Rebeca was multitasking as much as possible, splitting her attention between the supposed guild master of Stolen Constellation as they talked small talk while moving further inside the compound, and taking in as much info as she could about the changes in the property proper. She had studied the plans and layout of the place in preparation for a deeper investigation and what would likely be an infiltration mission in near future. Now however, with the invitation extended and accepted, the need for such and action was significantly diminished- assuming they gather enough information to dissuade any fears they had formed recently. As far as she could see so far, besides some changes in the garden contents, there had been little to no change at all, save for perhaps renovation of the buildings as they all seemed to look in a much better condition than in the last decade if the reports were true.

  "The weather is quite pleasant, true, but I do hope you will not begrudge me for setting up the small snack table within one of the dining rooms. I have yet to receive guests of proper stature and wanted to both show off a little and perhaps earn the opinion of one who has dealt with the upper echelon of this worlds society on a more regular basis."

  "I suppose we could do that." Rebeca replied once the group had reached the entrance of the main mansion, nodding in agreement at the heaven sent opportunity to have a look at the inside of the main mansion. Soon enough they had reached a rather large door and once led inside they were guided to take seats at a rather large and well decorated and ornamented dining table, covered in quite the high end tablecloth that too was embroidered with simple, yet elegant forms of leaf patterns, somehow resonating with the rest of the rooms design and giving off the feeling of late autumn all around them. Given that the summer was in full swing, it was quite the contrast with the world outside, creating a unique atmosphere. And unlike what one would expect from a motif that seemed to simulate autumn, what welled up inside them was not a feeling of chilly and damp weather, but a calm satisfaction that permeated ones' being after a long day of work in the fields, filled with the knowledge that the coming winter will not be spent with worries of cold and hunger.

  The snacks arrived soon enough, brought over by a rather young and quite the interesting girl, if Rebeca was asked. Her instincts screamed at her that the girl in question was not simple at all, but she did not question Jack on the matter, too smart for such novice mistakes. Jack himself brew them tea, showing a bit of knowledge about the subject, though clearly not an expert, since Rebeca had been in the presence of true masters of the art several times during her own, relatively short life. Still, she had picked up some telltale signs of ones level of mastery on the subject, much like many others where she could, if needed, act as a judge for others.

  "I see this is not the first time you have served tea for others." she nonetheless complimented him instead of pointing out his lack of mastery in a less flattering manner, choosing to frame it as his natural disposition to tasks he had clearly not focused on yet still picked them up somehow. "I have enough people who had spent years on the art and present themselves worse than you have so far. Truly commendable. I do have to wonder, just how far does your talents extend if this is what can be achieved with nary an effort put forth."

  "There is no need for flattery. I am humble and aware enough to know when I am out of my depth, but as I lack the necessary personnel with the appropriate skills and loyalties, this is what I have to be content with."

  "Would you be referring to slaves perhaps?" Rebeca asked, her voice a bit more cold Jack finished brewing the teand slowly placed a cup in front of her and her companions "While not entirely scoured from these lands, it is highly frowned upon and fought against as much as possible. I thought that where you come from it is long since been made illegal."

  "Trained servants more like it. Masters of their craft, bound by a contract that is beneficial and binding for both parties was more the direction I was going for. Yes, slavery was illegal in our world, though much like here, does not mean its dealt with for ever. There are always people, for I doubt the problem lies with humans alone, that will enslave others for either their own pleasure- no matter the form it takes- or for profit."

  "I suppose that is true." she replied, the previous frown on her face now near non existent, asking her own question now "What would you do then? Do you see a solution to the problem of slavery?"

  "Unfortunately no. It is the nature of people to enforce their will on others. All we can do is strive to make the world around a better place to live and hope that it creates a sort of wave that keeps pushing outwards, creating a change towards the good in the process."

  "And would you call yourself a good person then? One striving to make this world a better place?" she asked, taking a sip of the tea presented before her, only to stop once the warm liquid hit her throat, filling her with a wonderful sensation and warmth that permeated her body. The tea was damn near astronomical, surely beating whatever grand and expensive teas she had tried before, so much so that, once she was out of her momentary stupor, she could not resist and ask the obvious question.

  "My goodness." she exhaled with contentment "Its magnificent. Might I inquire where were these leaves acquired? I have an aunt that is a bit of a tea maniac and she would be absolutely ecstatic to get her hands on something like this." she could could not help but blush just a little bit, realizing she had been distracted by the taste and had prevented Jack from answering her previous question.

  "It's a blend of teas, combined with herbal mix that is there to enhance taste and health benefit of the tea." Jack replied with a calm face "As for the previous question, no, I would not consider myself much of a good person. If anything, I am neither good nor bad, with the occasional impulse to do some convenient good. Not striving to earn some exalted status or worship from the poor and downtrodden, nor will I let obvious acts of wickedness- at least in my opinion- to be realized before my eyes without me lifting a finger."

