The Path of Ascension

Chapter 127

The after-party was moon-wide, and continued for nearly two weeks. The trio being still mortal, they couldnt keep up the partying and fell asleep partway through. Though, the celebration continued on without them.

Running off the high from her double breakthroughs, Amelia sponsored a multitude of crafting trials and competitions for various different Tiers and skill sets.

Matt jumped at the chance to participate in a Tier 8 through 10 cooking tournament. His entry, a cheese souffle, was one of his better works,and netted him first place. Only a few hundred participants entered the bracket for his Tier, which made his victory less impressive, but he was there to flex his cooking skills more than anything. That ended up being more than enough to take home the prize, a Tier 11 portable range. It was an excellent addition to his spatial backpack, but he was more proud of his win than any physical reward.

Still, the competition had clearly been lacking. Cooking as a profession tended to become popular after Tier 15, when unlimited life spans allowed people to devote more time to a craft that wasn't combat applicable. Some enthusiasts dedicated themselves to the field even at lower Tiers, but this expo didnt have a strong enough focus on the culinary arts to justify the time off and travel expenses for low Tier professional chefs.

Comparatively, the Tier 15 cooking contest drew in almost two hundred thousand competitors, all of them drooling over the grand prize. It was a chance to apprentice under one of the most popular celebrity chefs around.

She may not have been Aunt Helen, but Yvette Gerald was an extremely well-respected chef. She specialized in simple, but creative dishes, elevated to high cuisine through masterful technique.

Even among the elites, the woman had been a chef longer than most. Rumor had it, she was pushing close to ascending. Todays winner might be one of the last people to be personally mentored by her.

Matt, with Aster on his lap, got to watch the Tier 15 through 20 competition from the special winners booth, near the front of the crowd.

Liz was absent. Instead, she opted to spend her time squeezing in some last minute practice for the Tier 10 and under Alchemy competition. Matt hadnt seen her so excited in awhile, even if she didnt expect to rank in the top thousand. There were just too many skilled professional alchemists, often with Talents and Concepts linked to the craft, for an amateur enthusiast like her to win.

At every opportunity, Aster kept sneaking off to try and swipe samples of the cooking competition entries, but her mission was rendered impossible by the horde of high Tiers involved. Nonetheless, she and the other olfactorily-gifted beasts suffered the enchanting smells of the dishes far more intensely, and were salivating at the chance to get a taste. Unlike most others, the wiley fox was simply willing to take some initiative on the matter.

Not that Matt fared any better. He just had more self-control, and the foreknowledge that the lesser tournament winners were guaranteed a portion of the dishes that were being cooked. A particularly generous winner could even choose to share their servings with their rambunctious bond.

Those small portions available were shared during the preliminary rounds, so they were waiting for the final round to finish to taste the desserts. So far, most of the dishes had been themed around a random rift monster meat, but the final desert was a free for all. There were no restrictions or limitations, letting the finalists display all of their skill to the judges in one final showing.

As the final seven contestants presented their entries to the judges, Matt inspected the dishes.

The top contender, in Matts opinion, had baked an apple pie that looked like something out of a cooking magazine. A magazine with digitally enhanced pictures. The dessert looked just too perfect.

Yvette seemed impressed as well as she tasted a slice of pie. It escaped nobody's notice that she devoured the entire serving, going so far as to wipe the dish clean of crumbs and filling.

Lucian, the pies baker, kept his cool visibly, but Matt expected him to be rejoicing internally. His dishes had all come together perfectly, and had showcased his wide array of skills. At only five hundred years old, he was the youngest remaining contender by a large margin. Some of his fellow competitors had been thousands of years older than he was, making his level of skill all the more impressive.

The only other dish that caught Matts eye was Zamans strawberry cake. The pastry was light and fluffy, with a clear distinction between the layers throughout the cake.

He was the probable runner-up, if the previous rounds were anything to judge off of. Zamans style more closely resembled Yvettes, but he was relatively new to the profession, despite being alive for millennia.

According to his biography, the man had been stalled at Tier 15 for nearly a thousand years. He had retired to one of the immortal planets, before slowly discovering a passion for cooking.

Based on that detail alone, Matt had initially written the man off, much like most of the crowd. Immortal planets, as they were called, were where the Empire encouraged immortal Tier 15s with no desire to advance to spend their retirement, so to speak. It segregated their greater wealth from the fragile economies of most low Tier planets, while decongesting the perpetually over-populated planets with Tier 15 rifts.

To have spent a significant amount of time on one of the planets was considered the mark of the undriven. For good reason too; the immortal planets had a well-earned reputation for mass indulgence, frivolity, and hedonism. Unlimited lifespans didnt mean people were more motivated, they just had more time to be themselves.

