Jeeves appeared in the living room and said, "Sir, your looted items sold for 2 tier-6 mana crystals." Not great, but none of it had been spectacular.

My butler added, "Sythrak was quite beside himself with excitement when he inspected the ironwood planks. Apparently they are in extreme demand right now, and he offered to purchase as many as you have, with a bonus if you can provide more than 10. He also returned your repaired Scaled Wam shirt and insisted there would be no charge."

I chuckled, rubbing my hands together. I had way more than ten planks. Throwing in the free shirt repair meant Sythrak really wanted this deal. "So, what is Sythrak offering?"

Jeeves said, "For the legendary living ironwood planks, he can offer 20 tier-7 mana crystals per plank, and one tier-6 crystal for each epic-quality plank. If you have at least 100 of the epic planks, he has a buyer willing to pay an additional 50% bonus for up to 500 of them."

Steve's jaw dropped, while Ruby laughed with delight. I did too as I ran the numbers in my head. They were astonishing. The 72 legendary planks would rack up a whopping 14 tier-9 mana crystals, plus another 4 tier-8 crystals, or 14.4 billion crystals! That was before the bonuses. The 3000 epic planks would rack up another 3 tier-9 crystals. The numbers seemed impossible. Could Sythrak really buy them all?

My inventory already included 4 tier-7 mana crystals, each worth 10 million. I hadn't yet acquired enough for any tier-8, and tier-9 hadn't even crossed my mind yet. Those ironwood planks really had been the major loot prize from killing the Colossus.

"How can he offer so much?"

"I know. I feel like we could buy out the entire store with so many crystals," Ruby laughed.

Jeeves's face remained as unflappable as ever. "If I may, sir. When epic or legendary-tiered equipment becomes available, Sythrak warns their prices will rise exponentially beyond the rare items you have purchased to date. Given what Sythrak said of the rarity of living ironwood in the multiverse, his offer might be less generous than it first appears."

"The multiverse is an insane place," Steve exclaimed. "Who would pay hundreds of millions of mana crystals for a single plank of wood, even if it is a pretty big one?"

Cyrus chose to interject for the first time, his voice echoing around the room, yet still soft, as if he was lounging right next to me. "The multiverse is more enormous than you can comprehend as a lowly tier-0 baby human. The highest-tier planets dwarf Arasha by many magnitudes of power and size. The mightiest beings on those mightiest planets have often lived for centuries, or longer, and have accumulated wealth you could not comprehend. When they want something, but cannot get it due to lack of availability, they can pay more than the entire worth of your precious Earth, or Arasha, or both combined, should they choose."

Ruby and Steve were both gaping at the chair where Cyrus's voice came from. My mind whirled. He'd confirmed much of what Noctarus had suggested in our first training session about various tiers of planets, with increasing power levels. We were indeed still thinking in terms of what we'd seen so far on Arasha, or compared to what we knew back on Earth.

I'd never heard of a single person acquiring more than a few billion dollars on Earth, and that was extremely rare. From what Cyrus was saying, billions might be nothing but a drop in a very large bucket once one delved into the greater multiverse.

"So how do we end up with materials on this planet that are so rare and valuable elsewhere? Wasn't Arasha only recently created?"

"You never fail to jump into the heart of the matter, Lucas. Great question. Take this for your next party."

A small coin-shaped token appeared in the air in front of me, and I grabbed it just as Identify triggered.

"Party Time token. Unique. Apply to any experience-based item in your inventory and enjoy up to 3 hours of that experience with up to 5 friends in a time bubble while only 1 second transpires in the real world. Uses remaining: 10."

"What does that mean?" Steve asked, frowning at the token.

"Wow! Thanks, Cyrus. This is perfect. I knew you'd come through for me." I flicked the little token into the air and caught it again, then explained about my Ten Thousand Movies experience.

"Why haven't you ever mentioned you had access to movies?" Ruby exclaimed.

I shrugged. "I thought only I could watch them, and I didn't have time."

"Now we do," Steve chortled, rubbing his hands. "Tonight is movie night."

