---Twenty Minutes Later---
We followed Yunyun into a shady part of the capital’s shopping district. Merchants stood on corners, offering blatant knock-off goods to those who would listen. In dark alleyways, drug dealers and pimps huddled over bags of coin, their eyes darting toward the street as they tallied the day’s take. This place did not fit Wiz’s kindhearted personality, yet Yunyun was adamant that this was where her store was located.
<Master, I strongly recommend leaving this filthy place immediately! Several questionable individuals are following your group from a distance. They don’t appear to be connected to the assassins from the other day, but I would still exercise caution.> (Luxion)
Cloaked by a stealth field, he hovered next to my head so only I could hear him.
“I noticed them four blocks back. So long as they keep their distance, I am inclined to leave them be,” I said, thwarting another pickpocket attempt by a group of children. “I don’t want to become the sort of man who brutalizes everyone who causes me trouble. Mercy to those willing to listen, and death to those foolish enough not to.”
<Understood. I will continue to monitor them, for now.> (Luxion)
As we rounded the next bend, Yunyun came to a halt outside a small brick building. The place was called the Bright Ghost, and inside, Wiz was busy stocking shelves. Through the crystal-clear shop window, we could see a variety of healing and mana potions displayed prominently. Toward the back of the shop, countless mage robes could be seen, but no staves or wands.
Roxanne surveyed the goods, her brow furrowed. “Why are her prices so low? They cost half as much here as they do at the guild and other shops.”
“Well, you see, Miss Wiz isn’t a living person; she is an Elder Lich,” Yunyun explained with a hesitant look. “She is from a dungeon to the far east of here, and only gained awareness ten years ago. Her memory before then is blank, but she is certain many adventurers were slain by her hand. Selling items to prospective adventurers is how she tries to atone for her past actions.”
Elder Liches were the penultimate form of the Lich evolutionary line. Found in high-ranked dungeons, their almost humanlike appearance often led to them being mistaken for adventurers by others. This natural disguise allowed them to get in close and deliver deadly attacks before their targets could muster any resistance.
Confused, Roxanne turned to me. “If Miss Wiz is a monster, are we supposed to slay her? I think Lucoa mentioned something about it being guild policy to slay every monster we see outside a dungeon.”
“You are partially correct.” I leaned against the weathered brick wall, keeping one eye on our surroundings. “We are duty-bound to slay any monsters found in the world that lack proper documentation. Some species are used as draft animals because they possess just enough sentience outside a dungeon to be trained. In rare cases, high-level monsters escape and develop total free will. I assume Wiz is one of those cases?”
“That’s exactly right!” Yunyun beamed, her eyes widening at my knowledge of the subject. “Miss Wiz is a full-fledged citizen of the Holfort Kingdom. She is actually the foremost expert on cursed items in the country.”
Eager to introduce her mentor to us, Yunyun pushed the faded red door open and rushed inside. As it swung wide, the scent of freshly cut cedar and sandalwood wafted out to greet us. Roxanne and I followed, stunned by the shop’s immaculate interior. There was not a speck of dust to be seen, and the rich hardwood floors were polished to a mirror-like finish. The surrounding district was a grotesque mix of soot, garbage, and filth, yet Wiz’s shop was pristine—an oasis in a wasteland.
Yunyun ran up to the sales counter. “Miss Wiz! I’m so happy to see—”
“EEP!”
Thud.
Startled, the klutzy lich stumbled backward and tripped over her own feet. In a desperate attempt to catch herself, her hands thrashed about, grabbing only the lip of a shelf. A cascade of display cases followed her down, collapsing right on top of her in a heap of wood and broken glass.
The scene had me in stitches, but I did my best to suppress my laughter. While I fought to maintain my composure, Roxanne and Yunyun rushed to her side. Together, they helped Wiz back onto her feet and checked her for any injuries.
“I am perfectly fine, ladies. No need to worry,” Wiz said, casually brushing glass fragments from her apron.
Relieved, Yunyun embraced her tightly. “I am so sorry, Miss Wiz. Please tell me the cost of the damage. I promise to pay you back as soon as I can.”