People rarely wound up there by accident. Most simply choosing to settle down for an endless life without any further growth or advancement.

Zaman spending most of his life there, betrayed his younger self's complete lack of direction after achieving immortality. When combined with his history of only starting to pursue the culinary arts in the last few centuries, everyone was astonished when he had made it through the preliminaries,let alone gotten this far.

As the judges compared the final dishes, the untouched portions were brought over to where Matt and half a dozen others were sitting.

The dishes were sectioned out into bite-sized portions and served. Having tasted everything, Matt fully expected Lucian to be declared the winner. The apple pie was among the best he had ever tasted, especially considering the Tier restriction on the ingredients used. Even the essence that the Tier 5 materials imparted into the flavor was of the highest purity. It infused each ingredient to enhance them and bring out unique flavors. Matt shunted the lower Tier essence out of himself, but it still heightened the flavor profile.

Even with premiere quality, Tier 10 ingredients, Matt doubted that he could prepare such a fantastic dish.

Even Aster agreed that the pie was better than anything Matt could cook, including his handmade ice cream, to Matt's eternal shock. The pie was simply that good.

Yvette finally stood and walked before the contestants. I haven't seen this level of skill at this Tier in a long time. It shouldn't surprise anyone that Lucian was unanimously voted the best cook here today. His skills impress even me.

A massive uproar rose at that, and while all the contestants kept their cool, Matt could see the disappointment on everyone's face. Zaman sagged slightly before pulling his shoulders back.

Your skills are good. So good in fact, that while I declare you the winner of this tournament, I won't be taking you as my next apprentice.

Everyone froze at Yvette's words. The crowded stadium then burst into pandemonium.

The other contestants stood slack-jawed, but Lucian casually yawned. Either he had been warned, or had expected this outcome.

Instead, I believe that you will do better under no one's tutelage. You already have your own styleset, and direct mentorship would taint more than help that. At this point, you don't need anyone to apprentice you. In recompense for withholding the promised prize, I will personally buy you a restaurant in any of the Empires capital planets, and fund it for the next two hundred years.

That proclamation deepened everyones shock, and rattled Lucians professional facade for the first time. The capitals were all Tier 40 planets, at least. Every inch of land held incredible value. It was monumentally challenging to buy even a shed, let alone an entire building for a restaurant.

Lucian shook with excitement at the announcement, and he and Yvette chatted quietly between themselves for a few minutes.

Finally, Yvette addressed the audience again. Also, I will be offering my apprenticeship to Zamanif you will accept it. I believe you have an abundance of untapped potential, which I am well suited to bring out.

The crowd was once again sent into a flurry. Matts AI beeped a warning at him before too long, and he hurried out of the mass of people trying to rush forward to meet the various chefs.

Liz's alchemy competition was about to start, and it was far enough away that he needed to rush.

He just started breaking into a sprint when April flashed into place next to him, gripped his shoulder, and teleported them both.

Recognizing where they were, Matt beamed at her. Thanks April. I would have been pushing it painfully close otherwise.

His liaison chuckled and scratched Asters ear. It's no inconvenience. Im actually here to watch the competition myself.

Matt raised an eyebrow, but he didnt ask. He just didnt know April as well as the rest of his management team. Lunas nonstop tasks kept her occupied, which usually kept her out of view.

As he mulled over what she could want to see here, Aster just flatly inquired, But why?

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at his bond's lack of decorum, Matt still listened for the answer.

It's manyfold. One, you guys are my charges, and I like to see how yall do. I made sure to catch your big cookoff too. She shot them a smile before turning back to the display before them. Second, there are quite a few very promising kids in this competition. Schmoozing up-and-comers while they're still young and weak is a great way to earn a massive return on investment. A few kind words, some initial funds to show good intentions and prove your sincerity it doesnt take much. These initial networking events are just a few ways for me to cast my net wider if I want to progress further as a mentor and trainer, because having good contacts is crucial.

Matt smirked; he had a lot of the same ideas, if for no other reason than to just meet people. If his future plans progressed as he imagined, he would be weeding people eager to work with him out. Knowing their personalities now would give him a better sense of their true self, rather than meeting them later, when he was famous and well established. This was his chance to get a read on these people before they came to him with ulterior motives.

As the tournament started, the three of them found their place among the bystanders and watched Liz. She was far away from them, just a dot in the spatially expanded distance, but the venue AI had a swarm of cameras to solve that issue. Their own AIs could stream video of any participant by tapping into the camera network.

