Ch. 151..160

Chapter 151

"And I’m sure they’d love to meet Jack, too. What do you think Maura?"

"Mom, that’s enough! Why are you always teasing Jack? Besides, we’re not like that... not yet..." Maura shouted, trying her best to overcome her embarrassment and stop her mom’s taunting. As she finished speaking, Maura’s voice softened and trailed off, making it hard for others to hear the last thing she said.

Laughing, Marisha replied, "Fine, I’ll leave him alone for now, but he already knows that I want you and him to get together, we’ve even talked about it on multiple occasions. Isn’t that right, Jack?"

Maura immediately looked at Jack, but he was turned away to hide his own embarrassment. When Jack stayed silent and never responded to her mother, Maura felt a strange mix of emotions. She wanted her mom to stop pressing the issue, but a small part of her was happy that her mom was trying to help her. Also, considering Jack’s silence, it made her feel like he wasn’t fully against the idea, and that gave her even more hope for the future.

Keeping his thoughts to himself, Jack wasn’t willing to talk with Marisha in front of Maura. The woman always had a way of turning a conversation in her favor. Jack was a nice guy and hated hurting the feelings of the people close to him. So, Jack was afraid that Marisha would force him to say something misleading or possibly get him to admit that he had started to care more about Maura, even though he was trying to close his heart.

"Leave the brat alone," groaned Zariff. Witnessing this, Zariff came to realize something.

Though Jack might be interested in his daughter, it was evident that he wasn’t too active in pursuing her. Rather, it was mainly his daughter pursuing him, and even more so it was his wife pushing them together from behind the scenes.

"Jack, you and I will go to headquarters while those two go and check on Marisha’s parents. Alright?"

"You’ve got it," answered Jack, taking the get out of jail free card that Zariff was offering him.

The rest of the journey was smooth, other than the occasional awkward comment from Marisha to spark conversation.

Jack made sure to stick to Zariff more as a means to escape the brunt of Marisha’s advances and some of the awkwardness between him and Maura. Usually, Jack would be able to handle that much, but Marisha would always find a way to try and get Jack to admit that he and Maura should be together.

He felt that the journey was extra long because of it, but deep down he was happy. They really did start to feel like family to him by the time their two and a half weeks of travel were over.

"There it is, what do you think, Jack?" Marisha pointed out into the distance toward a magnificent city.

The city was built in the center of a valley inside a mountain range. There was still plenty of room to fit a megacity in the valley, like Federal City, but it was a natural defense that no one could ignore.

Traveling by normal road was fine and easy like always, but if some force tried to invade or attack, then they only had two directions to come from. They might try to climb down the mountains and enter the city, but that would make them easy targets. Some countries might have imagined trying to conquer the magnificent Federal City, but none had dared since before the Holy War back when Jack was playing the game as Jack_J.

Seeing it with his own eyes and not through a computer screen, Jack was in awe and mumbled to himself, "It hasn’t changed a bit..."

Being one of the megacities in Ancient Kartonia, Jack was very familiar with the city’s layout and even remembered where most everything was. Though many things would have changed after hundreds of years, the largest and most magnificent buildings remained standing. There were even a few that would qualify as skyscrapers back in his homeworld.

"It’s amazing, isn’t it! It’s been so long!" Maura was happy to finally come back to the place she had always called home. There, she was raised and that’s where her family could be found too.

"Remember, you two will go and say hi to your parents. I’ll take Jack to the association headquarters, so don’t worry about him," stated Zariff as he eyed his wife. He was insistent to let Jack handle his stuff on his own without Maura or his wife interfering.

"Fine, I’ll let the boy go for now," joked Marisha. "But he’ll have to come back for dinner, and I’ll make sure to arrange his stay at the inn. Don’t waste time and miss dinner, got it?"

"Got it, dear," replied Zariff as his horse neared Jack’s. "Hey, brat, we should hurry and get this over with. We’ve both got our own things to do, so we should start as soon as possible. That way we may avoid getting held up by some of the old men who run the association."

"Just be careful about with man you call old!" A shout came from the front of the party.

Everyone laughed when they realized the Advisor Wain had heard Zariff’s comment. Zariff just chuckled and shook his head. "Come on, Jack."

The soon to be released branch chief took off, speeding toward the front of the party, signaling for Jack to do the same.

Following Zariff, Jack joined the small group upfront. Together with Zariff, Branch Chief Liam, and Advisor Wain, Jack hurried into the city and left the group of adventurers behind with a wagon and a carriage that was now empty.

Before long, that advanced group bolted through the outer gates of the city. Instead of lining up for the entrance inspection, they rode right through. Without the wagon or the carriage, they were able to avoid inspection thanks to Wain’s rank.

Jack was surprised but happy. Apparently, the Adventurers Association had a lot more influence inside a megacity like Federal City than it did in Reinolt.

"Just keep up and don’t get distracted. You can explore the city tomorrow," yelled Zariff, making sure Jack could hear him.

Only nodding in response, Jack followed Zariff’s advice, apart from the occasional glance to something that caught his eye.

While in the city, the group had to slow down for fear of pedestrians. All in all, it took them almost an hour to reach the Adventurers Association headquarters in the city’s central region, even on horseback.

Now that he was there in real life, Jack felt like the city was far larger and harder to navigate. It still felt familiar and he understood where he was, but it was taking him a lot longer than he had expected.

When they finally dismounted, Jack noticed that one of the newer and smaller skyscrapers was being used as the association’s headquarters.

"Follow me, both of you." Advisor Wain nodded to Jack and Zariff, leading the way for them both.

"Good luck!" yelled Branch Chief Liam who went a different direction.

Zariff only waved back to him and they separated. Jack and Zariff both stayed close to Wain to make sure they wouldn’t get lost in the crowded main floor. As Advisor Wain neared a wall, he waved a badge over a stone embedded there.

Suddenly, the wall opened up and revealed a hovering metal plate.

"Hop on." That was all Wain said as he did the same. When both Jack and Zariff joined him on the hovering plate, the wall closed shut. Wain waved the same badge in front of a similar embedded stone on this side of the wall. At the same time, he stated, "Floor six."

As if in response to Wain’s order, the hover plate started to rise. It wasn’t going too fast, but it wasn’t too slow either.

Jack chuckled to himself. Though there were hover plates in Ancient Kartonia, there weren’t any quite like this. It was easy for Jack to see this as a magical elevator, and he found out from Wain that it was also called an elevator. In fact, the Adventurer’s Association was the first to use hover plates in such a controlled way.

That made Jack even more curious about the Adventurers Association, or more specifically the founder of the Adventurers Association. It should be someone extremely powerful, maybe even as powerful as some ancient heroes.

"This way." The moment the hover plate stopped moving, the wall opened up and let them onto the sixth floor and Wain started moving again.

The sixth floor was much less crowded than the main floor. There were also fewer rooms, but they were much larger. Eventually, the three of them arrived outside of a sturdy wooden door with the number 3 etched into the woodwork.

Advisor Wain knocked gently and said, "I’ve brought them both."

"Oh, you’re early. Come in and take a seat. We’re finishing up another matter, but you can wait a few minutes and we’ll get right to it."

A calm voice was heard from the other side of the door before it opened on its own.

As Jack looked around the room, a bright red notification appeared in his system.

 

Chapter 152

The room the had entered looked to be some sort of conference room, but it was different. Instead of a single table with chairs, there was one main table by the far wall with a few people seated in the middle of a single side. Closer to the door were a few dozen chairs and desks. Also, there were many seats along the walls, as if they were meant to have an audience.

Only about a dozen seats were filled, but Wain took them to the side instead. Trying to figure out what was going on, Jack followed Advisor Wain and sat by the wall.

Since he had nothing needing his attention at the moment, Jack opened up his system notifications. The blaring red notification filled his view and Jack’s jaw almost went slack.

[Attention: Fellow champion found!]

Those few words were like a bomb going off in his head. The last thing he had expected to happen was to encounter one of the other two champions. And he was still too weak! If the champion was someone in that conference room, it was obvious that they were stronger than Jack.

Jack put his Eagle Eye to the test, hoping he might find some clue as to who the other champion was.

Looking over everyone, Jack learned that the weakest person in the room was Zariff, other than himself. To Jack’s surprise, there were almost three people seated in those desks, and they were all at least lv. 46, some were even in the high fifties!

Eventually, Jack finished with the people in the desks and looked to the table. There were thirteen men sitting there, and they were easily the strongest in the room. Jack made sure to take a mental note of each of them to remember their faces well.

The seating was determined by strength. In the desks, the weakest people sat the farthest from the table. At the table, those on the end were all lv. 60 or higher.

After counting nine people over lv. 60, Jack found that the four people at the table’s center were unfathomable. Even with his Eagle Eye, Jack had no way to read them.

Knowing that determined that one of them was the champion that his system warned him about. By following the rule that they were seated according to strength, Jack determined that the man at the center was the strongest there and most likely the mysterious founder he had always heard rumors about.

While Jack was busy guessing what how strong those four people might be, Zariff was frozen in place as he stared at the panel of people at the table.

When he became a branch chief, he had met a few regional advisors, such as Advisor Wain. The strongest of those he met was lv. 52. At the time, he was blown away and awestruck to meet someone so strong. But now... Zariff didn’t know what to think.

