Chapter 981: Market [Time]
“Wait a minute, do I have to be physical present for me to identify kaijin worthy material?”
=After we poured through your memories and the internet on “drones” and “radio waves”, we managed to figure out a way to make your connection with the other kaijin a little…deeper. On a one-to-one basis though.=
“Meaning…”
“Ah…baller. In that case, Blazejudicator?”
[Wassup?]
“You and I are going to go refine cores, while…which kaijin are currently out and about?”
<=That would be Frosttusk, Screamira, Razorstella, Arachanidame and Lacerage. Kit and Rodenia are not up for consideration due to their externalized statuses.=>
“Fair enough. Now then, should I try close to home or someone distant…”
_____________________________________
[So you’re sticking with that maid get-up even on break?]
[I could say the same about your dancer look, no?]
[Aish. And they say I got the sharp tongue.]
[That’s a terrible pun, and I just speak the dead truth.]
[And that was better?]
In the market district of Stone Claw City, warmed and illuminated by the light of an afternoon desert sun, two distinctively beautiful women were walking together side-by-side.
On one side was a beautifully sharp featured woman that moved with elegance and grace, but also with gravitas and force. It was if every step she took was a demand for people to pay attention to her, and it was a demand that everyone was willing to listen to. Making her visage even more attention-grabbing, the sharp woman was dressed in an outfit similar to that of dancer, mixed with the typical high fashion of women from a certain blue dirtball in the middle of nowhere.
On the other, a curvaceous woman with a proud look one her face and a veritable mane of long, white hair, walked with this odd mix of purpose and ease that was in odds with the maid uniform she was wearing. A strange of aloofness surrounded her, making others feel that she was simultaneously looking down on them yet saw them as equals at the same time.
Either woman by themselves were already enough to turn heads and causes accidents, but putting them together got people thinking thoughts that were definitely against most holy books. Funny thing is though, that while most people saw a pair of beauties, one consisting of someone who appears to be a noble alongside their maid, nobody save a few, knew that they were actually quite…beastly.
[So, what is it exactly that the Director wants us to find?,] Razorstella(Rachel) asked her walking companion. [He was kind of vague on his words.]
[He said to items that are “meaningful”,] Samira(Screamira) replied. [Which could honestly range from…anything to anything.]
[Vague!]
[He did also say that he would be occasionally be peeking through our eyes every now and then though, so we can probably just wait until then to see what he means,] Samira assured Rachel.
[But when is-oop!]
As soon as that question entered her mind, Razorstella felt her eyes grow out for a split second, as she saw the world around her slightly change.
The particular street that she and Screamira were on was filled with low tiered merchants, the kind that sold knick-knacks and low grade cultivation materials, and would normally would not be the type of places Zhen Liu would poke though in search of kaijin grade materials.
However, that was only the case if the material in question was focused on [Value].
[Okay…I think I know what the director is looking for now.]
[What do you-oh.]
In the span of a few seconds, Screamira and Razorstella had their visions adjusted in a manner that allowed them to see the literal things their mutual master was looking for.
Amongst the knick-knacks being sold by the low tiered merchants, several of them began to glow with a strange light that denoted that they had [Meaning] as opposed to [Value].
To put this into perspective, anything that had [Value] glowed gold in their eyes while anything with [Meaning] glowed silver.
A lot of the lower tiered cultivation materials had faint gold colorings to them, while most of the knick-knacks had little to no silver glow to them.
However, amongst this sea of dismal glows, a couple of items glowed with such a heavy silver light that some couldn’t help but to wonder what had these items have gone through to be given such heavy [Meaning].
But now that Screamira and Razorstella knew what they were looking for, they now had to figure out which one to acquire first.
[Do we go for that ominous looking knife, that stethoscope looking thing or that thing that looks like a pot?]
[Do you think we could just buy all of them?]
[That would be significantly easier than…wait a minute…do you see that?]