Matt could only follow half of the tournament's proceedings, only from the bits and pieces of information he had learned from watching Liz over the years. Aster actually understood more of the happenings, as she liked to hang out with Liz when she concocted potions.

The first trial was a potion to increase proprioception for a short duration. As the contestants began preparing their equipment, Matt turned to April and asked, Hey, how can you tell whos worth investing in?

The blonde smirked at him. Ah yes, for your big plans. Not a bad question, but you need to remember that were looking for different things. She gestured to herself. I want someone whos adequately skilled, not tied down by any guild, and preferably good at teaching. I'm trying to make contacts for when I have my own teams. You will want something different. At most, Ill be working with these people in stints, as their skill sets become relevant to whatever Pathers that Im assigned to. Theyll come and go mostly, so I don't have to care about things like trustworthiness and clashing personalities. At least, not nearly as much as you do. You, Matty boy, want to form a crafting guild. And thats a much longer term commitment, with way more at stake for people to fight and politic over.

Matt nodded, that all made sense to him They watched the first round progress in a comfortable silence, until the two hour time limit ended.

Nearly half of the two hundred thousand alchemists were eliminated for either failing to make the potion, or because the quality of their entries fell below the standards required to move on to the second round.

The second phase forced the alchemist to identify a variety of herbs, and list their uses without using their AI. To make things interesting, it was set in faux rift situations, where herbs could be harder to identify than normal. It wasn't a hard test considering everyone's Tier, but if the contestant relied too much on their AI, or couldn't handle the pressure, they could be eliminated at this phase.

For everyone else, it was about rapid identification, which made for some entertaining test results.

Together, he and April pointed out a few people that caught their eye and discussed the reasons for each. Aster eventually entered the game as well. To his surprise, his bond had a fantastic intuition for this type of thing. Just based off of a few minutes of observing the contestant, she could figure a lot out about someone before even reading their history.

She quickly identified the people who had conflicting personalities that wouldn't mesh well with Matts ideas.

Not able to copy his bonds instinctive grasp of people, Matt learned from April. Her method was to start with a visual perusal; she was looking for anything that caught her eye. Not to suggest that she only looked for interesting or flashy people. She even identified people who looked too plain, and were otherwise overlooked. After that, she looked up what personal information was provided by the contestant themselves. If she thought they were still a good fit, she would then contact an information broker, and get a more detailed and aggregated information packet. If one was available, that is.

Using that, she would then craft a list of people to meet with in person.

Matt didn't think it was an idea that would work for him, but it was something to learn from that he could build his own strategy with.

He was half tempted to offer her a job, but knew from their conversations that she was committed to her career, and wanted to become a manager in her own right more than anything else.

There were a few people in the competition that Matt felt were worth getting to know, and he made a note in his AI to try and meet them in person before they left.

The third round of the competition was an interesting one. The contestants needed to make an apparently brand new concoction, invented by one of the judges just days before. It was a task meant to test their ability to create and improvise on the fly.

More than a few beakers and cauldrons exploded as the contestants tried to follow the unfamiliar steps.

Liz, in the end, was eliminated in the fourth phase, when they cut the numbers down from one thousand to the top one hundred. The test for that round was making a potion mix consisting of three physical enhancement potions. This step led to explosions in more than half of the contestant's faces, immediately eliminating them. Liz completed her potion, but the purity was lower than the cut-off point, so she too was sent back to the stands. Her final ranking was two hundred and seventy-two.

Matt pulled her into a hug as she returned to their side, saying, Well done. You kicked ass.

Liz was trying to remain stoic, but he could sense that she was giddy with her performance. She had been far more pessimistic than he had been regarding her placement prospects.

I did my best, and it paid off. How was the cooking one? Was the food as good as you thought it would be?

He briefly told her about the dishes he had been able to taste, but didn't let her change the topic. He refocused on her own placement and congratulated her for her performance.

Even with their less strenuous delving schedule the last few years, they hadnt focused on their side professions as much. Luna and Kurt simply trained them in more tactical subjects, or enlisted the help of other trainers for specific areas of study. Their downtime was extremely limited.

They wandered around the various venues while sightseeing, which was a lovely breather. Watching the various crafters and groups discussing the goings on was just as fun as watching the competition live. The trio wandered for a while longer, just taking it all in.

Before long, a group of people crowding a stall caught their attention.

They were in the area sectioned off for the below Tier 15 crafters, and there were at least three hundred people crowding around a single stall.

Together, they inched closer to the front until they could see the front of the stall.

The signage said, Retrieval enabled spatial backpacks. Direct trades only.

Surprised, Matt checked the proprietor of the shop and felt that the man was only Tier 11.

