Her eyes nearly bugged out when she realized what, exactly, she’d just said. Her mind was in such an upheaval that she hadn’t been able to say what she’d actually meant.
“No! I meant that you have monstrous talent and ability!” She said hurriedly, not wanting Joram to mistake her intent.
To her relief, and partial chagrin, Joram just laughed it off.
“Don’t worry Grammy, I got what you meant,” he said, still chuckling.
Tatia looked over at Tillia and realized that she, too, had been struck by Joram’s casual revelation that he could make artifacts that had never existed before now.
Sure, there were some Tier 7 artifacts that could do similar things, but they relied heavily on using Tier 4 Mana, also known as Immortal Qi, to do something similar; and those were legendary items. Entire empires had gone to war over those life-saving items.
“These are a bit different though,” Joram said, interrupting her thoughts. “They are single-use items, meaning that they’ll only work the once, much like a medicinal pill.”
She didn’t know why, but she felt a surge of relief and disappointment in equal measures. It was probably for the best that it was a single-use item, and that people wouldn’t likely hunt him down with quite as much fervor should his secret get out, but she’d also had (however briefly) dreams of equipping the many agents of the Clan who were out on assignment with these miraculous artifacts; thus, reducing the number of casualties they suffered.
“That said,” Joram continued. “It would probably be too expensive to make something that could be used once or twice per day, so I probably won’t produce more than a few of those.”
Tatia’s mind was once again blown then scattered to the four winds.
“You can make permanent artifacts that can heal someone?” Tillia asked, though it barely registered to Tatia.
“Yeah, but from Grammy’s reaction, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea… Though, I probably could make them so that they could only be used by one person…” He mused, one arm held across his chest while the other was propped up at the elbow by the first, his second hand stroking his chin like he had a beard… Which was more disjointing to her than what he was claiming to be able to do. It brought back to mind, with almost a vengeance, the knowledge that Joram was a Reincarnator.
She hadn’t realized just how important Joram had become to her, on a personal level. Yes, he was a talented youth with one of the most exciting cultivation issues in recorded history, but he was also a grown man on the inside, trapped in the body of a child. They’d become so close over the years that his true identity had actually managed to slip into the background of her mind, even with the many ridiculously over-powered things that he could do.
But this one took the cake, as it were.
To be able to produce such a life-saving artifact so casually was beyond over-powered and bordered on what she would call “godly”. But she knew full-well that he hadn’t been any such thing in his previous life. So, just what/where had he studied to get to his level? Who had taught him?
“Joram?” Tatia asked, interrupting his conversation with Tillia.
“Yes, Grammy?” He asked, turning to look at her.
“Who taught you?” There, she’d finally asked; relief practically flooding out of her.
Joram looked a bit uncomfortable for a moment, going to conflicted, then it finally landed on resolved.
“This may take a bit, why don’t you have a bite to eat,” he said, sliding her plate closer to her with a wave of his hand.
Then she listened as she nibbled on the “lumpia” that Joram loved so much.
It was almost the same story that he’d shared with them three years ago, except for one major detail.
Altaea.
Tatia was once again struck, though this time from what the name meant to their clan. She didn’t know if it was a coincidence or not, but that was the name of the Founder, only known to the Matriarch of the clan and no one else. It wasn’t even written down, but passed on as an oral tradition that had been kept nigh unto twenty-thousand years.
The “official” founding of the clan had only been about ten-thousand years ago, but the history of their lineage was much, much, more ancient than that.
“… and she taught me various crafting techniques,” he said. “I do miss being able to pick up a rock or piece of wood and just start carving.” He said with a whimsical smile and a far-away look in his eyes.
“So, you do know martial arts!” Tillia said from his side, eyes wide.
“Well, nothing like what’s used here, but yes. But why does that matter?”
“Well, ah…” Tillia stammered. “It’s, ah, because I was wondering if you actually knew how to fight…”
That was not what Tatia had been expecting to hear. So, she cleared her throat to get their attention, and brought the conversation back around.
“Are you able to make more of these for the clan, Joram?”
He looked up at her, a look of surprise on his face. “Of course, but not too many,” he said, now using his hand to speak more. “If I make them for the clan, no one can know they came from me. Also, I’d like to know where I can get more of this Sky Nether Jade from,” he said, holding up his Authority Token.
Tatia was nodding along up to that point, then had to pause a moment to process what he’d said, then try to figure out why he would need more Sky Nether Jade. Then the most obvious answer came to her.
“Is it important for your cultivation?”
