Aygorzi, Merriheim.

11:10 a.m. 18th Banem 1092

Absalon traveled through Aygorzi's streets on horseback and marveled at the ongoing construction all over the city. The development speed of new buildings reminded the magician that this was indeed a gaming world. There was no way these feats would be possible in real life.

In regards to construction, the dwarfs had chosen to incrementally develop the city as it was far too large to create all at once. Hence, about three-quarters of the entire outer region was temporarily walled off, while numerous residential and commercial buildings populated the remaining sector.

A structure suddenly blocked out the afternoon sunlight. Absalon looked up and let out a wry smile as he admired the overhead pass. He could not see it from his position, but there were tracks on that pass for trains which the dwarfs intended on fully releasing in a week or two. Interestingly, however, most of the train tracks were laid underground.

Absalon turned his sight from the overhead pass when he passed by it, and his attention was instead caught by a large building which hundreds of people were busily rushing in and out of. If Kashi were here, he would have recognized the dome-like structure to be a replica of the Emporium in Meilfour. It turns out Miote had not been satisfied with having an Emporium at Meilfour and decided to make it a franchise located in every major city.

The Emporium, which acted as this world's version of a mall, housed stores from several dozen artisans and artists. One could find almost anything they wanted, be it food, jewelry, clothing or armor. Within these shops, the most popular were those who had the Maggot logo affixed to them, as these were the products which were usually made with the highest quality materials and enhanced with the best runes. The Maggots, armed with Kashi's runes and the recently acquired daebens' runic proficiency, had shot light years ahead of the competition.

Miote, that crafty cat, had seen the opportunity to expand following the battle and quickly paid the dwarfs a significant sum to have the Emporium built. The effect of having this structure in the newly developing city soon reared its head. Everyone in Aygorzi, be they dwarfs or immigrants soon identified themselves with the building as they could find almost everything they needed in one place.

As for how profitable this business was for the Maggots? The building's construction cost about 25 million Syros, an exorbitant sum only made possible because of the firm business foundations laid down by Miote and Leila. The guild's daily income from its several businesses and the 5% contribution tax on its members all summed up to over 1.5 million Syros a day. However, after paying several workers and soldiers (A.K.A Absalon's army), the actual profit was about 500,000 Syros.

This was without adding the cheat code that was Lunette Falsetto. This young woman's concerts were always sold out, drawing in about 300,000 Syros from a steady crowd of about 60,000 adoring fans.

To put it in simple terms, 25 million Syros might be a mighty, unreasonable sum for most guilds, but under Miote's leadership, 25 million could quickly be recouped in a few months. However, Miote had never been one to wait that long to make a profit. Most of the shops in the new Emporium were affiliated with the Maggots. The Maggots taught the artisans how to use unique runes to improve their crafts as well as new, trendy designs. These artisans would then give 10% of their total income to the guild.

Alternatively, there were those artisans who asked the Maggots to not only teach them but also provide the materials for their crafts. Miote naturally used his connections with Joanna Frye, leader of the mercenary guild, Fang & Blade to transport the items farmed by the Maggots to the artisans. Unlike the previous set, these artisans had a 70-30% split in favor of the Maggots.

With all these in place, the Emporium regular businesses currently made an average daily profit of about 200,000 Syros, which was sure to improve as more residents flocked to Merriheim. However, if anyone thought that was all there was to this Emporium, they did not know Miote that well. Since Meilfour had the cheat code that was Lunette, the Cheshire sought to create a cheat code of his own in Aygorzi.

That cheat code came in the form of an arena situated at the stadium's center. The allure of this arena was the opportunity for enemies or competitors to settle their differences in a controlled environment. The competitors paid a small fee and were allowed to combat each other in the arena. The choice of whether to have a life-and-death match or a regular fight was up to the participants.

The bulk of the profits from this particular feature was a combination of the modest entrance fee, and the gambling ring set up to compliment each fight. No matter what world it was, there lived people who believed in Lady Luck. What's more, in this world where a single mishap could end the life of an adventurer, the thrill of something simple like a gambling match was too mouth-watering.

Absalon shook his head as he dismounted and handed his stallion to a valet who gave him an identification card in return. The general had come to the Emporium precisely because of this feature. First, this was a great place to scout potential recruits, but more importantly, the Opening Event was something even Absalon could not help but be excited.

Why?

Miote had concluded that the opening fight for the arena had to be a blockbuster event. So, who, in all the world did he pick? Some renowned warriors or high-level bounty hunters?

No.
Absalon was greeted by a staff who escorted him upstairs to a VIP section that overlooked the arena. In the real world, this might have made it difficult to keep track of the small figures fighting on the surface, but who above level 50 had not enhanced their eyesight in one war or another? While he would never be able to compare with the vision of true ranged classes like archers, all Absalon needed to do was inject a little mana into his eyes, and with the help of a mid-level spell, he could easily make out the hairs on a fly 50m away.

