23 23 (1/2)

After sending everyone into an Auto-piloted [Sleep Learning], Rainer decided to do the same for himself. It wouldn't do for his mind to be foggy in what could be enemy territory. And his [Arcane Weaving] was currently at a point where he could automate the shrinking of a ritual circle and thinning of the lines while maintaining the magic.

Everything else he had planned took much longer to accomplish. The morning came soon after, and the party went to the dungeon as usual.

”Have fun,” Rainer said, as he waved off his party on their way to the dungeon. Feeling a bit like a mother sending her children off to school, he immediately stopped the waving part. He had originally thought that, after spending nearly every waking moment with his party, he'd welcome some alone time. But it didn't turn out that way.

He Void-walked back towards the lavish Inn they stayed at as he thought over his plans. Figuring out a way to vet Kara's father was a top priority, but, in the meantime, getting a better source of funds and general information about the Royal family came first.

There were few solutions to their current lack of funds. Stealing from organized crime wouldn't do. Rainer doubted he'd be able to find any - if they even existed - under the Wolf King's governance.

Public crime bosses and corrupt individuals that flaunted themselves in his previous world would never survive in a place where the King could take a stroll and wipe them out. Any sort of existing organized crime would be hidden deeper than where Rainer could find it or even protected by the law. That, or of the non-violent type, which would not be as easy for him to discern.

But there was another ready solution to their monetary problems, though one that would take more time and practice. With [Sleep Learning], he could study and learn to enchant any item to perfection. While he couldn't compare to better enchanters outright, they couldn't practice on the exact copy of an item an endless number of times as he could. No one would be more familiar with the wood or metal that made up a weapon than Rainer in [Sleep Learning] could, even if decades or centuries of experience could let them fill in that gap.

At the very least when it came to simple strengthening, he doubted anyone but the best enchanters in this world could match him with his unique sight. Add on the Mana-well and his high Willpower, and his enchanting costs were next to nothing compared to anyone else. No sane master Enchanter would waste Mana Crystals or weeks of time to enchant common clothes like the ones he bought for Lilia. It was an opening that Nalmar used and it was an opening he would use for funds. Nor would said masters even bother with enchanting something like a [Ring of the Nalmar Knighthood] as anything more than a stepping stone in their practice.

Buying clothes and selling them back for even twice the price on the guarantee they'd last far longer wouldn't be impossible. And in a city as safe as the Wolf King's capital, there would be less worry of theft. Even swords, he could likely sell for far more than twice what he bought, though he'd need to keep himself as the provider secret. Or rather buying, enchanting, and then re-selling weapons was probably a far better idea. Given the presence of the Dungeon, he'd have a decent sized market willing to buy them. But, there was a problem in that as well. It was hard to prove a strengthening enchantment. And gaining the kind of trust to sell such things would take time.

Deciding that he may as well practice weaving as he thought it over, Rainer sat on the red-colored bed that made a King-sized one look small.

A weave formed between his two hands as he tried to make a string. Finding a careful balance between flexibility and strength proved difficult. Flexibility wasn't an issue as he made it weaker and taut between his two fingers like a guitar string, but it lacked the same sort of feeling. It lacked tension. He found himself stuck between a stick or a noodle, with the in-between a difficult prospect.

After some more attempts, Rainer opted to head out into the city. Leaving the lavish white stone Inn behind, he headed down the street as various smells entered his nose. Beside the Inn, likely used by traveling merchants of wealth and nobles, restaurants aplenty filled the street. Given the fragrance coming from one of them, if Rainer hadn't already satiated himself with [Arcane Invigoration], he doubted he'd have been able to hold back.

Further down the street, Rainer found what was a tailor's shop for the upper class, denoted by a sign with it's name. He marked this place for later as he ventured those of the upper class would love to claim their clothes as enchanted even if the enchant itself wasn't particularly impressive. He spent quite a bit of time around those types back home. It was an effective market strategy to make an item more expensive even if the product itself almost didn't change apart from some minor things not warranting the price.

Noticing a line of people seeking to enter a specific place, Rainer headed there next. Any place that could make the upper-class suffer the indignity of waiting in line should be worthwhile. The adorned circular wooden building had two guards at the front and within he could hear a faint voice and music. The very air tinged with magic.

Ignoring the line in front, Rainer used [Void Detection] to scout out a place for himself. He appeared moments later sitting atop of a railing. His eyes instantly drawn towards the musician he heard. Rainer, of course, completely ignored that his sudden arrival caused several patrons to spill their drinks. One of which soaked a now quite angry date.

In the center stage on a circular platform, sat the attraction that called so many people of wealth here. A moment of surprise went through him as he noted her ethnicity, Asian. It was the first time he saw someone that wasn't Slavic or Nordic-looking in this world, including various kin-races, with the exception of a few who were dark-skinned.

