Chapter 6

Players were soon bottle necking outside the gates to Serabourg. The cause of this seemed to be a small store that had suddenly shot up just beyond the entrance way. It was manned by a single dwarf who was dividing his time between cooking and buying japtem from Players. a crude sign next to him indicated the opening times of the small stall and the current prices for what it sold.

Open: 8 till 2 - 5 till 11

-: Seasoned meat skewers: 15 coppers. :-

-: Mana tea: 10 coppers.:-

-: Blood stopper compress: 10 coppers. :-

-: Minor poison antidotes: 10 coppers. :-

-: Buying Japtem: Negotiable. :-

The prices were very reasonable so many Players quickly visited the stall and many were return customers. With all the rabbit and wolf meat they sold him he was able to increase his Cooking skill level. With its increase to two his meals were able to increase Stamina Recovery. His Alchemy's skill level also increased by small amounts and his Handicraft was enhancing the effects of all of them.

The most rewarding factor was that for every japtem trade deal he negotiated he recieved an increase of a few percent to his character level. He purchased rabbit; fox and the occasional wolf pelt. The rest of their wares seemed to be broken equipment and other vendor trash. A fang or claw sometimes turned up but the players tended to keep these trophies to themselves and anything rarer they kept to seek greater profits from selling.

When the appointed time was reached the dwarf signalled to his customers and bowed deeply.

"Thank you for frequenting this small stall. If you are satisfied with our service please allow me to add you to our Customer Mailing list."

With that he sent friend requests to all those gathered there, many accepted before they left.

In Royal Road networking between Players was just as important as networking between NPCs. Finding people you enjoyed partying with was relatively easy but to find crafting professionals or reliable merchants was more difficult. To find one right at the begining of their journey was incredible but to find one that was willing to grow with them was a Godsend.

Most merchants dealt primarily with higher level Players and NPCs. They carried out deals and trades that would net them huge profits but always ran the risk of massive losses. The razor edged tight rope of the merchant profession. Mandeok wasnt like that. He would build his reputation with these fellow newbies so that as they grew they would come back to him in turn allowing his own growth.

His bags had quickly filled up with fur and junk so it was into town to sell a few of the items.

Normally such junk was almost worthless but thanks to his merchant skills, and his frequent use of specific shops, he was able to earn a few coppers more on each item. But even then he was left with several bags of broken equipment.

Equipment could be repaired as long as its durability didnt fall below one but once it did there was no hope of repairing it and its resale value hit rock bottom. This fact didnt bother Mandeok as now he had more raw materials to practice on. A broken linen robe still had value as a piece of linen.

The problem was the slowly growing piles of broken weapons that were now taking up bag space. To solve this space issue he decided a trip to the Dwarven Striker was in order.

The heat from the forges was evident even at the front of the smithy's small store. The old man behind the stone counter top greeted him warmly.

"My ol' master used to say that there were three things in life you couldn't do: keep an elf from the forest, an orc from war or a dwarf from the forge. So what can i do for you."

Hoisting two heavy bags onto the counter Mandeok replied

"Can you melt these down?"

The owner assessed the articles in the bags one by one as he pulled them out. He set them down in piles and once he had reached the bottom of the bottomless bag he turned back to his customer.

"Shouldn't be a problem. It'll be good experience for the juniors..."

He caught the dwarf gazing at some of the tools on the wall racks behind him.

"...but why don't you just come back here and i'll show you how to do it instead?"

"...."

"Either way you won't get much back from them."

The bushy bearded dwarf just nodded in agreement and followed the older man back to the furnance carrying most of the pile with him. The small pieces were dumped into the crucible to melt. While the larger pieces would require to be broken down further before following a similar fate.

To do this the owner heated it till it glowed red-orange and cut off chunks using the chisel in the hardy hole. The main piece was returned to the heat while the newly detached chunks ended up in the melting pot.

Broken swords, knives and armour joined arrowheads and other metal pieces in the molten container. The old balcksmith worked the bellows to raise the temperature of the funrnace before showing Mandeok how to make sand moulds. Every so often he would return to the bellows to masterfully control the heat of the process.

When he was satified with the colour of the liquid he removed the whole crucibe from the heat and began pouring it slowly into the casts. After they had cooled and set he cracked open the casing, popping out the fist sized ingots of metal.

"It'll be easier if you set up the moulds before you start melting, just until you get the hang of tempering the heat."

"Thank you. What sort of rate will you charge for usage?"

The old man picked up two of the better looking ingots as he mulled over the question. You could tell his mind was whirring away, behind that calm expression, weighting up all the costs of materials used and the time one of his workplaces would be out of action.

