Adam was in no position to refuse as he handed his son away to the shamans. He wasn’t sure what this was all about, sidering they hadn’t dohis to the goblins when they had been born. ‘Ah, well, they did take the kids away after we brought them here…’

  “He will be safe and unharmed,” Zijin assured, before leading him to a to one side, and offered the young half elf some tea. “We wish to firm his health and other matters. We must make sure he is able to grow well.”

  “Right…” Adam thought there was more to it but was in no mood to joke about it. He thought back to how Jarot and Gangak had basically threatehe Elder. ‘Are they even allowed to do that?’

  “We hope for Elder Story and Elder Peace to return soon,” Zijin said, noting Adam’s thoughts on his face.

  “Yeah, me too,” Adam admitted. “I probably should head out to finish some business.”

  Zijin nodded, sipping his tea. “We shall begin work on the fort soon after they return.”

  “The fort...” Adam had almost fotten about the matter. ‘Nice.’ “So, what’ll be the deal with the fort?”

  “You will pay one hundred gold monthly for the nd, and we will…” Elder Zijin paused, realising who else would be listening to the versation. “Let us speak of it ohe boy has been checked.”

  “Sure…”

  “Have you thought of a name for the little one?”

  “No, I haven’t yet.” Adam sipped the tea, barely able to taste it. ‘They’ll also have the , right?’

  “I heard Jirot bullied you yesterday.”

  “She always bullies me, but that was much harder on my heart…”

  “When children are upset, they do not mean their words,” Zijin assured. “Even my own daughter refused to aowledge me when she was angry.”

  “Even though it hurts, I five her, because she’s so cute,” Adam stated, making the face he always made whehought of his children. “How she say that, though? Is it because I haven’t given her enough gems? Magical ons?”

  Zijin sighed once more, unsure if he was able to stop Adam from speaking about something so stupid. He allowed Adam to rant and rave, though the young half elf found every way to gush over his children.

  The shamaurned with the boy, who squi them annoyed, before they handed an envelope to the Elder, while two shamans stepped away.

  “He will grow up well,” Lokat stated, before allowing Adam to pick up the boy.

  “Yeah. Thank you, as always.” Adam bowed his head, before he carried his son away, following Elder Zijin.

  ‘Three envelopes?’ Elder Zijin thought. ‘If Elder Shaman and the Chief o be informed…’

  Adam followed the Elder back to his estate, taking a seat opposite him. He gnced down towards the baby, noting how sour his face was, though he was half asleep from what Adam could gather.

  “We will rent the nd to you for one hundred gold each month, while the enters may remain within the Front Iyr.”

  “In the Front Iyr?”

  “They will remain safe within the walls of the Iyr, so they may ent in peace.”

  “Speaking of enters…”

  “The girl is safe.”

  “Kiara,” Adam corrected.

  “She is safe within the Iyr.”

  “I’m sure she is, for now.”

  “She must familiarise herself within the Iyr.”

  “The pirl must be scared. I dragged her through a pool and she was choked out almost immediately by the most terrifying people across this entire nd.”

  “Your pliment is noted, but there are some who are more terrifying than us, even across this nd.”

  “Like who?”

  “Lord Stokmar.”

  “Okay, fair, but if you be talked about in the same breath as Lord Stokmar, then it still ts.”

  Elder Zijin’s lips formed the most satisfied smile and he bowed his head. “It would be best for the enters to remain within the Front Iyr.”

  “I’d like for them to stay in the fort so they live among their families.”

  “That would be difficult.”

  ‘Right, they probably won’t have shrines out in the fort.’ Adam frowned. “I would have liked to have spent time with my children. I guess I’ll find a shrine I put into the fort, somehow.” ‘Jurot mentioned something about asking the Iyrmen to keep a before. Wouldn’t they just hand it to the Iyr?’

  “You may rent shrines from the Iyr.”

  “Oh? I do that?”

  “Yes.”

  “How much would that cost?”

  “You will o discuss the matter with Elder Gold.”

  “Not Elder Forest?”

  “You are a fn business.”

  “Right, yeah. I didn’t mean to imply I was an Iyrman business.”

