Leveling up the World

Chapter 274: Altering the Deal

Exquisite, the general said as he examined the bolt. Didnt think Ill see one of these. How did you get it?

Does it matter? Dallion smirked. He wanted to add a bit of arrogance to his voice to let the general know he wasnt a pushover, though not too much to make him hostile.

Only if it helps me get more, the man replied without blinking an eye. It was said that these were used during the copyette wars ages ago. Large quantities were kept after the race was banished into the realms. There were times in which people used them to hunt monsters in the wild, or even common animals. Now there are probably a dozen left in the entire empire.

The general placed the arrow on his desk. As usual, his two fury bodyguards were a few steps away. It was just like in Dallions trialthe furies could well be treated as an extension of the man.

I assume youve come to ask for a deal?

The bolts for the shield, Dallion said.

Three for the price of one. Quite the offer. However, I believe we already have an arrangement concerning the shield.

Yes, but weve made changes before. Dallion narrowed his eyes, smile widening. You made changes. Theres no reason why we cant work something out.

No, no reason at all. The general smiled back. Dallion might have passed his trial, but the man clearly had years of haggling experience, if not more. The shield means so much to you that youd offer all your slime bolts just for it?

Who says thats all of them? I have more.

There was a moment of silence. For the first time, it seemed like the general had lost his sense of overconfidence. It only lasted for a split second, but Dallion managed to catch it thanks to his music skills. It also helped that Dallion was telling the truthhe had left one of his bolts back at the inn in part for such an eventuality.

Id heard that youve been going about the city hunting for a copyette, the general changed the topic. At first, I thought you were aiming to attract attention, but now I see youre quite serious. Personally, Im curious what you had to do to get such exquisite items, however I know better than to ask.

But?

Money isnt an issue. And at the moment, neither is exploring. As you correctly pointed out, with the number of artifacts pouring into the city, every awakened and their dog are into the item exploration business. Once the festival is over, and the number of artifacts returns to its previous level, interest will drop significantly. That means that in a matter of weeks there will be awakened begging to explore artifacts at reduced prices, no questions asked. However, theres the matter of the other part of our deal.

Here it wasthe heart of the matter. Dallion was almost surprised that the general had come to it so fast; he expected a lot more dancing round the bush. That was supposed to be a good thing, but with Dallions experience he couldnt help but feel somewhat suspicious.

One artifact of my choice, the general went on.

And what exactly is your choice?

I havent made up my mind.

All the better, because you can pretty much exchange a bolt for anything. From what I know, there are even people whod give a house in this neighborhood for one. At least.

The face of one of the furies twitched. Clearly, the general wasnt used to having people haggle with him in this fashion, not commoners, at least. Dallion could sense the indignation coming from the bodyguards, though not from the general himself. The man remained calm as always, even slightly amused. One thing was clear, thoughhe wanted to own the bolts. For once, the Star had done Dallion a favor by giving them to him.

Quite likely. If I refuse the deal, we can very well become neighbors. Is that what youre threatening me with? he laughed. There is no denying that the armadil is rare, though not that rare. I suppose I can easily get another if I exchange a bolt for it.

Of course you could, you jerk! Dallion thought, though didnt say it out loud. It was unfortunate that the real-life version of the man was just as bad as the echo that Dallions subconscious had created for his awakening trial.

Three bolts the general mused, sliding a finger along the one he had on his desk. In exchange for the shield.

Thats one more than our deal, Dallion reminded. The condition is that we do it now. Accept or refuse Ill be leaving in a few minutes. Either way, Ill leave something behind.

Oh?

If this is not enough to claim the shield, nothing will be. So, Ill just return it to you and void our arrangement.

Thats not the way it works. There was a sharp edge to the generals words. According to our arrangement, you keep the shield and I get what Im owed.

Thats one option. Or I can ask the city overseer to make a judgement call. After my recent encounter with her, I learned that she has the authority to settle certain ownership disputes, especially when it comes to awakened matters.

Strictly speaking the overseer was more involved in making sure that the myriad of room, house, and larger area domains didnt come into conflict with one another and didnt cause chaos in the larger city domain. However, that could easily also be interpreted for items as well. After all, they still had their realms and were part of the city.

A glint of pure hatred appeared in the generals eye as he stared at Dallion. It was obvious he didnt like anyone getting the upper hand, even if the deal was highly beneficial to him. With people such as this it wasnt a matter of what they gained, it was also the power they had. Being forced even into a good deal was an admission that part of that power was lost. Furthermore, if this deal was concluded, Dallion would be off the hook for good.

