The Hall of Inquiry in Oakhaven wasn't just a room; it was a giant, gold-plated pressure cooker.
The air hummed with the collective "Analyze" spells of a dozen Master NPCs sitting in the high gallery, their monocles glinting like the eyes of predatory birds. At the center stood General Malakor, a man who looked like he'd been carved out of granite and dressed in robes the color of a thunderstorm.
"Level Nine," Malakor's voice boomed, heavy with a skepticism that felt like a physical weight. "A party of Level Nines cleared a Hard-Mode dungeon and flooded my markets with a Tier-3 evasion tonic that my own researchers haven't perfected. Tell me, Riley Grant... which exploit did you use? Or should I just have the guards seize your alchemist now for Alchemical Heresy?"
Kipp made a noise like a dying squeaky toy. Mossling immediately tried to burrow into the stone floor, while Lila and Bram looked ready to faint.
"Neither," Riley said. He stood at the front of the group, his posture relaxed—almost insultingly so. "We found the recipe. Legally. In a Hidden Cache of the Old Kingdom, tucked away in a corner of the Verdant Hollow."
Master Thorne, standing by the General's side, let out a sharp, mocking bark. "That cache has been a myth for a decade, boy. Our elite scouts haven't found so much as a loose pebble in that dungeon."
"That's because your scouts don't have her," Riley countered.
He whistled softly. Lumi drifted forward, her light shifting from its usual soft gold to a rhythmic, pulsing violet.
"Lumi, show them," Riley commanded.
The Wisp began to pulse—a deep, resonant purple. It was the signature of her Glowing Treasure Hunter attribute. She began to circle the room, her pulses getting faster and louder as she hovered over a decorative stone lion near the General's throne.
Click. The lion's jaw dropped open, revealing a secret compartment the General used for his private correspondence. The gallery erupted in whispers.
"A Treasure Hunter attribute?" one of the masters gasped. "On a starter-tier Wisp? That's a one-in-a-million roll."
"Lumi finds things," Aria added, stepping up with her arms crossed, her Stormweave sparking with smug energy. "She found the chest. She found the scroll. And she found Riley's bow. If you're mad that we're luckier than your entire scouting department, that sounds like a 'skill issue' to me."
"Aria, behave," Hayley whispered, though she was already checking the line of sight for the guards, her hand resting on the hilt of her new Verdant-Leather dagger. She leaned toward the newcomers. "If this goes south, Rezion, you take the left. Jonathan, guard Kipp. I'll cover the rear."
Riley pulled the Original Ancient Scroll from his inventory. The parchment was brittle, glowing with a faint, faded blue aura that only "System-Generated Artifacts" possessed. He laid it on the stone table.
"This is the source," Riley said. "Kipp didn't steal your secrets. He translated this. If you want to talk about heresy, maybe we should talk about why the Crown's best alchemists haven't found a cache that was sitting right under their noses for a century."
General Malakor leaned forward, his eyes darting between the ancient scroll, the pulsing Wisp, and the Mythical bow on Riley's back. The tension was thick enough to trigger a combat warning on everyone's interface.
"The boy is telling the truth," Malakor finally grunted. "The item ID on that scroll predates the current reign. It's a legitimate World Discovery."
Kipp let out a breath so loud it was practically a whistle. He slumped against Hayes, who just patted his shoulder with a gauntlet the size of a dinner plate.
"However," Malakor continued, his eyes narrowing. "A recipe of this caliber is a national security asset. You will not be punished... but you will be contracted. In exchange for your 'discovery' being recognized as legal, you will fulfill a Royal Commission."
Riley's interface pinged with a golden notification.
NEW QUEST: THE CROWN'S CONTRACT
Objective: Produce 100 Mirage Draughts for the Royal Guard.
Reward: Official Merchant Status in Oakhaven, 50 Gold, and access to the "Forbidden" Alchemical Gardens.
Penalty for Failure: Asset Seizure and Exile.
Aria's jaw hit the floor. "Fifty gold?! Riley, we're not just a cartel anymore. We're the Royal Potion Cartel!"
"Wait," Riley said, looking at the General. "One hundred bottles? That's a lot of Spirit Moss. More than we can find in the starter zones."
"Which is why," Malakor said with a grim, predatory smile, "you'll be heading to the Whispering Marshes. A Level 20+ zone. Consider it a test. If you're really 'World First' material, you'll survive the harvest. If not... the Crown gets the recipe back from your corpses."
They were led out of the hall, the doors slamming shut behind them. The hallway was empty, save for the team.
"Whispering Marshes?" Sofia whispered, her face pale. "Riley, we're only Level 9. We'll be shredded."
"Not if we use the gold we just made to buy the right kind of trouble," Riley said, looking toward the Oakhaven market district. He looked at Hayley. "Hayley, I need you to scout the 'Specialist' trainers. We aren't just leveling up anymore. We need to specialize for a high-level zone."
Hayley nodded, her eyes sharpening. "On it. I'll find the best stealth and crowd-control manuals in the city."
Aria punched the air. "Fifty gold. I'm going to buy a cloak made of actual lightning."
"No," Riley and Hayes said in unison.