After handing over the operational rights to the western mine in [Tydrisa’s Quarry] and granting portal access, Kael spent so ti with Elon discussing how to monetize the area for other players to level up.
The quarry was far more complex than the [Land of the Behemoth]; managing the logistics of both miners and adventurers would be a headache. Kael wasn't skilled in that area, and they couldn't co up with a solid plan on the spot, so he told Elon to figure it out himself.
Once Elon left, Kael contacted Gilded Hand, the guild leader of [The Assemblage].
"Gilded Hand, are you busy?"
A reply ca back almost instantly.
"Have you decided?"
Kael was confused. Decided what?
A mont later, a system notification popped up.
System: Gilded Hand, Guild Leader of [The Assemblage], has invited you to join the guild. Do you accept?
"No!" Kael declined, feeling a headache coming on. This guy's brain is just wired differently from everyone else's.
"I'm contacting you to ask about the highest Gem Socketing skill level in your guild," Kael typed.
Like Forging, Gem Socketing had skill tiers: Novice, Apprentice, Journeyman, Expert, Master, and Grandmaster. The higher the rank, the higher the success rate for adding sockets and the more sockets one could add.
Normally, Gilded Hand answered questions like this in a heartbeat. This ti, he paused for a full five seconds before replying, as if the words were difficult to say.
"Journeyman..."
He quickly added another ssage. "There are too few gems. The gem fragnts on the market were only enough for to reach this level."
Kael understood the problem completely. Every attempt at socketing required gem fragnts. Without the raw materials, even the most talented craftsman was helpless.
"I have over two hundred high-quality gems here," Kael replied. "I'm willing to have them shattered and sell them to you at the price of fragnts. I need you to get your socketing skill to Master rank or higher as soon as possible."
A single whole gem could be broken down into ten fragnts. However, the market price of a whole gem was equivalent to dozens, sotis hundreds, of fragnts. No one in their right mind would shatter a perfectly good gem; the loss was too great.
But Kael was in a hurry and had no other choice. A Journeyman could only add one or two sockets to a piece of gear, which wasn't nearly enough. He needed soone who could reliably add three sockets to Hazel's level 60 shield.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Kael expected Gilded Hand to jump at the offer, but he was imdiately rejected.
"No. That's too wasteful."
Kael was speechless. The man was infuriatingly principled. "That's not your problem. Do you want the gems or not?"
"I want them," Gilded Hand replied. "But I want them whole, and I'll pay you the full price for whole gems."
"..."
Kael was now convinced the man wasn't just stubborn; he was a blockhead. He knew with absolute certainty that if he sold the whole gems to Gilded Hand, the craftsman would never bring himself to shatter them.
"Forget it," Kael typed, exasperated. "I'll have Elon contact you. He'll have a massive supply of gem fragnts for sale in a day or two." Once mining operations began, fragnts would be far more plentiful than finished gems.
"Then you must sell the two hundred you have now to first," Gilded Hand insisted. "Promise you won't shatter them."
Fuming, Kael closed the chat window. He made a ntal note to interact with Gilded Hand as little as possible in the future, lest he suffer an aneurysm.
With both the mining and socketing issues being long-term projects, Kael put them aside for the mont. Just then, a ssage from Lila ca in.
"You need to get over here and talk to Hazel. She hasn't been leveling properly for days. She just sits there, hugging that shield."
"Alright, I'm on my way," Kael sighed, heading for the guild teleport NPC to go play babysitter.
***
Real World, New York.
For the past week, Carrington Tower, a comrcial skyscraper belonging to the Carrington Family, had been the focus of global attention. Everyone knew it was the venue for an upcoming, unprecedented opening ceremony.
Keywords like "Godpath," "Carrington Family," "Arbazon," and "Mysterious Shareholder" trended daily on social dia. In preparation, the entire skyscraper had been closed to the public for a week as security asures were put into place. Rumors were swirling that the reclusive patriarch, Sebastian Carrington himself, would make an appearance.
Sebastian Carrington was no re businessman; he was a national security asset. The rapid technological advancent of Earth was largely his doing.
Under his leadership, humanity had finally developed the Bio-Chip, creating a bridge between the human brain and machines. This Bio-Chip was the very foundation of the world of Godpath, the technology that allowed human consciousness to roam the digital frontier.
Technically speaking, of the four major corporations behind Godpath, the Carrington Family was the most essential. So, when the rumor of Sebastian's appearance began to spread, the world was thrown into a frenzy. He hadn't been seen in public for over a decade.
Unfortunately, the event was invitation-only. In an instant, the world's elite were divided into two distinct classes: those with an invitation, and those without. Social dia influencers who usually flaunted their family's wealth and power—even claiming to own property on other planets—were rcilessly mocked when it beca clear they hadn't been invited.
One rival billionaire, who had a history of animosity with the Carringtons and was snubbed, publicly offered a billion dollars to buy a single invitation. He was laughed off the internet, with comnters calling him classless and saying, "No wonder you didn't get invited."
In contrast to the global hysteria, the atmosphere inside the private Carrington estate was as calm as ever.
Thea was gently massaging her grandfather's shoulders. "Grandfather, are you really going to attend the opening ceremony for my brother's company?"
Sebastian didn't answer imdiately. He closed his eyes, lost in mory. When he opened them again, he let out a soft sigh. "I am going. Not for your brother, but for that girl from the Whitmore family."
"Lila?" Thea was so surprised she stopped kneading his shoulders. "What's so special about her?"
"I suppose it is ti you children knew the whole story," Sebastian said, his voice heavy with the weight of years. "Co with ."
He rose to his feet and walked towards his private study, a room no outsider had ever been permitted to enter. Thea and Ben exchanged a bewildered look, then quickly followed him.
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