655. Altered Deals

655. Altered Deals

Omen: 1, 9

[I would like to make a deal.]

Adam wiped his brow, finishing his tenth and final Flame Blade. He had passively enchanted the last two over the course of twelve days. He stared down at the blade, before glancing off to one side.

“Well, well, well, how the turntables have turned table,” Adam said, butchering the phrase. He noted the way the nearby Iyrman looked at him, though they had been informed that sometimes Adam spoke to himself.

‘Well, well, well, how the-,’

[Yes.]

‘What is it that you want, little Bell?’

[I am not little. I am a system.]

‘Right, right. Are we going to get to the point?’

[Creating an enchanting formula should take much longer, and should require effort.]

‘I don’t like where this is heading.’

[I would like to make a deal.]

‘I’m listening.’

[I will allow you to make enchanting formulas. You may request a quest, and I will send you a quest that, upon completion, will grant you the enchanting formula as a reward.]

‘Sure, but...’

[I will grant you additional XP in exchange for this formula, and I will grant a special quest to you in the future in relation to enchanting.]

‘Will it be good?’

[Yes.]CHeCk for new stories on no/v/el/bin(.)c0m

‘Okay. Sure.’

Quest Complete: Deals Struck

XP Gained: +1000

XP: 9 700 -> 10 700

‘Should have said I would have gotten a thousand XP,’ Adam thought, before smiling slightly. He sighed, glancing over to the side. “I need to go speak with Elder Zijin, maybe even the Chief.”

Adam made his way through the Iyr, following his escort, the greyish skinned Iyrman. His eyes wandered about, noting the various Iyrmen moving about. Some pulled along rickshaws carrying bags of wheat, others carrying small crates. Some where adult Iyrmen, assisted by teens with their own rickshaws.

Eventually, Adam placed down the tenth flame sword in front of Elder Zijin, the Elder placing aside his book.

“Elder Zijin, a word?”

Elder Zijin smiled, waving a hand towards Adam’s escort to dismiss them casually. “Of course, Adam.” The Elder poured Adam a cup tea, and offered the Half Elf dried fruit he had managed to procure.

Adam chewed on the thick fruit, feeling the fibres break apart within his mouth, before chewing it further to swallow it down. It was as sweet as ever, and still mushy and juicy even after it had been dried out. He sipped the tea slowly, tasting the light flavour, something akin got berries, before sighing.

“That’s some good stuff,” the Half Elf said, smiling.

“Others prefer stronger tea, but I prefer my tea lighter,” Zijin admitted.

“I get that. Where I’m from, we have tea with milk and sugar. Pop on the kettle, and less than five minutes later you can sip your tea, ten minutes if you don’t want to scald your mouth.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Zijin said, sipping his tea. “Why did you wish to speak with me.”

“Well, you know, something awkward happened,” Adam fell silent for a moment, glancing downwards, thinking of how to say it. “The formula thing is a little harder than expected. I was denied the, uh, rights to the formula.” Adam winked at his little joke.

“Denied?”

“The baby,” Adam said, raising his brows slightly.

Zijin slowly nodded. He had heard of the tale, and about this baby which seemed to be connected to Adam in some way. “So you cannot make formulas?”

“I can, it’s just a little more difficult. Requires a lot more effort than just sitting at home and passively enchanting while kicking it.”

“I see.”

“Konarot, use your words.”

“Playing bird.”

“You’re playing with the bird?”

She nodded.

“I see...” Adam ruffled her hair again. “Jirot, your sister is playing with birds, so she can’t play with you right now.”

Jirot continued to bite into the vegetable, staring up at her father as she chewed noisily. She turned slightly to look at her sister. “Ater?”

“Later?” Adam asked.

“Paying?”

“Konarot, make sure to play with your sister later, okay?” Adam said, rubbing her hair, before also rubbing Jirot’s hair too.

“Okay,” Konarot said, before going off to the bird to growl lightly towards it, causing it to tweet in return. Kirot and Karot also followed her, while Jirot and Jarot sat and ate their vegetables.

‘Now that I think about it, Karot and Jarot are pretty meek. Should I try and play with them more often? I don’t want them to be too shy when they grow up...’ Adam lifted Jarot up, causing Jirot to stare up at him in shock. She turned, looking for her nana, before looking back to her father and brother.

“No!” Jirot held up her arms, still flabbergasted she hadn’t been picked up yet.

“Sure, sure,” Adam said, giving in to his youngest daughter, lifting her up so she could embrace him as she ate. He kissed her forehead, before rubbing his cheek against Jarot’s forehead. “Jarot, why do I never hear you cry?”

“No,” the boy confirmed, smiling slightly.

“What a good boy you are,” Adam said, nuzzling his nose. “If you want to act up a little, daddy will forgive it.”

“Jarot is a good boy,” Mirot said.

“I can’t believe you’d call your own father by his name,” Adam gasped.

“Do not corrupt him.”

“I can corrupt him, he’s my son,” Adam said, kissing his son’s cheek and ear. “Isn’t that right?”

“Daddy...” Jarot smiled wide, revealing all eight of his canines, and he quickly hid his head into his father’s chest.

Mirot glanced away from Adam, though the stupid grin on his face had seared deep within her mind. She looked towards her own son, Gurot, who was laying down and staring at the sky.

Gurot narrowed his eyes and frowned to the one who had picked him up, but upon seeing his mother’s face, he smiled and his eyes lit up with delight. “Mama.”

Mirot held her to his chest, holding his large form against her. She brushed his hair and his cheek gently, before planting a soft kiss against the side of his head. “What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“Mama.” The boy smiled.

Adam eventually let his children down when they were called to eat. The Gak family had finished cooking a meat soup, and had baked plenty of fluffy bread for dinner.

“Papa!” Lanarot said, reaching up with her bread in hand.

Adam took the bread and waited, raising his brows towards her.

“Peas.”

He tore the bread in half, and the girl grabbed the pair in each hand, dual wielding the bread. She dipped one into the soup and brought it to her mouth.

“What do you say?”

“Yummy!” Lanarot said.

“What do you say to me for helping you?”

“Thank you.”

Adam smiled. “What great manners my sister has, so polite, so polite. Do you hear how polite she is? You all need to be that polite too, do you understand?”

Konarot was handing out the bread she had broken apart to each of her siblings, before beginning to eat. She began to break up more bread for her siblings, and Adam thought to reach down to assist.

‘No, I can’t spoil them too much today. I should spoil them the next week instead.’

Pray I do not alter it further.