[Omen of the Witchblade] Chapter 152 - Authority

They spent the rest of the day browsing four different shops, always looking for the most interesting imprints on the lowest rarity item. It was illuminating how diverse the imprints could be. Sometimes they were fairly bad, like increased blunt damage on a frypan.

Sure, it could probably be used as a weapon, but why not just use an actual weapon for that?

Mel was more than a little suspicious that Charlie had the same [Armament Scrap Ritual] as she did. Because that was the exact thing Mel would do.

Pick up a Common tool that had a good imprint for her, then pile on the scrap until it became Epic.

At least that was her thought until Elian pointed out the [Tool Scrap] on display. Each piece was ridiculously overpriced. It would be cheaper just to buy the higher rarity tool in most cases.

I don’t have any [Tool Scrap]! I didn’t even know that was a thing.

Mel watched Charlie the entire time, wondering what her game was.

Did she have [Tool Scrap] somehow? Mel couldn’t imagine how. Though she could see that with some careful hunting, and a liberal application of [Blood Tax] to increase the output, Mel could make [Tool Scrap] at a fraction of the price.

It’d still be insanely expensive if she had to purchase every tool. What if Iron tools required Iron rank scrap or an ungodly amount more?

While she was mulling that over, a [Bluestone Mortar & Pestle] caught Mel’s eye. She went over and inspected it.

Are those flecks of adaman? Mel leaned in closer. She was no metallurgist, but it sure as hell seemed like that was adaman. Just little flecks, like imperfections scattered within the stone to give it a distinctive hue.

With the [Profession Tool Voucher], Gwen picked out a [Bluestone Frying Pan]. The wide, deep pan was large enough that it could double as a shield. Just like the mortar and pestle, the stone was flecked with flakes of adaman that gave the material its blue sheen.

A mortar and pestle were the foundation of all alchemy. In a pinch, she could do a lot more than just crush up material in there. With the proper application of mana, she could boil, reduce, dice, ferment, and even distill.

Having a proper [Alchemical Table] or better yet, a cauldron would make all of that significantly easier, but it wasn’t required. She could do the bulk of her crafting with just this one crafting tool.

[Bluestone Mortar & Pestle]

(Iron Rank, Tool)

(Uncommon)

The premier tool of Alchemists across the Ringed Realms. Mortar & Pestles are able to channel raw mana, manipulating the ingredients within in a myriad of ways to prepare them for potion making, pill crafting, poisoning, enhancement, and every other possibility. Flakes of adaman have given this stone its distinctive hue, increasing its mana conduction and greatly enhancing its durability.

Imprint: Greatly increased durability. Reduced Alchemy crafting mana cost.

Gwen pressed on the [Bluestone Frying Pan]. Rather than breaking to pieces, its shape shifted into a pot with tall, thick sides. Even the lid adjusted to the new shape.

“This’ll work really well,” Gwen said, eager to try it out already. “Lava mana channeling, rather than resistance, and strong durability. Plus increased cooking speed. I probably won’t accidentally break it.”

“It’s a good choice,” Charlie told her. “I look forward to enjoying your cooking again.”

“You’re still crazy about [Koblin Egg Toast], right?”

“…I’m surprised you remember,” she said softly.

Heath had found himself an [Artificer’s Tinker Box]. He tried to hide his purchase from everybody, but it was obvious. She didn’t know what kind of crafting knowledge he had, but it was something unusual.

How else could Heath have made that [Signal Coin] back in the first trial?

I should pay a bit more attention to Heath, Mel thought to herself. She hadn’t exactly been blowing him off, but between the other Magi, Sabrina and the others coming back to life, and the upcoming trial, she hadn’t exactly been attentive.

Heath had given up countless opportunities to go with other groups for Mel. Of course, it had worked out well for him in the end, but loyalty meant something to Mel.

She just didn’t have the time to let Heath know.

“That’ll be four hundred and thirty-six irons,” the shopkeeper said, smiling at their purchases.

Mel winced and reached into her inventory to take out some coins for her share.

Gwen took out her voucher. “I think this drops the price, ma’am.”

Mel looked at Gwen. “Is everybody going to just keep paying for me?!”

“Wait, what?” The Viking looked over, bewildered. Her gaze fell on the voucher, then her eyes brightened with understanding. “Oh, the voucher covers more than just one. Though the higher the rarity, the less.”

Charlie stepped in. “You’re not going to outdo me, Gwen.”

“…I feel like I missed something.”

Charlie held up a finger. “Except you have the voucher, and I’m broke. So you win this time.”

Gwen frowned. “Listen, I’m not competing for Mel’s attention.”

“Sure. Sure you aren’t.”

“If I was, I’d crush you.”

“You want to try, wolf queen?” Charlie stared up at Gwen with the frigid coldness of winter. Ironic, considering Gwen literally had Winter aspect.