The General's brows twitched as he felt the ground shaking from the collective roars of the audience. They seemed to be chanting a few words in unison, and their excitement and enthusiasm traveled throughout the building — what a devious design. Even if someone were not interested in the fight, the vibrations beneath their feet would attract all but the strongest-willed men and women.

Absalon decided to stop admiring Miote's dastardly money-making schemes. He could feel his militaristic mentality being tainted. The staff showed Absalon to a small balcony-like room with a thick, transparent glass that was said to be capable of withstanding an lv.150 meteor spell. He took a seat on the comfy chair and accepted a cup of wine from a waiter.

Absalon took a sip of the wine and could not help but admit that, if he was not careful, he too could become addicted to such a lifestyle. The General then took the time to gaze at the arena below. Well, he called it an arena, but it was more like a field the size of four football fields. The earth had been modified, so it was red, dry and cracked with a small breeze that raised dust and occasionally shrouded portions of the stage.

This was another allure of this arena. In the age of magic, Miote saw no reason why every battle should have the same map. Hence, the Emporium hired high-level magicians to reshape the environment to create different biomes. Sixteen equally-spaced gates were situated in the walls surrounding the arena. It didn't take a genius to realize that these were the entrances for the participants.

"What's that!?"

The arena suddenly erupted in loud shouts, and Absalon followed the sights of the stunned waitress next to him. Upon seeing the source of the commotion, Absalon let out a wry smile. "Miote, you crafty fox."

A small boat floated above the arena, slowly descending into view. A large mertian man dressed in a handsome, black three-piece suit, stood at the bow, with an oar in hand, making it seem like he was paddling through the clouds. The crowd lost it when they saw the mertian reach out his hand and help a petite figure rise from the boat.

The figure was revealed to a dangerously beautiful female halben. Ghost-white pale skin contrasted against dark lips and a slim-fitted black, elegant dress that enhanced her curves. If Kashi were here, he would have needed to wash his eyes a few times before believing what he was witnessing.

Jade looked down at the packed arena as a microphone appeared in her hand. Unlike Lunette, she didn't have the [Amplification] skill. "YO! Hello there! My hot-blooded men and women!"

It was fine when she didn't talk. The moment Jade opened her mouth, the arena instantly fell silent. The shock was too much! This ethereal-looking woman. They had been expecting a beautiful, soft-spoken presentation. What then was this boisterous performance?

Jade, as if expecting the reaction, did not look phased. She chuckled as she placed an arm on her waist and placed her right leg on the boat's gunwale. "What's up!? Were you guys expecting some dainty princess?" Jade laughed as she shrugged and said, "Well sorry to disappoint you guys. I'm all you get."

Something had to be said about the infectious nature of Jade's laughter. Over three-quarters of the arena joined her, while the remaining chuckled under their breaths.

"Without wasting any more of your time," Jade continued in an excited tone. "Let's commence the opening of The Champion's Arena with its first two contestants." On cue, two gates on opposite ends of the arena slid open. White smoke belched from the entrance, out of which two vague silhouettes slowly emerged accompanied by the sound of loud drums.

Jade grinned as she gestured at the east entrance, "Elegance in Strength. Everyone welcome the handsome Prince of our Hearts, Shokō!"

"WHOOO!!!"

The arena burst into cheers as the smoke peeled away to reveal the handsome Shokō, in her usual blue jacket, oozing the air of a prince descended upon the mortal realm. Her left arm rested on the hilt of the katana strapped to her waist, while her right hand clasped across her chest in a warrior's salute. Both men and women alike swooned in their seats as she let out a loose smile and bowed.

Jade laughed as she then gestured at the west entrance. "Madness, Chaos, Pandemonium. The man who embodies every living being's instinctual desire to flee; everyone remember to avoid the Crazy Vampire Lord, Syèl Rifatora."

The cheers in the stadium instantly died down as an eerie violin played over the speakers. The mood turned sinister as flames erupted within the smoke. Syèl walked out from the fire, dressed in a simple T-shirt and pants. The halben's wild, snowy hair billowed in the wind as he gazed at the swordswoman with an eerie grin.

Jade quickly ran through the rules for the tournament. Well, there wasn't much anyway. No external help, and no killing allowed. With these simple rules established, Jade happily waved her hand to commence the battle.

Syèl looked around the stadium with a loose grin, then looked at Shokō who was quite a distance from him. The swordswoman began to take slow but steady steps towards him, her unwavering gaze seemingly holding some conviction he could not yet decipher, and a bit of a grudge. Well, Syèl could not blame her too much. He had purposely avoided her ever since he told her the truth about his past. As to why, he did not have that answer. Was he ashamed? No, it wasn't that.

More importantly, Syèl decided he would have to deal with Jade later. That girl had lied to him, saying he would fight a rare monster. What part of Shokō was a rare monster? Okay, wait. Maybe she was.

"Hey."

Syèl flinched and then looked at the woman who had called him out.

With narrowed eyes, Shokō said, "Pay attention. This'll hurt a bit..."