Exile sighed as he finished making the arrangements with Clay and the others to lead separate teams. They would take the new members out to grind and collect information on how the Council's decision affected the mobs in the area. He made sure that they knew that each team was to stick close to the others in case they had to provide backup at any moment.

He let out a long sigh as he watched them leave the bar. Leaving him all alone. 'I guess I should check out the shop first. If it holds any hints to the First Flame, I can't let anyone else get their hands on it.'

Exile made his way through the streets of Valheim towards Jarxos' store under the furious gaze of many players. However, he only flashed them a smirk in response to piss them off. 'It's been so long since I was last here... I should have come back sooner. Someone's bound to have already taken a peak.' He regretted forgetting about this place with everything that had been going on. After all, players only had to be level 5 to head up to the next level.

As he opened the door, the familiar green barrier greeted him, causing him to smile warmly as he stepped through. However, he received a shock when the view of the store appeared. The once bare shelves were now full of displays of various materials and even some weapons and armour!

'It seems the players have been busy!' He whistled as he had a quick nosey around. 'I guess most of this stuff was offered by their followers.'

"Ah! Exile! Wonderful to see you again!" Jarxos beamed as he took form beside him. "You've been gone for some time. Come! These displays are not suitable for one of your power."

Exile cocked an eyebrow as Jarxos motioned for him to follow after him as he headed for the stairs. Jarxos seemed to be in a pleasant mood as he spoke enthusiastically about all of the goods he had received recently. Bringing his store to life. When they reached the next level Exile could not help but gape at the full displays here too. 

However, Jarxos chuckled as he led the way towards another barrier blocking a second staircase! Exile quickly regained his senses as he hurried after the eager NPC. When he touched the barrier to pass through, he discovered that it was locked behind level 9! He could only grin at that discovery as he passed through easily. 

'Seems I have a good chance of being one of the first to come up this far. I only hope Aeri didn't beat me to it.' Exile's eyes wandered over the mostly empty displays on this floor. A disappointed expression crossed his face, but he still spotted a handful of materials and equipment.

"This is where you should spend your gold. I admit... There's not much right now. But these items are definitely more suited to you as you are now." Jarxos beamed as he waved his hand towards the displays with a bright smile.

Exile humoured the NPC as he wandered around, taking a quick look. After all, this was not the reason he had come here. However, the more he looked, the more he took a fancy to several items. He soon understood that Jarxos was right. As he glanced at each item, he got to see what effects they had. The boosts they gave to stats were much better than his current equipment. Meaning his gear was seriously outdated.

'The others will have to keep themselves updated as well. So far equipment has been rather rare, so I didn't think much of it...' Obviously, he could no longer afford to neglect this aspect. It was almost a certainty that other players would soon start upgrading their gear, which would help them to gain an advantage.

As he realised this, he noticed a flaw in what he had done by quickly levelling up the new members of Ragnarok. 'Damn! They won't have enough gold to keep up with their level!' He cursed himself for this oversight as he wondered how they could correct it. 'We might need to loan them some money or something. I'll speak to Midas about it. I'm sure he can come up with something...'

He pushed the matter to the back of his mind as he continued browsing. "Jarxos, how much is this?"

The NPC beamed as he walked over to take a look at what had caught Exile's attention. His eyes went wide as he nodded. "An excellent choice. This half cloak costs a mere 60 Gold."

Exile felt the blood rush out of his face as he stared at the black cloak with a white fur collar. It was a piece of equipment that would not interfere with what he was already wearing. Meaning that he did not have to give up current bonuses to grab a few more. However, so far he had only saved up 189 gold, meaning that it would cost him a third of his wealth!

"Fine..." Exile grit his teeth as he made a pouch of gold appear from his inventory. "I'll take it."

Jarxos smiled warmly as he accepted the pouch. With a snap of his fingers, the cloak disappeared from the display. "Thank you, please let me know if anything else interests you."

Exile grumbled under his breath at the merchant's smug expression. His attention shifted to the notification he had just received.

[Congratulations! You have received Divine Wolf Half Cloak.]

[Divine Wolf Half Cloak]

[+7 Endurance, +2 Authority]

[Description: This cloak is made from the pelts and fur of adult Divine Wolves. A fine item to make a fashion statement.]

Exile chuckled as he read the remarks in the description before he equipped it. The cloak appeared around his shoulders and only reached down to his waist. Still, he was more than pleased with the bonuses that came with it. His eyes gained a bright light as he began to study the other items more seriously. 'Let's see if there's anything else...'