Before leaving Waterdeep, Skyl and Stan walked out of the Dock Ward and entered the Southern Ward to purchase the supplies necessary for travel.
Waterdeep was the dazzling pearl of the North. The Southern Ward might not have been the most developed trade district in Waterdeep, but it was certainly the area with the most frequent economic activity. Most traveling merchants gathered there, bringing goods from every corner of the world.
The two passed by rows of shops lining the streets, immersed in the loud, passionate, excited, and cunning cries of foreign merchants, drawn in by the dazzling colors, fragrances, and sounds of the goods. Spices, food, toys, pets, souvenirs, magic items, antique jewelry, and all kinds of counterfeits filled the market. There were so many types of goods that even if travelers spent four or five days wandering around, they would still always find some new spectacle.
Skyl counted the gold coins in his pocket. There were about a thousand. Stan's reward was the same as his own. Boss Gus had not favored one over the other.
This sum of money was neither large nor small. As savings, it would not be enough for someone extravagant to live comfortably in Waterdeep for a year.
Stan was exactly that extravagant kind of person. When they entered the market, both of them were traveling light. By the time they reached the next intersection, Stan's body was already buried beneath merchandise.
"Can this jar really be used as a musical instrument?" Skyl took out his undetectable-extension pocket and stuffed the junk Stan had bought into it. A huge clay jar supposedly recording the secrets of a lost civilization had cost three hundred gold coins. Of course, it was not worth that price, nor was it a real antique. Stan simply liked the hollow sound it made when he knocked on it.
"Of course not." Stan burst into laughter. "But I liked the seller's pitch. In his mouth, even roadside junk comes with an adventure story. You know the value of luxury goods lies in the story. Picasso would always make up some background before selling a painting, all so a piece worth a few million could sell for tens of millions."
"If everyone on the ground were like you, merchants would sooner or later become kings." Skyl shook his head and smiled. Then he said, "But it makes sense. A product's story is like a person's memory, and memory is the true wealth."
"In that case, you should thank me for helping you recover a priceless treasure." Stan was referring to the matter of exposing Skyl's identity with one sentence and awakening the memories of his true self.
Because of that, Skyl had complained about Stan more than once, but this time, Stan caught his own words and turned them back on him.
Skyl shook his head helplessly. "Fine. I'll consider it a favor owed."
The undetectable-extension pocket had limited capacity. It already held many of Skyl's personal belongings, such as a simple wooden bed and some sculptures. The storage space was already stretched thin.
To make room for the pile of junk Stan had bought, Skyl first took out the bed and sculptures, temporarily placing them on the ground.
He did not realize that his actions made him look like he was setting up a stall.
On this bustling street, curious passersby soon gathered around.
"Look at these strange statues."
"The craftsmanship is quite delicate, but the things carved are so strange. Are they some kind of special monsters?"
"A few of these statues are pretty cute. Buying one as a decoration wouldn't be bad."
Someone loudly asked, "Sir, how much are you selling these for?"
Skyl had not expected that the handicrafts he had casually made in Wildspace could be appreciated by others.
"Just offer whatever price you think is fair. I happen to have no use for them anymore."
The warlock answered casually. Then the curious crowd began asking about the meaning behind the statues.
"These are some creatures I saw in Wildspace. This statue is a gossamer space jellyfish, this one is a kindori, this one is a space fire elemental... Wildspace means outer space... I'm the sculptor. Oh, this one isn't a Wildspace creature. This one is a Pokémon..."
As a warlock, Skyl's soul was filled with the unique aura of an alien god. The strange charm that unconsciously spread through his words drew the listeners around him into quiet fascination.
He briefly told the stories behind the stone sculptures. The people trapped by a planet's gravity were deeply attracted by the experiences of this wanderer of Wildspace. Weightless environments, asteroids, giant whales, and spelljamming ships... these were all strange wonders that surface dwellers could not imagine.
For a time, the crowd actually began fighting to buy the statues. The price of an ordinary small sculpture soared from ten silver shards all the way to six hundred gold dragons. The largest kindori sculpture started at four hundred gold dragons, and as the bidding continued, some people began using precious platinum suns as their bids.
It had to be said that Skyl's craftsmanship was quite good. The various Wildspace monsters were lifelike, and Waterdeep's merchants did not mind spending a little money to decorate their sitting rooms and courtyards with such commemorative alien stone sculptures.
Stan laughed softly. "Skyl, your mouth is more flexible than mine, and I'm the bard. Waterdeep is stirred up by your stories."
Skyl shook his head. "You're just jealous that I know how to make money. I understand. And I believe the superhero stories in your belly will also gain loyal fans here."
As he refuted Stan, he also collected money. Soon, the assets in his pocket had multiplied several times.
"Do you think this money is enough to open a tavern?" Stan helped Skyl count the coins, his slick, oily face grinning. "When that happens, I'll be in charge of attracting customers with stories, and you can sell drinks behind the counter."
"We haven't even started adventuring yet, and you're already thinking about retirement?" Skyl mocked.
Before long, the people who had bought statues left satisfied, while those who had hesitated too long looked regretful and wanted to ask Skyl to carve a few more pieces.
"But the stones from Wildspace have already been used up. What you would get from me now would only be ordinary stone carvings. Go on home. I was never a stone-sculpture merchant to begin with."
The crowd gradually calmed, and the passing carts, horses, and voices of the street returned to their usual clamor.
Many of these sculptures entered private hands. Among them was one carved into the shape of a small tower, modeled by Skyl after the Tower of Tomes from his dreams. At the time, it fell into the hands of a merchant named Jeremy Miko, who took it home and shared with his family what he had seen on the street.
Jeremy deeply regretted not acting sooner. He originally could have won a very cute [Pikachu] for his daughter through bidding, but in the end, he had only managed to snatch this worthless tower-shaped sculpture.
Jeremy had one son and one daughter. His eldest son was twenty-six years old, healthy and strong, cheerful by nature, and served as a city guard with a bright future ahead of him. His daughter was only fourteen. She was frail and sickly, unable to be exposed to wind or rain, so she stayed at home year-round. When she saw the sculpture, she felt that its carving was simple, firm, and powerful, with delicate textures. At first glance, she did not find it especially strange. But after looking more closely, the shape of the tower seemed to become an ancient inscription, deeply branded into her vision. Even when she closed her eyes, she could still see it clearly.
The girl was startled. Her whole body trembled, and she nearly fell ill because of it.
That night, she had a dream.
In the dream, the stars in the sky were cold, and a road cast in silver led to a high tower.
At that very moment, Skyl was also in the dream, standing at the starting point of the silver-cast road.
He was slightly surprised, because this dream had actively summoned him. There should have been some unexpected situation that had touched his inspiration.
"Hello?" A soft, timid girl's voice sounded beside him.
The warlock lowered his head to look, then found it amusing. Why was there a little kid in this dream?
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