After giving his orders to David and Edmund, Rohan made his way toward the city gate, planning to wait there instead of sleeping near his newly built shrines. He also wanted to visit a magical trade house, preferably the biggest one in the city.
When he observed Edmund, he had seen a small magical trade house where Edmund currently worked, but he found it lacking. So he wanted to find another one that possessed higher quality magical items.
But since he was not familiar with the city, Rohan naturally had to ask a passing citizen or some shopkeepers by the roadside. Fortunately, magical trade houses were quite well known among the people, so Rohan was able to get directions from each person he asked.
As he made his way toward the biggest magical trade house in the city, he felt he could not afford to waste time, so he decided to sprint. With his speed, it did not take long for him to find himself standing before a particular building.
Once he stepped inside, he saw a hall lit by blue lightbulbs that seemed to be powered by soul essence.
Despite it already being past midnight, he could still see some mages standing before displayed items on the shelves.
Rohan felt his heart quicken with excitement. As someone who had grown up poor, he had only set foot in a magical trade house once as a child, and never again since he could not afford anything inside.
But this time, with a hundred gold coins in his possession, Rohan was confident he could finally purchase something suitable for himself.
It was not long before he reached a counter where a man stood waiting behind it. The moment he noticed Rohan, he offered a faint smile and spoke.
"Welcome to the Besla Magical Trade House! Name's Belon Dusk, your one stop magical solution specialist. What can I get started for you today?"
"I need a weapon for a Blue Soul Mage."
For him, a weapon was the most important thing right now, since he could not always rely on Lightbringer and the Armor of Asgard due to their limited usage. As for learning combat spells, it was not an option, since spells were not easy to learn even for mages.
"Well, of course!" Belon spun around like he'd been waiting his whole life for that question, yanked open a crate, and started tossing items onto the counter like a one-man sales hurricane.
"Okay, first up, we got the Blade of the Sun, and let me just say, these guys at Sun Production, they do not mess around. You pour a little of your essence into this thing and boom, suddenly you're holding a portable meltdown. I'm talking hot enough to melt steel, for sixty gold coins. Sixty! That's basically charity."
He immediately snatched up the next item before the last one even settled.
"Next, the Bow of the Wind! Oh, this one's fun. Built by the breezy brainiacs over at Air Production. No arrows. None. You just stand there, look dramatic, channel your essence and bam, wind arrow, right in your hand. It's efficient, it's stylish, it's slightly terrifying. Also sixty gold coins. I don't know how I'm not losing money here."
Then he grabbed the final item, holding it up with a grin that said this was his favorite part.
"And now, okay, now we're talking. The big one. The Punishment Ring of the Dragon. Forged from actual dragon scales, allegedly, by the totally trustworthy people at HoneyLaundry, and I say that with zero concern whatsoever. You put this on, and suddenly you're the authority. You just yell, 'anyone who talk will be punished here!' and boom, instant restriction."
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.
"Small note, tiny detail, very important, if the mage is stronger than you, this whole 'supreme authority' thing kind of becomes a suggestion. So maybe don't go picking fights with walking disasters unless you enjoy regret."
He straightened up, flashing a quick grin.
"Eighty gold coins. Honestly, for that kind of power, that's a bargain. A dangerous bargain, but still a bargain."
He tapped the counter, clearly not done yet.
"And wait, there's more, because of course there is. These beauties? They grow with you. You hit Indigo, Azure, Cyan, they keep up, they get stronger, they're loyal, unlike some people I could mention. But, and this is a big but, once you go past Cyan, that's it. No more upgrades. They plateau. Emotionally and magically."
He spread his hands.
"So what are we thinking here, huh? Power, style? I've got it all."
When Rohan heard the descriptions and prices, he was very impressed by the items' abilities, though not surprised by their cost. He had expected such items to be expensive. For him, 80 gold coins would have been enough to feed himself and pay rent for over five years. He was simply not used to spending so much money in a single transaction.
But he was also aware of how important these items were.
'Besides, I can use them for years to come. They won't become useless even if I grow stronger.'
After a few minutes of consideration, Rohan finally settled on the ring. Though reluctant, he eventually handed over all 80 gold coins before slipping the ring onto his index finger.
The moment it touched his skin, a stream of information flooded his mind, detailing its purpose and the limits of what it could and could not do.
Satisfied with his purchase, Rohan left the store and made his way toward the city gate.
By the time he arrived at the city gate, the sky had turned a deep dark blue, making it clear that dawn was close. It would not take long for the sun to rise.
After waiting for a while, he finally spotted David in the distance. His red hair and dark outfit made him easy to recognize.
Soon after, he also noticed Edmund. When their gazes met, Edmund slicked his brown hair back as he walked toward Rohan. Naturally, Rohan had already shared detailed descriptions of the three of them when he gave the order as the Storm God. It was meant to make their meeting easier and avoid any confusion.
A moment later, once the three of them met face to face, Edmund was the first to speak. "Let's go to my house. We can safely discuss our mission there."
David responded with a scoff. "You talk like you're running this. You got a problem with meeting right here?"
Rohan looked at the two and sighed inwardly,'This is going to be difficult...'
Edmund didn't react immediately. He looked at David calmly with an unchanged expression.
"No," he said simply. "But discussing a mission like this in the open…" His gaze shifted slightly, scanning their surroundings. "…is careless."
"If you're comfortable with that, we can stay."
David clicked his tongue. "Tch… you talk too much."
"But yeah… I get it. But don't think that means you're in charge."
Rohan let out a quiet breath as his gaze moved between the two of them. "We're wasting time."
Edmund gave a faint nod. "Agreed."
After they agreed to move, the three of them made their way toward Edmund's place, with him leading.
Along the way, David glanced at Rohan.
"You don't look like hell this time," he said.
"This is a blessing from the Lord," Rohan replied while his left hand rested on his chest.
David let out a short laugh.
"A blessing, huh? Guess your god's got favorites."
'The Storm God is also your god!' Rohan protested inwardly.
And then nearly 15 minutes later, they found themselves standing in front of a red two story house, similar to most buildings in the city.
David looked at the house and scoffed.
"This it?" He said as he tilted his head slightly. "I expected something better."
Edmund, still with a calm look, didn't react to the remark. "It's sufficient," he said as he stepped forward and opened the door. "Unlike appearances, privacy has value."
He then gestured for Rohan and David to enter.
Soon after, David stepped inside, his gaze sweeping across the interior.
He let out a quiet scoff. "Yeah, yeah… privacy. As long as it gets the job done."
Behind them, Rohan stepped inside as well, with a tired look on his face. 'Putting David and Edmund in the same room might have been a mistake…'
But Rohan knew his options were limited. Edmund and David were easily his best choices.
He had already expected some friction between them, but he trusted they would be smart enough to prioritize the mission.
A short while later, the three of them gathered around a table in the living room and began discussing their next move.
Edmund preferred to gather information first, while David was more interested in converting thugs and beggars to follow the Storm God to expand their ranks and gain intelligence.
Rohan had no objections, as he found both approaches reasonable. The problem was that Edmund and David couldn't agree on which to prioritize. Edmund wanted to begin searching for information immediately, while David insisted on recruiting more followers first, believing it would provide useful intel and earn favor from the Storm God.
After going back and forth for half an hour, despite the group having only just been formed, they ultimately chose to split up and pursue their own methods.
They agreed to rendezvous at Edmund's place if any of them found a target to eliminate.
As for Rohan himself, he had also gone with his own approach, the one that could put his life in danger. However, he was willing to take the risk.