Eugan de Quirr happily hummed an old melody in his workshop. For many years he was running this store in one of the best parts of craftsmen street.
He was close to the gate leading to the parking space for flying vehicles. Thus, his store was one of the first those wealthy costumers saw when they arrived here. Coupled with his advanced skills his business was going well.
An apprentice nearby watched in awe as the master's hand skillfully inserted multiple impossible small needles into a big piece of leather. Under his meticulous mana control, those needles inscribed fine runes into the custom leather armor they were working on.
Enjoying his apprentice's admiration, Eugan confidently continued his work while gazing though the window.
Suddenly he stopped as something caught his attention.
A few days ago, the old smith on the other site of the street informed him of her imminent departure. She asked him to take good care of her successor.
Since the craftsmen in this part of the street all had a good relationship, he promised to do his best. Although Eugan had only seen Nua's successors two times, he had a lot of respect for the two children who courageously defeated the Malo Disease.
Naturally the old leather worker didn't know that what he saw weren't real humans. It could be seen that Nua had made many preparations ever since Lilly and Iain had been born.
Therefore, Eugan wasn't too surprised when we observed the young man fish out a keycard and opening the smithy's door.
As soon as they entered their own shop, Lilly and Iain couldn't believe their senses. A beautiful, dark wooden flooring gave of a light smell of cedars. It perfectly accentuated a thin, red carpet which led to a metallic counter.
Not many weapons and armor were displayed in the spacious room, but every single one rivaled the best that Wonn's Wonderful Weapons had to offer.
Multiple smaller chandeliers which shined with a magical light set the smithy's wares in scene. Sparsely placed red plants and big, tainted windows granted the store a mythical atmosphere.
The siblings were lost in the beauty before them for a few seconds.
A silent "Wow!" left Lilly's mouth.
"How could one resist buying such exquisite weapons after entering here?", added Iain in awe.
With smiles on their faces the siblings respectfully inspected the wares in their own store.
Lilly's gaze was soon drawn to the counter, which contained various impressive daggers and knives. Suddenly the young woman coughed when she noticed a note behind the counter.
Iain turned towards her with a questioning look:
"What are you staring at?"
"Do you remember when we thought we were filthy rich compared to the prices in this city?"
"Ofc course. However, after seeing the prices on craftsmen street we don't appear to be wealthy at all."
"I thought the same, but I changed my mind again."
"Why so suddenly?"
Lilly laughed lightly as she let her gaze sweep through the room.
"Because a single weapon here could probably buy half of Wonn's inventory."
Iain's eyes bulged slightly as he observed the sharp sword before him.
"Then… how much would this one be?"
"Does it have a name?"
"Yes here. It's called 'Forgotten Dream'."
"It only says 'At least Master rank. Don't sell below 1.500.000LC."
Hearing the exorbitant price, Iain slowly drew his stretched-out hand back. After the siblings arrived on planet Hex they found a million LC each saved on their ID's.
At first, they thought themselves to be rich people, but their enthusiasm dampened slightly after seeing all the prizes on craftsmen street.
Now, however, the realized that the money Nua left them was only a drop in the ocean. If they managed to sell all the equipment Nua already produced, they would make more money than they could ever spend. At least they thought so now…
A short moment later Lilly and Iain calmed down their excitement. Since they already inspected this room, the siblings next opened the door behind the counter. They entered a small stairwell and decided to go down first.
After passing another door Lilly and Iain stood in an empty room. They looked around in confusion.
Suddenly a mechanical voice sounded.
"Intruder detected. Wake-up protocol initiated. Scanning."
The siblings uneasily looked around as they felt an invisible energy quickly scanning the room.
"Scan complete. Lilly Rottal recognized. Iain Rottal recognized.
Welcome, new masters. My name is Nua. I am the AI assistant overlooking this house. How can I help you?"
Iain asked reflexively in bewilderment:
"Nua? Isn't Nua the owner of this smithy?"
"Miss Nua is my former master. I, Nua am an AI assistant to the owner of this house. You, Lilly and Iain Rottal are the newly designated owners of this house."
