Sothing had changed about Argos.
Elijah felt it the second he stepped through the gates. Part of it was the way people looked at him. The residents of the forrly Greek city had always treated him well, but they now gazed at him with a degree of reverence that made him distinctly uncomfortable. Certainly, the old won sitting on their balconies still gossiped – quite loudly – about him, which brought a smile to his face, but almost everyone else looked at him like he was a global celebrity.
Which was probably accurate, even if he didn’t quite want to admit it. His na had been plastered at the top of the power rankings for quite a while before the Trial of Primacy, and certainly, stories about him had spread even more in the wake of the Trial. It made sense, but still, Elijah didn’t want to accept it.
So, rather than linger, as was his custom, he quickly covered the ground between the gate and Atticus’ store. Along the way, he was forced to acknowledge the other changes to the city. Most of the buildings maintained their previous architectural style, but they had clearly been infused with a good deal of ethera. Likely, they had been rebuilt – at least to so degree – since the last ti he’d visited.
But even more impactful was the extraordinarily high vitality in the atmosphere. It didn’t coincide with a significant increase in the ethereal density, which left Elijah a little puzzled. So much so that he found himself wandering away from Atticus’ shop without even entering as he searched for the source.
It didn’t take him long to figure it out, though.
The aura of vitality emanated from the Temple of Virtue he’d built in rembrance of his sister. Standing at the foot of the hill where it sat, Elijah could feel its power – which didn’t really make sense to him until he rembered sothing he’d heard ntioned in passing. Apparently, items – which included buildings – could improve. Not as quickly or thoroughly as growth items, but they had sothing like a legacy of their own.
Clearly, the Temple of Virtue was sothing like that.
That left him with mixed feelings. Of course, he liked the idea that his sister’s morial had beco so important, but he knew that, if it kept going like that, the true aning of the temple would be lost. Would anyone even rember her? Did they have a reason to? Alyssa hadn’t lived in Argos. They just knew what he’d told them.
Then and there, he resolved to ensure that her mory lived on. He wasn’t certain how he ant to accomplish it, but when people saw the Temple of Virtue in the future, they would think of Alyssa, and not just as the subject of the statue at the structure’s crown.
Elijah took a few minutes to ensure that the tree in the temple’s central courtyard was healthy, and he was happy to find that the people of Argos had tended it quite well. That put his mind at ease – at least enough to allow him to focus on the real reason he’d visited Argos.
With that, he headed back to Atticus’ store, which was just as expansive as he rembered. However, when he went inside, he was surprised to find that the goods on offer were even more varied and powerful than he rembered. Obviously, Atticus had been quite successful of late.
“My friend!” exclaid the now-bearded, hawk-nosed man, approaching as if he’d known Elijah was coming. His paunch had grown a little more expansive as well – clear evidence of his preference for good food. Such were the trappings of success.
“Hey man,” Elijah said, extending his hand. Atticus wasn’t having that, and instead wrapped Elijah in a tight hug that cracked his back. When the rchant released him, Elijah remarked, “You’ve gotten stronger. What level are you now?”
“One hundred and two, my friend,” he admitted with a wide and satisfied grin. “The Summit was very good to . Very, very good.”
“Yeah. I saw so of your stuff for sale in the auction. It was pretty popular,” Elijah admitted. Most of it was armor or weapons, but Atticus had supplied a couple of high-quality resources as well. “I still wish I’d bought that tank.”
That brought a laugh from Atticus as he said, “Between you and , it was practically worthless. One shot, and the ‘radiance engine’ would have malfunctioned. Whoever bought that thing will regret it, my friend. I guarantee that much!”
“Oh. That makes feel a little better, I guess. Still…a tank,” he mused. He sighed. “Whatever. I’m glad you made out at the auction.”
“Not just the auction,” Atticus said, gripping Elijah’s shoulder. “The bazaars across the rest of the city were far more profitable. The auction was just for acclaim. The real money – and experience – ca from the other sales.”