[See what?]
[That guy at the end of the street…doesn’t he look familiar?]
[I…huh…]
…Meanwhile, across the sea…
[Frosttusk senior, you good?]
[I’m…fine…]
[Really? You sound slow.]
[That’s just how he is, Rodenia. The man’s heat powered and our air is a bit too humid for his liking. See? Ice droplets are forming on his skin as we speak.]
[Oh…]
Floating on a water taxi, an old man that was built like a mammoth (Frosttusk) was accompanied by an androgynous candy colored person dressed in a chef’s uniform (Kit) and a large Amazon that looked strong enough to bench press bears.
When Frosttusk had initially come to Roaring Tide via the portal connection between the Zhen Clan branches, his initial plan was to simply spend the day getting to know Kit and Rodenia better.
After all, those two were essentially children and as the technical grandfather of the kaijin, he had a duty to make sure that they developed into upstanding…embodiments of [Chaos].
Once Zhen Liu put out the call though to go and acquire items with [Meaning], Frosttusk changed plans to go and find some at the markets. Unexpectedly though, Kit and Rodenia decided to tag along despite not being part of the call because it seemed interesting.
That and Kit’s mother tasked them to keep an eye on Frosttusk since there was a non-zero chance he could slip into the canals that ran through Willow Scale and cause an incident…or five.
Regardless, as the trio continued to float in their water taxi, they eventually came to one of the many floating market plazas that characterized Roaring Tide.
Dozens upon dozens of boats in various sizes hawked wares such as fresh vegetables and fish, unusual materials and the occasional houseware item.
Some of the larger vessels even had hitches for other boats to moor themselves to in order to enjoy a freshly cooked meal.
Despite all of the delicious smells though, the trio of Kaijin were here for a different reason.
[So…what exactly counts as “Meaningful” to the Creator?,] Kit asked as they steered the taxi. [Because that is an incredibly vague statement.]
[I think “meaningful” means something that makes your heart feel like your tummy after eating something yummy,] Rodenia suggested. [Hey! That rhymed!]
[Bleh. Too wholesome. Too sweet.]
[But you’re made of candy.]
[Exactly.]
[Hmm…that… definition…isn’t…wrong…though,] Frosttusk nodded.
Unlike his compatriots, Frosttusk was taking a more…tempered approach in regards to fulfilling his jarl’s command.
He could see with his modified vision how certain items shined with a silverly light of [Meaning], but he could see that just a little beyond that were qualities that helped him see why they were [Meaningful].
For example, one of the items he saw was a simple toy rabbit that carried [Meaning] to be sure, but it had a darkness to it that suggested it carried an equally dark history.
Another he saw was an old cooking knife, rusty and worn, but the [Meaning] behind it felt oddly warm, like a cooking fire that had been used to cook thousands of meals.
While Frosttusk was certain both items could be used to make powerful kaijin, he wasn’t entirely sure whether or not the created kaijin would be able to mesh well with the others.
Frosttusk could speak experience after all, all it takes is one unreliable teammate to cause an unimaginable disaster.
[Hmmm…I…can…see…some…that…works…but…wait… what…is…this…feeling?]
For reasons beyond Frosttusk’s current understanding, he felt this strange sense of familiar longing coming from a particular direction.
Whatever it was exactly, it wasn’t located in the floating plaza and the others were currently in.
[Kit…can…you…go…that…way?]
[Towards the upper canals? You sure?]
The merchants operating in the upper canals of Willow Scale City tended to sell items that were high in [Value] but not in [Meaning]. As well, it was the place where one could buy…human products.
[I’m…sure.]
[Okay…]
It didn’t take too long for the trio to get to the upper canals, but once they did, Frosttusk was shocked to see what he saw.
[No…way…]
Or rather, it was who he saw.
…
[Director…]
[Minn Jarl…]
“Yes?”
[…I think we found that old watch guy.]*2
“…come again?”