"Actually, tonight is probably hunting night, but we could watch one after we're done here, I guess. We get 10 uses and up to 6 people."

"When I invite Susan over, we'll have 4," Steve said. "Close enough for now. Just an intimate little double date."

"We'll have to invite Tomas and Jane next time," Ruby said, ignoring Steve's comment completely.

"They'll love it."

Steve chuckled. "Too bad you only get 10 uses, or you could sell movie passes for a lot."

Cyrus interjected. "Back to your question, Lucas. When a game world is created, a wide array of materials are contributed from top-tiered worlds all across the multiverse. Vast amounts of energy are expended generating the game and everything inside of it. Part of the process includes generating random materials and loot, so it is statistically far more likely to discover something rare and valuable on a game planet than on an established world."

"Seems like a weird way to do things," Ruby said.

"There are reasons," Cyrus responded.

"Okay," I said slowly as I puzzled through the information. "It still doesn't make sense that someone from a high-tiered planet would want wood from a tier-0 game world, even if it's a rare item. I don't know how many tiers of planets there are, but if each tier is 10 times more powerful or has mana 10 times denser, the items won't survive there, no matter how good they are."

Ruby and Steve followed along raptly. They hadn't learned as much about world tiers as I had.

Cyrus chuckled. "For most loot you pick up on Arasha, your understanding is correct. However, very high quality items have something special, known as Potential. Your Identify spells do not mention potential since it does not affect you. However, an item with high growth potential, like those planks, can be upgraded for an additional fee. The ultimate tier an item can upgrade to depends on their potential. Those planks have nearly unlimited potential, hence the high value."

Steve whistled softly. "So in that case, even though to us it looks like they're paying us an insane amount, if they're on a tier-7 world, for example, a single mana crystal for them could be worth a tier-7 mana crystal for us. So for them, the price is cheap."

"Correct," Cyrus said. "The purchase price would be the lowest cost they would incur, while the upgrade cost grows with each tier."

Ruby flashed a grin at Steve. "Huh. You're not as clueless as you like to pretend."

"Hey!" he objected.

Before they could get us distracted too much, I asked, "Do people have potential too?"

"Ooh, good question," Ruby said.

The sound of crowds cheering and clapping echoed through the room, then Cyrus said, "The potential of inducted people is among the highest of anything in the multiverse."

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"So we could buy upgrades to higher tiers? Maybe go visit a higher-tier world sometime?" Steve asked.

I grinned. So close to the truth.

Cyrus chuckled. "Tier evolutions are not purchased, but earned. You will learn more about that in due time."

Not as much as I'd hoped he'd share, but it was a start. I really wanted hints into how many tiers might exist in the multiverse so I asked, "What tier is the buyer at?"

Unfortunately, Cyrus did not elaborate. Typical.

Turning to Jeeves, I asked, "Will you tell Sythrak I am willing to accept his offer and sell 72 legendary-quality living ironwood planks and 3000 epic quality ironwood planks on one condition. I want him to reserve out 3 of the living ironwood planks and possibly a few of the epic quality planks to commission a custom order for each of us as part of his payment."

"What kind of custom order?" Ruby asked.

Steve leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up on the table with a sigh. "Something legendary, of course. You know, Lucas, that floating luxury yacht of yours gives me an idea. If we're going to get something legendary, I'd like a floating archery platform with advanced camouflage, epic amenities, extreme shielding, and at least some mobility both to ascend and move laterally."

"That would be incredible."

He clasped his hands behind his head, looking pleased. "Just the thing for a teammate of the man who takes soothing lava baths."

Ruby said, "Well, if we're going to ask for the moon, then I want something similar, but more like a mobile trauma unit. Flying would be great, but the most important elements are beds for my patients and extreme defense, particularly while healing. My bastion ability helps, but it's not enough all the time."

"I love it." Both ideas fit them perfectly.

I didn't need mobility. I already had that covered between Switchblade and my observation platform. "We're all on the same page. I'm also thinking defense, which seemed like one of the greatest powers of the Colossus. It was immune to most forms of physical and elemental attack."