A few minutes passed and those at the table finished their discussion. The room got quiet and the man at the center of the table turned to Wain, Zariff, and Jack with a warm smile.

"Come, we’ve finished with the other matter. Now, it’s time to discuss a few things with you both."

The man looked middle-aged with a salt and pepper beard. He wore a majestic golden robe that made him appear to glow with boundless energy. Jack could tell that he wasn’t a warrior, but a terrifyingly powerful mage.

Wain nodded shyly and stood up. "Thank you, Founder."

He led Jack and Zariff to the front of the room, just to the side of the main table. After that, he took his own seat at a desk in the back since he was only lv. 47.

"First, let’s discuss the matter involving Branch Chief Zariff," stated the founder. "Please, step forward."

As Zariff complied and stood before the panel, a man at one end of the table spoke up, "Branch Chief Zariff, it is to our knowledge that you have now dropped in level from 36 to 35, correct? And how is that so, please tell us?"

"A few months back I completed an assignment for the man who was later revealed as a member of the Chaos Syndicate. During that mission, I ended up poisoned and cursed. If I remain uncured of the poison, I’ll die within a year and even sooner if I’m forced to fight. The more strength I use, the closer I am to dying."

One of the mysterious men beside the founder squinted and asked. "Can I have a sample of your blood, please?" He then tossed a small vial to Zariff.

"Um... sure." Zariff retrieved a small knife and made a tiny cut on one of his fingertips. After putting a few drops in the vial, Zariff tossed it back and wrapped up his finger.

The man stared intently at the poison as his eyes glowed purple. "This... is walking death toxin!"

Everyone in the room was astonished to hear that. They all knew of the toxin, but few would be able to identify it.

"You’ll definitely pass within the next three months if you aren’t cured. Hmm... this is a little more complicated than I anticipated," mentioned the man, storing the vial of blood in his ring.

Zariff swallowed some saliva. He wasn’t ready for it to be over so soon, he thought he’d be able to keep fighting it a while longer.

"You’re definitely unfit to proceed as the Reinolt Branch Chief. In a month’s time, you’ll be bedridden and soon after you’ll give up your last breath. That’s my diagnosis."

The man’s final words were like daggers in Zariff’s heart. He didn’t want to believe it.

"Is there any way I can be cured!" Zariff shouted, losing himself for a moment.

That same man shrugged. "It’s hard to say. That would involve finding a cure and searching for incredibly rare ingredients that may be unavailable. We will, however, look into for you."

"Now, about your curse..." Everyone went silent when the founder started talking. "I’m glad we know that the syndicate’s influence in Reinolt has disappeared. It also explains how you received the worst possible curse, Skaryn’s Vengeance."

"Skaryn’s Vengeance..." The others were startled, even more so by the curse than the walking death poison.

"To think a mere branch chief would encounter both walking death poison and Skaryn’s Vengeance... I’m truly sorry. Even if we can somehow manage to save you from the poison, I have no way to remove that curse. No matter what, you will no longer be able to stay as a branch chief," explained the founder. "Again, I’m sorry that you’ve had to go through this at the association’s expense."

As the founder finished, the same person at the end of the table looked to those in desks. "From this moment on, Zariff Jaldor shall honorably rescind his title as the Reinolt Branch Chief and shall remain an ordinary member of the Adventurers Association for the time being. As compensation for the troubles he’s faced as the former branch chief, we shall gift him with five thousand gold coins and shall aid in the search for a cure to his poisoning."

All people present nodded in unison, accepting the terms and standing as witnesses of the decision.

"Thank you, Zariff. Now, please step back and all Jack to step forward," stated the founder.

As they switch places, Jack patted Zariff on the back to try and comfort him. He didn’t fully understand everything going on in Zariff’s mind, but Jack understood that Zariff was undeserving of such pain and stress.

When Jack stepped forward, all eyes were on him. Even those at the table all stared at him with interest, much more than they had with Zariff.

The founder was the one who started leading the discussion again, showing that they were giving Jack far more importance than Zariff. If anything, it felt like Zariff was just a casual affair while Jack’s was the true matter at hand.

"So, Jack, let me introduce myself. My name is Lorwynn and I am the founder of the Adventurers Association. In due time, you may meet these men beside me, but we’ll save that for another day," Lorwynn stated as he bowed his head respectfully. "I hear that you were summoned just a month ago, yet you’re already lv. 22. That’s amazing!"

Jack squinted his eyes, trying to understand what the founder was after.

There was no way they summoned the founder and all the higher-ups to greet a lv. 22 hero. Maybe if they weren’t so strong, but Jack was guessing that each of the four unfathomable figures was at least lv. 70, and maybe the founder was lv. 80.

Lorwynn laughed when he saw that Jack wasn’t nervous in front of so many powerful people. In fact, he was more composed than Zariff who was a former branch chief.

"Jack, you’re probably wondering why so many people have gathered just to see you, correct?" asked Lorwynn. "Let me explain a few things and then we’ll get to the matter at hand."

 

Chapter 153

Seeing that Lorwynn didn’t want to waste time, Jack nodded and let the man talk uninterrupted.

"Good, first let me explain who all is here. Before you are the thirty-two Regional Advisors that help us manage to the association and the many branch chiefs. Here beside me are the nine councilmen and the three guardians of the Adventurers Association. Together, we make up one of the strongest forces in all Kartonia," explained Lorwynn.

"Normally, we wouldn’t have everyone here to meet you, but something else also came up so we decided to meet you personally while we were already here."

"It’s an honor to meet so many powerful experts," said Jack as bowed to the table and then the desks.

"Jack, we want to know if you have any goals or if there’s anything that we can do to help you. Also, we were told that you had a few requests for us. Is that correct?"

"Yes, I have a few requests," answered Jack. "But before that, I’m curious, does the association have any other summoned heroes?"

Lorwynn shook his head with a slight frown. "Sadly, we’ve never been successful at summoning a hero ourselves. You were a special case because no one ever summons such a low-level hero. Who can guarantee that they’ll level up or work hard to get stronger? The point of summoning a hero is to summon someone strong and powerful that doesn’t need anything other than some good equipment."

"However, we’re very glad that you have joined the association and that you’ve shown more growth than any hero we’ve seen thus far," added Lorwynn. "Keep this up, and you could be joining everyone in here in no time."

"Well, I’ll be honest. I’m more interested in traveling and growing stronger as fast as possible. I won’t be satisfied with such low levels."

Jack’s statement shocked everyone in the room. To be called low-leveled as some of the most powerful people in the continent, it was like a slap in the face.

To Lorwynn it had the opposite effect. His warm smile grew and his eyes sparkled. "That’s great! Since that’s what you’re after, are you wanting to form a traveling party? Is that what you’re after today?"

"You’re very understanding, Lorwynn. That’s exactly why I’m here, and I already know who it is that I want. There are three association members I know personally in Reinolt that I would like to request officially become my party. That way they won’t get conflicting orders and will only have to answer to me," reasoned Jack.

"Hmm... We can make that happen, but wouldn’t you want to take someone a bit stronger too, just in case. I’m sure we can find a willing volunteer in the room if you just ask."

"No, I’m fine with just those three. It’ll be Rydel, Maynard, and Keela from the Reinolt Branch. Thank you for your help, Master Lorwynn." Jack bowed again, insistent to keep his small party.

Though he quite liked the association, the fact that another champion was already so high up in the organization didn’t sit well with Jack. Besides, if Jack could revive Trodar and help it rise to glory like before, couldn’t he form his own superpower organization?

"Very well, it will be arranged," Lorwynn agreed, acting as if he had never made a suggestion in the first place. "Now, there is something that we would like to talk to you about. We’ve heard that you were able to find an ancient hero’s tomb. And it wasn’t just any tomb, but the tomb of Ponlinne the Great from the Zuran Empire. Is that correct?"

Jack’s smile vanished and he became straight-faced as they finally admitted what they were really after.

"I won’t lie to you. Yes, I did find it and yes, I was able to get ahold of Ponlinne’s magic weapon. There were a few good items inside the tomb, the best being the life spring, from which I took a life spring crystal. May I ask why you want to know more about it?"

"The Adventurers Association isn’t one to take things forcibly from its members. In fact, we encourage members to strive to find their own treasures and resources everywhere they go."

"Then why do you want to know so much about the treasures that I’ve acquired for myself?" asked Jack, not acting neither warm nor cold to the association founder.

"Jack, we want to ask you to donate some of the treasures that you’ve acquired in Ponlinne’s tomb. Of course, the life spring crystal is yours and it will save either your life or someone else’s in the future," explained Lorwynn. "However, how do you plan to use such powerful items when you’re only lv. 22? We wish to hold on to them until you’re stronger and can better wield the items that would be useful in the future. Until then, there are many people who would benefit from using such treasures until that time."

Giving Lorwynn a strange look and a dry smile, Jack stated, "So, you want me to give away my treasures as a donation so that I might get a couple back when I may need them later? And what if I wanted to use them for trade? Like I said earlier, I won’t be satisfied with such low levels. To grow stronger faster, I’ll need those items as either resources or for trade to get resources."

"Jack, please think this through. Who could possibly trade for things as valuable as Ponlinne’s staff? Such treasures are priceless." reasoned Lorwynn.

