“So,” Quentin couldn’t stop himself from asking. “What really happened when you got interrogated by the princess?”

“Apparently, Natalie somehow managed to send word to her about me practicing transmutation alchemy.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. They wanted to know if I dabbled in any of the forbidden parts of the craft, but I told them that I didn’t and that I wasn’t planning either.”

“And they went along with that?”

“They had no reason not to. The law doesn’t prohibit the practice of transmutation alchemy unless it breaks the taboos. Of course, they tried to deny where they got the information from, but it was pretty obvious.”

“Natalie,” the paladin said with an obvious distaste. “That woman really can’t leave us alone.”

“So it would seem, but after telling the princess about what happened in Hunor and the rumours that circulated back on Earth, she seems to be far more apprehensive about the Argent family now.”

“At least something good came out of it in the end,” Tristan joined into the conversation. “I also managed to broker a few verbal agreements with some of the lesser nobility and the spellcaster guild masters while you were... questioned.”

“Anything good?”

“It is pretty much what you would expect, given the circumstances. Some wanted to buy alchemical plants while others wanted to exchange arcane knowledge for your less... publicly available creations.”

“And how exactly did they find out about those? There’s a reason why those are kept off the record.”

“I believe that you have Lady Zola to thank for that,” the steward scratched his chin. “She must have mentioned the few pieces you sold to her when the matter of your craftsmanship’s quality came up.”

“And what exactly do they want?”

“We received requests for five wands of ‘minor’ healing as well as a dozen ‘well-made’ grade arcana regeneration rings.”

“And the payment?”

“The guild master of Atraune’s spellcasters’ guild offered a copy of an enchanters’ tome from their library.”

“I hope you told him that we already have the beginner and the apprentice-ranked books,” Regis noted while they neared Obelisk Square. “I’m not going to work overtime, just to get a book we already have.”

“Master Felix promised a ‘journeyman’ ranked tome of the ‘common’ enchantments as payment. He also hinted at his guild being quite willing to give you a copy of the ‘rare’ enchantments if you can provide an additional dozen ‘excellent’ grade arcana regeneration rings and five more wands of ‘ordinary’ healing.”

“Why not ask for my left nut while they’re at it?” The dark elf retorted, making Quentin crack up and choke on the air he breathed in.

“Come now, it doesn’t sound that bad of a deal.”

“Do you know how much time and materials it cost to get one of those rings? It took me more than an hour just to make mine,” he grumbled as he looked at his left hand where his own ‘excellent’ grade enchanted ring was. “And what about those wands of healing? It took me more than a month of spell practice to get my ‘minor’ healing up to ‘ordinary’ healing.”

The loremaster let out a troubled sigh at the thought of the task ahead.

“Sealing the spell into a wand is going to be a pain in the ass, not to mention that if word gets out that I can actually do it, it’s going to bring a whole lot of unwanted attention toward us. Magic items like that are far too valuable for people not to covet them.”

“Well,” Tristan cleared his throat. “Master Felix was kind enough to create a barrier of his own before making his offer, so no one besides him and us knows the details. He only asked that if you decide to accept the request, then go back to White-spire Keep tomorrow at noon. He will also send one of his mages to wait for the answer.”

“I don’t like the idea of playing into their hands, but we could use those books.”

“Agreed,” the steward nodded. “I did mention that you are capable of writing contracts, which he was more than happy to sign. He asked you to bring it with you tomorrow so that his man could deliver it for signing. I am sure they are going to tell you when it will be signed and sent back.”

“Fine, I’ll add a clause of non-disclosure just in case. If we’re going to deal with these people, it’s best if we make it as under the radar as possible.”

“Anyway,” Quentin spoke up as he stopped. “It’s getting late so I should get going. See you later.”

“Yeah, see you later!” Regis nodded after noticing that it was already getting dark.

“I should get going as well, sir.” Tristan stated, earning a nod from the dark elf.

