Published at 16th of February 2024 2:24 pm

Chapter 2.35 Time Remains Still For None

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Life in the City of Ygg adopted a comfortable routine over the following month. Nox and his friends attended classes from First to Fourthday. Then delved on the Fifth. His mastery of Finesse Shaping and Live Spell Weaving steadily improved, making the mental strain of using them in combat tolerable. No supervised delve was as eventful as the first. The party continued to improve their teamwork and communication and used strategy instead of raw power to defeat their foes.

Despite their declaration, the Beaufort remained in the party. No one brought up their revelation, and resolved to enjoy whatever time they had with Michelle and Ernest. The relationship between the former and Caitlin appeared to have suffered. They didn’t sit together at gatherings or converse with the same livelihood. Nox guessed the two introverted women had found kindred spirits in one another. Michelle’s news and Caitlin’s reaction to it probably felt like betrayals to one another.

Following Kris and Nox’s insistence, Joey started spending more time with the party, and Professor Wolfhammer accelerated his training. It was still too early for him to join them for the Fifthday sessions. However, the party needed him to be as close to ready as possible when the Beauforts departed.

Much to Nox’s surprise, Caitlin and Joey became fast friends. He found the pair booking secure training rooms to learn more about Djinn Fire and train as a duo. Kris had enrolled Joey in a handful of war magic department classes as well, where he developed martial skills and learned to do more than just spew half-baked spells. Unwilling to hold on to Annabelle’s old weapon, Nox passed it to Joey. He appeared to enjoy its dual nature as a dagger and spear.

The store continued to perform exceptionally. Cosmetic sales suffered marginally following the incident with the ‘drunk,’ but Aria and Annabelle helped recover from it. They visited with friends and sang praises for his products at social gatherings.

“Vanity trumps social justice and the cries of the fearful and wary,” Aria told him. “The people who matter—the ones with the deep pockets—know what you did for my father’s barony and continue to do with the myconids. They won’t care what a scared refugee or a handful of critical outsiders have to say.”

To Nox’s surprise, Harin, Swati, and their party assisted, too. The latter showed up with half a dozen Daksinthani friends, insisting he study their skin and solve their issues. Apparently, the local water was too hard—mineral-rich—for them, and the air dried out their pores. Nox somewhat understood their issue since they originated from a much more humid climate than Ygg’s surroundings. He suspected the local produce had a lot to do with their problems, too.

The women flirted with Nox non-stop and questioned him about the seriousness of his relationship with Aria. He attempted to focus on studying their skin’s reaction to the current product line but felt his cheeks flush and ears burn. Nox had spent most of his life isolated and ignored by most women. He had the Gedges to thank for the unpleasant treatment. Things had changed significantly following his fake engagement with Annabelle, the cosmetics’ conception, and then knighthood. Nox had graduated from exiled pariah to eligible bachelor in less than half a year.

One month turned into two, and the semester no longer felt new. Nox found himself spending more time with Aria every passing day. He considered romantic a generous descriptor for their relationship. They grew closer and shared more than Nox ever had with Annabelle, but it felt more like a close and comfortable relationship. They made social appearances as couples and frequently spent the night together, engaging in amorous activities—especially on the weekends. Neither of them spoke about what kept them from crossing the emotional barrier. Nox felt content with their situation, and things appeared the same for Aria.

Nox’s progress with myconid research frustrated him, too. His progress was painfully slow, and he achieved nothing worth calling groundbreaking.

“You know what your problem is?” Kris asked him one Fourthday morning as he sat complaining. “You’ve had too many quick successes too close together. Research and growth take time, and you had a windfall. Things are taking the appropriate time, and you’re just impatient. Do you know how long Michelle worked to get where she is with her work? Do you know how long some university mages have been working on their research? Discovering long-term effects and getting rid of the final traces of toxicity will take time. Turning myconid flesh into a sustainable food source will take any longer.”

Though true, Kris’ words frustrated Nox. Lillin called the train of thought stupid, but he couldn’t help but wonder whether his current contentment and happiness kept him from making the necessary breakthroughs.

Meanwhile, conditions beyond the Nobles Quarter worsened. Population numbers grew as more people gave up on recovering their homes from the past months’ damage. Terrastalia, the beasts released by the roving dungeon, and resulting blights had made the lands inhospitable. The city government had no choice but to reject most refugees. Apparently, only children, lone young women, and feeble were currently allowed entry.

Regular riots, increasing quantities of violent crimes, and thievery kept the city guard on their toes. Nox heard rumors of a pattern killer and copycats haunting the city’s outermost rings, too. Two dozen prostitutes and late-night female workers had died in near-identical, gruesome manners. The lacerations and wounds appeared calculated and precise. Nox’s spies claimed the guards were investigating individuals with surgical and butchery skills.

As the university’s, and by extension City of Ygg’s, founder, Dean Woodson sat on the city council leading the city. Following their requests, she created job roles for the poorer dungeon studies and war-mage department students. Assisting the guards as city-sanctioned mages earned them significant tuition discounts and refunds.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Several students from noble houses had futures waiting for them as king or queen’s guards in city-states or distant nations. They took the roles as job experience and pushed the university administration to grant them credit toward law or leadership-related courses.