“There’s no need for that, Yunyun. I have plenty of ingredients in the back, so replacing the stock won’t be any trouble,” Wiz assured her, before her eyes widened in realization. “Wait—Yunyun?! What are you doing here in the capital?”
Yunyun released her and took a step back. “I came here to earn money for the village and check on you. You haven’t visited in almost a year. We feared the worst.”
Appreciative of the concern, Wiz patted Yunyun’s head with a gentle, if slightly melancholy, smile.
“Physically, I am in perfect health,” Wiz said. “Financially, however, I am deep in the red and on the verge of losing the shop. I made a rather… unfortunate decision at an estate sale late last year, and it has tied up all my remaining capital.”
As expected, Wiz’s business sense was still terrible. The sale was for a late nobleman’s estate, and it should have been a goldmine of legitimate goods. However, while she was browsing, a seller approached her with a “once-in-a-lifetime” offer for dungeon relics. The late nobleman had a fondness for ancient technology, forming quite a substantial collection.
Sight-unseen, Wiz bought the entire lot, hoping to make out like a bandit. Instead, she ended up with a pile of useless junk that couldn’t even be melted down for scrap.
“That big meanie!” Yunyun shouted, puffing her cheeks in sympathetic anger. “It might not be much, but we are here to shop. Can you sell me some mage robes and a staff, please?”
Wiz’s curious expression shifted into a warm grin. “Oh? What is the special occasion?”
“Hehe, well, you see…” Yunyun retrieved her ID card from her pocket and presented it with a flourish. “As of this morning, I am officially an adventurer!”
Elated by this news, Wiz pulled her into a crushing hug. As they bounced together in excitement, I looked away, trying my hardest not to notice how gravity was affecting their chests. After things settled down, Wiz broke the bad news to Yunyun.
“I am more than happy to sell you mage robes, but staves and wands will be a problem. The last of my stock was bought up weeks ago. I have a few broken ones in the back room, but they are useless to you.”
Yunyun’s excitement was snuffed out in seconds. Before she could sink into despair, I interjected.
“That won’t be an issue,” I said confidently. “If you don’t mind, I would like to purchase your broken stock and borrow an alchemy table for a while.”
Wiz looked at me, her eyes twinkling with intrigue. “Do you mean to tell me you are an artificer?”
I gave a slight nod. “I am indeed. My family was too poor to hire tutors, so I taught myself the craft by studying the books in my father’s library.”
Impressed, Wiz agreed to my request and showed us to the back room. As we entered the warehouse, the pleasant scent of cedar faded, replaced by the pungent tang of sulfur and dried medicinal herbs.
“My alchemy table is over there,” Wiz said, gesturing to the far corner. “I’ll go fetch the broken staves for you. They’re buried somewhere in the pile of useless junk I bought from the estate sale.”
While she rummaged through the crates, the three of us wandered over to the workstation. The table was well-worn from years of use, but despite a few dents and scratches, it was in perfect condition for my needs.
“Found them!” Wiz called out, pulling a handful of shattered wood and crystal from an open crate.
With the components in hand, I used a wet sponge to wipe away the basic magic circle Wiz had drawn. Once the surface was dry, I drew a far more efficient and intricate formula. I placed the broken parts onto the redrawn matrix and channeled my mana into it. In a flash, the wood and crystal chunks turned into specks of light as they were broken down into their raw, elemental forms.
Roxanne and Yunyun stared at the elemental piles in shock. “Wow! You are amazing, Leon.”
“I appreciate the compliment, but we are only halfway there,” I said, visualizing the finished design in my mind.
Once I had a strong mental image, I channeled my mana into the matrix once more. The formula glowed with blinding intensity as the raw materials fused and shaped themselves to my will. As the light receded, a pure white staff adorned with intricate woodland carvings appeared on the table. The construction was flawless; now it only needed the finishing touch.
“Why is Leon whispering gibberish to the staff?” Roxanne asked, tilting her head.
