Argent and Ryn stepped back up to the acquisitions counter, handing over the slip of paper Hank had given them. The counter manager, took it quickly from them and read it over.
She read halfway down the page…
Stopped.
Blinked.
Read it again.
Then a third time, slower.
"…one moment, please."
She pulled a narrow crystal-pen from behind her ear, tapped the paper twice, calculations shimmering in the air above it.
Finally, she exhaled through her nose and said, "As per the posted bonus for this specific request, I can offer 16,752 merits for this haul."
Ryn's eyebrows rose. Argent's did too.
The woman added, "Since this… single shipment meets the remaining quota and lets us shut the bonus off early…" She flicked her wrist and the number changed.
"…I'll round it up to 16,800 merits."
Argent glanced at Ryn.
Ryn glanced at Argent.
They gave matching, slightly stunned nods.
"Perfect," Argent said.
The woman folded her hands. "How would you like it split?"
Argent hesitated. "We've got six others in our group. We're still new to all this. How do we transfer merits between each other?"
The woman stared at him like he'd just announced he was a rock or at least lived under one.
"You brought in nearly a thousand pounds of crystalline ore," she said flatly. "And you don't know how to transfer merits?"
Ryn blushed. Argent rubbed the back of his neck. The woman sighed.
"When two people shake hands, you simply think transfer and the amount. Just like you would when interacting with the stones around the city."
"Oh," Argent said, as if this was perfectly normal and not something someone should have told them a week ago.
Ryn stepped up. "In that case, we'll split it evenly. Give me 2,100, and the rest goes to Argent. He'll distribute it to everyone later."
"Very well."
Ryn placed her hand on the blue-glowing transfer stone.
[2,100 Merits Received]
Argent followed, placing his hand down after her.
[14,700 Merits Received]
The numbers hit his mind like a bucket of cold water.
This still doesn't feel real
Before he could drift too long, Ryn leaned forward slightly.
"I know this probably isn't your department," she said carefully, "but… hypothetically, if we wanted to buy a lodging big enough for eight people, would we do that through the Ledger?"
The manager blinked, recalibrating. Then nodded.
"Yes. The Ledger owns, manages, and sells most buildings within the city. There are plenty of vacant districts, entire sectors no one lives in, as most people choose to spend their time in the provinces fighting." She said this like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Would you be looking to rent or buy?"
"Buy," Argent said instantly. "Renting just feels like letting someone hold something over us. In a world like this… I'd rather have something that's ours."
The manager arched a brow, impressed. Then:
"One moment. I'll make some inquiries. And this actually works well, I wanted to request something from your group anyway."
She pressed her hand onto a second stone, this one tinted gold. A humming sound filled the air.
"This is Acquisitions requesting residential pricing for an eight-person dwelling in one of the outlying districts… Yes, that far out is fine… Price range? …Ah. I see. Yes. Good."
More murmurs, more hums of affirmation.
Finally, she released her hand. The glow faded.
Then she folded her arms and regarded them seriously.
"I'm going to be frank. You've completed dungeon runs successfully. That is… rare. Most people avoid the dungeon entirely."
"We noticed," Argent said dryly.
"So, here's my request."
She leaned in, voice lowering.
"Deeper in the crystalline caverns where you obtained your ore, the spiders weave webbing. That webbing is incredibly valuable, used in high-grade clothing and armor. Flexible. Fire-resistant. Extremely strong. And extremely hard to collect."
She tapped the counter.
"We usually hire mercenary groups like the Iron Chorus, but they're all tied up in the current fortress push. And we're running dangerously low."
Ryn straightened. "How much… webbing are you asking for?"
"Eight hundred pounds."
Ryn's began trying to imagine how much spider web would be needed to hit that much weight.
But the woman raised a finger.
"And one more thing."
"Of course," Argent muttered.
She continued: "Have you gone down the left path on the first dungeon floor yet?"
They both shook their heads.
"That path leads to sporewood sentinels. Fungus-bark constructs. When they die, they leave behind cores. Different colors. Different uses."
She tapped the counter again, each tap sharp.
"I need forty orange cores. They're used in armor reinforcement."
Argent exhaled through his teeth. "Eight hundred pounds of spider webbing… and forty bark-fungus heart things."
"Yes."
She tapped the counter again, then leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice as if sharing privileged information.
"In exchange, we will provide you with a building. Large enough to house a small faction, certainly more than eight people. It includes a storehouse, several little side buildings, and a good amount of land around it."
Argent blinked. "…that sounds far above what we were expecting."
"Yes. Which is why I'll be upfront."
Her eyes shifted to the side, then back.
"It is priced far lower than a structure of this size should be, because of a… superstition."
She did not elaborate.
Her tone made it clear she didn't want to elaborate.