Glancing at Jeeves, I added, "So I'd like a legendary shield. Perhaps adjustable in size, with self repair. Something that will help me survive against really tough monsters."

"Excellent choices. I will convey your offer and your requests to Sythrak. Did you wish to select a new melee weapon from the options Sythrak provided?"

I totally forgot about that. "Yeah, I'd love to see them."

"He insisted these represent the finest items available on short notice." Jeeves gestured, and 5 glowing weapons appeared hovering in the air, with descriptions written in glowing golden letters. I had to smile as I read the text.

"Titanbreaker Warhammer. Rare."

"This massive hammer is enchanted to strike with double the user's strength, with a 25% chance to trigger Knockback to stagger even the mightiest foe. Once per fight, unleash Titan's Wrath."

"Titan's Wrath. Ability. Rare. Temporarily increase the wielder's size by 25% and add 200% additional pure kinetic energy."

"Rundak's Crushing Mace. Rare."

"Crafted in tribute to Rundak Ironrend's famously overwhelming strength, the oversized mace head is weighted with enchanted stone, and wrapped in nearly indestructible embersteel. Delivers the equivalent of an additional 50% of the wielder's Strength as spiritual shock damage. Once per hour, trigger Unstoppable Force."

"Unstoppable Force. Ability. Rare. Double attack momentum while becoming immune to knockback."

"Stormrend Greatsword. Rare."

"This massive, two-handed blade crackles with storm energy, and every strike unleashes a level-5 Chain Lightning attack that deals massive amounts of additional lightning damage across up to 5 enemies. Once every 5 minutes, unleash Thunderclap."

"Thunderclap. Ability. Uncommon. Deliver a ground-shaking shockwave to unbalance and disorient foes."

"Earthshaker Maul. Rare."

"Only the mightiest warriors can wield this 3000 pound maul that channels the power of the earth and grants unshakable footing. The expandable haft allows the wielder to smash down even distant foes. Once per minute, trigger Tremor Strike."

"Tremor Strike. Ability. Uncommon. Create a fissure up to 3 yards long and 3 feet deep under your opponent's feet"

"Inferno Fang Scimitar. Rare."

"This elegant, curved blade, imbued with fire, leaves trails of flame with every swing and delivers lingering burn damage with every cut. Once every 10 minutes, may use Breath of Inferno."

"Breath of Inferno. Ability. Uncommon. Unleash an expanding cone of fire up to 10 yards that causes severe burn wounds that resist healing."

Now that was an arsenal. Would the warhammer's ability stack with the extra power buff of my Hammer Strike spell? If so, that could give me a huge force multiplier. The mace sounded like it would be brutal, and the greatsword's chain lightning effect really appealed to the Diablo II player in me. That had been one of my favorite spells in the game. The maul sounded absolutely devastating.

Although I loved blades, the scimitar appealed less. I did get a big boost while using fire, but I already had 2 rare blades. Another one didn't seem like what I was looking for.

Steve whistled softly as he paced around the table, inspecting the slowly rotating images of the brutal weapons. "Tough choice. I'd take the scimitar. It would fit my build really well, and as much as I prefer ranged combat, a better up-close-and-personal blade is not a bad idea."

"I'm going to pass on that one. You're welcome to it."

"Done," Steve said.

"I will procure the item for you, master Steve."

I didn't ask Jeeves if he intended to pay for it out of my funds. Steve was a guest in my house, so Jeeves probably would. Not that I minded. I had plenty of money and I doubted that scimitar would drain my funds too much. Steve didn't ask about the price. We could settle up later, if we had to.

"So what about you?" Ruby asked me.

I didn't answer right away. As much as I wanted the chain-lightning effect, I could already do similar things with my lightning-infused cubes. That left the warhammer, the mace, and the maul. They all had things I liked, and all of them fit my requirements exceptionally well.