"Are you saying that the Adventurers Association doesn’t have anything worth trading for my treasures?"

Catching Jack’s hint, Lorwynn chuckled. "You wish to trade the items with the association?"

"If you don’t want them, then just say so. But don’t try and tell me that you don’t have something of worth to trade, you’re one of the strongest groups in all Kartonia and one of the richest," stated Jack.

Taking a moment to think, Lowynn stroked his beard softly. "What do you want, Jack? And what are you offering?"

Suddenly, a staff appeared in Jack’s hands. Though it appeared like a normal wooden staff, everyone present was smart enough to realize that it was a true treasure.

"You wanted Ponlinne’s staff, right? You can have it after his poison and curse are removed."

"Jack, you’re demands are too harsh. There’s no way that we can--"

"I’m just asking that you help the man who was devoted to your organization enough to face the Chaos Syndicate personally. He was even poisoned and cursed while on an official mission. You weren’t the ones who assigned it, but you should also help those who are so badly treated while representing you," stated Jack.

"Besides, if you can’t do it, then who else could? We’ve already been searching for ingredients to the poison’s cure. We heard that we needed refined cleansing powder, right?"

Jack looked over at Zariff and nodded, waiting for him to show his refined cleansing powder to the room.

"We already found one of the ingredients. If we can find one of them, then the association should be able to find the rest. Or is a lv. 85 cleric’s staff that was handcrafted from a life tree sapling not worth it to you?"

Everyone was shaken by Jack’s words. As a lv. 22, he showed more confidence than most people attending could muster themselves.

"I can’t guarantee anything about the curse, but I think we can take care of the poison," answered Lorwynn.

"Well, how about this. After his poison has been cured and you can at least find me a clue as to how the curse can be lifted, then I’ll hand over the staff for you to keep indefinitely. Is that a bad deal?"

"What else do you have to offer? I’m sure there were plenty of goods in that tomb."

Jack laughed and put the staff away. In its place, Jack retrieved three other weapons, two lv. 55 and one lv. 65. "There were also these and a few chests worth of gold and platinum, but you’re already plenty rich so you don’t need coins, right?"

"Right, but those three weapons would be perfect for some of the men here today. What do you want for them?" asked Lorwynn.

"Weapons," said Jack with a simple smile. "I need lv. 30 and lv. 35 weapons for myself and my party, and they should be peak tier considering what I’m offering you. That’s fair enough, right?"

"That can be arranged," answered Lorwynn, who was still smiling. "You’re quite the negotiator for a new hero."

"I just want to make sure both sides of the deal benefit. Plus, I think you’re getting a steal of an offer for Ponlinne’s staff, to be honest."

Lorwynn didn’t respond to Jack’s comment. He knew what the organization was capable of, and Jack was right.

Helping find the other ingredients and only finding a lead to help Jack solve the curse was easy. They only had to search the market and pay a lot of coins for special ingredients if they didn’t already have them. And after some digging through ancient texts and other sources of information, finding a lead on the curse shouldn’t be too hard.

Within the month, Lorwynn was confident that Ponlinne’s staff would be in their hands. When that happens, they’ll make a public announcement to try and draw in more recruits and attention. It was perfect for them.

"Well, if there’s nothing else, I’d like to get going. We have somewhere we need to be," stated Jack. "It was a pleasure doing business."

Lorwynn nodded and looked to Advisor Wain in the back row. "Take them to the armory and let him choose what he wants. Once he’s satisfied, bring us the weapons he traded us."

"Y-yes, sir!" Advisor Wain stuttered under the sudden pressure. Not only was the founder himself giving him an order, but it also involved high-level items as well.

Turning his attention back to Jack, Lorwynn bowed his head and said his goodbye. "I wish you luck on your journey, Jack. Make sure to stop by whenever you need something or would like to talk."

"If I have a chance, I will."

With that, Jack and Zariff left the room behind Wain, who was taking them to the armory on the fifth floor.

 

Chapter 154

Jack took his time choosing the best weapons possible. He even grabbed a lv. 35 sword for Maura, because her lv. 25 frost sword was as good as a regular peak-tier lv. 30 sword. It was almost a mythic-tier weapon even.

They made sure to turn in the weapons Jack offered, as well as the refined cleansing powder. After giving Advisor Wain a quick goodbye, both Zariff and Jack took their horses to the inn.

After riding into town, the meeting, and choosing weapons, It was already late into the afternoon and the sun had started to set. It was about ten minutes of riding until the inn was in their sights.

"This is the place. What do you think?" asked Zariff with a playful smile.

Stunned by luxurious it was, Jack was taken aback. It was huge and magnificent, with white and gold trim on almost everything. The inn had five huge floors and was bustling. Even the sign saying "Heavenly Palace" was over the top and extremely attractive to the eye.

"This is the place? You used to come here?"

"Yeah... I’m not a huge fan of the decorum, but the food is to die for." Zariff shrugged and led them both to the stable in the back.

Normally, guests would have to tie down their horses, purchase the room, and then take them to the stables. However, Zariff didn’t care since his wife’s family owned the place. A stable hand tried to stop them after he found out Zariff had no room key, but he just told the young man to ask the owners about him and left with Jack.

They entered through the back door and made their way through the bottom floor’s restaurant. When they reached the front desk, Zariff asked, "Hey, Molly, have you seen my wife and daughter?"

"Zariff, you’re finally here! They’re waiting for you in the dining hall. Look for booth 18." The receptionist smiled when she saw Zariff and happily shared the information.

Zariff thanked her and took Jack to the back corner of the restaurant. In that corner, there were only private booths. It was common for high-rollers or wealthy nobles to use such booths, but it would be Jack’s first time.

They knocked on the door and it was quickly opened. "Come in, dear."

Following Marisha’s instructions, Jack and Zariff each took a seat. Of course, Marisha made sure to sit with Zariff so that Maura and Jack were sat together too.

"So, how’d it go back at headquarters?"’ asked Marisha, eyeing her husband.

At first, he didn’t respond, but he soon opened his mouth and said, "It went alright. I was honorably discharged, and we’ve got quite a sum of gold as a way to thank me. I think we should get a nice little house for ourselves. What do you think, Marisha?"

"I’d like that." She caressed his arm, happy to know that her husband could finally relax.

It was torture for her to watch her husband fight the poison, especially after any fights or missions he had. Though he hid it well with hid drinking, Marisha knew how her husband was always in terrible pain.

"And the poison? Will they cure it?"

"That--"

"Yes, they agreed to hunt down the remaining ingredients for the cure and they’ll make it themselves. Also, their searching for a way to lift his curse too." Interjecting, Jack made sure not to mention his deal involving Ponlinne’s staff.

He didn’t want Marisha or Maura to know about that. If Marisha found out, Jack was afraid that she might try to thank him by sending him and Maura on a date that he couldn’t refuse. Not that he wouldn’t mind it, but Jack didn’t want to pursue any relationships for the time being. He felt he was too weak, especially after seeing the Adventurers Association’s powerful lineup.

"That’s great!" shouted Maura. "You’ll finally feel better Papa! But for now, just relax, you’ve already got plenty of savings to live off of. Just enjoy some time with Mom at home."

Zariff nodded. "Fine, I’ll listen to you, Maura. So, what will you do now? I’m guessing you wanted to go with him, right?"

Maura blushed when her dad spoke so directly about it. She was still afraid that he would turn her down again and force her to stay.

"So long as you’re with Jack, I’m okay with it. Just stick close to him, okay?" Zariff smiled at his daughter and turned to Jack. "As for you, take care of my daughter. If anything happens to her, then I’ll come looking for you, whether I’m healed or not."

"Papa! Thank you!" Tears formed in Maura’s eyes after she heard her father. "You’re really okay with me leaving? I don’t know when I’ll be back?"

"It’s fine, just be careful and don’t let him do anything too stupid."

Marisha stayed quiet, enjoying the moment. She was happy to finally have Zariff allow their daughter to leave and learn to live life. And he was even trying to keep her and Jack together, that was a big plus in Marisha’s eyes.

"I’ll make sure she’s fine, so don’t worry. Which reminds me..." Taking out a sword from his storage, Jack turned to Maura. "Here, this is for you."

"What?! Are you serious?" Though she was questioning it, Maura didn’t hesitate to take it from his hands.

"A sword?" Zariff saw it and was confused. He thought that Jack had chosen it for himself. And why was Maura happy about getting a sword?

Looking at her daughter, Marisha asked, "Honey, isn’t it about time you told your father?"

"Time she told me what? What kind of secret did you two keep from me?"

Maura took a deep breath and nodded to her mother. Then, she looked her father in the eye. "Papa, I’m going to leave to get much stronger and I want to be even stronger than you. I never told you this, but I’m a spell sword, not just a mage like I told you. Are you mad?"

"A spell sword... My daughter is a spell sword?! That’s amazing!" Zariff shouted for joy. He never thought his daughter would have such a rare class, why wouldn’t he be excited.

"Sweety, that’s great! No wonder you were always trying to go out on adventures. With Jack’s help, I’m sure you’ll get stronger than me in no time!"

At first, Zariff didn’t like the thought of his only daughter being stronger than him. But once he knew that she had a rare and powerful subclass, his perspective changed. If she kept grinding and pushed herself, she could become one of the strongest people within her level.

