BXBX NOVEL Chapter 551 - Rising
"Ah, yes, yes," nodded Oliver as he let go of him, and Arthur's arms almost shouted in relief. "I cannot lose the bearing of a great master!" he said while stroking a nonexistent long beard.
"A great master indeed," sighed Arthur as the others bobbled toward him with equal fear and curiosity. Ivan was among them, looking like he had more questions than gratitude.
Arthur understood his confusion after teleporting before he was about to crash into the counter. His reality manipulation allowed him to use the teleportation rune one others that he was not touching, giving him almost complete control of his surroundings.
Even though he could not face an Astra Ranker in his current powers, as his stats were still lacking, Arthur could dominate any average deme-ranker, who was considered worthy of being a captain or higher in all guilds.
"I owe you my life, Master Alexie," bowed Ivan after he got closer. "I should have been more careful not to give them a chance to entrap you. However, this is because of me, and I am willing to duel him in your honor."
"You are an honest man," said Arthur with surprise before turning to Ori. The alchemist smiled and pointed at Arthur, and it was enough to understand that he was the one who hired him. "I would have done the same to every single one of you. Furthermore, it's about time I retaliate."
The rest look at him with respect and equal puzzlement. Arthur, or Alexie Linan, was known as a great runemaster after revealing that he owned Hidden Gems. However, his powers were average at best, given his ranking in the middle classes.
"Master Alexie," said the cute little first-year student while stepping forward, her hands cupped in front of her as if she was summoning her courage. "I wish you great victory tomorrow!"
"...how caring," Oliver stood beside Arthur and squeezed his arm. "My party members are very considerate people, Alexie."
"I can see that, so you can let go of me," sighed Arthur as he shook Oliver off. "The artifacts that all of you need can be found in the VIP lounge. Oriole," he turned toward his friend. "I hope you don't mind."
"Your friends are my friends," said Oriole with a slight bow. "This inexperienced runemaster is more than happy to aid these great adventurers. Sir Oliver, please," he gestured toward the door.
Arthur watched as they left and walked toward the lounge, and Oliver acted like he owned the shop because of their friendship. It was not as if Arthur enjoyed being exploited, but it made him laugh that Oliver was gaining face through him.
"Master Alexie," Ivan stepped forward again. "I'm afraid this is more than just a simple duel. This correlates with our competitors losing money because of us. It must be a scheme of theirs to ruin our shop's reputation or simply harm you."
"Then, we need to sell more than ever until tomorrow morning," smiled Arthur as he took out a ring from his pocket. "Sell these artifacts as well. Make sure to register them on the virtual shop, as it would raise our ranking."
Ivan nodded with excitement and took the ring before his mouth dropped. But unfortunately, the items inside were as many as their current batch, which doubled their inventory. Arthur could see his shock, and he knew the consequences of revealing too many artifacts, but it was necessary for his plans.
Ivan was worthy of his job, and he was quick to distribute, announce, and organize the artifacts to be sold both in real life and on the virtual store.
The ranking was determined by positive ratings, transactions recorded on Jerano's networks, and the number of items sold per day. There was also a foolproof system to ensure there was no insider trading to temper the rankings.
It was an understatement to say that the ranking determined a store's sales and reputation, as every superpower in the world monitored it. As a result, Jerano has unknowingly become the trading hub for this world's leading class.
After Arthur handed them the artifacts, he went upstairs. The workshop was empty as Oriole was downstairs with the rest. His hand flipped the switches, and lights turned on, illuminating the countless workbenches.
"I am back," he said with a smile as he walked toward one of them, his fingers tracing them. "I am back to create artifacts again."
Their workbenches had storage spaces inside, with different weapons stored within them. First, Arthur took out a saber and gently placed it on the table. Then, he took out several ores that he would need to inscribe the runes.
Arthur had many runes at his disposal after his relentless studying in Runera and his countless years of studying with Gaia. He became a runesmith instead of a runemaster who inscribes.
"And as I tell something to be, it becomes," he muttered as the ores floated around him and dissolved on the saber. "And for you, I choose Ice."
Runic lines exploded from his fingertips, and they coagulated on his index finger, forming an ethereal sphere of runes. As the sphere touched the saber, it gave a low hum as the weapon rose in the air.
Everything around him began to sing the melody of creation as the runic lines crawled on the blade's surface. Ice began to appear on the workbench as the runes changed the world. Arthur raised his other hand and pushed the runic lines into the blade before closing their gate.
And then, the blade turned into an ordinary artificial artifact that could be found anywhere. Arthur always felt guilty for holding back the rune from manifesting and chose to emulate the effects instead. However, this was his secret.
After that, Arthur clapped his hands and separated them, making runic lines appear between his fingertips. But, of course, this was nothing but drawing a sentence to ensure no one knew how it was written.
Arthur threw the web of runic lines on the blade, encrypting it. This will prevent anyone from stealing his runes and avoid revealing their sophisticated and efficient structure.
This was also why Hidden Gems retained its position among many other competitors, which industry giants backed. Their encryption was uncrackable, making it impossible to steal their business.
Arthur then wrote a letter and signed it with his alias, Alexie Linan. This was his submission to the teams exploring Runera's secrets, and the address was none other than The Runes Association.
After that, Arthur found a chair to sit down. As dreams crawled beneath his eyelids, Arthur found himself falling into a warm dream, which was interrupted by a knock.
"Arthur," a voice called out to him as the door was pushed open. The name he no longer heard rang powerfully in his mind, compelling him to look toward the visitor.
Her hair was short and black, messy enough to look attractive. A pair of wide and clear eyes stared at him as she entered the room. Arthur could feel his ants crawling over his skin as he remembered the last time he met her.
"Ellen," muttered Arthur with surprise as he rose from his chair. His expression was hostile, almost hateful, despite his knowledge that she was a different person now. "Are you... okay?" his voice asked as he tried to look for traces of corruption.
"I am," she nodded with a soft smile. "I heard about the duel that will be happening tomorrow," she said while walking closer to him. "We can explain that you were defending yourself."
"I will be fine," he answered as he pushed his back against the chair. "You know that it's me, Arthur..." he said with confusion.
"Of course, I know," she was confused. "You and Ori told me about it a long time ago," she halted her steps. "Are you alright?"
"I'm just a bit confused after the last mission," he said while shaking his head. "I am so glad that you are alright, Ellen."
"You always do that," she said with slight anger. "Nothing is about you, and I cannot worry about you. You are the only one who worries about others."
Arthur was surprised by her intense reaction, as he remembered Ellen to be a shyer person than this. However, she did not stop there and walked toward him.
"I am here for you as well, Arthur. You are the reason I got into Jerano and why my mother is still alive. I already told you that I would lay my life for you."
Arthur watched Ellen in a daze as she held his hand. Her eyes were unwavering, and he knew that she meant every word of it. However, he also knew she was not saying this to him.. Arthur missed the signs in the previous timeline and allowed her to fall into the darkness.