Left alone, Regis couldn’t help but look at the faintly illuminated Obelisk Square as people walked by under the arcane street lights. Thornfell seemed peaceful, a stark contrast to what other territories went through according to what he heard during the assembly. ‘Let’s hope those business deals of Tristan’s will help improve Thornfell instead of causing trouble for us.’ He mused as he headed home, finding the dining room full of life as Dana, her daughter and Euric were in the middle of dinner with Letty being present as well.

“Welcome back!” She said both excited and relieved by his safe return.

“Welcome back, milord!” The others said in unison.

“I’m glad to be home. No need to stand up, Dana,” he waved at the maid. “I’ll get a plate for myself.”

Saying that the dark elf headed over to the kitchen and grabbed a flat plate and cutleries for himself. He returned to the others and sat down, shovelling a surprising amount of food onto his plate.

“So, how was it?” Letty interrogated him between two bites.

“It was about as bad as you would expect from a gathering like that.” Regis claimed, proceeding to recall the day’s events to them, leaving out only the parts that were best kept a secret from the public.

By the time dinner was over, everyone sat with a morose expression on their faces.

“Those are quite the troublesome news,” Euric remarked. “It seems that even though the kingdom managed to quell the aftermath of the war, it doesn’t sound safe at all.”

“As long as they leave Thorn Vale alone,” his wife hummed. “It doesn’t really concern us.”

“Of course it does,” the butler argued. “Think of all the people we trade with. They depend on us just as much as we do on them. And besides, who is to say that we wouldn’t get waves of refugees if something bad were to happen?”

“I’m more worried about the Argents,” Letty said. “I can’t believe that woman actually became a noble as well! What was the Heart thinking?”

“I’m pretty sure it doesn’t differentiate between factions. It’s all based on meritocracy. If she did enough noteworthy deeds, then she would get promoted like everyone else.”

“I hate it when you’re so calm about stuff like these.”

“It’s pointless to worry about things out of my control,” Regis sighed as he handed his empty plate over to Dana. “I have more important matters on my mind with all the business offers we got from the people who approached Tristan.”

“Will they really be willing to give you such a valuable book for just a few enchanted rings and wands, sire?” Young Dana asked, nearly immediately realizing that she made a mistake.

“A few enchanted rings and wands,” Regis repeated the words with a slight chuckle. “Dana, how much do you think those items cost in the way of coins?”

“A gold or two?” She asked back, unsure of her answer.

“Per piece perhaps,” Letty stated as she looked at the young girl. “From what I understand, the price of an enchanted item multiplies severalfold after every grade. I remember Regis managing to sell a ‘trash’ grade arcana regeneration ring for fifteen silver to a travelling merchant just after we came to Thorn Vale. An ‘ordinary’ grade one would sell for five times that and then on, it would multiply at a similar rate for every grade. Which would be…”

“Three hundred and seventy-five silver,” young Dana answered, proving her excellent mathematical skills. “Or six gold and forty-five silver.”

“For a single ‘well-made’ ring,” Euric murmured. “And they asked for twelve of those along with the magic wands.”

“So much coin for a single ring,” her mother stuttered in shock. “Would anyone really be willing to pay such a huge sum for a magic ring?”

“There’s a reason they say that a well-enchanted equipment set is worth a fiefdom’s price,” Euric stated as he looked at the dark elf’s armour and magic staff. “I remember Sir Fabien once remarked that the arms and armour Lord Regis enchanted for their group would be worth hundreds of gold for each person.”

“Alright,” the loremaster sighed. “That’s enough money talk. It’s getting late, so we should head to sleep.”

“Bath first?” Letty asked with a hint of a smile.

“Bath first. I could use a bit of relaxation after today’s shitshow. Anyway, good night everyone.”

“Good night, milord!” The three replied as they watched the elves leave the dining hall.

The rest of the night went by with a warm bath and a soft bed, the cry of the rooster finding the elven pair still sleeping.

“I fucking hate that bird.” Regis grumbled.

‘How the hell can it even be heard all the way here from the farms anyway? Is it some weird ass magic rooster or something?’ He mused in his half-awake state while getting out of his bed to get dressed for the day. He sneaked out of the room and headed down to his workshop so that he could begin creating and transmuting the materials necessary for the enchanted rings and wands ordered by the old spellcaster from Atraune. After a good hour spent preparing the materials, he heard someone knock on the door.