Joram nodded at her slightly. “I think so. If I can find a higher purity seam of it, I think it will be very efficacious for not just me, but for the clan.”
Tatia knew of the obvious use of Sky Nether Jade, which was to sooth one’s mind and allow for mental energy to regenerate passively for a practitioner of Mental Strength.
“Do you plan on making things from it?” She asked, suspecting as much, but still unsure of his motives.
“Well, it does have a good affinity for psionic energy, so it will take enchantments much better than most things I can think of,” he said, a thoughtful look on his face. “Well, aside from my personal use, I think that I can make an array using the jade for the array plates. I’ll have to do a bit more research, but the array should have similar benefits to using a mana accumulating array, but for someone cultivating mental strength.”
Tatia wasn’t sure if she’d heard properly, but then just gave up trying to make sense of her non-sensical great-grandson. Her world had been virtually turned upside-down with the revelations of the day, and there would likely be more coming.
“Yes, I think that I can get someone to compile a list of known seams,” she said faintly.
‘You’re the best, Grammy!” Joram said with a huge smile taking up an impressive amount of his face. “Oh, and is it possible to get a space set aside for my own personal cultivation room?”
Tatia just nodded, having already planned to have one made for him. “And when you’re in ‘seclusion’, Tillia will also be allowed to use it.”
Joram beamed at her. “That would be great! She’s made fantastic progress, so I hope that she’ll continue to get the support she needs to continue her growth.”
“Of course,” she said, regaining a bit of herself as the discussion went back to more “normal” things. “I will continue to allow Tillia to withdraw both of your weekly allotments of cultivation resources from the Clan Treasury. I also knew that you wouldn’t mind Tillia using the portions you weren’t using.”
She saw Tillia colour slightly at that and shift a bit in her seat, but also noticed how Joram’s smile turned more amused when Tillia’s discomfort translated to fidgeting.
Did he see Tillia’s reaction somehow? She mused, filing that one away for later.
Joram shrugged, then said “She needs them more than I do right now, so no worries.”
From there, they spoke of cultivation and shared what insights each of them had in the hopes that it would help Tillia successfully navigate her breakthrough to Tier 2.
Tatia was relieved that Tillia hadn’t started on the path of Mental Strength yet, as that was another thing she wouldn’t have to worry about. She was pleased with Tillia’s progress even though she was much older than others who’d already reached Tier 2 in her generation. Yet her progress wasn’t any worse than her peers.
Yes, she was a bit behind, but Tatia figured that she would soon surpass the “geniuses” of her generation. And with someone who was gaining such popularity by Joram’s side Tatia wouldn’t have to worry too much for him.
Sure, there would be come complaints that a prodigy shouldn’t be tied to a “cripple”, but they should be in the minority. She had enough complaints because she hadn’t acquiesced to the demands to cancel Joram’s engagement to Xiora. Hopefully, they’d soon see how short sighted they’d all been when Joram eventually revealed his godly talent for Mental Strength.
Tatia nearly laughed out loud then. It wasn’t an exaggeration to call it that, not with who his teacher had been, or what she’d done for, and to, him.
“Joram? Would you be amenable to showing your talent for Mental Strength to the clan to stop the rumour mill and nay-sayers from running rampant?”. Tatia asked, in apart to help Joram have a smoother time of it, but also in no small part in consideration for her future headaches.
He looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head. “No, I’ll silence them all once I’ve sorted out how to continue advancing in my magical cultivation.”
Tatia felt a small chill run down her spine at the look that briefly glinted in his eyes as he said that. She was sure that he was a generally gentle person, so she really didn’t fear that he’d go on a rampage slaughtering all those who’d persecuted him. What she did suspect was that he might be a little ruthless in his verbal denouncement of his detractors, likely to shame them almost to death.
She paused at that thought, reflecting on the current status of the clan, its members, and their general attitude when interacting with others… and found them wanting. A culture of superiority seemed to have made its was into their hearts, causing them to look down on others not as talented as themselves.
One thing she was glad about was that there wasn’t an elitist mentality where wealth was concerned. All knew that if they worked hard, wealth would be a natural by-product of said hard work.
Well, she hoped that they wouldn’t be crushed too hard when the time came.
* * * * *
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
It had been a good day. A visit and meal with Grammy and Tillia, and now an evening with more Tillia time.
“So, would you like to learn Psionics like me?”. He asked as they sat for evening tea, a wonderful blend that reminded him of red apple green tea.
“Me!?” She exclaimed, eyes going wide in disbelief.
