more than enough from your efforts since we have met. Now it is time for me to return the favor." He explained as he gestured for me to take a seat at the table, pulling a chair for himself and settling in as he pulled out a scroll of parchment along with a folder and a small little box from underneath his coat and set it on the table.

I could start seeing the semblance of his plan forming in his thoughts, but I opted to let him explain himself as I took the chair next to him and looked over the documents. "What's all this then?"

Tilzim looked rather pleased as he flashed a toothy smile. "Identification Papers. I called in a few favors of my own and had a few things arranged." He mused as he tapped his fingers against the table. "For all intents and purposes, you are now a merchant affiliated with Merril's General Goods and Sundries."

I couldn't help but smirk a little bit, what better cover for a Hegemony than being just another merchant? "So I'm playing at being a merchant then?" I asked as I looked over the documents in question, they weren't nearly as thorough in regards to my background and information as I would expect, but then again I may be basing myself too much on a modern information network where someone can be looked up in their entirety with the right string of numbers.

Tilzim nodded intently as he leaned forward on the table. "Yes, merchants come and go all the time and with what's in that little box right there, you'll be allowed to go into most places with little scrutiny as long as you don't cause any overt trouble or bring any undue attention to yourself." He explained while gesturing to the little box as he then slid it closer to me. I pluck the box from the table, holding it in my palm as I use my thumb to open it up. Inside were two badges, the ones the elite wore in fact. "Those are my old rank four badges and they will hold up just fine to inspection as they are still the current model used in circulation for elites as they haven't updated the style in the last one hundred and fifty years."

"If it's just a matter of what badge I use, couldn't I just come up with a counterfeit badge on my own for me and my associates." Even as I asked while looking over the badges, I suddenly sensed a small dash of magic coming from the badges themselves.

Tilzim smiled as he noticed the change in my expression. "Yes, while counterfeits and fakes are common enough, what can't be faked is the magic signature being used to create the badges in question. A single household of gnomes has been charged with the production of the badge for the last six hundred years now, the current head of the family taking over in the last one hundred and fifty years and updating the magic signature at that point." He explained, apparently more than happy to talk about old history, even if it's starting to feel like these things happened in his lifetime. "By the way, I've also arranged for you to take two carriages with a couple weeks' worth of food and supplies for your journey along with any hirelings you take with you, I just need to know what you plan on selling so I can finish preparing a letter of introduction for you."

Now that does take me by surprise, I suppose I shouldn't have been that surprised, after all, a merchant needs to sell something and if I'm pretending to be a merchant I'll have to at least put in the token effort. "I do have to admit, Tilzim, but I have next to no experience acting as a merchant myself. I have more experience escorting and guarding merchants than anything."

Tilzim nodded slowly, leaning back in his chair as he thoughtfully stroked his beard. "I figured as much, but at the very least you should know how to act like one if you've been around them, you certainly have the confidence and charisma to be one. As for actually handling merchant business, I'm prepared to assign you a couple of employees who are willing to use this experience to pad out their resumes." He mentioned as he offered a little smile. "Just think of anything you're familiar with, and I'll do my best to procure some materials and goods to fill your carriage so you can pass inspection."

I couldn't help but smile as I also leaned back in my seat, regarding Tilzim in a new light. "You managed to arrange this all in a single night?"

Tilzim flashed another smile as he met my gaze. "Money, might, and merit Vito... I have plenty of all three to call upon."

I chuckled softly before rubbing the back of my neck as I considered what I could sell convincingly, though a thought does come to mind. "Do you have silica sand?" I asked though that seemed to draw a blank for Tilzim as he quirked a brow. "Glass-making sand, as well as maybe marble or limestone, and maybe some nice woods."

Tilzim looked rather intrigued by the list of goods I put before him and he nodded intently. "I can make some arrangements, the sand will be easy enough, though your carriages may be too weighed down if you also want marble and wood..." He started to warn before remembering just how much iron I seemingly pulled from thin air. "Though I suppose that won't actually be a problem for you." He mused cheerfully enough. "What do you plan on selling?"