"Since it’s such a great occasion, why not celebrate?" asked Jack.

"We’ve already put in the orders, so the food and drink will be back shortly. Until then, how about you tell us about your masterplan, Jack? What’s next on your to-do list?" Marisha turned the tables on him again, but it wasn’t a loaded question so Jack was fine with answering.

"I’m going to hurry back to Reinolt to get the others and then we’ll start traveling around to the neighboring countries to grind and search for valuable items or dungeons."

"Oh, come on Jack. We know you’ve got bigger plans than that. Maynard wouldn’t shut up about finding the shrine of the ancient sword god and Rydel mentioned something about going to Trodar earlier."

Since Marisha didn’t give Jack a chance to avoid the subject, he let out a sigh and answered, "Well, those are part of the plan. I’m not 100% sure of everything we’ll do on the way to trodar, but I don’t want to enter Trodar until I’m at least lv. 35," explained Jack.

"As for that sword god, I still need to talk to Maynard about that. I think there’s a better god for him to pledge to. The goal will be for everyone to pledge to a god and gain their blessings. That way, we’ll have some kind of advantage against people our level. It would help us a lot."

Hearing that, Maura blinked and asked, "Does that mean you’re going to help me do that too?"

"Yeah, you’re part of the party, aren’t you?" Jack joked around with her, making Maura feel a little embarrassed in front of her parents. "I’ll explain more about the gods later when the whole party is together, that way I don’t repeat myself."

A knock then came from the door. "It’s me, I’ve got your order ready."

"Come on in Mom! Now you can finally meet Jack." Marisha yelled at the door, but she never looked away from the table.

"Oh, he’s here?" As the door slid open a beautiful, mature woman entered the room with a large tray in her hands. She was clearly older than Marisha, but her looks were uncannily similar.

"It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Marisha’s mother, Martha, but you can just call me grandma like Maura does." Sharing her daughter’s glib tongue, Martha set down five plates on the table; one for each of them and one for herself. "So, I’ve heard so much about you. Tell me, other than her beauty, what is it you like about our little Maura?"

It was then that Jack realized the night was going to be long and the conversation would be hard to maneuver.

 

Chapter 155

Once Jack finally got through the long, dragged out night, he was able to get some rest in his own room. Like the others, Marisha made sure they were all staying on the fourth floor, so all their rooms were well stocked and well furnished.

In the morning, Jack rolled out of bed with Bowzer. He was happy that he would soon be allowed to travel the world.

Also, he was looking forward to the moment when he could use those EXP pots to quickly reach lv. 30. Who wouldn’t want that?

Getting himself an ordinary egg breakfast at the bar, Jack made sure to pay attention to any gossip mentioned around him. When his food arrived, Jack still paid attention to his surroundings to try and learn anything special.

Sadly, he learned nothing new.

"Where is he?! Where that new hero at?!"

A few shouts were heard outside the Heavenly Palace inn, startling the guests. Some of the staff went out to calm the young man who was shouting, but he only got louder.

"I heard that Reinolt’s new hero was staying here. I came all this way to challenge him to a friendly duel, not even a fight to the death. If he can’t do that much, then he’s a coward that isn’t worth his fame!"

Hearing that, Jack understood that someone had come for him. Clearly, they weren’t too friendly, and by the sound of it, that young man had a grudge against Reinolt.

Wondering if it had anything to do with the Zuran Empire, Jack quickly finished his food and stepped outside. There he saw a few people being led by two young men that he didn’t recognize.

"Someone’s looking for me?"

When Jack exited the building and introduced himself, that small band of people instantly gave him a once over. They were all disappointed to not be able to see through him, despite being higher leveled than Jack.

One of the young men in the lead gave Jack a sharp look. "You’re Reinolt’s new hero? What are you supposed to be, a ranger? Are you really a hero ranger?"

"Shut up, who are you to talk like that, anyway?" asked Jack, not taking his taunts to heart.

"I’m Bart, the Zuran Empire’s summoned hero. But I was summoned at lv. 24 and have already reached lv. 27." That youth boasted a pompous smile as he looked down on everyone around him.

Shaking his head, Jack kept walking toward Bart. "You know, level isn’t everything when it comes to winning a fight. I’m not as high-leveled as you, but I already know I can beat you in a single move."

"Is that so?" The other young man showed a cruel smile. "Why not put your money where your mouth is? Do you dare?"

"And you are...?"

"I’m Tyrel Zuran, the fifth prince of the Zuran Empire," the young man introduced himself with a bow while he maintained his crooked smile.

All of a sudden, a certain person came to mind. Before he came to the Polt Federation, Jack had asked Keela if there were some people from the Zuran Empire he should remember given that all countries did trade in Federal City, there were chances that he might run into someone from the Zuran Empire.

Surprisingly, Jack had run into the very prince who was once betrothed to Keela.

"The fifth prince, huh? So, what’s so special about that?" mocked Jack. "If you ask me, it sounds like you only talk with your mouths and not your actions. If he wanted, then I would’ve even accepted a deathmatch, but I guess you’re too scared to even try that."

"Shut up! I only offered since we were both summoned heroes and I’m not personally against you. I just want to see if the Reinolt Kingdom’s newest hero. Unless you’re too scared to try..."

Suddenly a fat sack fell to the ground at Jack’s side, sending the sound of jingling coins. "You wanted to bet, right? Here’s one thousand gold saying that I can win in a single move. Do you dare?"

Bart looked back at Tyrel, hoping that the young prince would accept the wager.

Seeing Bart’s confidence and considering the terms of the fight, Tyrel finally agreed and wager another thousand gold of his personal funds.

"Good, then let’s get this started," shouted Jack. "I’ll give you three attacks. If you can’t finish me in three moves, then I’ll finish it in one move. And don’t worry, I won’t kill you or cause you too much pain, only enough to prove that I won."

Laughing as he pulled out his greatsword, Bart smiled crazily. "Bring it on! It’s been too long since I’ve had a worthy opponent."

As Bart charged with a heavy swing of the greatsword, Jack stood still and waited for him.

The greatsword swung down through the air and aimed for Jack’s shoulders. When he saw Jack’s calm expression, Bart didn’t know what to do. In his frenzy, he pushed harder to produce his strongest possible sword strike.

However, the moment the sword reached Jack, it appeared to phase through him.

"Not bad, you can generate more power than a common adventurer. Interesting..." Jack was thinking out loud, making sure that his opponent and his opponent’s party were able to here him.

"Shut up!" Sending another strike Jack’s way, Bart was furious. He was lv. 27 yet Bart couldn’t even touch another summoned hero that was probably weaker than himself.

"Is that all you got? Should I even bother with attacking you?"

Jack’s taunts only got worse after Bart’s second strike also missed Jack miserably. It always looked like it phased through Jack, but in reality, Jack was just using Sudden Death simultaneously to disappear and reappear in the same spot.

Though the other hero may have noticed under normal conditions, Jack had already successfully distracted Bart with his constant teasing and kept him from keeping a clear head.

"Fine, you asked for this, so don’t get too mad when if I accidentally kill you!" Bart kept yelling, making it easy for everyone in the neighborhood to hear him.

Sensing the fight, Zariff, Marisha, and Maura walked out to find Bart’s third strike nearing Jack.

"Jack?!" The moment she saw the greatsword by Jack’s head, her heartbeat sky-rocketed.

"Calm down, Maura. The brat will be fine, he’s just playing with him first."

"Playing with him?" Maura was shocked at how her father described the fight. However, when she saw that the sword strike didn’t affect Jack at all, she started to understand what her dad meant.

Bart was livid. He wanted to tear Jack apart for screwing up his mental state and distracting him from his sword’s true power.

"That makes three attacks. Are you sure you don’t just want to give up now? Then at least you won’t lose all of your dignity, just a portion."

"Shut up! I’ve had it with you!" Bart stepped forward again to force in another attack.

Sighing and shaking his head, Jack finally took a step toward Bart. "I said you’d only get three attacks. The fourth one will be mine, and it will also be the last."

While Bart was getting madder with every step he took, Jack was the opposite. The closer he got to Bart, the calmer and more focused he got.

As the greatsword came crashing down, something new happened. Jack didn’t just dodge the attack, he had disappeared.

It didn’t take long for Bart to find Jack because the next moment Bart found a cold blade pressed up against his neck.

"Like I said, If you can’t finish it in three attacks, then I’ll finish it in one." Jack’s tranquil voice only made Bart feel worse.

Prince Tyrel was speechless. He had just lost one thousand gold in front of a crowd that they had gathered themselves. If he denied the bet, his reputation and the reputation of the Zuran Empire would become a joke throughout Federal City.

"Of course, you’ve earned it." With that, Prince Tyrel let Jack take away his one thousand gold. When Jack had stored all the gold and his sword, the prince asked, "What’s so great about Reinolt? Why don’t you come with us instead, what do you think? We can offer you way more than the weak Reinolt Kingdom."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I already have plans and this been enough of a distraction." Jack turned and started walking toward Zariff, Marisha, Maura, and Martha just outside the inn’s main entrance.

"Oh, by the way, it’s too bad about what happened in Ponlinne. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be between you and the Pon Family’s young mistress."

