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Abel was currently hard at work mining the ores on the third floor.
He had logged back in and started mining straight away after a quick meal and a bathroom break. Just like he expected, most of the ores were still low-grade but he would chance upon some mid-grade ones every once in a while.
His pick axe proficiency had been steadily increasing over the past few hours and had reached 68.9% of greenhorn by the time the sun was rising in Verdia. The higher his proficiency rose, the faster he mined so he had taken much less time than on the floor above. He figured it might reach 70% by the time he was done.
Although he lost a lot of ores due to his low skill level, he didn't mind as he would have undoubtedly lost a lot more if he didn't have the proficiency skill in the first place. Unfortunately, he still hadn't learned the mining skill but it was understandable. He had only been at it for a single night.
The mining skill would aid his pick axe proficiency, even if his mining failed there would be a chance to gain an ore. At a higher level there was even a chance of gaining +1 or even more from a single ore. He didn't expect to get the skill so quickly, it wasn't like the training course where it would be easy to gain skills.
There were also specialized mining professions but no one would want to specialize in being a support class to a craftsman. Perhaps only the professional guilds that were akin to companies would have some members take up such a profession.
Abel paused slightly as the ore slowly materialized after striking around it.
*Ding*
+1 mid-grade Nocturnium ore
+692/1000 Pick Axe Profiency (Greenhorn 69.2%)
'Just a little short of my estimates but at least I'm finally done' Abel let out a breath in relief as he looked at the time in his gaming interface.
'7:30 am. Should be around 4:30 on Luminara'
He was thinking of calling it a day and logging out early. He had to take care of some chores at home and wanted to get some proper sleep but his plans were interrupted by a notification.
*Ding*
You have a whisper!
'Huh… Oh I completely forgot about Coinweaver and his friend.'
"Red Sky, my friend's finally online! Where and when can we meet?"
Abel mentally clicked on the reply option and quickly crafted a response.
"In front of the Adventurer's Union in 30 minutes."
After packing up the ore, he quickly went up and filled the up the remaining 82 inventory slots with all the remaining monster parts. Even though they'd only fetch him 1 copper coin per piece, with 82 stacks he'd get more than 4 silver coins in return!
Only some damaged monster parts remained scattered around as Abel made his exit from the dungeon. He had fully cleared it out of monsters and materials, all he needed to do now was wait for it to refresh.
If he was lucky then it'll just be in a few hours since he had killed the last monster around 9 hours ago. But even if it took a full day to refresh then it was fine.
He still had many things to take care of in both worlds.
Back on Luminara he had to check out the trap in the Verdant Forest and do a bunch of chores around the house. In-game he needed to start figuring out the riddle for the next part of his chain quest. He planned on paying a visit to the records his predecessor left behind, the ones kept by old man Rye.
If he didn't find anything there then he'd have to check out the royal library. He also thought about bouncing some idea's off of Melly and Frankie after telling them about his situation.
He swiftly made his way out of the forest, passing by a few parties that were on their way out to hunt. It was currently early morning so a lot of players would choose to head out right now.
After making his way back to the city, he swung by the blacksmith's shop he'd sold his earlier ores at and offloaded all he had, gaining another 20 silver coins.
He had sold the mid-grade ores for 1 silver and 10 copper coins per kilogram, bringing his total savings to nearly 61 silver coins!
He planned on purchasing the highest grade spacial bag after clearing out the dungeon and making a lot more money through Coinweaver and his friend.
'I don't think there's enough time to offload the monster parts, I shouldn't be late… I hate tardiness more than most.'
Abel turned around and made his way to the central square when he noticed he didn't have enough time to stop by Universal bazaar.
A few minutes before the 30-minute agreement, Abel saw Coinweaver walking alongside a fashionable looking young man.
He seemed to be the same age as the merchant, except he had light brown hair running down his shoulders. He was dressed in a black cloak and had a bracelet on his left arm.
'Spatial storage accessory. Of course, if he chose to be an alchemist then he's probably stinking rich in real life. Is Coinweaver a rich guy too, he didn't seem like it…'
Abel inwardly mused as he scrutinized the young men walking towards him.
"Red Sky! This is the friend I was telling you about, Chronelix.
Chronelix, this is Red Sky."
Coinweaver seemed chipper, excited about the business deal that was about to be signed. Agreements in Faeron wouldn't hold-up in a court in reality but if players thought they'd be able to get out of it in the virtual world then they were sorely mistaken.
Even if you deleted your account, the agreement would follow you to your new one. If you had broken an agreement then you'll definitely pay a penalty in Faeron and if you tried to weasel your way out of it, then it'll just become harsher.
As to what the penalty would be, it's dependent on the clauses of the contract made. This is why Abel insisted on signing an agreement, even if it would cost a lot.
"Hello, nice to meet you."
Chronelix spoke politely but he carried himself in a different manner than Coinweaver. While the latter gave off a calm and humble vibe, the former seemed to be more aloof and reserved.
