Omar had been unconscious for three days. Inside the Sovereign Emporium, the air was thick with the scent of "Divine Ozone." The golden sphere—the Core of the Harvester—sat on a pedestal in the center of the shop, pulsing with a low, rhythmic thrum that sounded like a sleeping heartbeat.
Laila hadn't left his side. She watched as the golden burns on Omar's skin began to glow, then fade, absorbed into his body. He wasn't just healing; he was integrating.
"He's awake," Kaelen's deep voice rumbled from the forge.
Omar's eyes snapped open. They weren't brown anymore. For a split second, they were pure, molten gold before returning to their natural color. He sat up, gasping, his hand instinctively reaching for a spear that wasn't there.
"Easy, boss," Laila said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The pyramid is gone. Casablanca is safe. You're in the shop."
Omar looked at his hands. He felt... heavy. Every atom of his body felt like it had been reinforced with celestial steel. He looked at the Golden Core on the pedestal.
[Item Identified: The Heart of a World-Harvester.]
[Status: Bound to the Emporium.]
[Effect: The Shop is now a 'Tier 3 Celestial Realm'. It can no longer be tracked by the Architects.]
"The shop... it's hidden now," Omar whispered, his voice raspy. "They can't see us. We're a blind spot in their universe."
"That's not the only thing that's changed," Laila said, pointing to the window.
Omar stood up and looked out. The "shop" was currently anchored in an alley in the Maarif district of Casablanca. Outside, the world was in a frenzy. People were gathered around TVs in cafes, watching footage of the "Black Cannon" and the "Merchant" who saved the city.
But more importantly, the mana in the air had changed. The destruction of the Harvester had released a massive wave of "Pure Energy" across Morocco.
"Every hunter in the city has jumped at least two ranks," Laila explained. "And new 'Awakened' are appearing every hour. You didn't just save the world, Omar. You started an evolution."
The bell rang.
This time, it wasn't a king or a general. It was a young boy, maybe twelve years old, looking terrified. He held a small, glowing stone in his hand—a fragment of the golden pyramid.
"Is... is this the place?" the boy stammered. "The place where you can trade anything?"
Omar walked toward the counter, a professional smile returning to his face despite the exhaustion. "It is. What are you looking for, kid?"
"My sister... she's sick from the golden light. The doctors don't know what to do. They say it's 'Mana-Poisoning'. I found this piece of the sky... is it worth a cure?"
Omar looked at the stone. It was worth a fortune. But then he looked at the boy. Under his new "Sovereign" perspective, he saw the boy's potential.
"The stone is worth a lot," Omar said. He reached under the counter and pulled out a small vial of the Silver-Star Antidote he had perfected. "But I don't want the stone. I want a contract."
"A contract?"
"When you grow up and become a hunter, you'll bring your first three 'Mana-Cores' to this shop. No one else. Deal?"
The boy's eyes lit up. "Deal!"
As the boy ran out with the cure, Laila looked at Omar. "You're building an army, aren't you? You're not just a merchant; you're a patron."
"The Architects will be back, Laila. And next time, they won't send a machine. They'll come themselves," Omar said, his gaze turning cold. "We need to be ready. And I need to find out what's inside the 'Black Sector' that Malakor mentioned. If the Architects are the 'Order', I need to find the 'Chaos' to balance them."
Suddenly, the Golden Core on the pedestal flared bright red. A holographic map of the world appeared, and thousands of red dots began to blink—all of them in Europe and North America.
"What is that?" Laila asked.
"The Shadow Market," Omar growled. "They didn't fight the Harvester. They waited. And now that the gods are gone, they're moving in to 'collect' the scrap metal. They're raiding the fallen pieces of the pyramid."
Omar grabbed his coat. "Kaelen, lock the shop. Laila, call Marouane. The 'Gods' are dead, but the 'Scavengers' are just starting. It's time for a hostile takeover."