Tyrel’s fake smile turned ugly, unable to hide his cruel thoughts. He said nothing, but he decided at that moment that he would eventually kill Jack no matter what in the future.

When those two and their party left, the street returned to normal and Jack entered the inn with the others to finish their breakfast and their preparations to travel back to Reinolt.

Chapter 156

While Zariff, Marisha, and Maura were enjoying a meal with Martha, Jack was sitting at the side inspecting his system.

Another achievement had been completed without Jack knowing, but it made him laugh as he read it.

[Survive the Shark Tank: completed]

[Hold your own in a major transaction with the creator of a financial superpower. Special reward: 35 skill points.]

Happy to have sixty-five skill points, Jack opened his skill list. Though Jack wanted to eventually buy all of his inheritor’s skills, there was something else that was more important. Since he had already bought the best skills, Jack knew that he would also need more mana now that he was starting to depend on those skills.

If Jack didn’t have enough mana, then future fights would be far harder. Up to that point, he had mainly fought low-level monsters and enemies. But what about mid-level or high-level opponents?

The further up in level you go, the more important skills and mana become. Jack can get away with it since he’s still low-leveled, but he wouldn’t be so lucky for long.

He spent a moment thinking and making a list in his [Journal] tab. There, Jack made note of everything that needed to be done before reaching Trodar. It read like this:

[Have to complete before Trodar:]

[-Everyone reaches lv. 35]

[-Alter Inheritor Pact]

[-Get disguises for everyone]

[-Find hidden temples and shrines for each party member.]

[-Find beast companions]

[-Find a way to store beast companions]

[-Learn bestial seals]

Considering everything Jack wanted to do, he knew that Federal City was the perfect place to find most of what he wanted. And now that he was rich, he could afford to spend his money.

"What’s on your mind, Jack?" Maura saw that Jack smiling while he stared off into space.

"Nothing, I’m just thinking about what needs to be down before I can enter Trodar. Which reminds me, where can I find the best market in town and a good auction house?"

"That’s easy, just let Maura take you around town," Marisha chimed in and gave them both a meaningful look. "Just ask Zariff, gathering supplies for an adventure is a great first date."

"Mom!"

"She’s not wrong, sweetie. That’s how your grandfather and I got so close," added Martha. "If you prepare together, it will help you communicate better and you’ll get to understand each other in no time."

"Grandma!"

Jack coughed to clear the air. "Actually, Maura, I am going to need a guide in the city. Even though you’ve been gone for a few years, you grew up and know where the best and most notable places are. It’ll take all day, but can you please show me around?"

Not sure how to respond after his mother and grandmother tried to hook them up, Maura hurried through her last few bites of breakfast. "Then let’s go now before it gets too crowded and before they say anything else."

As they darted out of their private booth, both Marisha and her mother shouted, "Bye, sweetie!"

"You two... You’re not giving that brat a chance to say no, are you?" Zariff laughed, but he wasn’t sure if it was at Jack being manipulated or him having no say in Maura’s future relationships.

"Of course not, why should we," giggled Martha. "Someone’s got to help those two out, otherwise they’ll take too long and I’ll have to wait for my great-grandbabies."

"Pfffffffew!!"

All the ale in Zariff’s mouth was sprayed out like mister. He coughed and tried to regain his composure after hearing his mother-in-law’s bluntness.

Marisha laughed with mother, happy that she wasn’t the only thinking like that.

*****

Thanks to their early start, the wide city streets weren’t too crowded yet. Maura and Jack were hurrying and running toward the city’s central square.

There, as in Reinolt City, was the main marketplace. Hundreds of tents and pop-up shops filled the square, and all the major stores had a property either inside the square or just outside of it. That was also where the biggest auction houses were found.

After an hour of walking, it was still morning as they reached the central square.

"Here it is, Federal Marketplace. Where do you want to go first? Normally, the auction houses don’t open till afternoon and evening, so let’s get everything else first," explained Maura.

"Okay, then do you know where a good bookstore would be?" asked Jack.

"Sure, my mom’s friend runs one just outside the square."

It wasn’t long before they had arrived in front of a good-sized book store. On the front was a sign saying "Lillith’s Literature," but it wasn’t too extravagant like others. Jack felt that it was very much like a mom-and-pop shop, and he liked that.

Maura took Jack inside to find that the shop was about to open and no other customers had entered yet. "Lilly, it’s me, Maura! Where are you?"

"Maura? Marisha’s little girl?!"

A shout came from a back room from behind the counter. In seconds, a slim woman entered the room and jumped over the counter. "Maura, it’s been so long!"

The two of them hugged each other like long lost friends. In the meantime, Jack was scoping out the shop with his system.

Surprisingly, a lot of the bookshelves were filled with spell scrolls and spellbooks of all kinds. Jack was guessing that there weren’t many peak-level spells, if any, to choose from, but it was still quite the collection. Then Jack looked behind the counter and found what he was looking for.

"Lilly, this is Jack. He’s the summoned hero that just entered the Adventurers Association."

Lilly went wide-eyed when Maura introduced the young man behind her. "Really? You’re the famous new hero we’ve been hearing about?"

"I wouldn’t say I’m famous. I’m just--"

"What do you mean? Of course, you’re famous! You were the reason why the Chaos Syndicate failed to take over Reinolt. If that doesn’t make you famous, what will?"

Jack laughed when he heard Lilly explain it like that. "I guess you’re right about that. I’ll have to keep a lower profile in the future, I guess."

"Anyway, what brings you two here? Are you running an errand for your mom, or is she trying to set you up with this handsome young man?" asked Lilly.

"Lilly, not you too!" whined Maura. "I’m here because Jack was wanting to visit a book store, so I recommended yours."

"Maura, you’ll need to find some spells too. You should pick out a few too, you’ll need them," Jack said as he stepped closer to the two of them. "Since you have so many spells, I’ll take a look through them, but what I’m really after is arcane ink and various magical quills."

Giving Jack a strange look as she reevaluated Jack, Lilly smiled. "Interesting... Are you trying to write your own spell scrolls?"

"No, I need the best bestial ink pen you have and the finest bestial ink. Also, I need books about bestial seals, pacts, and how they’re both created. Do you think you can help me?"

"Wow, you’re different. I’ve never met a summoned hero before, but aren’t they supposed to have a normal subclass like everyone else?"

"I’m a special case," answered Jack with a smile.

Lilly had realized that Jack was different than most people because it should’ve been impossible for Jack to use those items regularly. Rumors said that Jack used both a bow and swords, which was already abnormal. But for Jack to use magical quills and spells should’ve been impossible, but here he was asking for those items.

"Fine, I’ll help you," replied Lilly. "But only if I can advertise that you’re exclusively shopping here. I’ll even give you a store-wide discount. What do you say?"

"I’d be happy to." Jack shook her hand, figuratively sealing the deal. "Then I’ll browse your spells while you get my stuff."

Winking to Maura, Lilly returned to the backroom to gather what Jack requested.

Maura turned to Jack with a surprised look. "You can use spells and magic too?"

"Yeah, why not? Remember, I’m a hero, not a warrior or a mage," Jack reminded Maura of his peculiar class that she had once made fun of.

"That’s amazing! Then you’ll be even more powerful than a spell sword!"

"Shh, keep it down and go look for a few spellbooks. I’m paying, so don’t worry about the price. Just get the best, most suitable spells for you, okay?"

"Alright, thanks, Jack!" She gave him a quick hug and hurried over to the area filled with water spells.

Jack chuckled to himself and looked back to the many bookshelves in front of him.

Most people in Kartonia were warriors while some were born with some magical affinity. It was common to be born with either or a strong physique or what they called a magical constitution, which allowed people to wield magic. Maura was lucky to inherit both of her parent’s body types, allowing her to become a spell sword. However, her constitution only allowed her to cast water type spells and not any others.

Assuming that everything was thanks to him being a chosen champion, Jack had discovered that he could wield all types of magic without external stimulus. That was something that not even his past in-game character could do.

He still had to learn spells from spellbooks, but how could he not take advantage of his perfect magical constitution and his recently increased mana capacity?

Chapter 157

Making sure to find all peak-tier spells available, Jack made his way through the aisles. He didn’t find too many, but Jack was still satisfied that he at least found something.

There were only two peak-tier spells at the moment. One was Lightning Verdict, the same spell that Tarnel from the Lyre Family specialized in. The second spell was an ice type spell called Glacial Prison, but Jack was going to give it to Maura instead.

He also grabbed a few high-tier spells for himself, including Fireball, Stunning Blow, Lightning Bolt, and Feather Walk.

Fireball was a classic that Jack would be able to spam more often than Flame Burst. Though Flame Burst was more explosive, it also costed a lot more mana.

Stunning Blow was a lightning type spell that coated a weapon or a fist in an enormous amount of static electricity. This wasn’t a commonly used spell, but for any spell sword with lightning type spells it was an absolute must. In fact, Maynard chose the Thundercat as his beast companion in order to mimic this very spell.

Lightning Bolt was exactly like it sounded. It was a strong bolt of electricity and gave Jack another strong ranged attack. It was more powerful than Fireball and was more difficult to dodge, but it also costed more mana. Jack just wanted it just in case.