Her ears were pointed, though not like the long ears of Fae. Shining hair of a mix of black and dark blue cascaded down her purple gown. A lute-like instrument adorned her hands as her black eyes looked out into the crowd. Her eyes themselves slightly slanted upwards and naturally narrowed across her pale face.

[Moon Elf, Female, Magic Bard lvl 14]

[Title: Bard of the Moonlight]

Each movement of her hand carried magic into the air, and every note of her voice left even the audience that Rainer disturbed entranced once more. The man himself forcibly turned off his translation skill so that he could hear the voice in it's original language.

[Skill Gained: Aldori Elvish Language lvl 1/10]

Words came with disjointed understanding, but Rainer never bothered to try and translate. He merely closed his eyes and let the magic and the elegant words wash over him. Minutes passed unregarded and for the first time in ages, Rainer dropped any detection skills while in public. For this brief pause in time, there existed only the sweet words and the sound of the music.

Any fogginess from [Sleep Learning] seemed to wash away and in a bright moment of clear-headedness Rainer opened his eyes, now covered in [Arcane Revelation]. The enraptured audience paid such a strange sight not even a glance.

He watched the magic swirling in her body. In her hands and her voice. And finally in the instrument, as it followed its natural pathways down through even the strings. That the instrument was enchanted went almost unnoticed as an afterthought. He felt himself sink into a state of equal parts relaxation and single-minded focus. His entire being only paid attention to the notes coming his way.

The notes, that seemed to end far too soon. She finished her set and quickly made to leave. Two men of the second tier glared at a noble who stood and seemed as if he would request her to stay. He promptly returned to his seat.

In a moment of inspiration, Rainer's own power swirled as [Arcane Weaving] formed an object between his two hands. Mimicking not only the strength and texture, he mimed as well how magic would flow through the original item by making pathways in the weave. A five-stringed instrument formed in his hands under this new method.

[Arcane Weaving has reached level 9]

[Experience Gained: 0.1%]

And almost instinctively, he began to play music, infusing Arcane in the air not with his voice, but his hands and the Arcane Weave itself. With [Arcane Presence] added on, the world took on a violet hue.

A brief look of shock passed through said Elf's eyes as she glanced at the man sitting on the railings. Even as she lost herself for a brief moment as their eyes met, she noticed the words he mouthed.

She moved back to the center stage and joined him in playing. Rainer felt the music once more, and instead opted to follow her lead. Smiling lightly to herself, she started altering the song and switching between paces in not only the music but her magic itself. Rainer couldn't match her in sheer skill of music, nor did he try to. Instead, he wielded his magic to follow along with hers, matching that every step of way.

With a final quiet strum, both musicians ended their playing.

Rainer glanced at her a moment longer before mouthing 'thank you'. Just before he left, he noticed not only his messages, but two men who appeared to be her guards talking to her and clearing a way for her out of the place. After confirming they were friendly, and in fact her guards by viewing their conversation with [Void Seer], he disappeared.

[Title Gained: Bard]

[Experience Gained: 0.1%, 0.1%]

[Title Gained: Bard of Magic]

[Experience Gained: 0.1%, 4%]

[Title Gained: Bard of the Arcane Arts]

[Experience Gained: 0.1%, 11%]

[Title Gained: Weaver of Arcane Sound]

[Experience Gained: 0.1%, 14%]

Standing in a alley outside of the place he just left, Rainer let out a long breath and stared at the guitar in his hands. After a moment of reflection he let it dissipate. There was still some work to be done on the guitar, as it relied far too heavily on his magical assistance, but he was happy with it thus far.

”Perhaps for Arcane Weaved ritual circles it's not just matching the actual magic flowing through the blood, but also matching the inherent pathways that magic follows that exists in the blood. To recreate a weave that is closest to the blood in substance. Even if the result is the same…” Rainer mumbled to himself as he walked on.

Within the Dungeon, Kara and Gunthar watched on as Sarah and Luna took care of the next wave of monsters. Gunthar had stayed behind at Kara's request as she talked about her recently gained skill to deflect magic. They stood in the center of the white stoned arena. Near them was a pedestal with a enchanted plate they could press down to call the next wave early.

”Interesting...and you believe it is because of the magic within your enchantments rather than just the nature of the Aura shield itself?”

Kara nodded as Gunthar sank into thought for a bit longer. The topic had actually brought up something else he had been considering about Kara.

”Have you ever tried to use your Aura pools separately when you have both available to you?”

”What do you mean?”

”Such as...while hiding as a Wolfkin, you suppress your Aura and your presence. Now normally you'd need a bit of time to recover after hiding your Aura before you could use it, making it not as useful in ambushes or sneak attacks. But what if you suppressed it while hiding as a Wolfkin but then-”

”Brought out my Demon half?” Kara questioned excitedly.

”I believe it's worth a try, little Wolf,” Gunthar added. He was truly curious as to whether this would work. Several other thoughts swirled in his head on that subject.

Kara began focusing inwards as Gunthar shifted his attention on guarding Lilia and Tiamat.

