"Fine Glimmerwhisk… let's talk about your request later. I guess I owe you a lot, so I'll do my best to help. We'd better leave if we don't want to be late for our appointment," Alex says.
"You are a little tight on FC, aren't you? 500,000 FC for the gambling shop, now skills for Jewel? Do you want a loan? I can offer favourable conditions!" Glimmerwhisk says with a sly grin.
"No…" Alex replies, looking uneasy. "I hate loans. They stress me out. I'll just exchange a few Soul Crystals if I need more FC. Thank you for the offer, though."
Glimmerwhisk frowns. "Soul Crystals are rare… you shouldn't waste them! Remember what happens on level 8?"
"What happens on level 8?" Alex mutters, trying to recall—then suddenly his eyes widen. "I can upgrade my skills to level 6!"
"See? You know after all. Now tell me, what changes when upgrading skills from level 5 to 6?" she presses.
"I guess… the requirements rise. I already know that I'll need Medium Soul Crystals instead of Small ones. For skills that don't normally require a Crystal, at least a Small one will be required," Alex explains.
"... Okay," Alex says after a moment. "I'll consider the loan, but I have so many Soul Crystals right now, I think I'm more than fine."
"Good to hear," Glimmerwhisk sneers. "But don't trade them all away. They're easy to sell—close to 20,000 and 100,000 FC, respectively—but far more expensive to buy back. If you sell your Soul Crystals, that's basically the same thing as taking a loan, if you need to spend more FC to buy them back. My exchange rates are far better."
No way. I am not going into debt, that would be the dumbest decision ever.
"I'll think about it… I still have some time left for the gambling store, if it even stays open that long. These shops are temporary, after all," Alex says, nodding at the still smirking Glimmerwhisk.
Jewel carefully crawls off her lap and climbs back onto Alex's head, the group leaving her room together.
Outside, Alex decides not to approach Softspark to exchange his Soul Crystals just yet.
They leave the Eternal Coffins and gather near the street.
"So what's the plan?" Menchi asks.
"I want to invest in Jewel's skills. Even if I have to overpay, her increase in power will directly impact the next missions. I'd rather put money into something guaranteed than chase more gambling chances. Besides, I can still just buy the 50,000 FC option. It might not even make a difference."
"There's a chance you draw something with Black Quality if you use the 500,000 FC gamble," Benezia comments.
"Really?" Alex asks, shaking his head. "I mean, I know it's possible. I've thought about it too… but you're just guessing. Even with my LUK, that seems like a pipedream."
"True, but it's a reasonable guess," Benezia counters, folding her arms. "You told me those chests only ever contain Realm-related items, no foreign ones. That's a massive category of items, and you expect it to stop at just Gold Quality? No. Surely it goes higher. You even told me about the 5,000,000 FC option. The Realm items will surely go all the way to the highest Qualities."
"... I guess it's hard to argue against that. Honestly, I think so too.… " Alex admits.
Soulmate shouldn't ruin his chance of obtaining something this important for Jewel!
"Let's check out the store first, okay?" Menchi suggests. "Benezia and I both have plenty of FC left. Let's see how much these Pet skills actually cost—and if Jewel even wants them."
Benezia narrows her eyes at Jewel. "I really don't want to disappoint you, little Jewel, but I suspect these skills won't be impressive. Think about it: the shop closed down, the owner is just doing business through private deals now? That suggests nobody considered them worth buying."
Maybe the player is just broke and desperate? It's at least worth a try.
"True, but that could also be because pets are rare. I've seen a few dogs and some small animals in the Realm, but usually players require special skills to tame and possess pets. Jewel is the exception," Alex argues.
With Benezia in the lead, the group slowly makes its way toward the Universal Tea Lodge, a quaint little place that looks more like a small café than anything else.
As Alex steps inside, he glances around—and notices the place is completely empty. Aside from the darker decor, nothing special is visible.
"Is this supposed to be a smart meeting spot or just stupidity? Obviously, this place sucks, or someone would actually be here! On the other hand… because this place sucks, we're alone and get some privacy."
"Excuse me!"
A small woman, only reaching up to Alex's waist, approaches. Her reddish-brown hair is tied into a bun, and she's wearing some sort of neat little uniform.
A dwarf? No, not thick enough. A gnome? Halfling? Just… a small woman? Or is this child labor?
"Excused," Alex replies, smirking.