Feather Walk was a silent wind type spell that would be used to enhance one’s speed. It was an easy spell and was common among enchanters to use in parties. Also, it was very hard to detect so Jack could use it and people wouldn’t know that he could use wind type spells.

Jack didn’t want people knowing that he could use all types of spells, so he decided to stick with two types for the time being.

If Jack’s enemies knew that he could use all types of spells, they would plot to kill him even earlier. But that didn’t matter too much to Jack since he already had plenty of secrets anyway.

He didn’t worry about finding Keela spells since she had come from a cleric family and already had more than enough spells at the moment. Maybe after lv. 40 she’d need new spells, but till then Jack thought they’d be fine.

By the time he came up to the front, Lilly was already there with what Jack had requested. "Here’s your two books and your quill and ink. It’s some of the best in town, outside of the auctions of course."

"How much?"

"For all this, including the discount, it’ll cost you at least six thousand gold."

"That much?!" Maura was on her way to the counter when she heard the price.

"Like I said, it’s the best in the city. And that’s after the discount," Lilly laughed and saw the books in Jack’s arm. Her eyes twinkled as she smiled. "But if you include what he’s holding, the price will more than double."

"Just add these to it and whatever she chose as well," said Jack as he placed his books on the counter. "What’s the final cost?"

Getting a better look at what Jack put in front of her, Lilly was speechless.

"Three spell types and both of my peak-tier spellbooks? I hope you’re made of money if you want all this."

"Just give me a price."

"Well... For all this, the lowest I can go is twenty thousand gold..."Lilly shook her head in disbelief. Only the wealthiest of noble families or the major organizations ever bought her peak-tier spells, let alone two of them and her highest quality quills and inks.

"Okay."

Suddenly, Jack raised his hand and a large chest appeared at his side. "This should cover it."

Lilly was blown away, unsure if she should believe him or not, while Maura recognized the chest and suddenly felt a lot better.

"Take a look," stated Jack. Lifting the lid for Lilly, Jack ran his hands through the thousands of resplendent gold coins inside. "Here’s a little over twenty thousand gold, but I want all of my transactions kept secret. You can publicize that I exclusively shop here and like fire and lightning type spells, but nothing more."

"Yeah... That’s fine..." Overwhelmed by the sheer amount of gold in front of her, Lilly slowly came back to her senses.

She was over lv. 40 and could guarantee the safety fo her goods, but how could she not be surprised to see Jack whip out twenty thousand gold like it was just spare change? It made her wonder just how rich he was.

"Also, if you find any peak-tier spells, let me know. And if you ever find any mythic-tier spells, I will purchase them all with no questions asked, no matter the price, so long as you don’t let others know about it. I don’t like competitive pricing for such items. If I wanted that, I’d go to the auction house," explained Jack. "How does that sound?"

"You’ve got a deal!"

Lilly shook Jack’s hand and pushed everything his way. To find such a customer was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so Lilly had to take advantage and accept Jack’s terms. With such a dedicated customer she could aggressively search for better spells without worrying if no one would buy them.

"Here’s my contact crystal, let’s link them up," added Jack.

"Let me have it for a second. In the back, I have a mid-tier contact crystal, that way I can even inform you while you’re in neighboring countries. You won’t be able to contact me, but I can give you a heads up about any new spells I find."

Quickly linking their contact crystals, Lilly rushed to the back and returned to give back his crystal. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Sure, which auction house do you recommend?"

Smiling even wider, Lilly took a deep breath. She would get paid a tiny commission for every buyer she sent to the auction house she partnered with, and stumbling into a money-bags like Jack was like accidentally finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

"There are three main auction houses, but I’d recommend the Fat Goose." Lilly reached under the counter to grab something to hand to Jack. "Here, with this, they’ll let you in and give you the VIP treatment."

"Thanks, Lilly! I’ll see you next time you get something good."

"Bye Lilly, and thank you!"

Jack handed Maura the Glacial Prison spell and they stored their things before the said goodbye and left.

Maura already knew where the Fat Goose Auction House was, so it wasn’t long until they were at its front steps.

Admiring the lavish golden ornament decorating the building, Jack could easily tell that the Fat Goose was a financial powerhouse, even compared to the Adventurers Association.

When they neared the entrance, one of the guards looked at them and politely asked, "What business do you have here? Do you already have an emblem?"

"You mean this?" Jack held up the symbol that Lilly had given him.

Instantly recognizing the significance of that symbol, the guard bowed to Jack. "Young master, please forgive my impoliteness. Allow me to guide you inside and lead you to one of our lovely escorts."

Startled, Jack looked at Maura but she was just as confused. Since the man kept bowing, Jack finally responded, "Thank you, please lead the way."

"May I ask the young master’s name?"

"It’s Jack."

"Very well, please follow me, Jack." The guard straightened his back and motioned for them to follow him.

As they passed through the entrance, the other guards bowed in unison, showing great respect to Jack wherever he went. Soon they reached the main hall with many different people attending to the vast reception counter.

Walking toward one end of the counter, the guard bowed to a woman on the other side. "Miss, Young Master Jack has come to participate in today’s auctions."

Having finished speaking, the guard turned and bowed toward Jack one last time before returning to his post outside.

The woman behind the counter showed a friendly smile and gave Jack a once over. "Young Master Jack, my name is Eliza and I’ll be your attendant today. Please, follow me to the third floor."

When she mentioned the third floor, Maura started to understand what was going on. Jack wouldn’t know enough to understand, but Maura knew a few things about the auction houses.

Usually, there was a fee that had to be paid to enter an auction house unless one of the auction houses partners offers an emblem to a well-known customer. However, Maura didn’t know what kind of emblems meant what.

There were three floors used to view the main auction hall, and the first floor was for common people who paid the fee or received the most basic white emblems. Also, near the back of the first floor were booths for people with a bronze emblem. The second floor was reserved for wealthy nobles that had a silver emblem.

Unknown to Jack, he was given a gold emblem, which meant he was a customer of the same caliber as a major organization and he would get a private room on the third floor. There he could see everything but no one from the outside could see him.

Of course, Lilly had good reason to do so considering Jack’s willingness to part with twenty thousand gold. But Jack had no clue that she had given him a fast pass to the top of the social hierarchy within the auction house.

Chapter 158

As they left the main hall and started up the stairs, Eliza asked, "Young Master Jack, can I please know what you’re looking for?"

"I came to see if you have any rare beasts worth my attention, or possibly if you had any bestial storage rings."

Eliza’s eyes lit up when Jack mentioned something so valuable. To her, it confirmed that he deserved the gold emblem because only people of that status would talk so casually about something so valuable.

"It’s a good thing you came this weekend. At the end of every week, we host the biggest auction, and you might find what you’re looking for there. Of course, that’s if you’re lucky enough to afford it," explained Eliza.

"That’s not an issue. If you have it, I’m buying it," stated Jack, oozing confidence. Jack then looked to Maura and added, "If you see anything you like or you think you’ll need, I’ll get it for you."

"Okay." She blushed when Jack offered her whatever she wanted. It really did feel like she and he were shopping together on a date like her mother suggested.

Getting the vibe that Jack and Maura were a couple, Eliza asked, "And how should I address your woman, young master?"

"Um... I--"

"You can call her Maura." Jack interrupted Maura.

Though he didn’t want to start a relationship, given the situation he didn’t want to risk someone trying something with Maura. For that reason, he felt it best to let Eliza think that they were a couple for the time being.

"Very well, I’ll remember that. Here’s the entrance to the third floor." Eliza stopped at the top of the stairs and opened the door. As they stepped into a new hallway, Eliza pointed to a room to their right and gave them a key.

"That’s room 6, it’s been reserved for you so feel free to wait inside for the auction to begin. There are all sorts of drinks inside, but there’s also a small contact crystal that connects to the front desk if you want any food or need anything else. After the auction is over, I’ll come to find you and help you claim your purchases."

"Thanks, Eliza. We’ll call if you need anything."

They both bowed to each other, Eliza bowing much lower while Jack only slightly. As they parted ways, Jack pulled Maura into the room and locked the door.

Looking around, they were blown away. It was the most luxurious place they had ever seen, beyond their imaginations. There was a chest loaded with frosty energy to store over one hundred different drinks. In the center of the room, there were couches and recliners that felt like clouds. And the view of the stage was stupendous, even though there was no window.

While Jack was curious about the wall, Maura explained the little she knew about the auction house. "Jack, we should be on the third floor, this is crazy! Only the strongest and most powerful people stay in these rooms. Most noble families can’t even enter here easily."

"Then, do you know what’s up with this wall?"

"I’ve heard that it’s special, that anyone inside can see outside but no one outside can see inside. These are the best rooms possible, but why would we be here?"

Jack moved his fingers around the golden emblem of the Fat Goose Auction House. That was when he realized that is was because of Lilly. It should be because Jack had made an insane purchase that only powerhouse organizations typically make. He was sure that Lilly offered him the golden emblem because of that purchase.

With a smile, Jack stored the emblem and made a mental note to thank Lilly the next time he purchased something from her. When she said they’d get the VIP treatment, she wasn’t kidding.

"Look, Jack, the crowd’s starting to enter the other floors."

They sat down together on the central couch and watch the crowd grow and grow. Soon, a beautiful woman appeared on the auction stage, and both of them recognized her.

