"You want to know if I got the Peacemaker Orb when I stole the Druid Centaur from you?" Kaizen asked, making a nonchalant expression. "I don't know. Maybe. What does that item do?"
Korgrak looked into Kaizen's eyes and answered:
"The Peacemaker Orb is a magical artifact that grants its bearer the ability to enter the Lost Garden."
"Lost Garden? I've never heard about that place."
"It's a mystical place, unlike anything we know. It is a place that I believe even players who have become Evolved have never been. Since they are always rushing the game, there is no time to explore complex places like this."
"I then assume that the Peacemaker Orb is an extremely valuable item for exactly that reason and that's why you want it, isn't it?" Kaizen questioned.
"Yes. At least, if that one really is able to open the Lost Garden, if you have it, you will be able to get there or you can sell it to me. If you do that, you will come out a winner too, because besides the money, I will allow you to accompany me when I go exploring the place with my guild." Korgrak replied.
"It's a good offer. I admit that." Kaizen said, nodding.
"So, did you get the Peacemaker Orb or not?"
"Wait here a second." asked Kaizen and went to the back of the store.
When Psyker returned, he was holding a fully spherical item about the size of a billiard ball. The color of this item was navy blue and the liquid inside was moving slowly.
"Here it is."
When Korgrak's blue eyes met the blue of the Peacemaker Orb, they lit up.
"That is far more magnificent than I could have imagined. Inexperienced players could mistake it for an ore from how bright it is.... Obviously, that would be wasting such a valuable item, but I would understand in case you had tried to melt it down."
"I can't hide that I've thought about that possibility, but I talked to a friend of mine who is a blacksmith and he said that with absolute certainty this is not an ore, so I dismissed the idea." Kaizen spun the sphere on one finger as he said.
"And how much are you planning to sell this for?"
Kaizen smiled enthusiastically and the Peacemaker Orb shattered into checkered particles, indicating that he kept it in his inventory once again. "Before we talk about values, I have a few questions to ask. If you answer everything truthfully, I will lower my price considerably. If you don't do that, you will pay full price. By the way, don't think you can fool me easily, my sense of smell is good at detecting such things." He pointed to his own nose.
"Go ahead and ask anything you want."
Kaizen pointed to Korgrak's back and, with a neutral expression, asked:
"Why do you hide behind a mask?"
"For what reason do all the people who wear a mask in this game do that? I believe only one: to hide our identity. Not all people like fame and some players make their avatars exactly as they are in real life or change only a few things to maintain immersion. Wearing a mask, like yours, and a disguise, like mine, preserves who we really are."
"In parts, you are right. However, why did you choose to reveal your face and gender to me?"
Korgrak let out a little air through his nostrils.
"I could cite a thousand reasons now, but instead I will speak the truth to you.... I respect you for your accomplishments, your strength, and your potential. I want to recruit you to be one of the commanders of the Metal Dragon Guild. We are the largest guild based in Holinda City and if we expand this analysis to the entire Tretidian Kingdom, we are third in the Guild Rankings, only behind the Crimson Soldiers Guild and the Desert Lions Guild, which are from Bloody Lily and Taznaar, respectively. If you join us, we can reach the top."
"Is that a proposal?" Kaizen clenched his eyes.
The white-haired woman nodded.
Psyker was very surprised at such a sudden proposal and also curious about what this recruitment would be like if he wasn't asking her questions.
For a few seconds, he looked at the hypothetical scenario where he was a guild commander.
'Honestly, it wouldn't be bad at all to be flattered by some newbies.' He thought as he blushed and imagined himself full of newbies around him, complimenting him as well. When he was a kid, he was usually the one who fawned over his veterans.
Although he could imagine himself in such a position, working in such large groups was still a problem in his view, especially to deal with the versatility of his way of playing and exploring the world, not stopping in one place for too long. Also, his gameplay could become rigid because of the bureaucracies of playing in a guild, such as command order, roles and distribution of drops.
Deep down, the answer to the proposal Korgrak made was more obvious than Kaizen wanted to admit.
"Sorry, but for now I have other goals in mind. Who knows in the not so distant future..."
"It's up to you. The proposal will stand for as long as we stay peaceful with each other."
"Speaking of which, I have another question. What is the story behind the Peacemaker Orb?" Kaizen changed the subject.
"The story is quite long and complicated, mostly about how we found out where the Lost Garden is. If you are interested, I could tell you about it one day, however, for now, I can only tell you what I know about the item. The Peacemaker Orb is a magical artifact created by the Druid elders to protect the Lost Garden. As the name implies, its purpose is to keep the place at peace, preventing any evil from approaching it. The Peacemaker Orb is so closely tied to the Lost Garden that if the place is threatened after it is opened, the Peacemaker Orb will activate to keep the peace, at least that's what the legends say."
"It seems like a very powerful item, but why is it a drop from the Centaur Druid?"
"From what I talked to some NPCs, apparently the Druid Centaur was the guardian of the Peacemaker Orb and so it is necessary to defeat him to get this item."
'So that's why my helmet is called the Guardian's Elm. Now things have fallen into place.' Kaizen thought, "I believe you are right. Well, then, let's talk about values. What do you think of ten thousand gold coins?"
The leader of the Metal Dragons was uncomfortable with such a price. "That's just an Epic item with no functionality, which doesn't give damage, buff or anything else. Besides, I was honest with you..."
"Oh, but that's the discounted price, like I promised, partner."
Paying a hundred thousand dollars on a single epic item was a completely crazy thing, out of reality. However, Korgrak had no idea when he would even get the opportunity to get another Peacemaker Orb, because even with the major guilds coming together, they were barely able to deal enough damage to the Centaur Druid to kill it. Still, Korgrak wanted to push the bar and pay the price to see what was inside the Lost Garden, but obviously she was going to bargain a bit.
"8,000 gold coins would be a fairer price in my view."
"Nine thousand and the promise between us that you will call on me when you go to explore this so-called garden. That is the most I can do for an item as rare as you said."
Korgrak's eyebrows arched, because only at that moment did she realize that Kaizen used her answers to be able to price the item.
With a closed smile, she held out her right hand forward. "I confess, I was innocent and fell into your trap. Nine thousand for an Epic Rank item is not that crazy."
[The player 'Korgrak' wants to transfer 9000 gold coins to you. Do you accept the transfer? YES/NO]
Kaizen accepted the transfer and then transferred the Peacemaker Orb to her.
"I will keep my word and will contact you when I go exploring the Lost Garden. And in case you change your mind about the guild business, you are always welcome, so go to Holinda and look for us."
"Thank you, Korgrak. I think that's all for now. Until next time."
For Kaizen, the deal with the Metal Dragon Guild Leader was a great one. In addition to having an extra $90,000 and a promise of a future partnership, he also gained precious information of the item in question, information that even the Zahir Blacksmith didn't know.
Many questions about Korgrak still lingered in Kaizen's mind, especially about how she found out where his house was, but he knew he would have time to get the answers in the future.
Most importantly, he had now gained knowledge about what the Peacemaker Orb was for, and in case Korgrak was lying or trying to betray him, he already had a chance to get another Peacemaker Orb when he went to help Bleeding Lily kill the Centaur Druid, as he had promised.
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
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