"You said it tasted like sugar? That's kind of weird but... also pretty cool. Say, does that mean you can make everything taste better too? Like a glass of water?" Ken asked me.
"... would you like to try? I have plenty of blood. I'm wondering what else can I do with it. What can I use my blood with?" I asked myself, reaching into my inventory for another potion.
I opened up the health potion I was holding, popping the lid off and squeezing more blood into it. For the first few droplets, the potion's color began changing into a darker red, then it turned black. After a few more seconds, the potion exploded and sent the shards of glass everywhere like a grenade.
"Did the quality increase at all?" Ipa asked, finally leaving his window while walking over to me.
"No, it didn't. The quality consistently stayed at the very top, but the potion's color changed when I put more blood into it. Is it possible to make bombs the way I did? Or what was that?" I asked the two of them. They didn't seem to know the answer to my question.
"Please, potions of your quality are insanely rare, we barely even seen maximum quality potions until you spit them out like it was nothing. We have no idea." Ipa commented.
"You know, now that you mention it, I do remember something from home... Anima, can you try putting blood on my sword? Just a droplet or two on the very tip of it." Ken said, unsheathing his Ether Sword and putting the top near my hand with a fast motion. It made me nervous at first.
"Why?" I asked him while I did it. That seemed like a pointless question now that I thought about it...
When Ken swung his sword, a weird, blood-red arc followed right behind his blade as it was tracing his path. It looked like it would've been the most devastating hit an opponent could've received. It even generated its own light.
"Uh, we're not making a habit out of this. I only have so much blood." I told Ken while covering my wound up.
"Of course not, but you could make a habit out of it. I just used a skill and that happened, so if you use a skill, you should be able to increase the potency of your skills. I'm not saying to do it now, because I know that powerful substances such as your blood can easily be abused and taken advantage of, but it's just a thought." Ken said.
What a weird conversation I just had... honestly, I was pretty confused about the capabilities of my blood as well, but knowing that it had this potency changed everything. I could change my skill's trajectory in mid-air and give it extra strength with my blood! However, this was quite the great drawback... did Yggdrasil really have my best interests in mind when he gave me this, or is there another side to my blood that I don't know about yet?
Ken, Ipa, and I all reacted to a well-timed knock on our front door. When I opened it, Dex was standing there already waving to greet us.
"Dex! It's nice to see you. So, what is it?" I asked him.
"Well, with everything happening and your motivation to join us to move to Persephone's Cliffside, I figured I should give this old gem away." He told me.
He opened up my hand and placed a small, bronze badge in it while also closing it. He was controlling my entire arm at this point.
"So... what is it?" I asked him in confusion.
"This is a merchant's plaque. With this, you'll be able to go anywhere you can imagine. Even cities that have a ticket fee, as New Olympia did! You can just pose as a merchant, and make your way into anything you wish." He explained with a smile.
"So... why are you giving it to me? What did I do?" I asked him. I obviously accepted it, but did I even do anything of value to Dex?
"Well, I knew you had a problem getting into the city from my friend Lum! Remember him? Anyway, I knew you had some trouble so to boost our friendship, I wanted to give this to you! I used to be a merchant back in my prime, but I obviously don't do that anymore, so I thought I should give it to you so we can be closer. Sound good?" He asked me.
"Of course! This is such an honor, thank you... should I put it in my inventory or keep it on my clothing? How does it work?" I asked him.
Dex went on to explain that the merchant's plaque, or the MP, is typically displayed on clothing if possible. On Heroes, they put it in their inventories because it's so easy to pull out if you know you're going to need it. The MP also has other benefits. Back on Earth, buying from a commercial seller would mean products are at a lower price, and the MP basically did that. Buying objects for materials I can craft or turn into potions is now cheaper, and I can enter any town for free.
Dex also added on that it's made with Mana Bronze, a type of material that isn't subject to counterfeiting because it must be connected to a merchant's DNA. Right now, Dex's MP is connected to his DNA so if it's ever tested, the people know that it's authentic.
"Well, thanks Dex! Soul, Tama, and Ruby are out collecting materials for my potions, but they'll be back soon if you'd like to say hello." I told him, enticing him to join us in our home. Dex agreed and sat down on the couch while we all talked about our journeys in New Olympia, mine being the most entertaining. I even told Dex about my encounter with Lum and how we worked out our troubles.