After exiting the Other Planes store, Null sought to group up with the crew to discuss the matter of travelling to the Hallowed Plane.
'Damn. Why didn't we buy some cell phones to keep in touch with.'
He decided that the first order of business after meeting up was to find some communication devices so that they did not have to wander around aimlessly each time they separated.
It was a good thing that their interests were mentioned before they split, so Null started there and looked for Klein.
'I know he said he wanted to see the scientific equipment. Does he mean for experimenting on things?'
He checked for the sign directing towards said scientific equipment and soon enough, he saw Klein hauling a load of things pertaining to the subject.
"Look at this, Null! They even had devices that detect and analyze energies for you."
"Oh yeah? How does it work?"
"C'mere and see," Klein said while pulling out a relatively small device with an antenna protruding from the top.
Null walked to him and saw him manipulating some air from his pointer finger.
As he did so, the device came to life and started analyzing the mofei used to power the gentle air flow coming from his finger.
After taking its time to run a quick test on the basics of the mofei it had been analyzing, the device let out a chime and showed a result on its screen.
"What does it say," Klein looked a little dumbfounded at the result, so Null could not help but ask.
"I'm not sure what it means, but it says Grade One magic type. Hold on one second."
Klein consulted a little booklet that must have come with the device.
After flipping through the pages, he eventually ended up finding what he was looking for.
"Here it says that magic is a relatively widely known energy source that harnesses the elemental nature of the universe to create natural phenomenon on a controlled scale."
Null was surprised, "So there are plenty other people out there that can manipulate the same energy. What does the grade mean?"
"The grade corresponds to the level of purity of the energy manipulated. From Grade Three to Grade One, the level of purity rises, though that only pertains to the device's mechanics."
"That's a good thing, right? That means that you are capable of manipulation on a high level."
"Yeah, but unless I improve more to manipulate at a greater scale, I'm really just unimpressive."
"Don't say that man. Aren't you more of a mountain out of a molehill kind of guy?"
Klein chuckled, "Not sure if you're using that right, but you're right. Once I experiment with the mofei— or should I say pure magic— on a smaller scale, it should be a piece of cake to manipulate mountains and hurricanes. As long as I have enough in the tank to do so, of course."
"Definitely," Null agreed.
Ever since he saw the wonders of mofei on Planet Mamon, he could not inhibit the spellcasting desires he had like those in the entertainment he consumed back at home.
Klein was no different only he desired to master the manipulation down to the last molecule; knowledge was power and, in his case, a very magical power.
"Let's go find the others. I'm sure they've finished shopping by now."
"Alright. Let's."
They walked towards the Weapons Center where they soon found Z'oelo secretly chatting away with Muni.
"Do you have any sort of connection to the earrings?"
"It's hard to tell. There's a definite tie to you that I feel all the time, but at the same time it's like there's something else hidden between us. Something ancient and foreboding."
"Weird. I can't seem to feel anything at all. It's like they're a part of me somehow," Z'oelo said while fiddling with the earrings.
Null and Klein walked up at that time and saw him carrying a bag just as Klein's.
"Do you even need actual equipment to maintain Muni's physical form? That seems a bit redundant seeing as it stems from her spirit."
"...It should work. Right Muni?
Muni looked at Z'oelo and said in a deadpan voice, "You never asked me. It's not like it'll hurt though."
"You should have spoken up! What if I got these things for no reason?"
This time, Muni lowered her head and spoke in nothing more than a whisper, "But I wanted to have you take care of me."
This time, Null coughed and acted like he had not heard a thing while Z'oelo instantly turned pink.
"He can hear you y'know!"
"Y-you made me say it you jerk!"
All the while, Klein stood there confused.
"Let's not worry about this. We've still gotta find Barter's Ruler and Theef," Null forcefully ended the awkward atmosphere.
'Those two have really gotten close all this time despite only being in contact with each other for a little while.'
Now with the two in tandem, Null found it a bit troubling to figure out where the others would have gone.
It was fortunate however that Barter's Ruler stuck with Theef since they only had to search for the gold passively.
Ultimately, he knew that it was important to find the special items that the sprout divined more than the gold on the market planet.
When the rest had went their separate ways, he and Theef instantly followed the glow of the sprout.
It was manageable to sift through the levels of treasures that were white and bronze through his control of the sprout, so they had a relatively easy time shopping.
Even better, the shopkeepers actually knew the specifics of all of the items under their ownership and were more than happy to let them know the abilities of each item.
This was where most of the mission compensation went as the treasures were way more valuable than science and weapon equipment.
Null had not required anything at the moment, so he simply went along with the others.
"Found them!"
Null turned to see Klein pointing towards Barter's Ruler and Theef as they were purchasing another treasure in one of the stores.
"Woah! That's a lot of treasures."
Behind the two, there was a golden rug floating with a pile of treasures on it.
The trio walked to the store as the other two were exiting and noticed them.
"Have you all finished finding what you need," Barter's Ruler asked.
"We've got our things, but what about you Null? It doesn't look like you got anything," Theef observed.
"That's the thing. I actually found a clue to the whereabouts of the last two flames— the last two people out there. Let's head back to the ship before discussing more about the future."