I just hold out my palm, pulling a stone from my storage as I first rounded it into a smooth sphere before focusing a little more as I make it take the shape of a coiled snake with its tail in its mouth. "Sculptures, figurines, and maybe even some toys if I feel like it."

Tilzim just clapped his hands loudly together before grinning with delight. "It sounds like we're in business! Let's get the ball rolling then."

Krys POV

Krys found himself eating at a rather nice Inn in the inner ring, it felt like a rather odd experience if he was being honest. The ambiance was just distinctly nicer than that of the taverns of the outer ring. Despite the number of armed and armored individuals that were around, it felt like there was even less of a chance for a random fight to break out among the patrons.

His right side felt heavier than usual as he considered the wolf-steel mace that now hung from his hip by a strap; he usually didn't carry weapons on him beyond the odd knife or two for cutting purses or self-defense, but considering how far he was traveling, he had a feeling he would need more than just a knife if he wanted to keep himself and Ren safe.

In fact, his whole body felt a little off balance at all his new equipment as he considered the mix of leather and cloth armor he outfitted himself with, and he wasn't the only one. Zax and Sera were wearing similar sets of light armor, though Zax had gotten his hands on a one-handed warhammer, whereas Sera got a light wooden crossbow and quite a few knives which she strapped to various points of her body.

Looking to his left, Ren was sitting by his side looking rather cheerful as she hummed to herself while digging into some pancakes that were drizzled with syrup. Her ears waggled with every bite underneath the dark blue hood of her new cloak.

"Those look pretty good kiddo... If the syrup on your chin is anything to go by." Sera said while watching Ren, flashing a mischievous little smile as she poked at her eggs before plucking a piece of bacon from her plate.

Ren smiled, though she looked a little embarrassed as she hadn't realized how messy she let herself get, grabbing a napkin to wipe her face. "Sorry, they really are very good. You should learn how to make these things, I'm sure yours would be better." She mentioned as she looked up to Krys with a playful look before cutting into her pancakes some more.

Krys couldn't help but chuckle at her comment as he took up his mug of coffee. "Sure, I'll make sure to put that on the list." He mused before taking a sip.

Zax was chowing down eagerly enough, taking a big spoonful of hashbrowns into his mouth and chewing fairly noisily as he absently began looking around the Inn's dining area. He at least had the good tact to not talk with his mouth full, swallowing as he spoke up. "So why'd we show up so early if the guy is just gonna make us wait?"

Krys just shrugged a little, scratching the back of his head through his hood as he surveyed the Inn from where they sat. "I'm not sure... He said the first thing in the morning but maybe something came up?" He considered, glancing over at Ren wordlessly before regarding Zax and Sera as he lowered his voice. "All I know is that he's not gonna let us get off that easily after letting us have that much coin with everything that happened. That's for sure."

Zax just grunted in agreement as he went back to his food, Sera remained quiet as she grabbed a couple of bread rolls from the basket on the table and stashed them away before going back to eating what was on her plate.

After a few more minutes, a conversation at the front counter caused Krys' ears to perk. Pulling his hood back to eavesdrop better, he listened in as a woman asked the innkeeper's son for directions to a certain room and asked after Vito's associates. He smiled a little bit as he looked at Ren and his team. "Sounds like that's our cue..." He murmured while grabbing his things.

As the woman headed up the stairs, the innkeeper's son stepped away from the counter before looking among the Inn's dining room and just calling out. "If Mister Vito's associates could please make themselves known, he has a representative here to escort you over to him."

As Krys approached with his team, another trio approached, led by an armored human with a club and sword at their hip, and followed by a human mage and a dogkin girl. They all appeared to be a little younger than his team, but they certainly looked strong.

"Oh? Who are you all?" The teen mage asked as he leaned on a rather ornate-looking staff.