“Two things: what is that, and why does it have that description?” Matilda finally talked after being stunned for five minutes in stupefaction.

“It’s a throne, and I inspired myself in the Order of the Ceaseless to make it.” Nido responded as a matter of fact.

If gazes could kill, the enchantress would have consumed the use of the ring’s Death Defied perk. “Elaborate.” Her voice was stern.

The ancient enchanter sighed. “A long time ago, well before your time, the world was drowned by the undead forces of the Underworld.” Nido narrated the events with a solemn voice. “They were infinite and tireless, so only an elite force that could match them in an endless battle had hope of winning. Those were the Order of the Ceaseless, powerful paladins blessed with the power of Life from Mother Nature herself. Their weapons imbued the undead with life itself, converting them back into plain dead, and their will was unwavering, never once stopping to rest.” And then he stopped to chuckle. “So, the throne is plainly ceremonial.”

Matilda looked him with disbelief. “And how do you know all of this? I’ve never heard of the dead dawning on the earth. Is it a legend from your lands?”

“Yes, you could say so.” He nodded. “I based the item in a fairly obscure legend.”

“But why a throne though? It doesn’t seem like your common item…” Even if she said that, the enchantress was fascinated with the craftsmanship.

“Well, the knight order was ruled by a valorous paladin, who’s might the world has never seen again, and great leaders need great chairs.” In the end, I’m the one who made the original throne. Though the original irradiated more… awe and grandeur.

“Now tell me, how did you manage to craft this if you were level ten two days ago?” The enchanter had been waiting the dreadful question.

“That’s because ether enchanting doesn’t give as much experience as common enchanting.” Nido spewed the most sensical lie that occurred to him.

Matilda furrowed her brows. “How’s so?”

“It makes sense if you think about it.” The enchanter started elaborating his lie. “Enchanting is a very involved craft. If the enchanter suddenly begins using foreign powers as it’s the ether instead of their own mana, then the Arcane Records cannot quantify the given experience as well as mana enchanting.”

“Does it really work this way?” She tilted her head in doubt.

“I told you already that ether enchanting has its pros and cons, a better product for less experience is acceptable depending on the circumstances.” An even if she were to discover the lie, she still had decades ahead to learn to weave ether correctly, let alone enchant with it.

“So how many levels have your… throne given you?” The sight of the big chair still stunned her.

“Well… a few.” The enchanter revised the Record’s messages he hadn’t yet dismissed.

Crafting complete! You have leveled up! You have leveled up! You have…

You have reached level 6 on Voidborn! +15 Constitution, +3 Attunement!

You have reached level 15 on Enchanter! +8 Intelligence, +4 Dexterity!

The increase in attributes had been stupidly high. With a single item he had increased twofold his health pool and regeneration, and also increased his total mana by almost a fifty percent. Whilst the Voidborn class was extremely powerful by the sheer quantity of stats alone, Nido still felt cautious about it. The Void was something to be wary of.

Health: 315/315

Mana: 315/315

Funnily enough, Nido had achieved the same number in health and mana even when he was a spellcaster. His colossal increase in vitality made the enchanter think if the Records wanted him to become a void lord. He recalled the impossible resilience had the lord of the null plane he had killed when he had arrived at the Void. The numbers made sense, though everything else simply didn’t.

“Are you going to tell me?” Matilda approached the enchanter, who had been too focused on his Status.

“Ah, right.” The theory of the Records being a drug made of by the divines to addict the mortals is beginning to make more and more sense. “I’ve gained a total of seven levels, if we take into account my Racial class.”

“Seven?” Oh fuck, did I misspeak? Maybe it’s too much? “I would’ve expected more after making a Very Rare item and with your low level. Even if you have Hybrid Specialization, it’s far too low. So, its true that ether enchanting gives less experience, I thought it just was a ruse to make me forget about it.”

“What did I tell you?” Nido added with a nervous laughter. “But isn’t it weird gaining so many levels suddenly?” He tried to correct himself by explaining further. “At least that’s the feeling I get after not gaining few levels after many years.”

“Not really, everything’s possible.” The enchantress shrugged. “From time to time you’ll listen a story of an adventurer slaying a dragon and gained a Prestige class and more than ten levels.”

“Dragons?” Poor things, what have done those hoarders to be killed? They are like the most pacifist creatures in this savage world. The enchanter thought to himself after hearing the majestic creatures talked as a hunting trophy.

“Yes. Those dragons.” Matilda replied. “They are few, but I assure you they exist. The guild master once brought a dragon scale to enchant it.”

Obviously that there are few of them. You are treating an intelligent and ancient race as a mine of resources! Nido was slightly outraged, when the divines had proven nothing but a scourge onto the world, it was the dragons who helped him in the first place.

“Well, are you going to put the throne for sale?” The enchanter suddenly changed the subject to not undermine his current joyful attitude.

“Emm… I don’t know?” Matilda circled around the enchanted item in pondering. “It’s a really niche item, and while powerful, I don’t know if someone while buy it.”

“You’ll pay me, right?” Though Nido had did it mostly for the experience and to use a proper workshop for what would be a long time, the gold was greatly appreciated.

