Chapter 17: Surprise At The Blacksmith's Shop

Noctis and Takara are inside the auction house. 

"You got stuff to auction, my dear?" 

Noctis asked Takara. 

They held hands while walking together to the auction counter. 

"Yes, my dear Zero. I obtained the Nemean Lion's Fur Coat after defeating it. I don't find it suitable, so I might as well sell it at the auction." 

"Wait. Did you just say Nemean Lion's Fur Coat? Let's have it enhanced first at the Blacksmith's Shop, have the blacksmith place Legendary and God-class features on this cloak, and change this cloak from rare item to God-class." 

Noctis stopped Takara from approaching the counter, and started dragging her outside. 

" Why the need to go to such lengths?  It's just a damn item that any normal player will kill to obtain. What do I gain here?? What are you plotting? I guess you're also aware that upgrading an item from rare to normal in a Blacksmith's shop is rarely successful. I'd say it has a 60% chance of failing." 

Takara asked with her eyebrows raised and her lips formed into a frown at Noctis. 

Sensing that Takara doubted him, Noctis started to answer her questions one by one. 

" Relax, Takara. I don't see why you doubt what I had in mind. I can explain, ok? "

Noctis replied to Takara. 

"All right. Just get on with it, and spill the tea already, my dear." 

Takara rolled her eyes in exasperation. 

"Don't you see what I'm getting at? Let me ask you. What happens when a Legendary or God-class item suddenly shows up at an auction out of nowhere, Takara?" 

"News will spread. That will draw the attention of other players who have Nobility class badges. They'll either send minions of their own to scout who caused an item to appear at an auction, or come in person to buy the item, and talk to us, who had the item created."

" Bingo. You guessed it correctly, Takara. And who am I trying to draw out? Think. You've read the description of the Nemean Lion's Fur Coat yourself. "

" Who could it possibly be? The elite werewolf hybrid Raymond Collins? Come to think of it, the description perfectly matches the abilities of a werewolf. He'd greatly appreciate it if we give him an item that perfectly boosts his natural abilities. That should get him on our side."

"You nailed it again, Takara." 

"But what about the chance of the upgrade failing? You know full well that if the upgrade fails, the item ceases to exist. It vanishes along with the materials used for upgrading." 

"Don't worry. I got that part covered. I had my father create a cheat code that only applies to me. It makes any item I desire upgraded get upgraded without much difficulty, and any item I want gone or downgraded disappear and have the class of the item downgraded, no questions asked. It was kind of hard to convince my father to have it done, given the fact that he already did so much to give me a super obvious advantage early on in the game. "

"You really are an obnoxious, rule-breaking, cheater of a player who is also arrogant and manipulative, my dear." 

"All the players with Nobility Badges are, my dear Takara. Not just me. I'm no different from them. That's why we who got nobility badges are untouchable in the eyes of ordinary players. Because we can bend rules all the time, and get away with it scot-free. But always remember, never lay your hand on them unless absolutely necessary. You should always be wary, Takara. Being a player with a Nobility Badge sure got a lot of benefits, but it also has a drawback. And that drawback is that you're walking on a thin wire. A wire that might snap at any time if you let your guard down for even one second. Keep that in mind. "

" I will. Thank you, my dear. Did you do all this for me? Why?"

"Yes, I did all that for you. I got a surprise for you in the Blacksmith's Shop. It's in the VIP section. Now, hand over that Nemean Lion's coat to me, and let's go already." 

Takara ended up giving the Nemean Lion's Coat to Noctis, who stashed it in his inventory. 

They went out of the auction house  while holding hands together, and walked inside the Blacksmith's Shop. 

They went to the VIP section of the Blacksmith's Shop. 

"Ah, hello, it's you again, player Zero. Is this the girl you were talking about earlier?" 

The blacksmith asked Noctis. 

"Yes, Mr.Yuusei. Now, hurry up and do what I paid you to do already. We haven't got forever to wait for you to explain." 

Noctis said dismissively. 

"Hello, player Takara. I've heard so much about you. It's a pleasure to meet you in person." 

Yuusei  Gushiken offered a handshake to Takara, which she accepted. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Yuusei. I've heard so many stories about you. Why would an elite blacksmith, who used to be part of The Gamer Guild, show up here in the Novice Stage? What happened? At your level of skills, you should have set up shop at the Legendary, God stage , or Creator stage. "

Takara's remark made Noctis look up  and cast Yuusei a questioning glance. 

Yuusei put a finger up his lips, as if to motion Takara to be silent, and said in a low tone. 

" You shouldn't just carelessly blab that I'm still alive. Someone who used to be part of the Gamer Guild, who got contacts with the Necromancer Guild, wants me out of the picture. I had to pull a lot of strings to stay incognito. Hush now." 

"Anyway, the item I'm modifying for you is the Mountain Troll Variant's Pendant. You should be aware of what creature dropped this already, and the features of this pendant, correct? In a nutshell, this pendant helps you to greatly amplify your powers as a multi-elemental battle mage. I'll notify you when I finish upgrading this item."

Takara's eyes widened with glee, and gave Noctis a warm and loving hug, before she let go.

Then she stood by Noctis' side, and held his hand once again, while he took out  the Nemean Lion's Fur Cloak, the full set of armour, and the golden mace.

" Are you sure about this, player Zero? If I changed all of these from Rare to Legendary, and ramped up the stats of these items to the max, it will cause an uproar. All the players in RPG Fantasia with Nobility Badges will come flocking. Keep in mind that I don't want my identity exposed out in the open. "

Yuusei said with concern, wondering what on earth Noctis is plotting. 

" Of course, I am. Don't worry. I got you covered. On the day of the auction, put this mask, and these clothes on. The disguise will only stay effective for 48 hours before the effect wears off. Here's extra payment for your services." 

He casually tossed money bags filled with gold and gems at the shop's counter. 

" Takara, let's go. Will you care for another meal, and a dance in bed afterwards? "

Noctis said winking at Takara as they walked out of the shop.