Joram made a show of looking around the room, then looked her in the eye. “Yes. Once you’ve broken through to Tier 2, we can start the training, if you’re amenable.” He said, with a slight grin.
Tillia sat there with a blush on her face for a bit before finally composing herself.
“I’m not sure if I am talented enough to have a dual focus like you,” she said, head slightly bowed, peeking up at him as she spoke.
Joram nodded at that, but also shrugged.
“Talent is only a small part of one’s potential; the rest is hard work and dedication. Yes, it may take a long time to advance in both areas, but I think that it would be worth it to all of us in the long run.”
Tillia sat there for a while, considering her options. It was quite the spectacle because she tended to wear her heart on her sleeve, as they say. Her face was a book to read if one had the ability, and he did. Well, mostly. He wasn’t as good as his favourite Paradox Wizard who happened to love giant trees almost as much as he did, but he was still better than the average bear.
That said, by the time she’d come to her decision, he’d already guessed her answer.
“No, I don’t think I will at this time,” she said at length. “I think that if I split my focus that I won’t be able to achieve my fullest potential right now.”
“That’s fair,” Joram said with a nod. And he meant it. If he didn’t have two extra minds helping him with his research and other projects, he’d probably be stuck for a very long time. “But I do hope that you’ll accept a gift from me later.”
He smiled as an interesting mix of confusion and surprise mixed on her face, making her look like a young lass again. Well, young to him anyways; she was, after all, twenty years-old now.
“Well, I would be very happy to accept a gift from you,” she finally said, a smile now replacing the previous expression.
“Sounds good.”
* * * * *
M2 and Avi had made their way to the auction house the next day, enjoying skipping the normal line-up by instead going to the “preferred customer” line where one would need to present their membership card to pass.
They did just that, somewhat enjoying the jealous looks shot their way, even if they were in the minority compared to the curiosity on most faces. Sure, it was only the Bronze VIP Token, but it was something that was out of reach for most participants of these auctions because they were primarily buyers.
They were quickly led to their booth where some refreshments awaited and another attendant, a young woman of uncommonly good looks. She, too, was dressed in the style the last attendant had worn, leading M2 to think that it was some sort of uniform.
Or perhaps it was just that they got better tips that way.
Who knows?
Once they’d settled in, they got as comfortable as they could, meaning that they placed their psicrystal bodies on the soft cushions of the chairs. Sure, they did have tactile feedback from their holograms, but it was ultimately just feedback from an ongoing effect. Heck, even laying on a cushion didn’t actually feel any different to them from laying on a stone, it was just a more stable surface to rest on.
M2 mentally sighed, earning a mental nod from Prime and M3. They knew what that was all about.
From their booth, they could see various patrons filling the floor seats in the opera house-like auditorium. They were on the second floor, just off centre, to the right. When they “looked” with the senses that their psicrystal bodies used, they found that they couldn’t “see” into any of the other booths.
‘Huh, they’ve got privacy arrays set up,’ M2 sent to Avi, not bothering with Prime and M3 as they were still connected, not needing the network to share their thoughts even though M2 was “inhabiting” a psicrystal.
‘Makes sense. Wouldn’t want to get robbed after buying a particularly expensive item after all,’ she sent back, a light smirk managing to be sent along with the thought.
‘But it doesn’t block [Touchsight],’ he sent with a grin and got a nod in response from Avi.
‘Not that that gives us the right to peek…’
‘Nope, nothing of the sort…’
They both laughed over the Network, knowing that they’d both already observed each booth within range of [Touchsight] and memorized the appearance of each person there.
But because of the arrays, they had no way of judging each person’s cultivation, so it was still best to act with tact and discretion after they finished with the auction.
Not long after their moment of levity, a person walked out onto the stage and caught everyone’s attention. Not by saying anything, or even signalling for quiet. No, it was because she was drop-dead gorgeous. She wore the same “uniform” as every other attendant they’d seen, but hers was… rather well filled-out.
Her long black hair had a healthy sheen to it, not to mention the slight ultra-violet highlights when the light hit it in just the right way. She had the body of a dancer, or someone who kept themselves fit through regular exercise of one kind or another, yet still managed to remain buxom. He was beginning to suspect that that particular trait wasn’t exclusive to the Clear Knowledge Clan.
Her eyes were clear amethysts, while her skin was fair and smooth. He suspected that someone more poetic (or someone writing a wuxia/xianxia or something) would describe her skin as being comparable to the purest, most exquisite jade. Well, he wasn’t quite sure if that applied. He’d more describe it as pure alabaster. But maybe he was biased.
