Solera took the sword, nodding. They resumed walking through the crowded marketplace. Solera saw many interesting things, but he didn’t buy anything else. He wasn’t sure if he needed wings or jackknives or battery talismans or anything else being sold here.

Chianti chewed on a piece of the giant lamb skewer she had just bought. “Hey, hold my stuff. This stuff tastes pretty good.” She handed the jar of ointment, a bottle of alcohol, some power-sealing bandages, a book, and a pair of gloves to Solera. Holding both ends of the skewer with each hand, she began ravishing the meat, smearing oil all over her face.

They were walking to one of the buildings in the center of the marketplace to buy ectoplasm, a product Chianti was about to explain before she had smelled the aroma of roasted lamb.

Solera looked at a display of flying needles as they walked past. Back home, he had never been particularly good at using them. Maybe he could ask Chianti to help him. But then, wouldn’t he be showing her how inept he was?

“Yum yum.” Chianti tossed the skewer into a nearby trash can. As she wiped her mouth with her sleeve, she looked at Solera. “Whatcha thinking about, buddy?”

Solera blinked, startled. “Nothing.”

“Uh-huh. Anyway, there’s going to be a long line at the ectoplasm station.” Chianti said, patting Solera on the shoulder. “If you stick with me, there won’t be any time left for more shopping.”

Solera shrugged. “There’s still two hours. Besides, I don’t really want anything here.”

“Kay.” Chianti pointed at a clump of people fifty meters away, and then a building half a kilometer away. “Well, the line starts here. You can leave any time you want.”

Solera stared at the line, his eyes bugging. “Why are there so many people?”

Chianti grinned. “Ectoplasm is the biggest commodity in Peat City. You soak powerful things in it, like people’s heads or monster organs. The ectoplasm, which is made from the tar in Peat City’s tar pits, can then be baked to become a powder that’s used in pill production. Everybody wants ectoplasm for wars or expeditions to Spirit Woods and the Wastelands, but Peat City is the only place they can get it. Obviously, there’s a lotta people here.”

Solera blinked. No wonder ectoplasm was such a hot item; it actually stored power from dead bodies! That would be incredibly valuable if someone slayed a dragon or anything powerful, really.

Time flowed by, with Solera just standing silently next to Chianti.

“So, what kind of training did you usually do with Vinoh?” Chianti asked after twenty minutes had passed.

Solera scratched his head, thinking for a moment. “Lots of sparring with swords and with hands, body training, terrain training, lots of fighting scenarios, pros and cons of weapons, balance -”

“Oh, so just combat.” Chianti nodded her head. “Heh, Vinoh never taught you about battlefield strategy?”

Solera shook his head.

“Kinda expected that, he never did have any leadership roles on the battlefield.” Chianti stroked her chin thoughtfully. “You’ll learn a lot of that at Hickory. How about channeling and controlling?”

“I studied a few mantras.” Solera said. “But never controlled anything.”

Chianti raised an eyebrow. “Feh, your father could’ve done a much better job. What a narrow curriculum.”

Despite how much he liked Chianti, Solera felt a twinge of annoyance. “He did a good job!”

“Yeah, nobody’s denying he’s not good at what he teaches.” Chianti said. “It’s what he doesn’t teach, that’s what’s important. How can you have never tried controlling? Go to that store over there and buy a ball kit right now. A helmet should cost around four hundred thousand, the balls should be fifty thousand. We’re going to Fortress Hickory by bird tomorrow, but it should still take around a month’s travel. You can practice it then.”

Solera blinked. “But I have no idea how to control.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you. Leave my stuff here.” Chianti waved her hand in a dismissive manner, while Solera walked off.

Thirty minutes later, Solera returned, his backpack a bit fuller than before. His face wore an unhappy expression.

“I paid 800k for it.” Solera mumbled to Chianti, who began laughing. “No worries, haggling is a skill you develop over time.”

They were near the front of the line now. After another twenty minutes, Chianti produced an expandable tube from her pocket. The man grabbed a hose protruding from the pungent vat next to him and twisted the nozzle. After a few seconds, he turned it off again.

“72.5k Iotas, please.” He said pleasantly.

Solera’s eyes bugged. A single tube of ectoplasm was worth that much? At the adjacent vat, some men were piling bags of ectoplasm onto a cart! That had to be at least ten million Iotas right there. This building was filled with vats of bubbling ectoplasm; the amount of money it was raking in had to be in the billions everyday. Even Solera knew how ridiculous this was.

“Who owns this place?” Solera asked as they walked out. With this kind of facility, that person would definitely be well-known.

Chianti eyed Solera with a smirk. “Our very own Prince Reginald, of course. This entire marketplace is his.”

Solera’s eyes widened. “He must be crazy rich!”

Chianti nodded. “Yup. Before we returned to Eeden two months ago, our mercenaries were raking it in as well. Not only that, he has a lot of other business operations as well. I’m not sure how he keeps it all working, especially when he was on the other side of the continent. Oh, but a lot of the revenue from the ectoplasm does go to the creators who make it, so Reginald only takes in around thirty percent, I’d say. Still, that’s a lot of money.”

“What does he do with all of it?” Solera said, astonished. If Eden had this many Iotas, how had the entire Western Continent not reduced it to a steaming pile of rubble yet?

“No idea.” Chianti said. “Maybe he just keeps it somewhere. He likes his ancestor, the Gardener a lot, though. The Gardener was an unparalleled creator, among other things. He invented the cards over two thousand years ago. So maybe Reginald just collects them.” She laughed as she said that last sentence.

“Well, it’s about time to get back.” Chianti said as she crammed all her items into Solera’s backpack. “Tomorrow, we’re riding on one of the Bamboo Tower’s Giant Eagles! It’ll be an interesting experience for you. Also, some kids from this city will be joining us. Hopefully, you’ll all get along.”

It took twenty minutes to push through the crowds until they got out. Chianti and Solera sat on the ground outside the marketplace, waiting as the other kids filtered in.

“All right, guys!” Chianti clapped her hands. “Let’s go back now. Get some nice rest tonight, we’ll be heading out tomorrow on a Bamboo Eagle!”

Solera went back to his room. On the bunk above him was Guinness, snoring away. Seeing this, Solera went outside to examine the control helmet and balls he had bought. Under the light of the Halo, Solera fiddled around with the helmet. There was no way he was going to embarrass himself in front of Chianti!