"These two will cover todays tutorial and a small token of a silver per use should square us up nicely."

"If i pay you as i enter will the term of usage end when i exit the shop?"

".....deal."

With a simple question Mandeoks merchants talents had squeezed maxium profit out of minimum investment. A single silver coin would last him until he exited the forge. From his experience in both the Training Hall and the Libary he knew

he could spend hours at the forge milking that fee.

With such access to the Dwarven Striker he no longer needed to worry, blacksmithing would come in time. Tailoring too if he could succed in the Old Lace's test. He returned to the area he had set up shop and opened up just in time to greet new customers.

A couple of days passed like that; open up, buy/sell, close up, restock, sell and open up again. Occasionally logging off for comfort stops and to remind himself what the Real World was like. On the third day of this routine he was stopped at the gate by the guards. They barred his re-entry into the citadel with their pikes. A thin serpentine looking man moved from the shadows to approach him.

"Merchant Mandeok. The city has decided the tax which shall be levied against you. Please produce you ledger for auditing."

He was stunned.

He had specifically chosen to start out with the city so as to avoid the taxation and store licencsing fees. Simply because at the time he could not afford them. Now here was the Taxman in front of him with his grubby hand out.

"Failure to comply and you will be barred from the Citadel of Serebourg and all her surrounding land."

This Fiend knew that to be banished from the starting city would be suicide for any low level player, especially one like Mandeok who had spent so long slowly building his network of contacts. In effect exile would exclude him from a large part of Rosenheim Kingdom. With the nearest villages being long treks through bandit and monster infested areas. Not to mention the level difference.

Reluctantly he handed over the ledger, it felt like giving away a part of him, to this repulsive petty official.

Who ran his fingers down every page. The mumbling under his breath could have been misunderstood as chanting a spell but Mandeok knew he was tallying the figures in his head. Presently the Sacred Merchant text was confered back to him across the crossed pikes of the guards.

"Your fee shall be seventy silver. Guards let him in once he pays."

"Yes Sir. Sir Beaumont."

And with that the Kingdoms Goldsniffer slithered back into the shadows of the shop fronts, disappearing in the hussle of the crowds.

'TENFOLD!!!'

Mandeok roared in his head as he handed a full seventy silver, almost eighty percent of his liquid capital, to the guards. they smiled awkwardly at the black aura'd dwarf as they uncrossed their pikes and bid him entry.

With more fervor then usual he smashed the hot metal into chunks to melt and with each strike he cried "BEAUMONT". so it was no surprise he didnt feel the old smithy approach him until one rough hand patted him firmly on the shoulder.

"Steady Lad. You want to make a cursed blade?" he chuckled as the dwarf spun round and glared at him.

"Stop for today, your scaring my apprentices. Why dont we go have a drink." the grip tightened on the dwarfs shoulder.

Mandeok apologised with a deep bow to the apprentices who had noticably moved away from him. Before following the Master out to a small table set up by the shops counter. On it were two large stiens of steaming liquid. He took a great swig of it.

"Tea??"

A wave of relaxation washed over him and carried away most of his stress.

"Unlike dwarfs i can't quaff several pints of ale and then continue to hammer in a straight line."

They both took another sip.

"I take it by your black cursing you met our local publican."

"That legitimate thief, that daylight robber, that ....." he felt himself getting more aggravated so took another sip and felt it all melt away. 'This is some great tea.'

"Dont worry your not the only one he's fleeced."

"Every trader has felt his sting since the new King appointed him."

The old man leaned closer.

"Some rumours say he worships Akryong Kaybern."

"WHAT!!!"

Mandeoks mind was racing. In Royal Road humans worshipped a small panethon of dieties, the chief among these being Freya, the goddess of beauty and abundancy, and Lugh, the god of light and war. For any to revere such a creature as Akryong Kaybern was beyond his understanding. Although he did concede that people sometimes worshipped beings of true power. And what was more powerful then the Great White Dragon.

Careless Whispers

-:Quest: All dwarf's know of the tyranny of their protector but to hear rumours of humans worshipping him is very strange. To allay your friends fears of dragon cultists ferret out the truth of the matter.

"Discretion is the better part of Valour"

-: Difficulty: D. The Quest will automatically fail should your investigation be discovered.

Additional penalties will occur for your accusations against a member of the Aristocracy.

-:Banishment from Serabourg and its surrounding land. :-

-:Hostile to all Rosenheim Kingdom. :-

-:Restriction: Dwarven Race :-

-:Accept: Yes/No:-

The difficulty of the quest seemed high but the penalties for failure would be crippling.

'If I get banished from the Country I'll lose all my hard work till now. I might even have to delete this character.'