“Oh sure, it’s just that I don’t know how much I should.” Matilda revealed. “Such transactions should be handled by the guild master, no by me. For all that I know, he would even want this item for himself.”

The woman continued to circle the glorified seat as she inspected carefully the enchantments, but if one observed her face, it showed that she had problems understanding them.

“I’m willing to give you fifty gold upfront.” She commented with a lack of confidence.

“Sure.” Nido accepted.

“I know it’s not much b- Wait what did you say?” Matilda cut herself in surprise.

“That I accept the deal.” He reiterated.

“But I’m offering you half the price that the Records are suggesting!”

“That’s the selling price, right?” It wasn’t a rhetorical question, but an actual one. He had inspected multiple items with that tag, but he wasn’t sure what price it was referring of. “You also have to make some profits as the seller.”

“Yeah, but not half the price. Why are you willing to sell yourself so short?”

“Mainly two reasons.” Nido explained calmly. “One, you have provided me the material and the workshop to make the item. This already adds a few golds to my debt, besides the fact that I really appreciated working on your workshop. And second, I’m not really here for the money. I just need the bare minimum to survive. Which in reality would suffice with a few coppers.”

Matilda sighed in defeat. “You are weird, has someone told you that?”

“No, not really. Though I don’t really hear to people.” He laughed to himself.

“Here, come I’ll pay you, so I never have to see you again.” She joked as they went to the hall. “Now that I think about it, how do I will take the throne outside the workshop? The door isn’t that big.”

“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem, not gonna lie.”

“You’re insufferable, I should have offered a lower price knowing you would’ve accepted either way.” Nido grinned intensely at the enchantress suffering.

Nido waited on before the counter as Matilda disappeared into another room. He toyed with his staff as he waited. Some basic juggling and prestidigitation to keep himself distracted.

“What are you doing?” Matilda asked as she brought a big bag full of coins. “There you have it, fifty gold coins for your Throne of the Ceaseless.”

“Thank you very much.” Nido stored the bag in his satchel without hesitating.

“Aren’t you going to count it?” The clerk asked.

“No, I’ll trust in your ability to count up to fifty.” He taunted.

“You really want to make the parting like this?”

“I was never really good with goodbyes; I mostly went on with my business without importuning anyone with a last word.”

“How did you even survive for this long out there?” Matilda sighed once more.

“That’s something I would like an answer to. There’s a trillion times I asked myself how I was alive, and never no one responded to me.” The enchanter shrugged.

“Goodbye, Nido Risea.” The enchantress cut the man’s ramblings.

Nido chuckled. “Goodbye, Matilda Damasco. May the Fate never interfere with ourselves, and just let causality reunite us.”

“Never heard of that farewell.” She commented.

“Well, it would be weird since is my own creation.” Nido bowed slightly. “Once again, goodbye.”

As the Voidborn left the Enchanter’s Guild for a last time, he was able to hear a faint “goodbye” as the door closed.

“Well, I guess I now owe her sister a farewell.” Nido grunted as he went to the Damascus Inn to wish a goodbye. “Now that I think about it, what has happened with that elven bard?” He had given her the item out of pure volition, and didn’t really think about the woman, but he at least wanted to talk to her a last time.

The way back to the inn was calm and silent. He had ended the throne just before Matilda had come to open the guild early at the morning, and then he had left under an hour after that, so most people still slept. The joy of silence was liberating, yet not exactly comforting. After reuniting with civilization after so much time, he grew to enjoy more the vivifying noise of people than the tranquil silence.

He opened the door of the Damascus Inn and there he found Marta cleaning some cups behind the counter.

“Where were you last night? The bard girl was asking for you.” The innkeeper said.

“I spent all-night long enchanting in the guild, I wanted to make something awe-inspiring before following my way.” The enchanter commented as he sat in a stool before the woman. He then took out a gold coin. “Pour me a cup of your best stuff.”

“I’m sorry to tell you that my best stuff is not worth a gold coin, not even ten silvers for a cup, I fear.” She added with a laugh.

“For the modesties.” Nido explained. “You didn’t have to give me a ceiling when I was coinless, and yet you did. Consider it an investment.”

“Well, I’m not going to say no to gifted money. Specially to one who is going to go away and not ask it back.” Marta poured a moderately expensive wine into the cup.

“You certainly take goodbyes better than your sister.” The enchanter slowly sipped the alcohol. The beverage being far better than everything he tasted in this last days.

“Unlike her, I see a lot of faces here.” She laughed loudly, joking at the desertic place that was the Enchanter’s Guild. “I can’t allow myself to grow attach to every drunkard that crosses that door, can I?”

“I suppose it makes sense.” With a single gulp, he downed half the remaining contains of the cup. “I’ll be leaving now. It was an honor to meet you pair of sisters.”

“Aw, thank you. You’re gonna melt my heart.” The enchanter snickered at the innkeeper’s words.

Nido stood up and walked towards the exit. “Did the bard say where I could find her?”

“I’m afraid no, she just wanted to talk to you.” Marta shrugged.

“It will leave a sour taste to my mouth leaving without talking to her, but it will be this way then. Anyways, thank you for everything.” Nido bowed slightly.

“The same to you. Thanks for your patronage, boy!”

And with that, the man previously known as the Divine Enchanter, departed from the city of Marina.