The notion of talking to an artificial voice was still strange to the siblings. Although the city had many places were AI handled things, many people preferred to talk to other humans.
Groob had told them that in some other places AI's were prevalent in everyone's daily lives, while others banned them completely.
An AI assistant for one's home, however, seemed standard among the wealthy in the Luminous Empire.
After understanding the situation Lilly asked with curiosity:
"Nua? Can you tell us about your former master?"
"Of course. Master Nua was a level 50 master smith on planet Hex. She was one of the best smiths on the planet, especially among those accepting private customers."
"Anything… before that?"
"I apologize, but I don't know about Master Nua's earlier life."
Lilly let out a disgruntled sigh. Just as she wanted to ask the AI if she ever heard their parent's name, her mother's voice sounded.
[Please don't be hasty. You will know more if you grow stronger.]
They young woman was displeased, but knew it was hard to communicate with her mother. She crossed her arms while puffing audibly.
Iain didn't completely understand how the AI's answer displeased his sister so much. Seeing her behavior he tried to change the topic.
"What is this room Nua? Why is it empty?"
"You are currently in the safety room leading to the treasury. Would you like to enter the treasury?"
"Of course."
Suddenly a wall could began sinking into the ground. The sibling's stared with widened eyes at the shelves appearing on the other side.
An invisible pressure spread and became stronger as the siblings neared the treasury. Even without any knowledge about the materials stored here, Lilly and Iain could tell their preciousness from the magical aura they emitted.
Mana gathered and flowed between metals and minerals shining in every color imaginable. The sibling's eyes were glued to the miraculous display in front of them.
Iain slowly stretched out his hand. Just as he wanted to grab the frontmost metal, a shock suddenly shot through his hand.
"Ahh!"
The young smith hurriedly pulled his hand back.
"What happened?", questioned his concerned sister.
However, what answered her was the AI's mechanic voice:
"My apologies. Master Nua ordered to lock these away.
In order to gain access, Master Iain should reach certain levels in his smithing skills."
"And you are only telling us now?!"
"Master Nua's orders. Please take this experience as motivation."
Suddenly a screen on the far wall of this treasury turned on. A chubby young boy only wearing a pair of brown trousers appeared.
He smiled happily as he did a quick turn. Next, he stopped and raised his hands up. His fingers formed two victory signs, while text appeared above his head, coupled with the AI's voice. It even sounded less mechanical now as it shouted:
"Work hard, Master Iain."
The siblings stared at the screen in confusion before Lilly suddenly giggled. This was the first time they had seen an AI show so much character.
Iain asked in wonder:
"Are you Nua? How does this work? Are… are you a living being?"
"As the AI assistant Nua I have access to everything in this house. Although I am not a living being, I am more than a simple program. My core is also stored in this treasury. If master wants to learn more about AIs, please acquire the necessary skills."
"I… might try."
"Work hard Master Iain!"
Lilly giggled slightly as her brother seemed rather unaccustomed when talking to this AI. After overcoming her own surprise, she turned around and left the treasury.
"Let's go. We should come here again later.
We should finish touring the house, it's getting late."
Iain nodded unconsciously.
"Ok we'll come back. Bye Nua."
"I… am not leaving though? Oh I get it! I will keep silent then. Just say my name if you need something."
The young man was slightly confused by the Nua's words. He was sure how to interpret them until he saw the door before Lilly open automatically.
At the same time the door behind him silently closed by itself. From then on, the siblings didn't have to handle any doors themselves. Wherever they went opened doors welcomed then.
Thus, they conveniently toured the upper floor of the smithy. Compared to the treasury this floor was less exciting. It only contained a kitchen, a small library with all kinds of information a smith would need and a bathroom.
Iain grew more enthusiastic once they arrived at the smithy's backyard. Here stood the heart of every smithy.
A big, modern oven waited here quietly for someone to craft the most brilliant weapons with it. The oven was surrounded by all kinds of tools. Iain enthusiastically inspected them one by one, noticing that he was still unfamiliar with some of them.
Afterwards he carefully caressed the oven while closing his eyes, imagining all the masterworks he wanted to create here.