“On behalf of the Heaven’s Bounty Auction House, I welcome our many esteemed guests, be they long-time patrons or visiting for the first time,” she said in a melodious voice that managed to carry to every ear perfectly. M2 wasn’t sure if it was the acoustics, an array, or a spell used by the woman, but it was quite effective without being overbearing.
“Without further ado, I shall start the auction now!”
The crowd gave a great cheer as she stepped to the side to allow another attendant to bring the first item up for auction.
“This is a Level 2, mid-grade sword crafted and sent to auction by the renowned League of Smiths. This sword is double-edged, sharp enough to cut through steel, and is imbued with an acid enchantment, allowing its damage potential to rise even further,” she explained as the attendant drew the sword from its scabbard to show it off.
It wasn’t a bad blade from what he could see, but not something worthy of note. It looked like one of those ancient Chinese swords. The image reminded him of the sword used in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Pretty, but not terribly useful to him.
The bidding started from there. He was a bit surprised at how fierce the competition was already. The starting price had been fifteen Tier 1, mid-grade Crystals (or T2MG Crystals for short) and quickly rose to two hundred thirty T1MG Crystals at the end, causing many people to groan at how rich some people were.
That gave him pause. Yes, he was aware of the value of Crystals, but it hadn’t quite sunken in yet. Like how one was academically aware how cold -40*C was, but you didn’t know what it was like until you experienced it. Now, as the auction went on, he was getting a greater appreciation for it all, and a growing dread as he saw how much various medicinal herbs, monster cores, and ores sold for. If they couldn’t make good money by selling those [Mend Body] gems, then he was going to be going down a very long road of financial atrophy…
Then one of the herbs that they’d been looking for showed up.
“This next item was found by an intrepid explorer, risking their life to snatch this five-hundred-year-old Dragon Root from its guardian beast,” the auctioneer said, motioning to the jade box resting on a cushion held by yet another attendant, who then opened it to reveal… a red root.
Sure, the practically radiated mana, not to mention a strong medicinal scent… but it still looked like an ordinary root. He was a bit let down, as he’d half expected it to be shaped like a dragon, at least a little bit. But no, just a red root.
“The starting price is fifty Tier 2, high-grade Crystals and each bid must be no less than ten Tier 2, high-grade crystals,” she announced and was very nearly cut off by the sudden bids being shouted out.
“Sixty!”
“Eighty!”
“I hope that the friends here can give this old man some face and allow me to bid on this Dragon Root for two hundred Tier 2, high-grade Crystals,” someone from a booth off to their left called out.
The resulting murmurs were generally salty at that, as the Dragon Root seemed to be in very high demand.
M2 thought about this for a moment, not sure if he wanted to try bidding on it as the recipe for the Nine Revolving Pathways Pill called for a Dragon Root to at least one thousand years old.
‘Can we do anything with that?’ He asked Avi, as she had much more experience with the various herbs of this realm.
‘Yes, we can set up a mana-gathering array to help nurture it to where we will need it to be,’ she replied, sounding bored.
“This one apologizes for his discourtesy,” he said, activating the speaking array used in bidding. “But I will bid five hundred Crystals.”
The background noise suddenly swelled as everyone began talking at once.
“Who would bid that much for a Dragon Root of only five hundred years?”
“It must be an alchemist; they’re all rich.”
“But isn’t that old man Quithana? Who’d be rich enough to bid against him?”
“Then we shall see whose roots are deeper,” old man Quithana replied. “Five hundred fifty Crystals.”
“Seven hundred,” M2 called out lazily. He was pretty sure that they’d make much more than that with the sale of the [Mend Body] gem, so he didn’t sweat it.
At that, their theatre in the auction house went silent. M2 could practically feel the frustration and anger radiating from old man Quithana’s booth. However, the old man didn’t raise the price further.
‘You may not realize, but over five hundred Tier 2, high-grade Crystals is already over-spending on this five-hundred-year-old Dragon Root.’
M2 just shrugged. There was a possibility that he could coax the root to grow again, then split it into two separate plants, effectively doubling what he bought; never mind increasing its potency with mana-gathering arrays.
“Then if there are no other bids, this Dragon Root shall go to booth seven,” the auctioneer said, calling an end to the bidding. “Our next item is from…”
M2 enjoyed himself, letting the energy of the auction house add to the experience of attending his first real-life auction.
He won two other auctions, one for another herb, this time a Heavenly Fire Columbine, the other for a large meteorite that had a significant amount of adamantium ore in it. All-in-all, a good day. And their gem hadn’t even gotten on stage yet.
