The Great Crestmaster

A moment later the pain vanished and the world looked very clear to him. The feelings he was experiencing now were ethereal and he couldn't put them to words. Aldrich looked around and didn't notice anything different about him.

At last Aldrich released himself from the slightly magical feeling and returned to business. He picked up one of the many coin pouches and emptied its contents save for three silver coins. He planned to bring these three with him.

Last time he successfully brought back ten silver coins but that was not the end of the matter. Why did he have to give up six orbs to bring back ten silver coins? What was the rule behind that?

Now that he thought about it, did Isger bring the sword to the Nightmare Corridor in the same way he brought the coin pouch to the real world?

Did he use essence like Aldrich did? There was much that he didn't know about Isger. That fateful day Isger made him sleep and go into the nightmare corridor using some strange candle. He told him to keep looking into the candle flame.

A candle, another candle. Why a candle what were all those things in the secret basement in Isger's house. What happened to the basement? Did the True Saint's Folk find it? Are the two candles related? Both candles were kept in basements too.

He wanted to return and get Isger's things but even that was too hard for him to do at this point. Anyway all these mysteries will be answered when he returns Isger's soul to his body.

It could be weight, the heavier the material he wanted to bring the more he had to pay. Another possibility was that the price was fixed, meaning that to bring anything back he simply had to pay six orbs no matter what.

It could also be something that he hadn't even thought of yet.

This called for a more calculated experiment. Right now he had four essence orbs in total and he needed two for himself. This left only two orbs to carry the three silver coins.

This will determine if it was the weight rule or the fixed amount rule.

Aldrich feared that there might be some kind of backlash of attempting to bring back something without having enough essence orbs. But he couldn't just do nothing he could only hope that it wouldn't kill him.

Before leaving Aldrich took one last look at his new attributes,

Name: Aldrich

Age: 15.5

Strength: 3

Agility: 3

Endurance: 3

Vitality: 3

Intelligence: 3

Spirit (black): 4

Essence: 4

Ether: 2

Abilities: eyes of insight Lv.1

Condition: blood of ######

Aldrich returned back to his new bed, still in nighttime. He felt around his left hand and took out the coin pouch. His essence orbs were reduced to zero. However there was another change he saw in his attributes.

The feeling just now after his spirit was upgraded was similar to what he felt when he was tested in the academy but it was much fainter, this time it left an aftertaste that made him thirsty. Odd.

Ether had increased to two after he upgraded spirit. Yes, the ether attribute wasn't there at first it just appeared after he upgraded spirit to three. And now it changed again, this confirmed that it was closely connected with the spirit attribute.

The explanation behind it was just question marks. Aldrich decided to ask Ayemon about it. This attribute must be connected to Crestmasters otherwise it wouldn't make sense.

Another thing was the coin pouch. This time he brought three silver coins for two orbs. He didn't experience any discomfort or anything unusual, this could only mean that it was fine. But if it that was true then how did he bring ten coins for six essence orbs?

If the calculations were correct this time then wouldn't that mean that six orbs should be enough for only nine coins?

There was another possibility, that the value of essence orbs increased exponentially as more orbs were used in a single transaction.

Just like upgrading an attribute from one to two took four orbs and upgrading from two to three took eight orbs. This meant that six orbs could have allowed him to take more that ten coins.

The experiment wasn't finished yet, next time he will try to take something other than coins to the real world. It's just that the loss of his hard earned essence orbs made his heart ache.

But if he wanted to learn more about the nightmare realm and the seal of Tindalor, to be able to utilize his resources to the fullest potential he needed to make some sacrifices here and there.

Good thing he was going to start hunting in the Sunken valley tomorrow, this will give him an extra source of essence orbs. Aldrich put the coin pouch on the table besides the bed and went to sleep.

The next morning Aldrich got up and washed his face with the cold water from the water pitcher. Then he waited. But even after a some time the maids didn't bring the bath water. That's when he remembered he didn't have maids.

He wasn't living in Ayemon's mansion or lodging in an inn, he was living on his own. This revelation made Aldrich sigh in resignation. Deciding that there was no point in mopping around he put on some clothes.

Aldrich found some empty barrels in a small room in the kitchen. He took the barrel and went out. He didn't forget to lock the door. Downstairs he saw may men lining up with similar barrels.

After some back and forth Aldrich discovered that there was a well in the building's backyard. That's where the residents drew their drinking and bathing water. They were standing in a line because only four people could use the well at once.

Aldrich waited in line and he didn't wait long, when it was his turn he saw that there was a pulley installed into the well. He just had to attach the clamps around the barrel and the contraption did the rest.

Aldrich took the water and he left some for drinking, the rest he poured into a big basin and heated it over the fire place. After ten minutes he removed the basin when he thought the water was warm enough.

Next he wore his clothes, and combed his hair. Aldrich locked the door behind him and made his way out of the building, by the gate he saw Brozas and he gave him a quick greeting.

Aldrich stopped a private carriage and waited on the way to Ayemon's mansion. A few minutes later he greeted the guards patrolling the mansion's gate. The guards let him in with a smile.

Aldrich knocked on the door and a manservant opened the door and walked with him to the dinning room. Aldrich found Ayemon munching on mashed potatoes.

"You're a little late aren't you?" Ayemon said, by way of greeting.

"Yeah well, it seems I got used to being pampered by maids."

"Well that happens. Take a seat."

Aldrich did and a servant came in with plates of food and arranged them on Aldrich's side of the table. Aldrich first took a few gulps of orange juice before he attacked the mashed potatoes and bacon.

"By the way does every house and building have their own wells?" Aldrich asked in between bites.

"That's right." Ayemon said and his tone was asking if that wasn't obvious.

"That doesn't make any sense, how could there be so many wells in the same area?"

"Ah, I see what you're talking about. These are man-made wells not natural wells. You see the water of the Yongar river is redirected to a specific underground Infrastructure. This infrastructure is one of the reasons why cities can even exist. An efficient sewage system is one of them. Thank god for that right?"

"Yeah, that's greatly appreciated." To be honest Aldrich was surprised that the different between living standers between villages and cities was that stark. It was like the big cities existed in a different world altogether.

Aldrich washed his hands after he was done with his meal.

"So what are you going to do today?"

"Didn't you say that I should go hunting today in the sunken valley? Or should I go meet the instructor now? It's the morning he shouldn't be drunk now right?"

"He's always drunk. I think the night is a better time for that. So do you have any experience in hunting?"

"I do I've been hunting in the woods by the village with the hunters I've helped many times. I know how to track animals and to hide my own tracks."

"Not bad, at least you have something to start with. What's you're weapon of choice?"

"I'm good with the bow but lately I feel that my skills with the sword have been coming along nicely."

"Very good. Norge will give you an armor set, when you go hunting you must have it on. Regardless of how uncomfortable it may feel, this acts as protection and training at the same time."

"As you are an adventurer now albeit an independent one, you must understand that, out there anything can happen, your life could end in an instant."

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