That made his claim of selling spatial backpacks entirely unbelievable.

Spatial items came in two types, open and closed.

The open type was similar to the backpacks and storage crates that were expanded, but had a direct entrance to access the space inside. Technically, the spatial enlargement that was used on buildings used the same principles.

That type of spatial expansion was easier to enchant, and could expand the space inside by a greater factor than the closed types.

Closed spatial items had no way to physically enter the space from the outside. That meant the location was more controlled, and allowed for additional properties to be added to the items, such as weight negation and time slowing or stoppage.

By their nature, closed spatial items needed a way to retrieve items placed inside them, which was where the retrieval function came into play. Without that, no one would be able to get their items out, but creating that function was only possible because of the way closed spatial items were enchanted.

While he had never tried to create a spatial item, even Matt knew the logic behind them. After all, the ring that contained his growth sword had the same function.

The problem was, closed spatial items relied on higher Tier materials to hold the complicated runes required, unless they were limited to holding a single item, like his sword. The rune for retrieval was a Tier 15 rune at minimum. It needed the space to be fully closed to limit the variables, so the enchantment was able to easily locate any items inside.

A backpack that had the retrieval function broke half at least a dozen enchanting rules that Matt knew of, and he suspected it broke another two dozen that he wasn't aware of. There was just no way of having a retrieval rune on an open spatial item.

Yet, that was exactly what the man was advertising.

Currently, someone was checking the display backpack and withdrawing a small canteen, then storing it.

Matt turned to ask the woman next to him, Why hasn't he sold out yet?

She inspected Matt before she pointed to the second half of the sign. A couple reasons. He's asking for incredibly rare items or Tier 20 mana stones if you want to make a direct trade. Also, whatever hes done to the bags greatly limits the space inside. By about three quarters Id estimate. Plus he's only selling bags at his current Tier 11, so...

She ended with a half-shrug that explained it all.

Matt understood the issue. With a Tier 11 spatial backpack's size reduced by three quarters, it would only be about the size of a Tier 6 or 7 bag. That wasnt small, but it was a sharp reduction compared to normal.

That first issue was bad, but not necessarily enough to prevent people from buying the bags. But then there was the price. A Tier 20 mana stone was absurd. Anyone who could afford that price would almost certainly be over Tier 15 already, and would have no need for a Tier 11 spatial backpack.

If the man wasn't trying to sell the backpacks, he was doing a good job of it. Checking with his AI, Matt found and skimmed the list of items the man wanted to trade for.

It was even worse. He wanted one of a variety of incredibly rare, bordering on unique, Tier 12 materials, with a few practically mythical Tier 13 materials sprinkled through the list.

All of them were rarely sold, to the point of being functionally non-existent. Most of them couldn't be bought, even with a Tier 20 mana stone, because they simply never went on sale.

Once the man who had been testing the item walked away, someone else strode forward, leaning in and whispering to the salesman.

After a few minutes of conversation and exchanging a small cloth bag, the crafter handed over the spatial bag, and the other man quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Liz cursed softly. I want one of them. Ugh, why is the price so high?

Aster squirmed in Matt's arms to yip at Liz. I don't even have hands! I need it more.

That was a good point, but Matt still wanted one for his cover identity too. As a talismans master, his main obstacle in battle was having to stop and root around his bag for the right talismans for the situation.

It wasn't like he could blast people with his unlimited fireball strategy in public, so he was limited to a few normal casts before pulling out his next talismans. The instant retrieval would make a huge difference in the Pather Tournament too, without revealing any of his other abilities.

Knowing there was minimal chance to get the bags, Matt walked forward to talk to the seller.

Is there anything else that you want in exchange?

The seller remained polite, but Matt could hear the irritation in his voice. No. Everything's price is stated.

Matt smiled and shook his head. Everything has a price, and few things are non-negotiable.

Liz tapped the air and followed him up. What is it you need these items for? Most are crazy rare. Maybe if we knew why you needed them, we could offer alternatives?

The man shook his head and looked like he was resisting the urge to cry. If you can't trade, please leave. Youre taking the space of potential paying customers.

Glancing at Liz, the three of them turned and pushed through the crowd to exit the congestion.

Aster let out a long wail as her ears and tail dipped. I wanted it. Would have been like having hands. I could have picked things up!

Comforting the depressed fox, the three of them traveled through the rest of the shops and idly perused the other items offered. They picked up a few odds and ends, but nothing stood out to them like the bags had.

That evening, they got Luna's attention and asked her about the weird spatial bags they had seen.

She seemed unbothered. Yeah, I saw that the kid had a nifty Talent, but his prices are too high. He must know it too, so hes got to be desperate for something.