The auctioneer called for a short intermission, assuring the crowd that the highest-grade items would come out after the break.
M2 sat back in his chair, fingers laced together behind his head. “I wonder what else will show up today,” he more stated than asked Avi, wanting to keep up appearances with the attendant standing in the corner of their room, still waiting to be called upon.
“Well, it is a monthly auction, so it shouldn’t be too bad,” she replied, showing every indication that she was bored.
Man, she’s good, he thought as he nodded at what she’d said.
M2 was aware that Prime was paying attention to what was happening, which wasn’t at all surprising as they were literally one mind, effectively running parallel to each other. What one thought, observed, or experienced was shared equally amongst them all. Well, not quite. If someone were to use a mental attack on him, M2, and manage to destroy his psyche, then his instance of [Schism] would just end. No big deal.
Then his attention was caught by the attendant in the corner shifting ever-so-slightly as she tried to get comfortable in her corner and remain unobtrusive at the same time.
“Come, sit with us,” M2 said as he looked over his shoulder at the young woman, who jumped at so suddenly being addressed.
“That wouldn’t be proper, young sir,” she replied meekly, bowing her head.
“Is it more proper to ignore the request of a patron?” He asked with a slight grin.
Judging by her blushing cheeks, she also realized that offending a customer wasn’t the route to go if she wanted this to be a long-term job, a career, if you will.
So, she made her way to the chair to his left and sat down in one of the most proper, ram-rod straight backed examples of propriety he’d ever seen.
‘New girl?’
‘Yup,’ Avi sent back with a mental smirk.
“Be at ease. Have a snack. Enjoy yourself,” M2 said with a warm smile as he motioned to the provided finger food and drinks.
She looked about to refuse, but then seemed to realize that that would also constitute refusing a reasonable request from a VIP customer, but then did what she was told.
“Will you not allow me to serve you first?” She asked, a plate already in hand, tongs at the ready.
M2 briefly considered how awkward it would be to pretend to eat what he would be given, then just shrugged when he saw that each morsel of food was already bite sized. Easy enough to just transfer it to storage once it entered his “mouth” and pretend to chew it for a few seconds.
So it was that M2 and Avi accumulated a fair number of snacks for Prime’s later use.
“Welcome to the second half of today’s auction,” the auctioneer said, greeting everyone again. “We shall start off the second half of today with a fine example of a defensive treasure, the…”
Joram tuned most of it out, only paying attention to the claimed effects of each item, all artifacts refined/enchanted by various crafters in the region.
‘You know? I think it’ll be worth attending these auctions on the regular to just get an idea of what kind of items people go for.’
‘I agree,’ Avi sent back. ‘Our repertoire of local enchantments is woefully low, so this will give us some good research materials. Heck, even if we can’t figure out how it’s made, we can always buy it, examine it, then just re-sell it later.’
M2 nodded at that, then his focus was brought back to the auction as a very small metal box was brought out on a very expensive-looking silk cushion.
“I would dare to claim that this second-last item up for auction is the most shocking item that this Heaven’s Bounty has had the privilege to sell,” she said as she picked up the small metal box and pressed what looked like an authority token to the lid to open it.
The number of hushed murmurs in the theatre increased suddenly, causing a susurration of astonishment to flow through the space.
Sure enough, the imperial brown topaz was sitting in the box, glittering at the audience as they took in the sight.
“This treasure was recently found in an undisclosed ruin. Our auction house had the great fortune to be the one the owner chose to auction this heaven-defying treasure at. From our analysis, this gem has the ability to save the life of the one carrying it from a life-threatening injury. Once attuned, the owner can either let it passively save their life once or use it to save another person’s life.”
She paused there to let her words sink in, and once they did, the reaction of the crowd was explosive.
“How can such a thing exist?!”
“Are you certain? Your appraisers didn’t make any mistakes?”
“How powerful is the healing effect? A Tier 5 pill? Tier 6?”
“Why isn’t this the last item if it is such an amazing thing?”
“We’re not getting conned, are we?”
“Esteemed guests,” the auctioneer called out to silence the floor. “From what we can tell, the healing effect is equivalent to a Tier 6, high-grade healing pill. The only requirement for its use is to thread a wisp of mental energy into the gem to attune it to you, so that its ability to activate in a life-threatening situation will be automatic.”
The theatre went dead silent.
“The bidding starts at three hundred, Tier 3, mid-grade Crystals and each bid must be raised by at least fifty Crystals.”
The silence lasted for the span of three heartbeats before the first bid shattered the silence.
“Four hundred!”