After checking the top floor of the Tower of Distortion and leaving Natasha in charge of investigating the mysterious door, Rafael went to his quarters, where he found a pair of black leather boots with glowing magical symbols.
Of course, these weren't just any boots. They were the Relic King Kane had promised him after delivering one of the hearts found in the Mage's Gorge.
Rafael quickly checked the details of these boots, which allowed him to fly for a certain time, before finally beginning preparations for the ritual to create his blood clone.
After finishing, Rafael wrote some of his ideas for using the space in the Tower of Distortion on a scroll... Some of these plans would require Jhon's help, so he decided to leave this mission to him.
With everything ready, Rafael left the tower, prepared to head to the Order's new base in the Shadowlands. But before that, he decided to stop by a certain shop in Asshai…
Master Baron Bones had shops all over the Shadow City, but without a doubt, the most popular was called "Baron's House." This had been one of his first shops in Asshai, and he took great pride in its hundreds of years of existence and tradition. After his meteoric rise in the city, this had been the shop he invested most heavily in. Not only did it occupy the equivalent of five large plots of land, but it also sold everything...
Its location coincidentally also happened to be on the same street as the old Sage Store. It was clear that this shop had been overshadowed by the brilliance that Rafael's shop had held for many years. And this had certainly been a source of envy for the Master Necromancer.
Without a mask on his face, some people glanced at him on the street from time to time without recognizing him, while a minority were suspicious of who he was. His maskless costume was quite unusual here…
The first thing Rafael did upon entering the store was use a ritual to secretly block and close all the exits. There were many customers inside, and Rafael could see that the entire design of the store had been imitated from the Sage Store. The three floors with different products, the store on the right side that handled imports and exports, and the extra store on the left side that was a restaurant with plenty of tables for everyone to enjoy a quick or long meal…
Rafael didn't even need to look at the restaurant to imagine that this dishonest Master had even copied its menu, an attempt to recreate Earth's fast food.
Although the whole situation made Rafael angry, it also made him a little proud… If there were no competition, there would never be improvements. And compared to the greedy merchants of Earth, Master Baron Bones still followed many rules in a place where there should be no rules… Which raised suspicions about his many motives…
This was why Rafael couldn't let everything that happened go unnoticed. Showing mercy and weakness in Asshai was inviting disaster upon himself… Whether it was punishing the traitorous apprentices or making a big scene here today. Rafael wanted none of that, but he still had to do it.
"What happened? The exit doors are blocked!"
A masked man dressed as a merchant asked as he tried to leave the store with his wares…
"What do you mean?" Soon, another customer arrived, trying unsuccessfully to open the door.
The employees quickly noticed the commotion and rushed to check. Meanwhile, some customers and the manager noticed a stranger inside the store wearing a beautiful red robe with gold stripes and no mask. The red jewel on Rafael's forehead and his long silver hair immediately raised an alarm in the store manager.
But before he could do anything, Rafael uttered a sentence that sent shivers down the spines of all the customers and employees.
"I'm the one who locked the doors. No one is allowed to leave here until Master Baron Bones appears…"
"Sigh!"
"Dear Master? I have to catch my ship, which is leaving soon. Could you, as an exception, let me go?"
"Who are you? I'm Master Yohan's disciple. If you don't want trouble with my master, I recommend you let me go!"
Soon, an arrogant employee also stepped forward:
"Who are you? How dare you cause trouble in Master Baron Bones's main store?"
"SLAP!"
Before he could say anything else, the employee was slapped by the manager, who rushed over and said something that shocked everyone inside.
"I'm deeply sorry for the disrespect shown to this humble human, Master Red Sage. I'll ensure he receives severe punishment later. I've also notified Master Baron Bones of your arrival."
Rafael saw the human employee begin to tremble as he realized who had offended him. Several customers and other employees also began to tremble as they realized that the person who had forbidden them from leaving was someone so popular and infamous in the city...
"The rest of you in the store, please be patient and wait a moment... You can have something free at our pub on the house..." the manager added.
Less than 10 percent of customers accepted the free meal; they were too nervous to eat, so most continued to closely observe the unfolding crisis.
In the current era of Asshai, the Order of Sages was known to any newcomer to the city seeking to learn magic. Along with the Garden of Beasts, the Adventurer's Guild, the Baron Bones Trade Guilds, and the Temples, they formed the city's most active "Big Five."
Therefore, the lonely Master's apprentice quickly apologized to Rafael and sat near the door, hoping this matter would be resolved without him being implicated.
While waiting, Rafael walked slowly around the first floor of the store, opening and tasting some products near the shelves, and checking some of the store's products. Finally, he picked up a can of powdered milk and some protein bars.
Taking the items to a table, he calmly sat down and began checking every detail, from the price, packaging, labeling, bar variations, and even trying to calculate their costs.
He had taken the business evaluation work very seriously.
But his strange actions had left the employees and customers even more terrified. The fact that he acted as if he were the store's owner, blocking the entrance and taking whatever he wanted from the shelves, showed he wasn't afraid of the consequences. This meant that either the Red Sage was a madman who could kill everyone inside on a whim, or someone so powerful and confident that he didn't even fear the owner of this place…
Soon, someone calling himself a Master arrived at the store to greet Rafael, but to the dismay of all the hostages inside, the person wasn't Master Baron Bones. Which meant that either Baron Bones couldn't come, or he was testing what Rafael would do if he didn't obey his command…
****
Special thanks to Patreons:
Sage's Supporter: Jan, Vinnie, frimorigo, Leery Falcon, Parsa, Scott Robertson, and Pato Senalima!
Magic Apprentice: Axel Bour, Gabriele Sulpizio, Takatchi, mandeep singh, Austin, Kobe Robertson, Paul Gaslac, Niteo akuma, and 704Corleon!
Senior Magic Apprentice: Cole Bromley and Avacus!