advance/early chapters : p atreon.com/Ritesh_Jadhav0869
Since the new games had been cleared, Caelan followed through on his promise. He unlocked the "Unlimited Coin" mode for the arcade machines in Game City, a move that delighted the wealthy players who could now brute-force their way to the endings.
In the owner's office, business was booming.
"Two thousand copies of Elemental Contra, three thousand copies of Chronicle of the Fierce Tortoise Warriors, and one thousand copies each of the other three titles. They are all crated and ready, Mr. Stonewood. Please count them," Caelan said to the man seated across from him.
Alexander Stonewood was a tycoon from the Dragonspire Empire. He was incredibly wealthy—the type of boss who usually sent assistants to handle errands—so Caelan was surprised he had come in person.
"Boss Ironfist, I would like to order an additional batch of runestones. Is that possible?"
Caelan winced slightly at the address. In the Moonwatch Empire, he was usually called "Mr. Caelan" or "Mr. Ashford," as Ashford was recognized as a secondary House name. However, the other Five Great Empires adhered to stricter naming conventions. To them, calling him by his first name would be considered rude, so they defaulted to his clan name.
Setting the awkwardness aside, Caelan nodded. He had been working like a madman lately and had finally cleared more than half of his backlog. He could afford to take a new order. After all, he still yearned for that big house.
"Which games would you like to add?"
"I want another thousand copies of Squirrel War, a thousand of Super Mario, and... five thousand copies of Crimson Fortress."
Caelan scratched his chin. The order for Squirrel War made sense; the cute art style had attracted a massive female demographic, which had a spillover effect on Mario. Classics were classics for a reason.
But five thousand copies of Crimson Fortress? Was he that confident in the title?
Seemingly understanding Caelan's confusion, Alexander Stonewood smiled faintly. "I am from the Dragonspire Empire. My ancestors were among the survivors of Sevenstone City."
Caelan blinked. "Oh. You're from New Sevenstone City?"
"No, I have settled in Dragon City. But New Sevenstone is my hometown. I believe this game—this retelling of our history—would make a magnificent gift for my people when I return."
Ah. Patriotic gifting. That makes sense.
Caelan agreed to the order immediately. Alexander's assistant handled the payment. Between the balance of the previous order and the deposit for the new one, Caelan received over four hundred gold crowns.
After the crates were hauled away, Caelan happily counted the money twice before locking it in his safe.
Hmm. He frowned at the metal box. This safe is temporary. I have too much cash now. I need a Spatial Item.
He didn't know where to buy one, but he knew who would.
The next day.
"Spatial Items?" Cassius looked surprised. "Those aren't sold in regular shops. You usually have to go to an auction house to find them."
"Are they that rare?" Caelan asked. "I heard that many Eighth Circle experts can access spatial power, and humanity has nearly a hundred Ninth Circle experts. Why is the supply so low?"
Cassius sighed, adopting his "patient teacher" tone. "Caelan, being able to use spatial power is one thing. Having the ability to permanently stabilize and solidify space into an object is completely different. It isn't something just anyone can do. Even for a master, it requires immense effort and risk. Do you think engraving space is as effortless as your illusion spells?"
Caelan fell silent. He had assumed it was like a factory line. He forgot that not everyone could print magic like a press. Elemental engravings carried the risk of backlash; spatial magic was likely even more volatile.
"Does the Crimson Port Auction House have any spatial items listed recently?" Caelan asked.
"Definitely not," Cassius affirmed. "My family is currently looking to buy some as well. Several of our older storage rings are showing signs of instability and need replacing. If a listing appeared here, my family would have received the intelligence immediately."
Caelan looked disappointed.
"Why do you suddenly need spatial equipment?" Cassius asked curiously. "You don't seem to have anything particularly valuable to carry."
"I have over three thousand gold crowns in cash," Caelan whispered. "Do you think I'm worried or not?"
"Why are you stressing over a measly three thousand gold crowns?" Victor interjected from the side, picking at his ear.
Caelan stared at him blankly. "Comrade Victor, why don't you eat meat porridge?"
"I remember that line," Victor grinned. "It's the famous quote from the Foolish King in the stories told by the First Emperor. You're mocking me, aren't you?"
"Quite obviously, yes."
The two began to bicker, but Cassius interrupted them. "Just because we don't have them in Crimson Port doesn't mean other Imperial cities don't. They aren't that rare; it's just that the Moonwatch Empire specializes in martial arts, not complex crafting magic. Caelan, we can go to another Empire to buy one together."
"Huh? Where to?"
"The Shadowhawk Empire, specifically Darkhollow City. The continent's top spatial masters reside there. With so many apprentices practicing, there are daily auctions for spatial items."
"Darkhollow City?" Victor wrinkled his nose. "You're going to the Shadowhawk Empire? The people there are gloomy, and their laws are terribly strict. You two go if you want—I'm not going there to suffer."
Cassius considered the Shadowhawk Empire's reputation for drabness and rigid policing. He hesitated. "True. Then let's go to Imperial Dragonspire in the Dragonspire Empire. Their spatial mastery is second only to Shadowhawk's. There should be plenty of rings available, though the quality might be a tier lower."
Caelan nodded. "When do we go? Next week during the holiday?"
"Wait for what?" Victor said impatiently. "Let's go this afternoon. Just take tomorrow off. No one ever supervises you in class anyway."
"What about you two?"
"Don't worry about us."
"Alright then," Caelan said, ever the opportunist. "Which of you can lend me a spatial item right now? I need to go back and pack some stock."
"Stock?"
"Yeah. A merchant in Imperial Dragonspire just ordered goods from me and paid for shipping. If I bring the goods myself, I can pocket the shipping fee."
Victor stared at him. "You really are a clever little miser..."
After some teasing, Victor lent Caelan the spatial ring on his finger. Caelan infused it with mana and checked the interior. It had nearly three cubic meters of space—more than enough for the crates.
They agreed to meet outside Crimson Port at 2:00 PM.
Under normal circumstances, Caelan would never have made it in time after packing. Although flying wasn't prohibited in the city, Caelan hadn't mastered the Fly spell yet; he wobbled so much in the air that running was actually faster.
Helpless, he paid fifty silver marks to a Sixth Circle expert to fly him to the rendezvous point.
When Caelan arrived, Cassius was already there, mounted on his imposing Crimson Flame Beast.
"Where's Victor?" Caelan asked, hopping down.
"He said he needed to take a shower first..." Cassius checked his pocket watch and scowled. "Damn it. That kid isn't showering with a maid again, is he? He's always late."
The lives of these rich young masters are truly enviable, Caelan thought.
Fortunately, the wait wasn't long. Ten minutes later, a giant green bird screeched across the sky. As it swooped low, a figure leaped off its back and landed gracefully in front of Caelan and Cassius.
It was Victor, looking annoyingly refreshed.
"Hey! You two didn't wait long, did you? Sorry, took a bit longer in the shower." His face showed zero remorse.
"I know your style. Stop talking nonsense—let's go," Cassius said, turning his mount.
The three headed toward the teleportation array.
These civilian teleportation arrays were generally not situated inside the cities due to security risks. Furthermore, the magic network was not a direct line. One could not simply jump from Crimson Port to the Dragonspire Capital.
The route required a sequence of hops: first to a small border city for customs inspection, then to a regional hub, and finally to Imperial Dragonspire.