"This one! That's the one you need," she suddenly exclaimed. "And that one, too. These are perfect for the rings," the golden dwarf added excitedly, when Seth scrolled past two small beads. On her urging, Seth had started browsing beast cores and products, rather than gemstones.
The items she had pointed out were two smooth pearls, one had a slight golden hue, the other was more in the direction of silver. The descriptions of the items in the auction house read:
An epic crafting material sourced from a sea monster called the Saishako. The core carries the properties of the beast's tough defense and terrifying punch.
Seller: Anchor Trading
Current Bid: 56 Gold>
An epic crafting material sourced from a sea monster called the Ginshako. The core carries the properties of the beast's high agility and quick attacks.
Seller: Anchor Trading
Current Bid: 65 Gold>
"These really look good, but are you sure? " Seth questioned the dwarf's choice. Seth had been focusing on stones that would pick up on and synergize with the base materials' powers, as well as support the fairy's combat style. The two orbs only did the latter.
Although "Yes, I am. The only reason you are doubtful is that you didn't appraise one yourself. I worked with these before, and the properties described here are just the tip of the iceberg. When these pearls are put in the same set, they will create a set effect that will greatly benefit the fairy," Sivri assured him of her choice.
"Oh, what effect are you speaking about?" the blacksmith asked curious. he wanted to know it before he purchased it. He was still doubtful at first, but when Sivri explained to him what kind of effect the two beads had a created, he immediately wanted to contact the buyer for a direct purchase. He didn't want to fiddle with the auction and risk not winning.
"When you contact them, ask whether they also have the Adding up the delivery fees, fines for discontinuing the auction, and the auction house's commission, the Tower Master ultimately paid roughly 250 gold for all three pearls. Paying directly with his Crystal Card, the three pearls appeared instantly before him.
The instant delivery across dimensions was really the best feature of the auction house. The moment he used With Hubert's help, he had the proper material, with Sivri's help, he had the fitting gems; all he was lacking now was the soul, which he would use to further connect the three accessories to one set. Although they would already be a set, because he was using the "I'm sorry, I don't think I have anything that fits your needs," Sandra Irving informed him with an apologetic and slightly embarrassed smile. Things had not been easy on the business woman, as she was only the proxy of Tano'Mol.
Compared to her employer, she had just entered the business. As a fledgling soul trader and associate of Tano'Mol on Earth, she was barely able to keep their operation on Urth running. She lacked the goat's reputation, so she lost off-world connections over the weeks and months since Tani'Mol's departure.
Seth sighed. He had already noticed this lately, but he wanted to try and see anyway. Unfortunately, the stock and variety of souls had plummeted a lot. Although there were still some souls of proper size and rating, none of them fit the planned accessory set.
"It's a good thing Tano is returning soon, then you will also relieved of some of the pressure," Seth commented, looking at her appearance. Compared to the Sandra Irving he came to know, she seemed even more tired and stressed than the time when was kidnapped by demons.
"It makes me even more worried. I feel like I betrayed his trust. I really tried my best, but we have already cut a lot of ties because of Bragmomal's persecution. But even the contacts that still responded turned silent when they realized that Tano'Mol isn't here personally," she complained a little.
"I think he will understand. You tried your best in a bad situation. It's not like he intended to stay away this long, either." Seth tried to lessen her worries a little, but all that was really on his mind was what kind of soul to get for Fin's set and where to get it, when he had an idea.
"You know, maybe you can't give me the soul, but maybe you know where i could get a fitting a soul on Urth?" the blacksmith asked her hopeful. Sandra looked a little stumped at first,. but then started thinking about it seriously. After a moment she spoke up.
"Have you heard about the main dungeons of Kozdam or the Dragonnewts in the Adventurer Guild's Holy Land?" she suddenly asked. " I know that you had encounters with both places in the past, but I mean recently," she added.
It was true, in the past Seth was accompanied by Tano'Mol when he razed part of Kozdam for souls. The blacksmith had also singlehandedly destroyed a dragonnewt dungeon, earning his the title of "Ashwalker".
"You know that I have not set foot in the Holy Land for a while now," the blacksmith answered. He had not visited the Holy Land often since he reached a level where farming monsters could no longer help him level up.
"Well, I'm not keeping tabs on your travels. It could have been you visited in the recent past. Anyway, the reason I'm mentioning it are the new leaders of the two parties," she returned to the topic at hand.
"After you stomped several of their settlements, the Adventurer guild made sure to continue where you left off, using the influx of adventurers from the stabilized Minas Mar. The battles are a good source of souls, but that is not the point.
Their advance prompted Kozdam to send an Ogre of the rank of a Duke to manage their colony on Urth. It's said that with Duke Gato and his men, Kozdam could be strong enough to try and re-enter the Abyss.
The increased pressure of the Orcs and Adventurer Guild also led to the rise of a new local Chief among the Dragonnewts. Their name is Pithra. My scouts report that Pithra and Duke Gato are estimated to be of almost equal strength, and both of them specialize in unarmed combat," Sandra finally revealed why she went on such a long tangent.
The soul traders didn't enter the abyss, as it was hard to collect souls on their way through the dungeons. Even though Sandra's information was limited to the surface of the Holy Land, it was exactly what the blacksmith needed. Maybe even more than perfect.
Hearing her mention the draonnewt chief reminded Seth of what Huber had said about the Using the soul of the original owner would have been the best, but there was no way to get his hands on the soul of Saint Beashaz. The soul of a power dragonnewt specialized in hand-to-hand combat was probably the closest thing he could get to match the legend and original owner.
"Perfect, Pithra, you say? That's exactly what I need. Can you get me more information on the dragonnewt?" the blacksmith asked.
"Are you sure? Duke Gato is still estimated to be a little stronger, so wouldn't-?" she questioned, but Seth interrupted her.
"Hmm, you are right, maybe it would be better to get both for good measure," he admitted. In the end, he could just refine Gato's soul, to get his skills and power and then fuse it into the dragonnewt souls to improve it further. Irving had some good ideas.
"If you are going to take down both, maybe you should contact Guild Master Bryce?" Sandra suggested, a little surprised, but not doubting for a moment, that the blacksmith would be able to do it.
"Another good idea. Thanks Sandra, i will do that," the blacksmith agreed. If it was about info about the Holy Land, it was best to ask the Adventurer Guild directly, instead of relying on Sandra's information network.