  "My, not many would be willing to admit to such a truth, often trying their best to conceal their real natures behind words of benevolence and generosity." Rebeca spoke, her companions wisely keeping their mouths shut. They realized well enough that only Becca was here for a conversation and they were invited to enjoy a downright heavenly tea and some incredibly tasty snacks that were arriving every now and then- clearly freshly baked and tasting nearly just as incredible as the tea.

  "Too much effort that I could otherwise spend on crafting and helping my kids grow. Both physically and mentally." Jack just shrugged nonchalantly.

  A pleased humm then escaped Rebecas throat as she had finally found a moment to reach for one of the snacks provided, only to find out that they were as incredible as the tea, causing a small foodgasm to crash through her system. "Wow. Just wow." she exhaled with emotion once her mouth was empty, then, following a near divine inspiration, she quickly took another large sip of her tea, letting lost in a whole another dimension of pleasure, coming down only a minute or so later.

  Jack chuckled once he was sure Rebeca was back on earth, speaking with a smile "It seems you are the first one to find the best combination of all the snacks provided with the tea, on sheer coincidence as well. You must have quite the luck it seems." His words caused the rest of her group to glance over to the snack she had tried, following her example, only to repeat the same she had gone through, with the slight difference that men from her group seemed to be half growling as their own foodgasm took over. Now, unlike what one would think, no actual sexual arousal was present there, as much as Rebeca's pleased half moan indicated otherwise, though the pleasure experienced was in no way insignificant either.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  "You should sell this combo for quite the sum. Once the upper crust of our society learns of its wonders, they will be falling over themselves to get their hands on such exquisite snacks to present during whatever gatherings they organize."

  "Not feasible at the moment." Jack just shrugged, seemingly not all that concerned about the fact.

  "Might I ask why?" Rebeca leaned a bit forward, curious yet ready to be shot down as well.

  "Right now, I have to personally prepare the dough for the desired effect to take place. Should I decide to focus on this venue, I would not have the time to focus on my sword making. And, as unfortunate as it is for the gourmets of the world, I do enjoy my weapon crafting more. That and the kids need me to grow further."

  "You could easily earn enough, no, more than necessary, to simply buy the best items on the market were you to focus on the gastronomy." Rebeca added.

  "Yes, but what to do when there is nothing satisfactory on the market? What if the seller wants to fleece us, but we need the items? There are countless 'what ifs' that are not acceptable, doubly so when I have the potential to solve the problems that could pop up. And I do love playing with weapons, truth be told. I will become what my team needs me to, providing everything that will ensure their survival in this dangerous and treacherous world."

  "A commendable goal." Rebeca smiled as took another sip of her magnificent tea. "Could I selfishly request the chance to gaze upon one of your creations?"

  "Sure. Might as well give someone of your stature a quick glance. Who knows, I might earn a few commissions from your acquaintances down the line. Going to need all the resources I can acquire if I am to believe Ramia about the difficulty to progress as a Virtuoso." Jack replied, pulling out one of his latest creations from his spatial ring. There was no surprise at that action, the entire team of Rebeca's believing it to be a gift from Ramia himself- yet another investment into a promising young crafter.

  A moment later, a simple, yet somewhat elegant looking long sword was in Jacks hands. A simple- some would say even lacking- design of both the blade and the hilt would make it seem as an ordinary blade your everyday beginner would use, made of simple steel and whatnot. At a closer glance however, one could see the slightly unnatural sheen of the blade itself, as well as unnatural sense of comfort and right as one held it- something that Rebeca recognized the moment she held the sword in her hand as Jack passed it over.

  "Incredible." she spoke as her gaze was locked on the weapon, no doubt using her appraisal as she felt it out, moving her arm back and forth in a slow motion, feeling out its balance and how fluid her motions were with the weapon in question.

  "Strength, speed and balance. A wonderful combination of stats for an all purpose weapon." she spoke a short while later, adding with a humm "Do I feel the slightest of auto correction in my movements, as though guiding me towards a better technique?"

  "An unforeseen side effect is what I would love to call it." Jack shrugged as he replied with a half shrug, a helpless smile on his face.

  "And in reality?" beca asked, clearly reading between the lines that Jack was willing to share this part since he had opened up about it.

  "Partly the same, partly a result by design. I got my hands on a couple of Raku crystals as a part of my deal with Ramia- details of which will remain secret as it does not concern unrelated parties- and it was as I was playing around with them that an inspiration struck me, resulting in the sword type that you now hold in your hands. The result, as you can clearly feel, is much greater than one would expect from the crystals though, a result of my class doing its job no doubt."

