Aimless Ascension

"Tell me more about the unique one," Wang Yushen asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Sure." Gale brought a translucent white scarf-sized cloth out of his void lock. With one look at it, anyone could tell it was unnatural and something intriguing. How much intriguing, they couldn't be sure just from the look of it.

"Is that a fate lock?" Wang Li asked, her expression incredulous. It was her first time seeing clothes as fate locks.

"Yes," Gale said, "though fate locks come in different shapes and sizes, we don't really see the type of these very much. Anyway, allow me to iterate its specification from the beginning.

"It's called Auoana's Garb; life and plant attributed and needs a simple ritual to fuse. It cannot boost the practitioner's growth speed normally, but it can speed up the Qi regeneration speed to a tremendous degree in a high-spirited environment. But its most important feature was how easily it can boost the quality of plant life or most kinds of organic matter, which includes alcohol, drinks, potion, pills, elixirs, or even simple food.

"The previous owner of this fate-lock could become a master alchemist using this and other fate-locks of a similar measure. You can simply change the state of the inn with its help. Although it will still be far from being a top inn in a short time, it can change that in the decades to come."

"This seems more amazing than the Greenbringer we saw in the guild," Wang Li couldn't help but say. "Does it have any drawbacks?"

"All fate-locks have some drawbacks and constraints," Gale continued. "This one in particular conflicts with Flame, Ice, Darkness, Death, or similar kind of elements. Also, the practitioner needs to wear it in their person throughout the day to use it. It might have other smaller constraints, but my inspection couldn't detect anything."

"This all sounds impressive," Grandma Wang said. "I reckoned the price of such an item would be impressive, too."

"As far as I'm concerned, it's more valuable than the fate-lock you have seen in the guild, although you should ask anyone of the guild to work as the mediator in recognising its value in spirit coins."

"Still, you should have a number in mind," Grandma Wang asked.

"Thirty thousand gold coins, open to negotiation," Gale said simply, earning a gulp from Wang Li.

Grandma Yushen considered it for a moment. "Will you accept instalment payments?"

"Grandma, you can't be serious," Wang Li cut in. "This is seriously--"

"A steal," the old woman said, "if all he said about its feature is true." She turned to Gale. "Will you let me examine the item?"

"Sure." Gale gave her the thin clothes as the old woman started her inspection, drawing Qi into the item. She was definitely not a scriber to figure out the feature just through an inspection, but she could detect the complicated scripts inside them as well as the rich life and plant energy.

"This doesn't lose out to the other one I have," the old woman muttered.

"I'm done." She returned the cloth. "We'll give you an answer in the morning, but allow this old woman to be a little nosy. You clearly know how valuable this fate lock is. How did you get it, and why haven't you to fuse with it if you're done with the martial world? This one seems like the perfect match for anyone who isn't a fighter."

"This one will not fit well with my other fate-locks, to be honest," Gale said truthfully, "although I bore thoughts of fusing with it in the past. Besides, it's unlike the extractable fate locks. I didn't like to take chances with it. As for the matter of getting this item, it was simply a spoil of war."

***

The foreigner departed after explaining and showing a few more fate locks, though none of them was as good as Auoana's Garb. Still, it gave the old woman perspective to think on what level the foreigner deals with.

"A Master is a Master, after all," she mumbled and found her granddaughter waiting for her to explain all this.

"Grandma, are you seriously thinking of acquiring that item?"

Wang Yushen simply nodded.

"Grandma, you can't," Wang Li said immediately. "I can't be a burden on you. Not to mention, the fate lock would be wasted on me. I seriously can't . . ."

"Silly girl," Wang Yushen said, holding a mild disappointment in her granddaughter. "Did your brain shut down after you heard the price?"

"What do you mean, grandma?"

"Tell me, what's the most valuable thing in the world?"

"Fate locks?" It didn't take her a moment to answer.

"Right," Wang Yushen nodded. "And do you know what makes Fate locks so valuable?"

"Because they give a way to cultivate spirit art," Wang Li said, uncertain why Grandma was asking such a basic question. There was probably a lesson at the end. She couldn't wait to get there.

"And does the fate-lock cease to exist after that?"

"No."

"Tell me, can a fate lock be destroyed?"

"Not by any normal means, as far as I'm aware."

Wang Yushen held an expression that said: There you have it, do I need to explain more?

"So you're asking me why I'm willing to spend a tremendous sum to buy an almost indestructible item which can give a path to our family from generation to generation?"

Wang Li bit her lips. 'As always, Grandma's thoughts run deep. She always thinks of her family ahead of herself.' Still, she wasn't certain if it was the right move. Such wealth was almost a third of everything grandma owned.

"How much can we liquid out on short notice?" Grandma Wang asked.

"I can't give you the exact number," Wang Li said, calculating in her head. "About ten thousand gold marks, at best."

"I still owe a few thousand more to some people," Grandma Yushen said. "That's still half the price . . . Come to my room later with all the accounting. We'll decide then."

_________

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