Mel watched, her arm still halfway into her inventory. The anger had melted away when she realized two women were fighting over her.

In its place was a smug smile that would have made a cat look humble.

Thomas sidled up alongside Mel. “What’s going on here?”

“They’re fighting for my attention,” Mel said, folding her arms and managing to look like she was ten feet tall despite being only half that.

“Ahem,” the shopkeeper said. “Ladies, if we could conclude the transaction?” The woman gestured to the line of other customers waiting behind them.

Gwen grumbled about already being in the doghouse and pushed the [Profession Tool Voucher] forward.

The shopkeeper picked it up and examined it. She traced a rune in the air and an accompanying rune hidden on the green voucher flashed to life.

She looked at their curious expressions. “There has been a rash of forgeries lately. Can’t be too careful.” Sliding the voucher away into a drawer, she added, “There’s still the matter of twenty irons.”

Thomas rolled his eyes and slapped down a palm full of [Iron Rune Coins]. He took his purchase and stalked out muttering, “Don’t have time for another staring contest.”

“Thank you, Thomas!” Mel said, scooping up her tools and putting them into her inventory.

Once everybody had their goods, they piled back into the carriage. With the most important parts of their shopping done, they headed out to get supplies for each of their crafts, as well as useful tools for the upcoming trial.

There were plenty of instant scrolls, but they wanted something that would last more than a single use. [Auto Tents] weren’t cheap, but they would keep the worst of the weather off. The best part was that they only needed 10 [Copper Rune Coins] to construct themselves.

Split among five Magi, it was a paltry 2 coins apiece per night, with plenty of room for all five of them.

Odds were high that they wouldn’t have as much time to lounge around and create a base of operations like before. As nice as Thomas’ many ritual spells were, if they only needed to set up one or two at a time instead of the whole suite, they would be far more mobile.

Not to mention the savings on rune coins.

“You’re going to love my [Shower Spring Ritual],” Charlie said when the group was talking about setting up Havens in the upcoming trial. “Draws in adjustable heat too.”

Mel gave her a look.

“You have an actual ritual for that?” Thomas asked, leaning forward with professional curiosity. “I had to rig together a few different rituals to get a similar effect.”

“Absolutely. I traded healing with Paradise Oblivion to learn it.”

“How does it modulate the mana density…”

Mel tuned out the conversation once it went into nerd territory. It was the sort of shit Deklin would have loved, but it bored Mel to tears.

She turned to Elian, who seemed equally bored. “You never did explain what Authority levels were.”

“Oh. I did say I would do that, didn’t I?”

“Mhm.”

“I apologize.” He shifted slightly to face her. “Where shall I begin?”

“At the beginning.”

“Right. Right.” Elian took a deep breath.

Mel held up a finger. “Hold up. I fear you might have taken me literally and are about to explain about the whole damn thing from the beginning of its inception. Don’t be that guy. Just give me the rundown.”

A small smile played on Elian’s lips. “Fair enough. You got me. The ‘rundown’, as you say, is that there are eleven Authority levels. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll talk about the Authority levels’ core functionality. You started as an Exile as all new inductees do, but through a combination of Deeds and other acts, the System has seen fit to raise you to Vagrant.”

“That’s a good thing, I take it?”

“Very good. You passed your first Deed Wall. Even Champions are often stuck at Commoner for a while as evidenced by your compatriots who are not Vagrant Authority.”

“Go us,” Mel said dryly.

Elian cleared his throat. “You gain access to more of the Shardrune’s functions. There are certain areas only those of a sufficient Authority level can enter. Entire realms where only an Aspirant and above are allowed to traverse. Authority levels exist outside the Convocation but are also used within it since the Convocation adopts almost everything about the Shardrune for its own purposes.”

“So it’s not like a rank-equivalent then,” Mel reasoned. She didn’t miss that the danger and rewards of the trials under Vagrant Authority were substantially higher than Exile or Commoner.

“Not really, no.” Elian laced his fingers. “There are multiple Deed Walls. While I don’t want to get you confused with ranks, they are similar to the stages of ranks.”

Mel shook her head. “How so?”

“You are on the cusp of Iron right now, but once you hit Iron, you will be approaching the end of the first stage, the Core Stage which includes Copper and Iron. After that is the Alloy Stage, which includes Bronze and Steel. There exists a similar Deed Wall between the Core and Alloy Stages as well.”

Now Mel understood. “Something more than just getting stronger and acquiring more runes, you mean. There’s another requirement to advancement.”

“Deed Walls exist across many paths of progression within the multiverse,” Elian explained. “They require a collection of Deeds, and often other notable exploits to break through. Nobody knows exactly what you need. Sometimes it’s a surfeit of Red Deeds, others it’s White, or a balance. The closer you have to what the Shardrune wants, the less overall Deeds are needed to get over the Deed Wall.”