Gobsmacked, Wiz gave Yunyun a grave expression. “I don’t know where you met this man, but I would thank the gods you did. Alchemists and artificers are incredibly rare. To find someone who can do both—and knows the extraordinary art of enchanting? That simply doesn’t happen.”
Startled by this revelation, Roxanne and Yunyun looked at me with renewed reverence. I finished imbuing the staff with magic efficiency and mana increase buffs, then handed the completed weapon to Yunyun.
“It is finished. Please, give it a try,” I requested.
With trembling hands, Yunyun accepted the staff. “It is a beautiful piece of art. Are you sure you want to me have this?”
“A tool should be used, not placed on a pedestal to be admired. Go on, show us what you can do,” I said. “Nothing destructive, please. Wiz’s finances are in a rough state already; we don’t need to worsen things.”
Yunyun nodded solemnly. With a deep breath, she tapped the staff against the floor and began circulating her mana. As she channeled it into the staff, she softly chanted a light spell. A small orb of light formed at the tip, steadily increasing in brilliance.
Observing the mana flow, Wiz clapped with excitement. “You’re doing great, Yunyun! How does it feel?”
“It doesn’t feel like I’m using any mana at all!” Yunyun beamed. “I want to see how much it can take. Is that okay?”
Before I could warn her to switch spells, Roxanne and Wiz egged her on. Sensing the impending disaster, I spun around and clamped my hands over my eyes. Seconds later, a blinding flash filled the warehouse. All three women let out an ear-piercing screech and fell to the floor in agony.
Unable to hold back my laughter this time, I leaned against the wall for support. “I can tell this party will never have a dull moment. Thank you, ladies, for putting a smile on my face.”
Once their sight had recovered, I helped them back to their feet. Satisfied that the staff would serve her well, Yunyun bowed deeply.
“Thank you, Leon!” she said, clutching the staff to her chest. “No one has ever given me such an amazing gift before. I promise to work twice as hard to repay your generosity.”
I patted her head, a soft smile creeping onto my face. “There is no need to be so formal, Yunyun. We are friends, after all.”
Yunyun lifted her head, offering a radiant smile. Content with that as my repayment, I handed a small sack of coins to Wiz, instructing her to deduct the cost of the materials and robes from the total. I also requested several healing potions as a safety precaution.
Wiz opened the bag, and her eyes nearly doubled in size. “My word! I’ve never seen platinum coins before. I promise you, I will supply only my best products!”
Eager to get Yunyun sorted, Wiz began ushering her toward the storefront. As we followed, a glint from within one of the open crates caught my eye. Intrigued, I walked over to the estate junk to see what it was. I pushed aside some straw, and my jaw dropped.
Before me lay thousands of data caches from several extinct xeno-species. Recognizing them from the sci-fi shows and games of my old life, my hands trembled as I reached out. I picked one up—a crystal data storage device belonging to a race from Stargate called the Ancients.
“Tell me, Wiz. Are these crates filled with objects like this one?” I asked, holding up the crystalline data cache.
“Yes. Between those seven crates, there are about a hundred thousand of them,” Wiz said, her voice heavy with the memory of her terrible investment.
Armed with this knowledge, I looked back at the crate and whispered to Luxion. “Are you able to access the data on these?”
Luxion extended several slender probes from his chassis, delicately searching the crystal’s surface. After locating the correct contact points, he attempted to interface with the stored information.
<Master, I’ve confirmed I can read the data. However, the files are encrypted with quantum-level protection. It will take time to bypass the security, but it should not pose a significant challenge.> (Luxion)
Overjoyed by this news, I placed the cache back into the straw and turned to Wiz. I wasn’t sure how to value them in this world’s currency, so I led with a firm number.
“If I offered you two hundred and fifty thousand Dia, would you sell me the lot?” I asked. “I am a collector of ancient technology, and I would—”
The words hadn’t finished leaving my mouth before Wiz was in front of me, seizing my hands in hers.
“Of course! If you want them, I am more than happy to sell!” she cried, her eyes shining with relief. “I’ll recoup my losses and even turn a cozy profit!”
With the deal struck, we headed to the front of the shop to select Yunyun’s robes and settle the paperwork.
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