advance/early chapters : p atreon.com/Ritesh_Jadhav0869
"Yeah, it's set to launch in a few days," Caelan replied as they walked. "But the new game's runestones are a nightmare to engrave. Releasing a widespread home version might be difficult at first."
"That's fine. I'll just park myself in your shop when it's out," Victor joked, nudging him. "Besides, you still owe me over two thousand gold crowns, kid. Don't think you can just vanish."
As they neared the teleportation array, Victor's curiosity got the better of him. "What kind of game is it, anyway? Hard or easy?"
"The genre is a secret for now. As for the difficulty... there are layers. The entry-level setting is simple enough for anyone to clear."
"Then won't the First Clear be snatched up instantly?"
"No," Caelan said, a small smirk playing on his lips. "To qualify for the First Clear Leaderboard in this specific game, you have to complete it on a specific high-difficulty setting."
"And you're still giving me that 'Unique Victor Version' with infinite lives, right?"
"Of course! I'm a man of my word." Caelan chuckled inwardly. A 'God Mode' version of a fighting game where you can't actually lose? Victor is going to have a very strange experience.
Stepping out of the teleportation array, the two quickly reached the Stonefist Auction House. Caelan scanned today's manifest and frowned.
"The white meteorite isn't on the list anymore."
His heart sank. Had someone bought it? Or had it simply been withdrawn?
He quickly tracked down a staff member and confirmed that after three failed attempts at auction, the item had been moved to the internal consignment shop. When Caelan found it, it was sitting in a corner, priced at twenty-four gold crowns.
Compared to the price he had paid the dwarves—one gold crown for five kilograms—this eighty-kilogram stone was technically a ripoff. However, this was a single, massive, intact piece. The seller had clearly intended for it to be sold as a sculpture or a curiosity. Since no one appreciated the "art," it finally fell into Caelan's lap.
Having just spent 3,600 gold crowns on a ring, the twenty-four crowns for the meteorite didn't even make Caelan flinch. He paid the clerk, stowed the heavy stone in his new spatial ring, and walked out.
"So, you're done with your shopping?" Victor asked as they hit the sunlight. "Ready to come relax with your big brother?"
"Pass," Caelan said firmly. "I'm going back to the inn to wait for you guys."
"Oh, come on! Don't be like that!" Victor paused, looking Caelan up and down with a suspicious squint. He stroked his chin. "Wait... are you still a virgin, Caelan?"
Caelan stared at him with a deadpan, expressionless face.
Victor nodded with sudden, exaggerated solemnity. "Ah. I see. The first time is a big deal; I respect that. Fine, fine. We'll meet at the inn later tonight."
"It's only noon, Victor!" Caelan called out as his friend turned to leave. "This is your first time in Earthforge City. How are you even going to find the... right place?"
Victor threw a thumb over his shoulder, chuckling. "Don't worry about me. I have a sixth sense for these things. I'll find it."
The two parted ways. Caelan didn't head straight back to the inn. Instead, he pulled out a beautifully detailed map of Earthforge City. He decided to take a long, winding walk, enjoying the local customs and the unique earth-yellow architecture as he processed the "remote link" sensation he had felt earlier.
To the west of the Dragonspire Empire lay New Sevenstone City.
It wasn't a megacity like Earthforge or Crimson Port, but following the continent-wide population boom, it had grown from a small settlement to a bustling hub of eight hundred thousand people.
Inside the City Lord's Mansion, Elton Ironpeak sat at his desk, staring intensely at a projected screen.
As a descendant of the Sevenstone survivors, Elton felt the weight of his lineage. His ancestor had been ennobled for his bravery in slaying Abyssal creatures a thousand years ago. That ancestor had built this city on the ruins of the old one, specifically naming it "New Sevenstone" so the world would never forget the suffering endured there.
But a thousand years was a long time. The July 13th memorial had become a hollow official ceremony. People didn't care about ancient history; they cared about today.
Elton wanted to change that, but he was one man against the tide of time. Until yesterday.
A local merchant had brought him a "runestone game." Elton had been skeptical—what could an illusion do? But after the merchant's explanation and a short play session, Elton was stunned.
The game, Crimson Fortress, was a masterpiece of propaganda.
"To think that a student ten thousand kilometers away knows more about our history than my own citizens," Elton sighed, the smoke from his pipe curling in the air. "Last month's memorial was a ghost town. Only my staff showed up."
He looked at the tiny holographic characters on the screen, fighting through the Abyss to rescue hostages. A spark of inspiration hit him. He slammed his hand on the desk and called for his butler.
"My Lord?" the butler, Sandy, asked as he entered.
"Sandy, I want you to go to Crimson Port. Find the Illusionist who created this game. I want to order ten thousand copies of Crimson Fortress."
"Ten thousand, My Lord?"
"Yes. I'm going to use this game for promotion. We'll distribute it, market it—maybe it can turn our history into something the youth actually care about. If it attracts tourists to the memorial, even better." Elton's eyes sharpened. "The price is only 4.5 silver marks a copy. Ten thousand copies is only 450 gold crowns. That is a pittance for the kind of recognition this could bring New Sevenstone."
"A wise investment, My Lord," Sandy bowed.
"Take your grandchildren with you, Sandy. Make it a vacation. Wait for the Illusionist to finish the order, then bring them back."
As the butler left to prepare, Elton stood by the window, looking out over his city. If a simple game could make his territory more prosperous and keep his ancestor's memory alive, it was the best deal he had ever made.
Plz THROW POWER STONES.