Eun Seok lamented as he tried to weighed the pros and cons of the quest. Depending on how he was banished the situation could become even worse. For a level 2 character to be force marched by Royal Knights to the border would be a death march and if they just teleported him away there was no telling where he could end up.

All the while the old smith was staring at him.

"You don't think it's true do you?"

A subtle prompt but Mandeok had gathered his thoughts and firmly set his resolve.

"I don't know but it is an unsettling notion."

The old smithy smiled and returned to sipping his tea as his companion accepted the task. They said nothing more and pasted the next few hours just enjoying each others company.

Eventually Mandeok finished changing and restocking his wares. With thoughts of how he would even go about attempting this quest swimming in his mind he made his way back to his small store. Already a queue had formed in anticipation of the opening.

For the next few hours he just went through the motions. Buying, selling, cooking, healing all while mumbling under his breath. They were the incoherent ravings of a madman.

By the time he closed down the stall, at the end of the shift, he had approached it from every angle he knew and it boiled down a few key points. His intimacy with the citizens wasn't high enough for them to tell him such secrets. So if he went around just asking everyone sooner or later it would get back to the target and that would be game over.

To complete this quest he would need to acquire the relevant information; to do that he had to ask the right questions and to know these he needed knowledge of several things. So his first port of call was to the only place in the Citadel that held a wealth of knowledge: The Library.

With his first destination firmly set he begrudgingly paid his 'taxes' and re-entered the city.

*****************************

After such a long time he re-entered the Library.

The smell of old books and worn leather was comforting but he didn't have time to lose himself in it. He flashed the rewarded token at the person by the desk and was about to head in when

**thud**

The swing doors, set for human height, hadn't opened to let him through. Instead the dwarf walked confidently into the solid wood. He shot a fierce gaze from one throbbing eye at the boy behind the counter. Who was covering his face, trying very hard to smoother the laughter.

He barely managed to say "....fee." with out erupting into giggles.

Mandeok hauled himself onto the counter and stared down at him, piercing the young clerk with a fierce gaze. He placed the token down and tapped it aggressively.

"With this I don't need to pay so open the gate or call your supervisor."

The young clerk swallowed his laughter, all colour draining from his face, as he hesitated.

"NOW!!" growled the dwarf in starting equipment.

The young clerk made a squeaking sound as he bowed and scurried off to find a senior staff member. He returned moments later with a familiar girl in tow: Young apprentice Librarian Emma.

She arrived having heard the details of the situation and bowed deeply to apologise.

"My apologises Mandeok. this clerk is still very new. In the future if you touch the token to the pad on the right the gates should open automatically. Once again we deeply regret this incident. Please enjoy your time in the Library."

The gates swung open as she forced the junior into a bow.

On the other side Mandeok studied the reference cards and jotted down a few items of interest before heading into the shelves.

He exited awhile later having found and read several tomes and articles. Books on dragons, both fact and fiction, and any item in the public records regarding the economic policy of the kingdom. those from before and after the current King was crowned. He found a sharp rise in revenue from around the time the Sphinx and Pyramid were built.

It was the books on religion he had trouble finding and on asking he was told most tomes of that nature were kept by the Church themselves.

He had decided to reduce suspicion by researching the general topics of interest instead of specific items. It was thanks to this that the quest bar had filled up to 10% by the end of the first day. He headed in the direction of the church to track down any more information.

*******************************

Sparks exploded as metal clashed with metal. Another exchange illuminated the murky dusk only for the briefest of moments silhouetting the figures in the dark.

A cascade of sparks flickered and died as the two crossed weapons. Still frames of violence erupting in the dark solitude. One was a blonde haired girl her opponent a burly looking thug. The twin drills that framed her face extended, trailing behind her as she advanced once more. They snapped back into tight bouncing coils as soon as she collided with her foe.

With a bloodcurdling scream her victim collapsed.

Breathing a deep sigh of relief she took a posture and released her technique. "Shadow arts: Concealing Shadows. Release." The darkness around her began to slowly dissipate revealing several other fallen bodies as it receded back into the very fabric of her furisode yukata. The dark purple deepened to a balck that seemed to accentuate the vibrant pick sakura petals that were embroidered on the deep swinging sleeves.

At a glance anyone could tell this was some sort of Ninja class.

She unmade the hand sign and took off the ivory fox mask, with a swirl of cherry blossom petals her garb changed back into her usual elegant Kuro-muji style kimono. Even her hair style changed. The twins drills relaxed and straighted into a simple loose ponytail.

