Chapter 324: Mr. Black (1/2)
Zac grimaced at the suggestion but he couldn’t think of anything better to call himself.
“Fine, Mr. Black it is,” Zac said with some resignation.
He had heard that many Cultivators in the multiverse went by a self-chosen Dao Name rather than their real name while they traveled or visited Mystic Realms. Perhaps he should start looking for a good one so that he didn’t find himself in this position all the time.
The two waited for another twenty minutes before the maid arrived once again to inform them that the required people had been assembled. The two got up and after Verana inspected the group and made some small personnel adjustments they left for Port Atwood.
Soon they found themselves in the large lobby of the official teleportation array, and the Tal-Eladar looked around in surprise, some praising the architecture. For all their other differences Zac felt the two had pretty similar tastes in buildings after visiting the Tal-Eladar town. Both seemed to enjoy integrating nature into their homes, making their buildings living and ever-changing.
Verana only briefly looked around the building before her eyes found the large sign by the exit.
“What’s the Tower of Myriad Dao?” she immediately asked with a small frown.
“It’s a Dao Repository,” Zac sighed, inwardly cursing Brazla for his insistence on keeping that sign up.
“How does a baby world possess a Dao repository?” Verana said with confusion. “And why would you choose to broadcast it like that? It seems like a way to invite trouble.”
“The system gives out all kinds of things as rewards to quests,” Zac shrugged. “And we have our reasons for putting it there.”
”The Tir'Emarel Clan would be willing to pay a large amount of Nexus Coins or Crystals for the opportunity to peruse it, and you can name your price for taking one of the eight named inheritances,” Verana said.
”I am afraid the things inside are not for sale, but some are available through merit. We can talk about that at a later date,” Zac said, ending the conversation on that topic.
The Tal-Eladar had been quite accommodating so far, and it was true that they were stuck here on Earth for better or worse. But hey had just joined his force last week, and Zac wasn't about to give them the keys to the kingdom. They would have to prove themselves before they could dream of even seeing the inside of the Towers.
Verana and Tylia threw each other a glance before following in tow. They quickly exited the teleportation structure, and they were soon met with a contingent of Demon Warriors and Valkyries, both of which glared at the Tal-Eladar behind Zac.
“What dense energy,” Verana muttered as she looked at the town still undergoing rapid construction, ignoring the squads who had likely come over to intimidate her. “Did you chose this spot due to proximity to a Nexus Vein?”
“I guess you could say this spot chose me,” Zac responded with a sardonic smile, nodding at Joanna who hurried toward them.
“You remember the people from the Tir’Emarel Clan. Settle them for the day. They will join us tomorrow when we head to the new continent,” Zac explained. “And please come to my courtyard later.”
Joanna nodded and was about to respond but turned toward the sound of a rapid tapping on the ground.
“Honorable Beast Masters!” a voice suddenly resounded from the distance, and Zac saw Calrin run over with as much speed as his short legs allowed him. “You honor Port Atwood with your presence. This humble one is Calrin Thayer, merchant by trade. I was quite delighted to hear that the great Tal-Eladar has chosen to align itself with Port Atwood. Please don't hesitate to peruse our humble wares before heading to battle. You can't bring money with you to the afterlife, so better spend it on our great armors and weaponry!”
Zac rolled his eyes and dragged the Sky Gnome over to the side.
“What’s with the show?” Zac questioned. ”We are about to head to the underworld.”
“Great businessman will always make time for making money, even when facing death. And who knows what dangers lurk down there? Better if I get friendly with these people so I can use their dumb beasts as shields,” Calrin said with a shrewd look. “Besides, who knows if they will find treasure down there? We want it spent or traded with us rather than taken home for their clan to inspect.”
Zac gave the Sky Gnome a small thumbs-up before heading back to his courtyard, leaving the merchant to make some inroads with the Tal-Eladar. He wasn't interested in the logistics, and Verana had expressed interest to tour the city, so he let Joanna handle that.
This time his place was already occupied as Kenzie sat under the shade of a tree with a crystal in her hand. Zac noticed that it was the same crystal on formations that he had perused himself during the time he was trapped at the entrance to Anzonil’s array in the hunt. Zac didn’t interrupt her and instead started to go through the merit exchange for things to use while under the guise of Mr. Black.
The Merit Exchange tokens that all Port Atwood citizens carried had the extremely convenient options of opening a screen to display all the available items at any time. However, it was impossible to buy or reserve any items, so one could only browse. The golems had explained it as a motivational tool. If people kept browsing for treasures they desired, then they would work harder to gather merit.
Joanna later arrived as instructed, and Zac filled her in on his plan. He didn’t need to worry about her or any of the other Valkyries since they were all bound to him, so he freely told her about how he would pretend to be Mr. Black. Kenzie had stopped reading by this point and instead chosen to listen in on the conversation.
”I have the perfect thing for your disguise,” Kenzie said with some excitement after Joanna left to handle things for tomorrow.
Zac skeptically looked at her as she took out a demonic face mask made from some metal, reminding Zac of a Japanese Oni. It was mostly black but had some red details, while a few simple fractals covered the inside. Zac took it with some interest and looked it over.