  Elder Zijin nodded, before Adam excused himself, returning to the shared estate. The Elder opehe envelope, before his eyes sed the dot. He read it over and ain before he wrote something withitle bck book, and burnt the letter. He tapped the table for a long while as the thought.

  He stopped tapping.

  “Call for the Rot Family Head and the Family Elder.”

  “Daddy, look!” Jirot called as she charged her father. “Look!”

  “What am I looking at?” Adam asked while Jirot held up her hands, smiling wide.

  “Is mine, daddy, is mine.”

  “That’s right, it is yours,” Adam replied, making his way to the old man. He gnced around, trying to find his triplets, who typically greeted him. “Jirot, where are your kakas and papa?”

  Jirot pointed around the estate, spinning around several times to try and find her siblings, before she stared up at her father, her mouth agape. “Gone, daddy?”

  “Oh, I see.” Adam walked over towards his aunt, Mirot. “Would you look after the baby while I go speak with Elder Gold, please?”

  “Okay,” the woman replied simply, reag up to take the child from him. She could feel the warmth of the child’s body against her, bringing his head to her chest, gently rog him to sleep.

  “Daddy! You are w?” Jirot asked, wideniahrowing out her fists beside her.

  “I am just speaking about the fort, that’s all. I’m not w, I’m doing business.”

  “Biss niss?” Jirot asked, narrowing her eyes. “No good, daddy, no good.”

  “You’re absolutely right but it must be done.”

  “No.”

  “Jirot, e,” the older Jarot called, the girl darting towards him, allowing him to tickle her as he had her younger brother. “If it is the fort, it is okay.”

  “Okay, babo?” Jirot asked, settling beside little Jarot.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. Okay, daddy, okay.” Jirot waved her hand towards her father, little Jarot also doing the same, his thumb still within his mouth.

  “Thank you…” Adam noticed the looks from the nearby Iyrmen and realised he was making that face. He quickly retreated, making his way to Elder Gold.

  As he made his way, an Iyrman stepped up towards him. Her forehead ainted with a red tilted cross followed with yellow hollow ovals. She carried a spear on her back, and wore a steel rank adventurer’s tag on a around her neck. She wore dark grey clothing, and wore an Iyrman pattern against her colr which signified she worked with Elder Gold.

  “I will escort you to Elder Gold,” the woman said.

  “Sure,” Adam replied, eyeing up her tattoo. “Are you of the Var family?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ah.” Adam slowly nodded his head awkwardly.

  “It was my uncle who assisted you previously.”

  Adam tio nod his head. “I owe Okvar quite a bit after his help.”

  “There is in such a matter to we Iyrmen.”

  “In the same way the Iyr does something, so do I.” Adam recalled the st time he spoke with Okvar. Shama had mao dispatch of Okvar and Rasam, another powerful figure within the Iyr, and then he went on to defeat Adam and his panions a short while ter. The Iyrman had also been there when they had found the goblins. ‘Should I make him some spears as thanks?’

  Elder Gold waited for him at the , with snacks and tea prepared sihey would o discuss important business.

  “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Elder Gold.”

  “Is it?”

  “I think so.”

  Elder Gold motioned a hand for him to sit, before dismissing her aides, allowing them to speak in peace. “You have e to speak about your business?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Have you formed the pn of your business.”

  “I think so.”

  “Do you know of the costs associated with your business?”

  “I’ve made a rough calcution,” Adam admitted, smiling awkwardly. “Since I ent so many ons in one go, I was thinking about making a stash of them before slowly trig them out while I awaken a few enters.”

  “Who do you wish to awaken.”

  “I’ll probably awaken Dunes, if he wants it, and… I don’t know. Someone else who has some magical ability. There’s also Jonn, whose sworn his oaths to me. If Dunes doesn’t accept, Jonn is probably going to have make a on monthly, along with Kiara.”

  “You would ask a warrior like Jonn, with his great bde and magiaio ent?”

  “He’ll also assist with other matters, but yes.”

  “What other matters?”

  “He will assist in teag my children.”

  Elder Gold fell silent for a short while, before bowing her head gently. “You will create only Basic ons?”