“Milord,” Dana the maid called out to him. “Miss Letty had already left, but she asked me to make sure that you ate something for breakfast. She says you’re prone to starve yourself for the sake of work.”

“Thank you, Dana. Just bring something light over to my study.”

“Of course, sir.” She hummed, leaving immediately. Regis put down the piece of Arcanite he was examining and left the room, entering his study. He grabbed his enchanted quill along with some alchemical ink and a ‘well-made’ quality parchment so that he could write up the trade contract regarding the ‘excellent’ grade enchanted rings and the wands of ‘ordinary’ healing. A few minutes later Dana knocked on the door before entering, a plate filled with sandwiches and some fresh fruit tea showing on the tray in her hands.

“Thank you!” He said a bit absent-mindedly while re-reading the contract.

With both the contract and the breakfast out of the way, he returned to his workshop where he spent several hours creating the ‘well-made’ arcana regeneration rings and the wands of ‘minor’ healing to get the basic requirements of his new request out of the way. ‘Now I just have to make sure they pay up properly and that the contract gets signed and we’re good.’ He thought, packing them away into his satchel. The loremaster went back into his bedroom and donned his armour, grabbing his staff before returning downstairs while looking at his arcane watch.

“Euric,” he called out to the ever-busy butler. “If anyone came looking for me, tell them I went to White-spire Keep on a business trip and will likely be away for an hour or two.”

“Of course, sire. Have a safe trip.”

“That’s the plan.” He nodded before leaving.

Obelisk Square was busy as always, the people nodding at him as he walked by. Using the gateway, he teleported to White-spire Keep, much to the local soldiers’ surprise.

“Good day to you,” He greeted them calmly. “May I ask if any spellcaster from Atraune came by recently? They’re supposed to send someone over by noon.”

“Greetings, milord,” one of the soldiers who recognised him from before replied. “There indeed was someone looking for you a few minutes ago. He went over to the tavern.”

“Thanks.” Regis nodded before heading over to the tavern the guard pointed at.

As he opened the door, dozens of curious gazes turned toward him, one pair of eyes belonging to a man in his early thirties who wore an expensive-looking robe.

“Lord Regis, I presume?” The man asked as he stood up.

“That would be me. And you are?”

“Cedric, sire. I was told you would personally bring over a contract for Master Felix.”

“I did, along with the ‘well-made’ grade items he requested.”

“Oh,” the man looked at him surprised. “Already?”

“I have a small stock of them for emergencies, so I thought it was better to bring them with me.” The dark elf lied through his teeth to mask his material-acquiring skills and work speed.

“Well, the guild master wasn’t expecting them this soon, so I don’t have the promised payment on me. However, this could be a great opportunity for you to visit our guild at Atraune.”

“Wouldn’t that cause trouble to you all? A nobleman from outside of the kingdom’s borders appearing there just like that?”

“Not at all,” the man waved off his concerns while they walked toward the gateway. “You would come to visit as a fellow spellcaster and as an enchanter.”

“Very well,” Regis agreed while inwardly contemplating the chances of this being a trap. “Lead the way then.”

They stepped on the rune-carved stone circle, its symbols lighting up for a moment as they were sent to Atraune in a second. The sight that greeted him was quite unexpected. They arrived in a large and lavishly decorated room that reminded him of a reception hall.

“Welcome to Atraune!” Cedric said with a relaxed tone as he walked over to the reception desk. “Please inform the Guild Master that Lord Regis Thorne is here with the contract he was waiting for along with the first part of the requested items.”

“Immediately, Master Cedric!” The young woman replied as she watched the two walk away.

“Have you ever been to a large guild before?” The man asked him, earning a slight head shake.

“I can’t say that I have. The one back in Hunor was little more than a refurbished tavern and the one in East Fork was... cosy. This place seems to be on a whole different level.”

“That is understandable, given that we are one of the four great cities of Ecragurne after all. Even after all the lives lost to the Landwaker Wars and the undead tide after it, Atraune still has more than a hundred and forty thousand people calling it their home.