"I'm not saying that I don't have a price, but yours is just too low," Aiden replied with a shrug. "Throw in another few valuables and I'll think about it."
"No respect and no dignity," the Grandmaster said with a smirk. "I'll give you a blueprint of my latest creations if you get on your hands and knees."
"A blueprint? What is that?" Aiden asked with confusion.
"A crafting manual to create items," Genevieve whispered. "One from a grandmaster would fetch for tens of gold. I think—"
Genevieve was still whispering when Aiden was already flying in the air. He landed in front of the Grandmaster, sliding on his knees before coming to a screech. Then, he opened his hands forward.
"Thank you, Grandmaster!"
Genevieve and the Grandmaster stared at Aiden's experienced and practiced maneuver. His form contained no hesitation and no excessive movements.
"You are… truly shameless," the Grandmaster said. "You abandoned all dignity at the first chance of wealth."
"Wealth?" Aiden looked at him in confusion. "This is my chance to be a craftsman. If I had any desire for wealth, I wouldn't be wasting my time in this building."
"You think we aren't wealthy?"
"I just think there are better ways to accumulate wealth."
"Like what?"
"A pretty fancy restaurant in the upper district."
"Nobles already have their own chefs."
"I bet they want to try something new," Aiden said with a shrug.
The Grandmaster looked at him, on the ground, with a curious look. "Then why are you kneeling on the ground right now?"
Aiden looked at the Grandmaster with an expressionless face. Then, he lowered his hands and placed them on his knees.
"Why do you want to become a craftsman?" the Grandmaster asked again. His grey piercing eyes looking at the young man in front of him, encompassing him in its reflection.
Aiden stared back.
"I want control over the world around me."
The old man's brows rose in surprise, but he was quick to hide it. "Why do you seek control?"
Aiden was silent again, and then turned toward Genevieve. The staff behind her was looking at them over the table with interest. She gave him a slight nod.
"Because I got thrown into an unfamiliar place, with dangers that could end my life at any second. I want to die on my own terms, not as another victim of this fucked up world."
"Despite the profanity, that was a good answer," the Grandmaster said with a nod before he turned to leave. "Follow me. I have some things that could help in your next mission."
Aiden was confused, and turned back to Genevieve. She looked surprised as well, but the staff member was the one who ran forward.
"You got invited by Grandmaster Maverick?" the fat staff member looked out of breath and in shock. "That's a great honor! Even nobles would fight for a chance to visit his workshop!"
"That's great, but what about my blueprint?" Aiden asked Genevieve. "Did the old man lie to me?"
"Grandmasters don't lie. Their words are their bond," Genevieve said. "If you play this right, you might have a master."
"A disciple for Grandmaster Maverick?" asked the staff member.
"Can we rely on you to be discreet about this?" Genevieve asked with a frown.
"Of course!" the staff member nodded. "I, Zhulong, will be happy to keep this a secret between us. You can find me here anytime you need me, Guild Master!"
"Zhulong?" Aiden asked as he rose from the ground. "Are you a brother of Yulong?"
"You know my younger brother?" Zhulong asked. "Be careful of him, he's crafty!"
"I'm sure he would say the same about you," Aiden said. "Let's follow the old man before we lose him. Well, I doubt it."
"Never underestimate a master of stealth," Genevieve said before she walked out of the union. Aiden exchanged a quick handshake with Zhulong before he followed.
Grandmaster Maverick was nowhere to be seen.
"We lost him?" Aiden asked. "How did he even disappear?"
"If a Grandmaster of Stealth wants to disappear, then no one in this world can find him."
"I like the sound of that, but doesn't really help us here. How are we going to find him? In fact, why did he invite us when he planned to disappear?"
"Grandmasters are eccentric," Genevieve said before she began walking. "But I know where his workshop is — follow me."
The two of them traversed the upper districts until they reached a large building. It was a black matte mansion filled with overgrown weeds and trees.
"This place has no doors," Aiden observed. "How are we going to go inside?"
"A master of stealth needs to see through illusions," Genevieve explained as her aura began filling the surroundings. "Walk behind me, and stay close."
Aiden listened and began walking behind her. Her aura was somehow calming, like a shield protecting them from the world. Genevieve walked toward the nearest wall and walked straight ahead.
"What are you doing?" Aiden asked.
Then, he saw the walls dissolving the moment the aura touched it. The two of them walked straight through and found themselves inside the giant garden that looked like a forest.
Once they were through, Aiden looked back and saw the walls rebuilding themselves. He blinked in disbelief. Then, he walked back to the wall and placed a hand on it: a solid, cold, and rough black wall.
"I'm guessing you've never met an illusion before," Genevieve said as she turned to see Aiden examining the wall. "It's a real wall, as far as eyes could tell. However, those who practice the void can sense when something is an illusion."
"An illusion shouldn't feel this real," Aiden said. "This is no longer stealth, but forging reality."
"That's what separates a master from a grandmaster," a voice interjected from around them. They recognized it as Grandmaster Maverick, speaking to them from somewhere. "A master conceals himself from the world, while a grandmaster makes the world conceal him."