  Rebaca nodded her head, well aware of the raku crystals and their rather special- if underused- properties. Raku crystals were tier one rare minerals that could be used to make gear, in process bestowing upon the finished item an attribute of sped up learning with the item type in question. One unfamiliar with the mineral would then make the logical conclusion and ask why is the mineral not used in damn near every single item made, speeding up the progress of growth for new adventurers, warriors, soldiers and so on and so forth. The problem was that the mineral was notoriously difficult to work with and did not like to play ball with other crafting materials nine hundred and ninety nine times out of a thousand and by itself the mineral was not good enough for crafting purposes. Add to that all the fact that its peculiar special effect did not even register as an additional affix on the items made it worse still.

  "Does that mean that all swords you make have it?" she asked, suddenly more curious than before.

  "God no. Do I look like some divinity of the forge?" Jack half laughed, rolling his eyes in the process "This one was result of the inspiration. I have yet to repeat the same result, not for a lack of trying though."

  "Oh. My apologies." Rebeca bowed her head lightly "You must understand how this could look from the perspective of an outsider, much like I can understand the pride inherent in the item resulting from a spontaneous inspiration that had resulted in such a breakthrough."

  "Right, of course. None taken." Jack raised his arms in a gesture of surrender, or in this particular case- a gesture of understanding and acknowledgement.

  "Can I take it that the rest of the swords of the same rarity are of a similar make? I do know that no matter how hard one tries, it is nigh impossible to create two identical items."

  "Not much of a deviation when it comes to the quality of the swords, if that's what you are asking, though for proof you will have to visit Ramia."

  "I do have to say, it is quite the impressive sword. So much so that if the prices are not overly outrageous, I can see us purchasing a decent amount." Rebeca spoke as she handed the sword back to Jack, taking another sip of the incredible tea afterwards.

  "Do contact Ramia to hash out the details. Not much of a merchant or negotiator, though I do have the brain to know where I am lacking, thus the relegation of tasks."

  "Huff." Rebeca sighed "And what a person to relegate said tasks to. I would so much prefer to deal with someone not nearly as shrewd and slippery as Ramia, but needs must be met. I would request that you be present during the talks though, in case my side have questions than need answers only the creator can provide."

  "I believe that can be arranged." Jack replied, their conversation once again sliding off to mundane topics as the group spent another hour or so enjoying the culinary wonder provided to them and once that was over with, Jack himself escorted the group out of his property, thanking Rebeca for the gesture she had extended while receiving a small avalanche of thanks from Rebeca and her team in turn. How could they not? The gastronomy pleasure ride was just that impressive after all. There were even a couple of shameless enough members of her group that suggested he Jack invite them for a similar event again. They would drag Beca if need be as well.

  --------------------

  "So? What do you think of him? I doubt you would have spent as much time as you did if it was to merely dig for some more general info." the city lord asked Rebeca later that evening having read through the reports of the entire team on their findings while inside Stolen Constellations manor.

  "He has the makings of a new pillar. His sword making seems the real deal. Combine it with the luck of stumbling upon an epic grade tier one sword crafting method- assuming it was pure luck- and the combat squad that he had collected, and you have a guaranteed path to success. Add to that the fact they are not trying to expand at the first sign of success, stabilizing their foundation and core group, and you are looking at a possible future giant." Rebeca explained.

  "Is that why you went on to already make appointment to hash out the deal for a set of weapons for the town?" The city lord asked, though there was no accusation in his tone of voice.

  "Yes. I believe the price for his creations will only rise with time. Why not secure a set before his fame and brand explodes? Who knows, we might even sell the weapons down the line for astronomical sums if my gut feeling is right."

  "Oh." the city lord replied, seemingly sinking into thought. He did answer a few minutes later, having come to a decision. "Secure at least ten weapons, more if possible with that deal of yours. I have heard word of Sanctus skulking around. Best we prepare while we still can."

  Jack Raja(?)

  Age- 27

  Species- human(?)

  Level- 24

  Class- Twin aspect of Creation and Destruction(EX)

  Stats unassigned: +12

  Attributes:

  Strength- 24 (14+7+3)

  Vitality- 23 (12+8+3)

  Dexterity- 21 (15+6)

  Intelligence-7

  Spirit- Spirit- 25 (20+5)

  Skills- Wisdom of Creation and destruction(EX), Choice of the creator(EX), Eyes of procurer(EX), Matter storage(EX), Arukain language(C), Spark of inspiration(EX).

  Spells- none.

  Titles(unlocked): The real Monster, Big Game Hunter, The brilliant rookie, The insane Solo. Monster debugger.The actor. Executioner. Survivor. Pioneer, Record breaker.The new champion supreme.

  Gear: amulet +2 vit: weapon- Gundao+3 str. Rings- spatial storage,