Ryn frowned. "Superstition?"
The woman waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing concrete. Rumors, nothing more. But because of that, it is the only property in your price range capable of housing a group of your size."
She leaned back, regaining the formal posture of a practiced administrator.
"Regardless of the rumors, the building itself is structurally sound, secure, and spacious. Given your circumstances, it is the best option available."
Argent and Ryn exchanged a long look, both knowing full well that "nothing concrete" and "superstition" meant it could be something, but they were both tired of sleeping on the ground.
Ryn exhaled. "Well… space is good."
Argent shrugged. "And we're used to dungeons. How bad could a superstition be?"
Ryn nodded. "It's… a lot of materials to gather. But doable."
Argent shrugged. "I planned on going back into the dungeon anyway. Might as well get paid for it."
The woman smiled, the first real smile they'd seen in the building.
"Good. Then I look forward to your return."
Argent and Ryn stepped to the side of the hall, speaking quietly about the idea of owning a house a real place to live, somewhere stable, something none of them had expected to even think about in this world.
Ryn thinking of how different it would be from her dirt and straw bed. "A storehouse… land… a faction-sized building… It feels unreal."
Argent nodded. "We'll need bunk space, room for gear, maybe training areas. It… actually fits."
Before she could reply, the acquisitions manager's monotone greeting drifted over the murmuring crowd:
"Welcome to the Ledger. Please state the nature of your visit."
A familiar voice followed.
"I'd like to sell crystalline ore for the bonus."
Argent and Ryn both looked up.
Dragging a bulging sack, complaining with every scrape across the polished marble floor, was the Hollow Crown recruiter, the one who'd been hounding newcomers in the outskirts for days.
Ryn whispered, "Oh no…"
Argent grinned. "Oh yes."
The recruiter slapped the sack onto the counter with a grunt. "There. three spider's worth, now give me the bonus you advertised."
The acquisitions manager didn't even blink.
"Sir, I'm sorry. The bonus has just been closed. The quota was met."
The recruiter froze.
"…What?"
She repeated calmly, "The quota has been met."
He sputtered, "You said the bonus was running for three more weeks! You can't take it back! This is the Ledger, you're supposed to keep your word! I already paid the new recruits for this ore based on the bonus!"
"If you had read the contract fully," she said without a hint of sympathy, "you would have noted it was listed as 'three weeks or until quota was met,' whichever came first."
His face went red.
"And," she continued, "are you stating that you did not acquire this ore personally? If this is ore obtained by new recruits in your faction, we can directly transfer payment to the Hollow Crown's recorded account, unless you are admitting to being an unauthorized middleman. In which case, we must apply the standard middleman surcharge."
He froze again. Harder, this time.
Because if they paid the Hollow Crown directly, he wouldn't receive a single merit, and the new recruits would get off being paid with nothing going to him.
But if he admitted he was a middleman… the surcharge would cut deeply into what profit he had left, especially with the bonus gone.
He slammed his hand on the counter.
"FINE! Just, just pay it. Apply the stupid charge."
The manager nodded and completed the transfer without emotion.
After the number dinged in confirmation, he leaned in sharply.
"Then tell me this: which faction claimed the bonus?"
The manager adjusted her glasses.
"It was not a faction. Just a group of individuals."
He scoffed. "Bull... No way some random group of strays got that much ore!"
"Hey."
The recruiter stiffened instantly.
Argent stepped forward, hands in his pockets, wearing the most annoyingly casual smile imaginable.
"Ugly face."
The recruiter's eye twitched.
"Oh, you..."
"Yes," Argent said calmly. "It was me who sold the ore. Got a problem?"
The man's whole body trembled with barely suppressed rage. Remembering the humiliation of Ember calling him that name before, the merits he'd lost, the surcharge, it all exploded at once.
He drew his sword.
"You little!"
Before he could take a single step, two shadows moved.
A broad-chested man stepped in front of him.
A taller, sharp-shouldered woman stepped behind him.
Both wore the red, gold and white insignia of the Ledger.
"Sir," the man said firmly, "you have been paid."
The woman added, "And you are a representative of the Hollow Crown. Attempting violence inside the Ledger is grounds for removal. You will come with us."
The recruiter spluttered but the woman already had a hand on his shoulder, steering him toward the exit.
He shot one last glare over his shoulder.
"This isn't over! I'll get you back for this!"
Argent just smiled, almost kindly.
"Looking forward to it."
The doors shut behind him.
The Ledger returned to its orderly hum as if nothing had happened at all.
Ryn looked at Argent with a mix of disbelief and amusement.
"…Ugly face?"
He shrugged.
"Ember started it."
She laughed, quiet but bright, and together they walked out of the acquisitions hall.