Despite the growing chaos, no more drunks or grief-stricken refugees showed up at Nox’s doorstep. When anyone suspicious did show up at the store, the staff kept a close eye on them. Intoxicated individuals were denied access to the store, and Argus ejected abusive patrons. Nox guessed the entity behind the saboteurs had greater concerns.

Fortunately, the recent chaos had largely unharmed the Oakheart lands and Trade Empire’s sources. While food and material prices skyrocketed around the city, Nox faced no issues with his supply chain. He continued to create products and profit. He felt sorry for the people suffering but also reminded himself that his business employed eight struggling individuals and put a roof above their heads. His continuing profits also helped him continue to take care of an urchin gang’s medical needs and contribute toward keeping them fed.

The children had no evidence to back up their reports, but they claimed multiple figures lingered around Ratra’s Knightly Brews late in the evening. They’d study the box windows, specifically focusing on the glass and frames. The urchins didn’t know what it meant, but Nox guessed thieves or the saboteurs had sent agents to study the wards protecting the building.

The lul in his personal chaos, also gave Nox the time to explore spirit walking. Doing it simultaneously with Lillin and Pudge proved harder than Nox expected. Either they ended up in separate dreamscapes, or only two successfully pulled it off together. When the three of them successfully spirit-walked together, Bi Xi refused to appear to them. The tortoise spirit already made inconsistent appearances and never visited when Lillin joined Nox. They couldn’t help but wonder whether her mimic nature and lingering spiritual traces of her creator repelled him.

Nox pushed the party to delve outside of Advanced Dungeon Combat. He had enough personal savings to charter a small vessel to the rifts regularly appearing around the city. Unfortunately, the Beauforts always claimed unavailability, illness, or issues with Ernest’s monster body. They left Nox frustrated. He invested more time in Joey and pushed Caitlin to help prepare him faster. She didn’t appear to mind.

Even though Nox did his best not to let his annoyance show, the Beauforts appeared to sense his displeasure. Their presence during weekend brunches shortened and eventually became inconsistent. No one knew whether to expect them or not. Nox wanted to be happy for the pair. Regaining ownership of their ancestral home, territories, and titles clearly meant a lot to them. However, it was easier said than done.

The most notable event during the first two months of Nox’s second semester at Woodson University involved bumping into Francis Lorenzo again. The defensive magic professor had revealed his prejudiced views on arcanically injured individuals like Nox practicing magic and delving. The interaction left a bad taste in his mouth, and Nox wanted to leave the course to avoid interacting with the man. He continued on Kris’s insistence even though he had better uses for his time.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mr Ratra,” Professor Lorenzo said when Nox found him browsing products in the store. “I see a lot has changed for you since our last meeting.”

“It's Sir Ratra, now, professor. And yes, it has.” Nox put on his best customer service smile when interacting with the man. Correcting him was probably the wrong decision. He had read once that there was no better revenge than success and a good life. His current fortune and accolades should’ve been enough. However, Nox couldn’t help it when the situation presented itself to him.

“Yes. I heard about your delving prowess and work in the north. Good job.” The man offered him a curt nod. “Have you made any progress with your defensive magic?”

“Unfortunately, not. I’ve settled for the fact that providing shields and barriers isn’t my role in the party. It’s best to focus on one’s strengths, is it not?” When the man didn’t reply, Nox changed topics. He was tempted to offer his new male performance brew but resisted and decided it was much too crass. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“My students tell me you have the city's most potent and cheapest mana recovery products,” Professor Lorenzo replied. “The on-campus shops are struggling to compete. They claim you’ve handed out a few discounts, too. I was wondering if you’d be willing to offer staff reasonably priced contracts for regular orders.”

Nox raised an eyebrow. “Depends on the quantity and frequency. I’m sure we can come to a decent arrangement if we put our heads together.”

“Perhaps two score pills per week?”

“That’s a significant number,” Nox mumbled, frowning as he reviewed the numbers in his head. The additional production would strain the workshop’s resources. Mana pills were among the most in-demand products from the non-cosmetics half of the business. They were the most time-consuming to manufacture the recovery products, too. “Do you mind if I ask why you need so many?”

“My apprentices and I are developing spells to fight siege magic and attacks from expert and archmage attack spells. Progress has been slower than expected, and decent mana recovery products will make the process easier.”

“Is this for an upcoming delving campaign in, say, eighteen to twenty-four months?”

Professor Lorenzo hesitated for a moment before nodding.

“That’s a great purpose.” Nox smiled, recalling Joey’s class schedule. He thanked himself for his restraint. He did the necessary calculations on a piece of paper and passed it to Professor Lorenzo. “Given the frequency and volume, I think I can shave thirty percent off the price. Does that sound acceptable?”

“It’s still a little steep for my liking.” The man sighed. “Can’t you go any lower? I’d also like to use some of the funding for other supplies.”

“How’s Joey Greengrass performing in class?” Nox asked.

“He’s a fellow apprentice of yours, isn’t he? Why? What were you thinking?”

“Personal one-on-one lessons three times a week. If you can find the time for that, I can give you half-off the bulk price. We’ll sign a non-disclosure agreement, so you can’t mention how big a discount you’re getting either.”

“You’re shrewder than I thought, Sir Ratra,” Professor Lorenzo said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He took a moment to think about the offer before replying. “Two one-hour sessions based on mine and Greengrass’ availability. I can’t do any better.”

“I suppose I can live with that.”

The two men stiffly shook hands before debating the contract’s terms.

Share