  “For now.”

  “The Chief had mentioned you had other ideas, something about the terrors of capitalism.”

  “Pnned obsolesce, subscriptions, yeah.” Adam slowly nodded his head. “Essentially, Basihanced ons with charges. Ten, twenty, fifty charges, and then, ohose charges run out, they bee just Basic ons. Then there’s subscriptions, where someone will pay monthly for the on for the magic to be activated, and if they stop paying for it, they no longer have the magid there’s a little more than that, but that’s the gist of it.”

  “You are able to do such a thing?”

  “I’m not sure, but if I put my mind to it, I’m sure I’ll be able to.”

  ‘…’

  “I had a few ideas about the marketing, what with nobles wanting to spend more money for the sake of spending more money, but I’ll o figure out trade routes for various different materials, but that’ll e iure.”

  “When you awaken the enters, will they be able to create all your entments, including in the manner you do so, several at once, without active effort?”

  “I pid choose that sort of thing separately, and each of those things takes a lot out of me. I’m happy to allow them to create Basic ons passively, o a time, if the Iyr prefers it.”

  “We would prefer such.”

  “Then that’ll be how it’ll be, whatever lets me sleep peacefully at night, without w about the Iyr wanting to kill me.” Adam fshed a knowing smiled towards the Great Elder, who no doubt wanted him dead. “I just want to be more useful to the Iyr, that’s all.”

  Elder Gold chose to ignore his statement, pg the gem onto the table. “We have taken into sideration your achievements for the Iyr. You may own this gem for the business and use it how you see fit.”

  ‘Yeah, I would hope so,’ Adam thought, recalling what he had to sacrifice to keep Kiara alive. “Thank you, Elder Gold.”

  “You may expend yic within it and it will grow over time, granting you plentiful supply of material to create your ons.”

  “Not armour?”

  “It would be difficult to form into armour, but it be done,” Elder Gold admitted. “You will need some ability with jewellery.”

  ‘Should I ask Jaygak?’ Adam thought, taking the gem from the Great Elder. “I appreciate the advice.”

  Elder Gold had calcuted the number of magical ons Adam could make within a single year. It was a feat which could match the likes of Prince Morkarai, who could create Basic ons within a single day. Adam could do the same, though in a more awkward manner since he could ent multiple at a time, but over the course of several days. With su ability, the business would have funds until the rest of Adam’s days, even if they allowed him to live until a natural death.

  “Though, I guess if I really wao make money, I should sell ammunition rather than ons. Magical ammunition which will lose its potence used. It’ll ensure infinite business, but I’ll see about that.” Adam fshed another i smile towards the Great Elder.

  “ you create magical ons with charges which lose all their magice their st charge is expended?”

  “I think so?” ‘Bell?’

  [Yes.]

  “Yeah, I think I .”

  “Just my curiosity.”

  “You know what they say about curiosity?” Adam joked.

  “What do they say?”

  Adam frowned. “Never mind, I don’t want to die.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s dumb, even for me.”

  “…”

  “Anyway, I won’t really uand the gold cost of the business until it’s up and running. If you don’t want us making too much money, I’m sure you speak with Aunt, since she’s the President.”

  “We will speak with her when it is required.”

  “Oh, and ohe fort is formed, the people farm around it?” Adam asked. “I don’t want them to starve to death.”

  “They may do so as long as they do not exceed the small river.”

  “Are the borders clearly defined?”

  “Yes.”

  “Alright. We shouldn’t have anything to worry about.” ‘I still o figure out the price for other food stuffs, since I want them to be taken care of pretty well.’ “One more thing, will you also make a temple?”

  “It is within the pns.”

  “One big temple for all the majods?” Adam asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Fair. I guess it would be awkward having too many temples.” Adam reached up for his amulet, rubbing it gently. ‘Don’t be too jealous, Baktu.’ “Oh, actually, I ask for a small favour?”

  “What is it?”

  “I would like some really nice ore to make a really nice pair of ons.” Adam smiled.

  I think Jirot o bully Adam some more. He's really out here w when he should be cuddling them.