“First, I’d like to know if everything’s all right with replenishing ellurite.”
“In a few hours, our reservoirs will be full. Restoring the magic shield will take around twenty-four hours. After that, we can proceed with our plan.”
“Good. I have a small request, though,” I said with a smile. “A favor returned, so to speak. As you can see, I have a small business here. Could you take some of my cargo with you? An astral ship will pick it up after the Silver Stronghold travels to an ordinary world.”
“Our young friend is a sharp cookie!” Svechkin laughed. “Watch out, Lena, before you know it, we might end up making regular runs from Helt Akor to the Bazaar!”
“We’ll help you, as an exception, but only once!” Romanova finally said after a short consideration. “What about the rest?”
“I’ve decided on two items so far. Could you show me again the faction rewards of the Maiden Order?”
Once more, the translucent window appeared in front of me.
Back in the day, players had solved the secret of the Forgeworlds and gained access to the dromonts’ technology. This resulted in a dramatic shift in gameplay, giving rise to flying ships, Astral Portals, spelljumpers, elemental-powered engines, magic domes, mage reactors, and magic cannons, even juggernauts capable of carrying hundreds of players and destroying clan castles. Right now, I was the only one in Sphere with exclusive access to something similar, even if on a smaller scale.
The Maiden Order offered a lot of modifications for astral ships that significantly improved their stats; various types of rigging superior to standard models; numerous new recipes, techniques, and blueprints, some of which could drastically change game tactics; items and magic gems with new affixes, yet unseen. Faction Veil was available in three versions — light (for players), medium (for ships), and heavy (for strongholds). Of course, most blueprints required complex crafting changes, often using unique ingredients procured from Ancient caches.
I spent a while ruminating on my decision. Of course, I wanted something improbably powerful, but a closer examination brought me down to earth. First, Sphere didn’t seem to have items more powerful than the Seven Keys. One player, no matter how strong, couldn’t take on an entire army, and I wanted more than that.
Second, everything seemed so interesting that I was torn while calculating the prospects. Even the screenshots of components and crafting chains that I carefully saved could revolutionize the Bazaar market, not to mention the items themselves.
I marked two listings: one in the middle of the roster and one at the end. If ordinary players started gaining reputation with the Maidens, the first one would become available after two weeks, and the second, God only knew when. Earning Admiration with an NPC faction was a matter of months, if not years.
Both rewards were blueprints used to craft unique items of the Order.
Veil Amulet Blueprint
Blueprint. Original. Unlimited copies.
Quality: rare.
Allows crafting a Veil Amulet.
The Veil Amulet, exclusive to the Maiden Order, was a magic talisman with a unique Veil ability that covered the wearer with a shroud of invisibility. The valkyries of the Stronghold wore them as well. There were a lot of requirements — for instance, the Veil was canceled by contact with any material object; you could move only through the air by using spells such as Levitation, Fly, or Windwalk. A rider could use the effect on a flying mount, as long as it wasn’t too big. Still, I was certain that such amulets would become bestsellers as soon as they appeared at the auction. Even more than that — I had almost decided on a sales plan directly linked to our war against the Pandas.
Impulse Shift Module Blueprint
Blueprint. Original. Unlimited copies.
Quality: legendary.
Allows crafting an Impulse Shift Module.
That magitech device was the pinnacle of fortress fortifications. Getting a copy of that blueprint was only possible by maxing out reputation with the Maidens. Players weren’t going to learn about its features anytime soon. The Impulse Shift Module was a replica of the engine that allowed the Silver Stronghold to travel between worlds. Judging by the description, this module could only be installed in the castle keep slot as an upgrade. Powered by a powerful mage reactor, it opened direct interdimensional tunnels, allowing the fortress to instantly move within the bounds of the physical worlds and between them, no pentagrams or Astral Portals needed. Of course, each jump required a colossal amount of power, but it was worth it. If I could get my hands on the blueprints for Castle Levitator, Procetron of Glowing, Soul Replicator, and a few other modules, building a flying citadel like the Silver Stronghold would be a matter of resources.
“I think you’re pointing at the wrong line,” Lena said after studying my requests. “The original versions of these blueprints are unique. How many copies do you want?”
“No, I’m not mistaken,” I replied, grinning. “I need the originals!”
Blueprints, recipes, and growth techniques in Sphere came in two types: originals and copies made by Scribes. An original blueprint could be used to produce an unlimited number of items; copies had a built-in restriction. Copies were expendable, so most crafters tried to procure the originals, although that wasn’t always possible, as blueprints of high-ranked items were rare and usually fetched a high price. As for faction rewards, the originals had never been seen at all. They were unique items hidden under lock and key as one of the NPCs’ main valuables. It made sense, too — who’d need faction quests if you could just give out copies to everyone? If I took the original blueprints of the Veil and the Shift, the Maidens couldn’t craft these items anymore.