Rainer left yet another high-class tailor shop. He searched for the common market prices and general ideas of parts of clothing to enchant. The only problem was that a large part of their orders were custom-made, and only smaller pieces being readily available. But he had come across another idea after he saw a older plump lady covered in gaudy jewelry.

He could take the most common product of Nalmar's Enchanting production, [The Ring of the Nalmar Knighthood], and try to enchant and sell jewelry to stores. He didn't have confidence in the current him mastering the full enchantment, but doing something that had at least +1 Constitution or otherwise, he had some assurance in. Especially since he had a full guide for creating the Nalmar Ring along with an actual example he could view with [Arcane Revelation].

Rainer spent the rest of the time, while the party was clearing the dungeon, walking around the city and popping into random places that hosted musicians. He cloaked himself as to be less noticeable when he used [Arcane Revelation] and also wore a mask, an extra one that Gunthar currently wasn't using. Though, he guessed that his face lighting up with violet due to the cloak wasn't exactly inconspicuous. But, so long as it hid his identity, he didn't particularly mind.

Not only did he practice [Arcane Weaving], creating a better and better guitar, but he did the same in trying to use the harmony method he saw last night from the Wolfkin street performer, though with no success thus far. But his Arcane skills still made him sound far beyond his current level. The stunned silence followed by clapping was a pleasant backdrop to his practice. Not that the audience knew he could hear them. He would immediately Void-walk out of the place as soon as he finished playing any set.

Towards the end of the night, and when he guessed his party would be done with their dungeon runs soon, he headed to different parts of town to find some cheaper jewelry to buy just to get started. He ended up choosing a place somewhere in the middle, eventually settling on an emerald necklace made of silver colored metal.

”Who's the lucky miss?” The aged Wolfkin managing the store said with a sly grin. She had been pretty unreserved about nudging Rainer as she guided him to different places around the store.

”We'll see. She may be closer than you think,” He added with a grin of his own, enjoying the discount he got for playing along with her harmless flirting. Is this why women like shopping for jewelry? He wondered to himself.

”Now you got her all riled up,” Her husband of the same race mumbled in the background.

She waved him off with a chuckle as Rainer took the packaged necklace with him.

Now waiting in an alley by the Dungeon entrance, Rainer moved away from prying eyes and stared at the necklace with [Arcane Revelation]. He marked every single nook and cranny of it and even released his Mana similar to how he did when inspecting his now sunken ship and made sure there wasn't any trace of it left unseen.

With a notification from Gunthar he vanished from the alley, going to pick them up and see any results.

”So? What does [Enchanted Blood] do?” Rainer asked Sarah as he was in Lilia's and Sarah's shared room preparing a bath. She had bought the new skill after reaching level 21 with [Manaborne]. Though, she was still undecided about what to do with her attribute points. Her unlocked attribute was Enchant Control but she wasn't sure if it was worth increasing the attribute just yet seeing as it was already 23 from her years of training with [Enchanted Flesh]. Rainer himself ventured there may be a strong synergy effect if she instead raised Strength or Dexterity.

Kara, Tiamat, and Luna were here too, accepting her earlier idea of 'girl time' once Rainer was done making the bath.

Well fine, me and Gunthar will do something that will make you all jealous...

He had retorted in his mind when Sarah had suggested it and they had all accepted. Well, it was hard to say if Tiamat accepted it.

But in reality, Rainer wouldn't be able to leave the hallway on account of Gunthar needing to stand guard with [Soul Detection]. Perhaps he'd teach Gunthar to play chess? Rainer thought. After all, he wasn't particularly knowledgeable about it apart from knowing the rules, and his Intelligence would only let him think of more moves rather than necessarily the correct one. Reminding himself to make a chess set with [Arcane Weaving], he returned his attention back to Sarah..

”I'm… not sure what [Enchanted Blood] really does yet. I'd have to do some tests, but I just sort of feel all-around better?”

”Stronger?”

”No. Like more healthy.”

”Might have some applications for ritual magic, We can test it out some in [Sleep Learning].”

”Maybe, can't say I'd really like to cut myself frequently. I'll play around with the skill myself first.”

”Why'd you change your class by the way?” Apparently after getting the last skill point, she had opted to become an [Runic Brawler].

”It's probably going to be my first tier 2 class, but [Manaborne] right now isn't that useful to me. It's just a bit more than 100 extra Mana. Not a big deal to me.”

Rainer nodded, the gain from Yazir pushed her Mana pool over 500 even without that class. It was of course a situation that wouldn't be easy to replicate, but nonetheless she didn't need the mana provided by the [Manaborne] class. Her current skills didn't require much with her [True Mana Affinity] and [Manaborne] Talents and she wasn't much of a spell caster.

”Well, all done. You girls can enjoy yourselves,”

”We will, thank you,” Kara said, kissing him, ”And we'll still have fun later,” She practically purred into his ear.

”Eww, get a room. But for now, just get out of the room.”

”What? No thank you from my little sister?”