"Ah, thank you! No—wait, what are you making me say!" she squeaks, clearly flustered. "This place only opens at 16:00 Realm time. As the name implies, we specialize in serving tea and have a clear connection to the universe."
"So you can only appreciate the universe at night? Shouldn't it be called the Universe Tea Shop and not the Universal Tea Shop then?" Alex asks in confusion.
"No… but just deal with our theme, okay? Do you want a table, or do you have an appointment?"
"Shit… I didn't even ask for the name," Alex mutters.
"Glimmerwhisk implied we were having a meeting here, which means she obviously gave them details about you. Just wait for that person to find you," Benezia explains, looking a little embarrassed.
"Fine… we're having a meeting here. Is someone already waiting for us?" Alex asks.
"Name?"
"Player 1337," Alex answers.
"That's rather… impersonal," the small waitress comments.
"I'm not about to reveal my real name just like that, and Glimmerwhisk sure as hell wouldn't either," Alex adds.
"It's fine. You're expected in the backroom," the small waitress replies, then gestures stiffly. "Please follow me, dear customers."
She leads them into a small private room. Inside sits a woman who looks to be in her late forties. She has dark brown hair, an air of composure, and is extremely tall—easily a full head taller than Alex, who's around average height himself.
Alex's eyes linger on her for just a moment before shifting to the two creatures resting by her side. One is instantly recognizable: an Eevee, one of the most famous Pokémon, known for its countless evolutions into different forms—it has solid stats and is a pretty versatile Pokémon. The other is a large, wolfish-looking dog, easily big enough to serve as a mount.
Is that… a Ninken? From Naruto? Looks just like Akamaru or one of the other Inuzuka clan dogs. So she really does have Pet-handling experience. Not bad. This looks promising.
"Thank you for bringing my guests to me," the tall woman says. "That will be all, Miss Luni."
The little woman shakes her head furiously. "Not until I get your orders! I'm not falling into the trap of offering a private room for a business meeting without anyone ordering anything. It happened three times last month, and you're the worst offender, Krystyna!"
Krystyna, apparently her name, looks mildly embarrassed before sighing. "Fine. The house tea… and another one, but with a lot of sugar, please. She should be back soon."
Why is she ordering two drinks?
Alex shrugs and takes a seat, with Benezia and Menchi following.
"And you three?" Luni snaps. "Everyone orders, no exceptions!"
"Then give me the menu! This service sucks!" Alex shoots back.
"It's right there on the table! Grab it yourself—what, do you expect me to hand it to you?! My arms are too short anyway!"
"You should've thought of that earlier," Alex replies, locking eyes with her, barely suppressing his laughter.
Jewel hops onto Alex's head and makes a strange chittering noise, almost like a laugh.
Is the small woman about to cry? Little waitress Jr.
Menchi stares at Alex, shaking her head in embarrassment, while Benezia looks confused.
Alex suddenly feels a little embarrassed, thinking only to himself.
Maybe I shouldn't have shared my favorite memes with her… but she was interested in everything with 'spider' in its name….
"Now, let's not be rude," Benezia says, grabbing a few menus that are placed on the table. She quickly hands one to Alex and Menchi.
Alex quickly looks at it and then orders a random drink on the menu called 'Supernova,' costing 13 FC.
You? Jewel?
Princess Jewel wants to try the Milky Way drink! It also only costs 7 FC!
After they order, Luni quickly leaves the room.
"Sorry for that," Krystyna says, "I've been in a bad spot before… and I'm using shops like these for meetings. I prefer them over renting a place on my own."
"Hehe, they are also cheaper, right?" Menchi says with a smirk.
"I can't deny that," Krystyna replies with an embarrassed smile.
Suddenly, Luni rushes back into the room, bringing their order.
That was fast?! So these drinks are not fresh? What a ripoff!
Jewel's 'Milky Way' drink turns out to be just some kind of milk, which disappoints her, but then she spots some bright glitter inside it and perks up.
Alex's Supernova is an explosive red tea, which looks fairly appetizing but tastes just mediocre.
Jewel quickly climbs onto the table and begins to lick up the milk.
Princess Jewel is not impressed with the taste.
"Here you go…" Luni says, handing the drinks to the others, before disappearing again and closing the door.
"Okay, let's begi—" Krystyna tries to say before the door opens again.
To Alex's shock, a Harpy enters the room! Despite almost resembling a human, the harpy has green hair, looks fairly human—except for her wings and claw-like feet.
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