That made so sense. Elijah wasn’t sure how exactly a rchant’s experience was calculated – or even what their abilities did – but he expected that each sale gave so degree of progression. The larger ones probably awarded more, but just like with killing monsters, there was assuredly sothing to be said for quantity.
“Is this a social visit? Or do you have business before I take you to the second-best restaurant in town?” asked Atticus. “I still need to speak to you about a joint venture, by the way. Not now. When you’re ready to listen.”
Elijah’s stomach rumbled. A diet of mutated monster at had kept him alive, but it had been so disgusting that he’d avoided eating more than was absolutely necessary. He’d eaten a few grove fruits back in the grove, but just like the rest of his recovery, it would take more than that to get him back to normal.
So, a trip to a real restaurant was more than a little enticing.
“Appraisals first,” Elijah said. “But I’m definitely going to take you up on that al.”
After that, Atticus escorted him through the giant, departnt store-sized building and to the appraisal room. There, he kicked out one of his employees and settled in to inspect Elijah’s new gear. ȑἈ𝐍ȫВÊș
First, Elijah set the ring on the table, and Atticus produced an ethereal hologram to mimic a system notification:
Arcane Loop
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Overall Grade: Sophisticated (Low)(Growth)
Enchantnt Grade: A
Description: The Arcane Loop is the crowning achievent of an entire civilization. As powerful of an item as it is, it is more valuable as a symbol of power among the people of Vey’thaal.
Traits:
Arcane Vault: Form a bond with an extraplanar space. Size dependent on grade. Current: 4.3x4.3x4.3.
Tiless: Ti does not touch the contents of the Arcane Vault.
“This is a storage ring,” Atticus breathed.
“That’s how it was described to ,” Elijah agreed. “Is it rare?”
“On Earth? It is entirely unique. We are decades from this level of craftsmanship,” Atticus answered. “A century perhaps, and that’s if we manage to unlock the proper class evolutions. So of the Consortium’s bagmakers are on the right track, but…Elijah, this is a priceless treasure. I won’t even ask if you want to sell it. I could not afford it, and you would be a fool to part with such an item.”
Elijah nodded, appreciating that his friend hadn’t tried to fleece him. Atticus was about as honest a rchant as existed – at least in Elijah’s experience – but it would not have been entirely impossible that he’d have tried to get the ring. The fact that he didn’t just cented in his mind that Atticus was a fundantally good person, and not just an affable one.
“It’s not cursed or anything, right?” Elijah asked, retrieving the ring.
“No. If it bore a curse, it would have shown up in the appraisal.”
Elijah bound it imdiately, then slipped it onto his finger. Next ca the Mantle of the Chira, which he laid on the table. A hologram appeared a mont later:
Mantle of the Chira
Overall Grade: Sophisticated (High)
Enchantnt Grade: S
Description: The Mantle of the Chira is the union of the arcane, eldritch, and chiric, symbolizing the fall and rise of an elder race.
Attribute Bonuses:
50 Regeneration
Traits:
Chiric Shielding: Adapts to any elental attack, temporarily increasing the wearer’s resistance to that school of magic.
Adaptive Regeneration: Upon taking damage, the wearer’s Regeneration attribute will increase by 5 points with each sustained attack. Maximum: 100.
“Where did you get these items, Elijah?” asked Atticus, narrowing his eyes. “That cape is the highest-grade item I have ever seen. Likely the highest in the world. And even then, I would prefer to have the ring. What have you been doing?”
Elijah answered, “It’s a long story, but I kind of got dragged into a Primal Realm.”
Then, he explained the Chiric Forge, describing it in the most abbreviated way possible. Finally, he said, “If any of the other Primal Realms are like that, a lot of people are going to die trying to conquer them.”
“But you beat one. Alone.”
Elijah nodded. “I’m…different.”
“What level are you now?”
“Uh…one-seventy-nine.”
Atticus just shook his head and responded, “Different is right. You don’t want to sell the mantle, do you? I can offer a fair price.”