Playing the overseer card already, I see. The general quickly regained his composure. I suppose it was inevitable. Youve changed quite a lot since you passed your third gate. When Art brought you here, you were a lost idiot begging to be taken advantage of. Now, youve become a player. Just a friendly word of advicedont overestimate your value just because youre on the field. Players have a lot of resources they dont bother to tap in for pawns, unless those pawns become overly irritating.

There was a knock at the door. Moments later it opened and a fury servant entered with a tray of beverages. All of them were in small glasses, suggesting that they were expensive.

Before the servant could take a step forward, the general raised his hand.

We wont be needing that, he said in a firm voice.

Without question, the fury bowed, then quickly left, closing the door behind her.

Three bolts for the armadil shield, the general said yet again. Im inclined to agree to that, provided you do one other small favor. Not to worry, its nothing dangerous or time consuming. Since youre a seer now, I want you to tell me which items of my collection are special. The man leaned back. Everything.

Even the sand? Dallion asked.

Ever since he had arrived he had seen that there was something off about the golden sandpit. Not the entire pit, but there was clearly something that wasnt quite right. It was difficult to tell whether some of the grains had hidden treasures in their realms, or maybe the gold itself was taken from a different world. The latter made Dallion quite curious. If there was a way to get items from Earth, did it mean that there was a mobile phone out there somewhere?

The sand? The general looked in its direction. Theres something special there?

Looks that way. Parts of the gold specks have the look. Most dont.

Thats a pity, the general let out a sigh. If only Id known you a few years ago. I had been assured that the items I used to grind down were of no value. Apparently, at least in the case of one of them, that was not the case. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. Anything else?

Slowly, Dallion went to the center of the room. There were dozens, possibly hundreds, of items on display here. The number seemed to grow with each visit. For the most part, the items were normalthat was to say, they were only extremely rare, high-level relics made of magical materials. Among them, though, there were a few that could be considered even more special.

The crossbow, Dallion pointed up at the item. That sword. Those two. Those two shields he turned to the other side of the room. The gauntlet of that suit of armor, that mask and your desk.

Youre sure it isnt the bolt? the general asked.

Definitely the desk. Just to be sure, Dallion gave the room another quick glance, as well as all the people inside. The furies definitely seemed to be of this world. Thats it as far as I can tell.

Interesting. The general snapped his fingers.

One of his bodyguards quickly flew across the room to gather the items Dallion had described. That too was a clear demonstration of force. At least he was spared the sight of the guardian collecting all the grains of sand that had a special shimmer. Most likely the only reason the general hadnt ordered it was because without Dallion there was no way of making the distinction.

The remaining two bolts, if you please? the general reached forward.

Could it be this simple? Dallion looked at the opened hand. He had expected some sudden twist or trick. While true that the general was a pragmatist, he seemed to have given up way too fast. Or did Dallion really have all the cards this time?

Slowly, he took the dartbow from his holster boot and removed all the bolts there. Once done, he handed them to the general.

Excellent. The bolts were placed on the desk. The armadil is yours. I vow in the name of the Moons our transaction to be complete. You dont owe me a thing, and neither do I.

Dallion nodded.

Of course, that doesnt mean we have to end our business relations, the general quickly added. As youve seen there are quite a lot of special items. You might want to assist in revealing their secrets?

Theres nothing youll gain, Dallion said. While the deal sounded appealing, he had learned never to accept good deals from the general. If theres a treasure, the person who finds it gets to keep it. And it cant be transferred to anyone else.

I am quite aware. The general went to the far side of the room and took a rather large dagger from its display section. Larger than a knife, but shorter than a short sword, the item was made entirely of sky silver, decorated with an assortment of gems. People chase success all their lives. Often, they dream of a day that theyd succeed in anything. However, the burden of those who are good at success is boredom. I have no reason to collect all these things. Ill never use any of them in battle. Most can only be used to the fullest by awakened. The reason I do it is because it keeps the boredom at bay. You say that Ill gain nothing from the items in question. That isnt true. I have an artifact that lets me enter awakened realms, provided someone takes me there. Naturally, Ill be little more than an echo there, but I get to see and experience everything. So, heres the deal. You take me in each of these items, keep me alive to the treasure, and then get to keep it. In turn, I get to see the adventure.

Thats it?

Of course, theres no telling whats guarding the hidden realm. As I said, the artifact ensures that I dont get hurt. You, on the other hand, will have to suffer any permanent effects that are dealt to you. Like your current bleeding wound.

Dallion gritted his teeth.

You dont have to tell me now. Think it over. Just dont take too long. Youre not the only seer in the city, especially during the festival.

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