The hammer magnified strength and could sometimes add another 200% pure kinetic energy. The mace lacked that strength boost, but added the direct spiritual shock damage. That could really destabilize an enemy, and would probably work even against ethereal monsters. The maul's expandable haft offered the reach I needed for fighting giant monsters. I'd wished for that more than once over the past couple days.

After a long moment of thought, I indicated the three finalists. Can you bring me these to see in person? And find out the price for each of them?"

"Of course, my lord."

"Please also pick up enough crystal throwing daggers to top off my sets to 500."

"I will see it done."

After he left, Ruby crossed her arms and sighed. "You're going to buy all 3 of those insane weapons, aren't you?"

"I never said that."

She shook her head slowly, and Steve added, "With how fast you burn through weapons, it's not a bad idea. They all sound perfect for smashing Alpha's head in."

"Yeah. We need to talk about that, but I just remembered something else. I've got another upgrade I need to apply."

"What have you been waiting for?" Steve exclaimed.

I told them about the Colossus heart gem.

"Gem heart of the Ironwood Colossus. Epic. This extremely valuable artifact of a fallen titan grants a unique upgrade based on the class and skills of whoever consumes it."

"Wow, that sounds amazing," Ruby said, leaning forward expectantly. When I pulled out the brightly glowing blue gemstone, her eyes widened and she started reaching for it before pulling her hand back.

"She can't resist the bling," Steve commented clinically. "Good thing you've got buckets of gemstones so she doesn't get bored with you too soon. You might want to consider spreading out the shiny gifts a bit, though."

That made Ruby laugh and I smiled as I focused on the gem heart. A prompt appeared. "Do you wish to consume the Gem Heart?"

As soon as I selected Yes, it flashed with brilliant light and a rolling drumline. Then a surge of warmth radiated through me.

"Congratulations, Lucas! Your permanent spell Energy Ward is now upgraded with components from your temporary spell Convulsion Shackles, which is lost in the process. A new synergy has been discovered between Energy Ward and Soul Feed and both spells are upgraded."

"Energy Ward. Aura. Rare. Generate an invisible defensive aura that extends 2 yards in every direction to redirect force from all incoming attacks and deal double deflected physical damage back against attackers. Enemies who remain in the affected area suffer increasing levels of restraint while being drained of life force and mana. Mana cost: minor to activate and maintain, variable depending on number and severity of deflected attacks."

"Soul Feed. Utility Spell. Unique. Absorb energy from fallen enemies to refill mana and health and supercharge all physical attributes for short periods. Designate a variable percentage of stolen energy toward party members."

"Wow. That's cool."

"What?" Ruby and Steve asked together.

I explained the new version of Energy Ward. Soul Feed hadn't changed much, only shifted the drain effects on living enemies to Energy Ward. That made sense. They knew I had an ability to harvest life and mana from defeated enemies, but not the specifics. No one knew I had a fourth utility spell, and learning about it would lead into those questions I couldn't answer.

Good thing I chose to permanent Energy Ward. I could see it becoming a central pillar of my build moving forward. The size of the protective sphere had doubled, and the description no longer limited what types of attacks it would help deflect. It sounded like I could keep the aura active longer, and it now included the drain effects that used to be part of Soul feed.

It was a good upgrade. Maybe great. Energy Ward now did a lot, which honestly simplified things for me. I'd gotten into the habit of resisting the urge to use Energy Ward until Soul Feed triggered it during a fight. Now I planned to use it a lot.

"You know, you're getting kind of scary strong," Steve said.

He was right, and only then did I realize using the upgrade in front of them might have been a bit rude. They were my team and I wanted to celebrate my advancements with them as much as I wanted to hear about theirs. Yet, I had just gotten some huge boosts along with crazy amounts of loot. I had fought and nearly died to acquire it all, and I was sharing with them, but would they worry maybe I should have offered that last upgrade to one of them to help them catch up?

Ruby flashed a warm smile, easing some of my worries. "I'm glad you're getting so strong, Lucas. You always seem to lead the charge against the bosses. Since we're on the same team, we need to figure out how to keep up."

Steve grimaced. "You had to wreck my appetite, didn't you?"

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