"Eliza?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, please keep calm and take your seats. This weekend’s great auction will be starting soon," explained Eliza, keeping her warm smile the whole time. "Until then, we’re going to open up with some smaller items to get everyone excited. How’s that sound?"

The crowd cheered as everyone scrambled to find their seats. All eyes were on the beautiful woman on stage as the curtain behind her opened for the first time.

"To kick things off, we’re going to auction off a newly created atlas of the world!"

Eliza stepped back toward a large book on a pedestal. "This atlas is the most recent and accurate to date. It gives you a detailed view of each nation’s topography and geography. Also, it gives brief descriptions for each region depicted on its many pages. It is the cartographer’s masterpiece that took over ten years to complete and perfect."

Not too many people were interested but they all thought it was interesting and fitting to be an item sold during the opening act.

In his private room, Jack took a deep breath and made sure not to jump the gun. He wanted that atlas and he was going to get it no matter the price, but he didn’t want to come off too hard too early either.

"Remember, here at the Fat Goose we’re able to trade for both gold and other items. So long as the auction house acknowledges the trade as fair, it will happen," explained Eliza. "Now, let’s start the auction off at one thousand gold for the world’s greatest atlas!"

"One thousand!"

The first bid sounded out loud and clear. It lasted for a couple of moments until a second and a third followed it. It quickly reached three thousand gold, but the bids were slowing down.

"Three thousand two hundred!"

As Jack’s voice rang out from the room, everyone in the crowd and on the stage could somehow hear him. When everyone realized that voice had come from the third floor, no one dared bid again. They wouldn’t want to offend anyone that powerful and they were all certain that whoever was in that room had more money than them.

Noticing that it was Jack bidding on the atlas, Eliza chuckled to herself. "Three thousand two hundred going once! Going twice! Sold!"

"Gong!"

Suddenly, the sound of a gong filled the room. The book and pedestal were taken away and replaced with the next item for auction.

It was a set of lv. 30 high-tier armor. Most everybody on the first floor went wild over it, but Jack and the others on higher floors didn’t care about that.

Smiling, Jack felt excitement welling up inside of him. It was his first-ever experience with an auction and he was considered a high-roller with too much coin to spend. He liked the sense of thrill from competing with bids.

"Congratulations, Jack! You got the atlas." Maura was glad to see Jack so happy. Just a while ago, she was only able to see coldness in his eyes and he would always keep his distance. Now, he was smiling and filled with enthusiasm like the first time she had met Jack.

"Don’t mention that, it’s just a coincidence that I needed some maps to help our travels. And what better than that great atlas," Jack laughed and grabbed himself a bottle of fine wine. Pouring himself a glass, he glanced back to Maura and asked, "Do you want some?"

"Sure." Maura grabbed a glass for herself and happily joined him for a drink. "What else are you trying to find. You mentioned something earlier about a special ring, right?"

"Bestial rings," corrected Jack. "Bestial rings are special storage rings that can store living breathing creatures for a certain amount of time. Their at least peak-tier and the lowest levels available are lv. 30. Those ones can store beasts for up to a week without them needing to come out for air. The higher-level ones are better, but they’re rarer as well."

Surprised that Jack would even know about such an item, Maura laughed and took another sip of wine. Every time she learned more about Jack’s plans, she would realize how much Jack knew about the world and how little she knew herself.

"Eliza mentioned that we may find what we’re looking for, so I’m excited for the actual auction to start. All of these items are good, but it’s only the opening act."

They looked back to the stage and watched it go on for a while. After almost an hour, the entire room was packed to the brim and they were bringing out the final item before the auction would officially begin.

Jack wasn’t paying too much attention, but that last item caught Jack’s eye and piqued his curiosity.

Doing her job, Eliza riled up the crowd to get ready for the auction to begin. "And finally, before we start the auction, we at the Fat Goose are offering this rare monster fossil. It’s a fossilized egg and we have no clue what it once was. Though it’s useless to keep and hatch, it’s still a rarity so we felt it was worth at least two thousand gold as a starting bid."

 

Chapter 159

The audience was silent. Most everyone there thought it was interesting, but they had nothing to do with it. Plus, they had all come with a purpose in mind and typically only carried enough gold for what they wanted. They didn’t want to waste their chances later on something with no purpose.

"Two thousand gold!"

A voice sounded out from the second floor, catching people’s attention.

"Very well. Two thousand going once! Going twice--"

"Two thousand five hundred!"

Again, Jack’s voice sounded out through the room.

"Two thousand seven hundred and fifty!" That same person on the second floor called out, daring to challenge Jack.

"Four thousand!"

Showing that he meant business and that he would always get what he wanted, Jack instantly jumped the price again. It was like he was daring everyone to try and take what was already his. He wanted that egg and he was willing to pay far more for it if he needed to.

Since Jack proved to be stubborn, that person on the second floor stopped bidding and let Jack have it. Any more and that man wouldn’t be able to afford what he wanted in the first place.

"Four thousand going once! Going twice! Sold!"

"Gong!"

Stepping back behind the closing curtains, Eliza disappeared and everyone understood what that meant. The auction was about to begin.

"Yes!" Jack shouted to himself in excitement. "We got it!"

"We got what? What’s so special about that fossil?" asked Maura.

He only shook his head and looked her in the eye. "Now not the time to talk about it, later okay?"

It didn’t take long for Eliza to reappear on stage, wearing a brand new outfit that was more revealing and accentuated her curvaceous body.

"Everyone, it’s finally time to begin the auction!"

That being said, the curtain opened and showed a dazzling chest plate on display. It was bronze, but the workmanship was very intricate. Any young noble would have loved to have it.

"This is a lv. 25 peak-tier chest plate. This is only the beginning, but let’s start the auction at four thousand gold!"

"Four thousand!’

"Four thousand one hundred!"

"Five thousand!"

The bids started going wild as the people all chipped in for the first item. These first items would all be catered to those on the first level, that way regular people would be able to come without the wealthy nobles buying everything. The noble’s won’t buy what they already. Have.

Eventually, the chest plate sold for over seven thousand gold to someone in a booth on the first floor.

When the next item was revealed, the crowd went wild again for the lv. 25 peak-tier sword. This cycle had started and hardly anyone on the second or third floor would be interested in anything for a while.

Maura wasn’t like Jack, though. She saw those lv. 25 items and felt that they were really good. It was clear on her face that she liked that sword.

"Don’t you already have an amazing lv. 25 frost sword?"

Woken up by Jack’s comment, Maura blushed. "Yeah, it’s just that I like swords. I was even thinking about asking for lessons from Maynard so I can dual-wield."

"You want to dual wield?" Jack was surprised to hear that the gentle, caring Maura wanted to become a master killer. "If you want to, then go for it. But don’t think about using that sword there; it’s not fit for dual-wielding. Maybe if you were stronger like your old man, but you should focus on light and fast swords. The frost sword will work, but I guess you’ll need another..."

Leaving Maura in suspense, Jack started looking through his [Inventory] tab to quickly search the contents of his storage bracer. Almost a minute passed before Jack smiled and a second sword appeared in his hand.

"Here, this should work for the time being. It’s at least as good as the one on stage, but it’s lv. 30 and is a short sword, like your frost sword."

"But--"

"And don’t worry about needing another lv. 30 sword because that frost sword is special. I’d guess that it’s almost a mythic-tier weapon, so it’ll do just fine until you reach lv. 35," explained Jack.

At a loss for words, Maura smiled and bowed her head to Jack. "Thank you!" She felt slightly helpless whenever Jack just gave her things without asking anything in return. But if she ever tried to offer something, Jack would just say that those in his party can have only the best weapons.

"Keep your eye on the stage. If you see any lv. 30 armor that you want, I’ll get it, okay?"

A silent nod was enough to answer his question. Then, they both looked back down and paid close attention to what items were coming and going.

Sadly, they didn’t see any armor fitting for Maura. Since that was the case, Jack would just offer her and the others some decent armor from the spoils of Ponlinne’s tomb.

"Next, we have a rare dark type spellbook. Surprisingly, it’s peak-tier and came from an anonymous source. However, we can guarantee that no royal family in Kartonia has access to this spell. Now’s your only chance to get the only copy in the continent, so the bidding now starts at ten thousand gold!"

The first floor went silent after Eliza’s announcement of the price. Everyone on the first floor turned around to watch and see those wealthy and powerful people finally start fighting for treasures.

"Ten thousand!"

"Eleven thousand!"

"Eleven thousand five hundred!"

A bidding war among the second and third floors erupted and the price soared. Before they knew it, the price had paused momentarily at fifteen thousand five hundred.

"Remember, this is your only chance to get your hands on this one-of-a-kind spell!" shouted Eliza, trying to stir up the bidding once again. "Fifteen thousand five hundred going once! Going--"

"I have a question!"

The shout came from the third floor and caused Eliza to pause again as she hoped another bid would come from it. "Yes, go ahead."

"You still haven’t given us the name of the spell, why is that?" asked Jack.

With an uncertain smile, Eliza answered, "That’s because we don’t know its name. We had our mages double-check the quality of the spell, but they weren’t able to ascertain the name of this mysterious spell. If it’s not a peak-tier spell, in the end, we at the Fat Goose will offer a full refund."