She gazed around the battlefield and saw that her companions had also concluded their fights as well. A man with flaming red hair that complimented his scarlet kimono sat atop a jet black steed. When their eyes met he smiled gently and gave a small nod. He raised a small folded fan, pointing it forward.

"We move out."

Beyond him another man, built like a brick house and dressed like a warrior monk uprooted a large pole. He hoisted the banner into the air proudly. Their standard was six golden coins on an indigo field.

The small party once more made their way through the mountain pass.

******************************

It was an entirely fruitless endeavour.

As he was he lacked the necessary intimacy or faith to access the inner parts of the church. When he inquired if it was possible to view their records he was shooed away by the Priests and when he asked again he was escorted from the building by several heavily armoured Paladins.

He now sat mopping by the fountain in the centre of the Citadel.

The gentle trickling of the water behind him slowly soothed his mind and washed away his worries. He sat there quite serenely watching players enter the church or interact with those stationed at its main door. Most players were only there to receive a small blessing in return for a small donation. Others were dressed in robes or armour similar to those Priests and Paladins who had rebuffed him before.

His gaze drifted to several young children playing in a nearby puddle.

The still water reflected the few clouds in the clear blue sky like a perfect mirror and the children were throwing stones in just to watch the ripples distort the picture. Plop, plop, plop, one stone spread small waves across the surface only for them to be intercepted by the waves from a second impact and then a third. Before it returned to its placid serene state.

Mandeok watched as they made quite the game of this before, PlopPlopPlopPlop, one child launched a handful of small pebbles. They peppered the surface with such fury that it churned dirt beneath the small puddle and when it settled this time the clear mirror had been replaced with a murky cloud.

One child brandished the reed stalk he had been carrying and challenged the 'villain' to a duel before they all ran off screaming in high spirits.

A bolt of inspiration struck him and he logged off.

Still in the capsule he opened up the main website for Unicorn Corporation and clicked on the link for Royal Road. He entered his character name and was prompted to create a password. He ignored it and clicked the option to utilise the Iris scan, at least while he was in the capsule.

He opened up his friends list or as he had dubbed it is Customer List. He grouped the names by profession and began to compose several emails.

This was one of the major updates that Unicorn had done to their website a few years back in a bid to further integrate aspects of Royal Road. With ease players could now view their characters stats, skills, equipment and friends list all from the account page of the Official website. They had also bought the largest Player Item Auction Site.

It was a move that many saw as controversial but came about after several Players were victims of scams during item or gold transactions.

This was the fastest way Unicorn could think of to avoid frivolous lawsuits. It wasn't their fault if players lost things or were scammed by using unscrupulous auction sites when they provided a legitimate one, with only a small transaction fee.

As Eun Seok hit send on the last batch of emails he let out a small sigh and allowed himself a small grin at his own cleverness.

While it was true Mandeok didn't have the requirements to access the church it was clear that other players did and he intended to fully utilise them in his quest. If he shared it with them then the chance of getting caught increased but if he used them to muddy the waters then it would become even more difficult to trace it back to him.

There was always the chance of them turning on him or trying to extort him but the likelihood of that was low enough to not worry him to much.

The main body of the email he sent was very similar; Hello dear and valued customer...great opportunity....requires your aid....adequate compensation....seeking information on.

And then it differed.

To the priests, paladins, clerics or other classes in felt would have high intimacy with the church in his customer list he asked for information regarding historic religions, religious practices, Deities and Cults in the Continent.

To most other classes he asked for information on the Aristocracy, who administered and how their jobs affected the governing of the Country.

But to those of the rogue profession he asked for the routine of the Aristocracy.

And to seal the deal he offered a small reward depending on how useful the information turned out to be, from 10 silver to 1 gold. With his task done he shutdown, left the capsule and caught a few hours sleep.

*********************************

The next day was full on activity for one small stall owner outside the gates of the Citadel.

Players bought and sold to the sturdy dwarf owner as usual but most only stopped by to exchange a few words with the owner before departing with a heavier coin purse.

Mandeok was content the quest had steadily been filling since he logged in this morning unfortunately he may have underestimated how quickly his networking could get out of hand. Rumors had rapidly spread that he was paying for information and his few hundred Player network had boomed to encompass most of the Players currently active in the Citadel.

His resources dwindled faster than expected.

"The Eastern farm lands are struggling....."

"Count Drefus is seeking a Champion to avenge an injustice...."

"There is a Dungeon with a Dragon as a boss....."

"1000 years ago the Orcs worshipped a Wolf, 999 year ago they worshipped the Giant who slayed the Wolf, 998 year ago the Orcs worshipped the Ant who killed the Giant...."

And most were rebuffed in a similar fashion.