Abel simply nodded in response before speaking,
"We should get this contract signed, I have to log off soon."
"Yes, let's go!"
They made their way into the Adventurer's Union and got in line at one of the front counters. There were quite a lot of people at the union at this time of day but there were also many counters. After a few minute's wait, they got their turn.
"Good morning, how may I help you today?" The young NPC lady asked with a professional smile.
"We wish to a sign a contract, a 3-way agreement between us." Abel responded before pointing to the other young men standing beside him.
"Would like a Convencriptor, a Pactweaver or a Magiscribe?"
The three professions did the same thing but specialized in different agreements.
A Convenscriptor would be needed in an agreement between organizations while a Pactweaver would be required for an agreement between individuals. A Magiscribe could do both but not as well as the specialists.
"A Pactweaver."
Abel responded without a second thought. Although agreements from a Magiscribe were binding enough, he didn't want to leave a small chance for something to go wrong.
"It will cost you 50 silver coins sir."
An awkward moment took place as they didn't know who should pay.
A few seconds later, Coinweaver came up with a suggestion that they all quickly agreed to.
"How about we split the cost the same way we'll split the profits?"
While it seemed like he wanted him and his friend to pay less, it was actually the most reasonable and fair thing to do so Abel agreed without hesitating. He input 20 silver coins in the payment window and stepped aside for the young men to pay 15 silver coins each.
After paying the fee, they were guided to a different hall that seemed to hold various rooms. Abel counted 2 dozen rooms they passed but the corridor seemed endless. He couldn't understand how there could be such a large space in a small area.
While the Adventurers Union was the third largest building in the city, just this hall alone was probably as big as the building from outside.
"It's probably spacial magic" Coinweaver seemed to see the confusion on Abel's face as he answered his soon-to be business partner.
"Sir is correct. The president himself set up the runic array needed for the enlargement." The guide said after overhearing what the young travelers were talking about.
They soon reached their assigned room and stepped inside. They found a middle-aged woman seated on what looked like an elevated meditation cushion.
After explaining the details of their agreement, the need for secrecy and the 100 gold punishment for breaking the pact, she swiftly conjured up some characters in the air before asking,
"And what is the decided duration of this agreement?"
Coinweaver and Chronelix both looked at Abel, neither of them knew how long Abel could supply them with the loot. Abel thought for a moment before he replied,
"One week."
He figured after a week of clearing the dungeon, he'd be at too high a level to make any real gains from it and probably sick of it too. When that time comes, he could sell off the information and move on to a higher leveled dungeon.
The 2 young men were somewhat surprised as they figured he'd make it longer. While Coinweaver was a little disappointed, Chronelix was glad as there'd only be so much his skills could improve by refining rat meat all day.
After the pact was made, the characters in the air shone with a bright brilliance before merging into 3 runes, each flowing into one of the young men.
*Ding*
You have created a pact with Coinweaver and Chronelix.
Duration: 6 days 23 hours 59 minutes…
After seeing the notification, Abel relaxed and said to the young men,
"I'll have the loot ready by tomorrow morning. We should make the exchange somewhere private if possible"
"Chronelix is renting a house on Nova Street, we can meet there if you'd like to stay out of the public's eye."
Chronelix gave his friend a pointed stare but didn't speak. The small exchange went unnoticed by Abel.
Coinweaver's reply only further proved how rich the alchemist was. He figured the only reason he didn't outright buy property was because he lacked the reputation to do so, especially in the capital city of a kingdom.
Abel simply nodded and bid farewell before making his way out of the Adventurer's Union. He'd sell off all the monster parts before logging off and getting some rest.
As Chronelix and Coinweaver watched the young man wade himself through the busy streets in the distance, they looked at each other and smiled.
"He definitely discovered a new dungeon!"
"Yeah most likely… you think he'll tell us after a week?"
"I'm not sure, but I bet he'll be open to selling the information at least."
"Seriously bro, what the hell's wrong with you. Actually, your entire family are a bunch of weirdo's. You're probably the richest people on Earth but every single one of you acts like you're poor, that making money's the most difficult thing in the world. I'll never understand how you think."
Chronelix seemed to switch to a different person now that it was just the two of them around. While he seemed aloof and distant in the presence of others, he was actually a talkative and outgoing person with those he considered real friends.
"You don't have to get it. It's actually simple but everyone loves to complicate things. I simply enjoy making money, is that so hard to understand..."
"It is when you have all the money in the world!"
"But I don't have all the money in the world, if I did then I could retire early. You know, if you tried as little as I have in making some wealth, then you wouldn't have to wait for your monthly allowance if you wanted to buy something in-game."
"Thanks for that by the way... No matter how little, I could use the extra income."
The 2 young men's chatter and banter went unnoticed as they made their way down the street, back to the house that Coinweaver had actually rented.