Elijah shook his head, then offered to pay for the appraisal. The cost was a pittance – especially given his level of wealth – but it was the thought that counted. Of course, Atticus refused to take his money. Instead, he said, “Ridiculous levels aside, I have sothing I want to talk about. Let’s do it over a late lunch.”
That got no argunt from Elijah, and soon enough, they were seated at a rustic restaurant. Only a few minutes later, a veritable feast was on the table. The first dish was called saganaki – a pan-fried cheese that was served with pita bread – and it absolutely took Elijah’s breath away.
“I’ve always been a sucker for cheeses of all sorts,” he admitted, his mouth full. He chewed and swallowed. “But this is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.”
There was certainly a place for all those fancy restaurants back in Seattle. He’d enjoyed the food well enough. But for his money – and ti – there was nothing that quite compared to more of a ho-cooked feel. And the restaurant Atticus had chosen had that in spades.
Next ca stifado, which was a slow-cooked beef stew made with onions, tomatoes, and a whole bunch of spices Elijah didn’t recognize. It was incredibly filling, though, and almost as tasty as the saganaki. He ate with gusto, leaving only a little room for dessert.
That only lasted as long as it took the server to set down a plate containing what looked a bit like a flakey cake in front of him. As it turned out, it was called galaktoboureko, and it was a pastry filled with sweet custard and soaked in syrup.
In all, it might not have been the best al Elijah had ever eaten, but after everything he’d been through, it certainly felt like it. So, he was in a good mood – satisfied and absolutely stuffed – when Atticus broached the subject he’d ntioned earlier.
“I want to be in business with you,” the rchant said. “That soap of yours is incredible. The demand for it is through the roof, and with the low supply, we can charge basically as much as we want.”
“People are that excited about it?” Elijah asked, leaning back and taking a sip of coffee. It wasn’t as good as his, but the restaurant definitely didn’t shortchange the drink.
“You lost a lot of money selling it in the auction,” Atticus stated. “If it had been properly marketed, you could have sold it for double. And what’s more, you’d be doing the world a favor. The more people who advance their body cultivation, the better we’ll be able to address the Primal Realm problem. We could get rich, and we could save the world while we’re doing it. It’s a win-win.”
“You know I already have a partner, right?”
“I have already ssaged the Alchemist Biggle. He has agreed, so long as you are onboard,” Atticus said. Then, he outlined a plan to offer the soap in his stores, giving them prominence in the alchemy section.
“I want a store in Ironshore.”
“What?”
“Yeah. A store in Ironshore. And I want it to be cheap there, but only for residents. Do you have a way to do that?” Elijah asked. The logistics of identifying soone’s place of residence was difficult, but he assud soone like Atticus had the ability. Maybe not an actual skill or spell – or whatever rchants called their system-granted abilities – but he knew the rchant was an intelligent, resourceful, and crafty individual. If anyone could do it, it was him.
“I think I could liaise with the local governnt and make that happen,” Atticus said. “May I ask why?”
“My family lives there,” Elijah stated. “Better do the sa for residents of Argos. We want both cities to be as strong as possible, right? This is a way for everyone to get benefits that nobody else in the world will get – at least not for the entire population.”
“Can you make that much?” Atticus asked.
“Oh, I can. I just need fat. Lots and lots of fat, and from as high level of creatures as you can find,” Elijah stated. If he’d had the Arcane Loop back in the Primal Realm, he could have harvested so truly powerful monsters – especially the ones from the lake. But back then, he hadn’t had the room nor the ability to preserve it.
“I have so ideas, too,” Elijah added after a mont. “So, yeah. I think I can et demand.”
Once they’d agreed to the deal in principle, it was only a matter of ti before they settled on the actual terms. If he could produce the amount of soap Atticus had in mind, they were both going to make an absolute killing.
But with that done, Elijah only had one more task left to address before he got back to work. So, without further ado, he left Atticus in Argos, headed to the Teleportation Spires, and, after only a short wait, went to Seattle. He had a seed to see about.
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