By the time the party retreated from the Forbidden Gardens, Master Thorne had been reduced to a walking topiary. Two junior alchemists were frantically pruning his beard with silver shears, while Sofia hovered nearby, offering "Organic Petal-Soothing Salve" and apologizing with such genuine, wide-eyed sincerity that the guards didn't have the heart to arrest her.
"I think we've made a lasting impression," Aria said, proudly checking her view counts as they stepped out onto the cobblestone streets of Oakhaven's Merchant District. "The video of Thorne's 'Floral Upgrade' just hit ten thousand hits. We're trending, boys and girls!"
Riley pulled his hood low. "That's exactly the problem, Aria."
As they walked, the atmosphere of the city shifted. In Dawnview, they were hometown heroes. Here, they were a walking jackpot. Every few steps, Riley's interface pinged with a [Passive Scan] warning. High-level players—Level 20s and 30s in jagged, obsidian armor or glowing silk robes—were stopping in their tracks to stare.
"Is that them?" a Level 22 Warrior whispered, pointing at Riley's Shimmerstring bow. "The Level 9s with the mythical drops?"
"Look at the girl in the Stormweave," another added. "That's the one who cleared the Hollow. I bet their inventories are stuffed with Rare-tier mats."
Suddenly, the party's UI turned a muddy, flickering grey.
NOTIFICATION: SOCIAL DEBUFF ACTIVE
[The Celebrity's Burden]
Your fame has outpaced your power. Stealth effectiveness reduced by 50%. Shop prices increased by 15% due to 'Premium' status. Aggro radius for rival players increased.
"Fifteen percent?!" Aria shrieked, stopping in front of a boutique specializing in high-mana silks. "I am a fashion icon! I should be getting a discount for the exposure!"
"It's a tax on the arrogant, Aria," Hayley muttered, her eyes scanning the rooftops. She was the only one who didn't look like a walking lightbulb; she had swapped her gold-trimmed cloak for a dull, grey traveler's shroud. "Riley, we're being tailed. Three rogues on the left, two archers on the right. They aren't NPCs. They're Silver Siphon scouts."
"Ignore them for now," Riley said, though his hand rested on the grip of his bow. "We have thirty gold. We need to spend it before a guild finds a legal loophole to 'confiscate' it. Sofia, you're with me. Aria, Hayley—take the newcomers and get the supplies. We need high-grade vials, scent-masking soaps, and as many invisibility scrolls as you can carry."
"Invisibility scrolls? For a marsh?" Aria pouted. "Boring. Can't I buy the 'Thunderous Entrance' scrolls? They make a giant bird of prey made of lightning!"
"Aria," Sofia said softly, placing a hand on the mage's arm. "If we buy the lightning bird, the marsh monsters will see us from three miles away. We want to be like little mice, remember? Quiet and safe."
Aria looked into Sofia's pleading, puppy-dog eyes and let out a dramatic groan. "Fine. Softness wins. But if we die because we were too quiet, I'm haunting your staff."
Riley and Sofia headed toward the Apothecary's Square, a place where the air was thick with the scent of burning sage and expensive chemicals. Riley wasn't looking for potions; he was looking for a specific NPC merchant named Old Man Cillian.
In his past life, Cillian was the only merchant who didn't raise prices for "Famous" players because he was too senile to check the forums.
"Excuse me, sir?" Sofia asked, leaning over the counter of a shop that looked like it had been hit by a magical tornado. "We're looking for 'Phase-Shift' glass for brewing. Do you have any?"
Cillian looked up, squinting through thick glasses. "Phase-shift? That's high-level stuff, lass. Rare. Costly. Usually five gold a set."
"Five gold?!" Sofia's heart sank. "We only have enough for three sets at that price, and Kipp needs at least ten for the Royal Commission."
She didn't get angry. Instead, she started tidying the counter, moving dusty jars of pickled newts into neat rows while she talked. "It's just that our friend is so nervous, you see. He's brewing for the General, and if his glass breaks, he'll just fall apart. He's worked so hard..."
Cillian watched her for a moment, his grumpy expression softening. He looked at the way she treated his chaotic shop with respect. "Well... I suppose I have some 'slightly chipped' sets in the back. Functional, but not pretty. I could do ten sets for... two gold?"
Riley blinked. Even with his "Prophet" knowledge, he hadn't expected Sofia's passive [Empathy] stat to trigger a 60% discount.
"That would be wonderful!" Sofia beamed, and for a second, the entire shop seemed to glow with a warm, golden light.
As they walked out with the glass, Riley checked his map. The "red dots" following them hadn't moved. They were waiting.
"Riley," Sofia whispered, her smile fading. "The people following us... they don't want to buy potions, do they?"
"No," Riley said, his eyes hardening as they approached the city gates where the rest of the team waited. "They want to see us fail. They're waiting for us to step into the Whispering Marshes so they can let the environment do the killing for them."
He looked at his team. Aria was arguing with a street performer, Hayley was invisible in the shadows, and the newcomers looked like they were waiting for a death sentence.
"Let them watch," Riley said. "They think they know the Marshes. They don't know we're bringing a secret weapon."
He looked at the small, glowing violet sapling Kipp had snuck out of the Gardens, tucked safely in Sofia's bag.
"Tonight, we prep. Tomorrow, we go where the map says we shouldn't exist."