Surprised to see how confident Eliza was in such a mysterious product, Jack smiled again and shouted, "Seventeen thousand gold!"

Everyone was surprised again by Jack’s antics. Those who were keeping track of his purchases were going crazy with envy. Including the other two items Jack had bought, Jack had offered a total of twenty-four thousand and two hundred gold. That was crazy!

Even the people on the second and third floors were staring at Jack’s room in shock. Who was the man inside there, and why did he have so much money?

The man who had previously bid fifteen thousand and five hundred gold shook his head and said, "Let that young master have it, I’m sure he’ll have a good use for it."

"Thank you, sir," Jack replied as well, showing his gratitude to the man for not forcing Jack to spend more than necessary.

"In that case, we have seventeen thousand going once! Going Twice... Sold!"

"Gong!"

Excited that he won another peak-tier spell, especially a dark type spell, Jack relaxed a little more.

"Jack, how much do you plan to spend?" asked Maura, who was even more shocked than the crowd. Today alone she had seen Jack give up more than forty-four thousand gold!

"What’s the point of having money if not to spend it? Besides, I’m only getting items that are more than worth their value in gold," reasoned Jack. "If you think that’s a lot, I’m willing to part with everything I have on me if I’m able to get everything that I’m after."

When Maura heard that statement, her heartbeat slowed down. She was the only person who knew just how rich Jack was. If he gave up over one dozen chests’ worth of gold and platinum, everyone inside the auction house would go into a rage and storm Jack’s room in anger.

Little did Maura know that Jack hadn’t shown her all of the chests filled with gold, so he still had plenty to spend. And since everything he was determined to get was for the betterment of himself or his party, Jack didn’t see it as a loss.

"Next up is a rare medical ingredient from the other side of the world. It’s rarely found and even more rarely harvested. Starting at seven thousand gold, we have a vial of life tree dew!"

Jack’s ears perked up, as well as everyone else’s. "Life tree dew..." Finally, Jack had found the rarest of the ingredients needed for Zariff’s antidote. Though it wasn’t originally part of the plan, Jack decided that he would get it no matter what.

 

Chapter 160

"Seven thousand gold!"

"Eight thousand--"

"Ten thousand gold!"

Those on the third floor finally started taking action. Without pause, the price rose past fifteen thousand gold.

"Eighteen thousand gold!"

"Twenty thousand gold!"

No matter who bid it up, there was someone in room 2 on the third floor who would instantly raise the price. His approach was aggressive and overbearing. Clearly, this was the item that the man had come for.

"Twenty--"

"Twenty-two thousand gold!" That same man wouldn’t let Jack get a word in. However, this time, since the man knew Jack had money to spend, he added a few words. "Sir, please allow us, the Adventurers Association to purchase this item. We need it urgently and will pay anything to get it, we will even owe the kind sir a favor."

Surprised that the man was from the association, Jack was hesitant about what to do next. A part of him wanted to raise the price and see how much they wanted the life tree dew, or more accurately, how much they wanted Ponlinnes.

But Jack decided to not bother them and allowed them to take it. It would reach Zariff either way and Jack wasn’t sure if he would have to bid against the association later in the auction.

"Very well, but if you and I go after the same item again, I hope you’re willing to give it up like I am with this precious life tree dew," stated Jack.

"Of course, then you very much, kind sir!"

The room went quiet again, going from heightened bids to a calm chat. Others all respected the Adventurers Association a little more after seeing them spend so much coin like it was nothing as well as successfully throw their weight around. Who would dare oppose them?

"Twenty-two thousand going once! Going twice! Sold to the Adventurers Association!"

"Gong!"

Finishing the countdown, Eliza winked at the crowd while the next item was brought out for all to see. "This one is a lv. 30 halberd, peak-tier of course. The bids will start at five thousand gold."

While the first floor filled with excitement, some people on the second floor starting to join in on the fun as well.

Still, the only item to rile up those on the third floor was the life tree dew. No one was disappointed though because they all knew that a bidding war could break out at any minute. It was only a matter of time until the best treasures would be brought out.

The halberd sold for almost twelve thousand gold to an old man in a booth on the first floor. He was ecstatic to win the bid, looking years younger from his enthusiasm alone.

More lv. 30 items followed and Jack started to understand the pattern.

They would gradually sell items of higher levels. Whenever the energy of the crowd would start to die, Eliza would bring out a major treasure to boost morale again. The system was quite clever and helped keep people in the mood to spend plenty of money.

"Jack, shouldn’t we get some of these?" asked Maura.

"Nah, let them fight over them. We’ve got much better gear since I traded a few things with the association, remember?"

Taking another sip of her wine, Maura giggled, "Oh yeah... I forgot."

Jack was surprised to see that Maura was looser and more relaxed than he had ever seen her. "Maura, are you drunk?"

"No... Of course not," replied Maura who only drank more so that she wouldn’t be able to answer.

Seeing her acting silly and enjoying her drink, Jack also laughed and started to relax a bit. Unlike Maura, his drink was usually found on the side table and not in his hands. He didn’t dare lose focus on the auction because there were too many things that would be useful to him at the moment.

After some time, the curtains closed behind Eliza. As some special items were being prepared, Eliza spoke up and made sure to keep the crowd’s attention.

"Everyone, it’s time for us to bring out some more special items to liven things up. While they prepare them, allow me to explain what these rare items are. Behind that curtain, we have three lv. 30 bestial rings for sale!"

Jumping to his feet, Jack was glad to find exactly what they were looking for. He, along with the rest of the room, listened carefully to the beautiful hostess of the auction to learn more.

"For those that don’t know, bestial storages contain a special pocket of space. Inside, you can store beasts for up to one week without worrying about them being able to breathe. Right now, we’ll be selling three in a row and there are still more to come later, so don’t worry too much if you can’t grab one of the first three today," explained Eliza. "Now, who’s ready to make the first bid, starting at ten thousand gold?"

"Fifteen thousand gold!"

Jack’s shout stunned everyone for a moment. Many looked at his room, some with anger and some with jealousy. From the last bet Jack made, they had all learned that he still had plenty of money and only backed down for the favor from the association. But could everyone do something like that and could it happen again?

No one wanted to chance it so they decided to let time pass.

Eliza saw this and shook her head while smiling. She knew that they just wanted Jack to hurry up and run out of money but they didn’t want to offend him either. If they would let Jack have this one, then maybe he wouldn’t fight for the others.

"Fifteen thousand gold going once! Going twice! Sold!"

"Gong!"

Glad that no one contested him, Jack had practically stolen the ring in his own opinion. And to him, it only made him more anxious to purchase the other two rings.

"Alright, we’ll start the bid for the second ring at the same price, ten thousand gold. Who’s first?"

"Fifteen thousand gold!"

Again, amazement filled the room as everyone looked back to Jack’s private room. He still wanted more?

"Sixteen thousand--"

"Twenty thousand gold!"

Jack wasted no breath and immediately raised the price by five thousand the moment someone tried to outbid him. It was frightening because he didn’t let his competitor finish speaking.

"Twenty thousand gold gong once! Going twice--"

"Twenty-one thousand--"

"Twenty-five thousand gold!"

Using the same strategy on his next competitor, Jack silenced the room and had practically taken over the auction for a moment.

Wide-eyed and smiling, Eliza was extremely happy inside. She had chosen to be that young master’s attendant and now she knew how much it could impact her stance in the Fat Goose Auction House.

For those that wanted to climb higher in the ranks within the Fat Goose, it was always best for them to make connections with the highest spenders. That way, they would become regular attendants for the same people and be able to build a relationship over time. And since she was Jack’s first attendant and Jack proved to be wealthy beyond their imagination, she could practically guarantee that she’d be his attendant time and time again. That could possibly boost her standing in the Fat Goose dramatically.

"Twenty-five thousand going once! Going twice... Sold!"

"Gong!"

Since Jack was throwing out gold left and right like it was a child’s plaything, no one wanted to contend with him. And, from the look of it, someone would have to pay way too much to even compete for it.

The other wealthy people interested in the ring decided to try their luck with a later ring. Since the auction house admitted that this was only the first batch of rings to be sold, they all guessed that there was plenty more to try and get.

"Now for the third and final one of this batch. I’ll tell you now, there are still another two batches coming later and one very special batch as well. The bidding will start now for ten thousand gold!’

"Fifteen thousand gold!"

A strange mixture of shock and silence filled the room. No one could keep themselves from thinking that Jack was insane and that he had far too much money to spend. What group would be willing to part with so much gold at once when they’ve already bought two of the same ring?

"Sixteen--"

"Twenty thousand gold!"

The person who wanted to compete with Jack was wearing an irritated expression on his face. He was on the second level, but only because he was a lower prince from a country on the continent’s edge and not it’s center.

"Prince Tyrel, perhaps it’s best to wait for the next batch of rings," whispered an old man behind the prince. "I know you want a ring, but there’s more to come and surely that man won’t have an infinite supply of gold. Surely, he has a limit and he should reach it very soon if he hasn’t already."

"Fine..." grumbled Tyrel. He stayed silent and let Jack take the item.

"Twenty thousand going once! Going twice... Sold!"

"Gong!"

"Now give us a minute to prepare the next few items, so please excuse me." Eliza bowed to the crowd and disappeared behind the closing curtain.