"Thank you here is 10 silver."

"Thank you here is 10 silver."

Occasionally the bar would rise and he would pay out a larger sum to reflect the increase.

"Thank you here is 20 silver."

And as was becoming more common by the end of the third in-game day.

"Ah I'm sorry I was already told that please accept this Kebab as compensation."

Of course some could not accept that so easily and that was when he would produced his ledger, since he had begun receiving information he had meticulously recorded it all in his book.

By the end of the fourth day he had hit 75% completion, most of the people that came to him now were just there to solely view his wares. He was starting to realise that this was as far as he could get just passively gathering information. If he was a bit more proactive the quest would surely resolve itself, one way or another.

He took out his ledger and grabbed several screen shots before he ripped out a handful of pages. They contained everything he had written down during his networking. He felt it was better to be safe than sorry and threw them into the dying flames of his cooking fire.

-: You have destroyed evidence. Chance of being caught decreased by 10% :-

He dismissed the message and wondered if this sort of thing was common among the thieves and assassins of this World.

And as if to answer his question a sudden voice whispered in his head

-: Hello. Mandeok its SilentBlade. You still looking for information?

It was a PM from one of his customers, the diminutive female cutpurse, SilentBlade

-: Ah yes, hello....please go ahead.

-: I was shadowing a target...its probably best if I just show you. Can you meet me by the housing district gate in say 20 minutes.

-: I'm shutting up shop now so I'll head straight there.

With that she hung up.

Renewed vigour spurred him on through the streets and down the Citadels alleys. Only when he was half way there, to his clandestine meeting, did he wonder about the possibility of a trap. It wouldn't be too farfetched but he was safe in the knowledge that at least within the city he couldn't be PK'd.

The busy shop rows gave way to tightly packed stone tenement houses and then to brick houses that slowly increased in distance between their neighbours as he moved further along. The houses then increased in both size and grandeur after he passed under the open portcullis in the Citadels walls.

Before him now spread the Nobles residential area.

As he was taking in the breath taking architecture of the Grand Houses he was suddenly aware of a bush off to his left. The inconspicuous shrub on the roadside was wobbling slightly, noticeable more so then could be achieved by the light evening breeze.

A small hand burst from the greenery and beckoned the stunned dwarf over. The hand was followed by the small head of a Player. The unassuming face of the hobbit belonged to none other than SilentBlade.

"SilentBlade-nim?"

"Mandeok-ahjussi. Quickly before the guard patrol comes back round."

She was right the last thing he wanted was to be questioned by the city guards as to why he was conversing with the shrubbery around the houses of Highborn Landed Gentry and Noble Lords. As if by instinct his body reacted by throwing itself forward into the hedgerow. He wiggled furiously until he had popped out the other side.

He now sat behind the hedge row in the small open space between it and a garden wall, completely hidden from the view of anyone casually passing by. The small hobbit was already several meters in front of him. Given her races small stature the hiding space was large enough for her to move at a comfortable pace, all be it in a slightly squatted manner.

The dwarf on the other hand had to crouch lower and on several occasions had to scrabble on his hands and knees to squeeze through overgrown gaps. He silently wondered how any of the taller races would cope with this type of covert operation as another bramble barb snatched at his tattered clothes.

Eventually after several more twists and turns behind the hedgerows, including breaking cover for a quick dash across the street, they arrived opposite a rather humble looking mansion of faded white brick and black slate. By this time the sun had set and the dwarf was tired of ferreting through the hedgerows.

"SilentBlade-nim please...tell me why ...we're here."

He panted as he shot a quick glance at his satiety.

"Sssssssh. Just keep watching that house, its almost time."

Was all the hobbit rogue would tell him as she shushed him before returning her hawk like gaze to the house across the street.

Mandeok peeked through the curtain of branches and leaves at the target of her laser like focus. Beyond the intricate iron gates lay a simple two storey mansion house of faded white painted brick. A simple quaint design that's only remarkable feature seemed to be the large columns that stood sentinel either side of the entrance way. They held up a roof that jutted out from the simple lines of the building. Underneath which a balcony jutted out of the second floor over the doorway. It seemed like a crude addition to an otherwise nice Colonial style mansion.

He was entranced in studying the architecture when he felt a small hand grasp his arm in a tight grasp. He turned to look at the aggressor but she didn't acknowledge him and continued to stare open mouthed at the house.

"There."

His head snapped back as he tried to discern the reason for her commotion. He scanned the house again from top to bottom. Every window closed, curtains drawn and lights off. The door was closed and the garden was emp....something moved.

It was a shadow or a silhouette and it was just for a second but something had moved between the trees within the darkness of that garden.

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