Liz leaned forward, And you don't know what he wants?

Luna rolled her eyes in return. I'm not a fortune teller. All I know is what I've seen him say and do, and hes getting no more attention from me than anyone else. Most of my attention is dedicated to hiding your eyes, Matt.

Their manager turned to leave, but stopped as she faded out of reality, turning back long enough to say, Hes a person like any other. He has wants and desires. Use the skills youve been learning and find out what they are.

With that final bit of advice, Luna vanished.

The next day, they started to investigate the enchanter. They began by purchasing an information report on him, and learned his name and occupation.

His name was Jamie, and he was a registered enchanter since Tier 3, but he was an independent. He wasnt connected to any guild or noble family. According to the report, he had been selling his bags at extraordinary prices for as long as he had been active. As Jamie was fairly ordinary, despite his ability to make the bags, there was little on him.

The three of them followed him and gathered what information they could in person. They did find out he was trying to meet a variety of the highest Tier crafters, but for what reason, they were unable to find out.

Jamie was trying desperately enough that they half expected him to need something in particular, but he never seemed to try his luck with a single crafter more than once.

After observing the man for a few more days, they decided to call in a small favor. Amelia agreed to meet with Jamie if he was willing to work with them.

Finally, they approached him in a pub as he finished his dinner.

Liz started with the introductions. Hi, my names Liz. That's Matt and Aster. We were wondering if we could talk to you for a few minutes.

Jamie sighed and looked ready to decline offhand, but she threw out their baited hook. We can get you a meeting with Amelia. The Amelia.

That brought the man up short. His open mouth clicked shut and he looked them over skeptically.

Finally, he asked, Just what will that cost me? And how do I know that you can really do that?

Matt tapped the table. That depends on what you can really do, and how it works.

A flash of hostility entered the other mans gaze, so he hurried to add, We aren't looking for exact details of your Talents, but we want nonstandard items. Were willing to pay well. Three Tier 14 skills or skills of equivalent value. We even have an [Endurance].

Jamie didn't look nearly as interested as they hoped he would at the offer, but he did nod slightly. After chewing on his lip for a minute, he stood up and gestured for them to follow him.

He led them out of the dinner and into a nearby hotel room, where he sat them down.

Yes. Obviously, it's a Talent. But it's not easy or cheap to use. It has associated costs. Steep ones.

Liz raised an eyebrow, And you can't do it for Tier 14 skills? That seems unbelievable.

Jamie let out a deep, weary breath. Well, believe it. I'd be pushing just to break even at that price. What changes are you looking for in particular?

Aster leaped forward on the table and yipped. I need a bag that won't slip around? Can you make it a vest?

Jamie blinked several times as if he was just now noticing Aster, but finally, he shrugged. I can probably do a cloth vest, but that will further limit the space. If the actual interior is limited, I can only expand it so much further beyond that.

Aster was fine with that, and said so.

Liz nodded and continued, I want something longer than it is wide, so I can fit a medium spear with plenty of room for potions. Also, can you make it a vest for me as well?

Matt added, Same for me. The slim bit, I mean.

Jamie sighed. None of that will be easy. And I still need that guarantee that you can get me a meeting. An actual sitdown where shell listen to my proposal seriously. That comes first.

Not able to speak for the woman, Matt shrugged. We know her, but we can't guarantee that she will agree or anything. Im confident that shed at least listen to what you have to say, though. What do you want from her anyway?

Jamie shook his head. That's between her and I. Alright, what skills do you have to trade?

Matt and Liz brought out a few of the skill 14 skills they had collected from their various delves. While rifts Tier 14 and above were guaranteed to drop Tier 14 skills, rifts under that Tier also had a smaller chance too. They had been delving Tier 11 rifts for the better part of a year and a half, so they had a few of the skills, even if they weren't the most valuable ones.

After haggling, they exchanged one [Endurance] and five other Tier 14 skills for the three custom ordered spatial backpacks, along with their setting up a meeting with Amelia.

They had no idea what actually happened in the meeting, with it being private, but Jamie left with a sunny smile.

Amelia, on the other hand, seemed more conflicted about the outcome, but not upset at all.

It took another week before their new items were ready, but the spatial vests were incredibly useful in their mundane lives, and in combat. The vests weren't quite as seamless to use as a spatial ring was, but with practice, Matt was able to identify what talismans he had in his bag, and withdraw them at will.

Thanks to the vest, Liz started to incorporate potions and poisons into her combat style, which made her an incredibly hard opponent to deal with in both of her personas. As a mid-range mage, the concoctions let her deal devastating damage with poisons delivered through her own blood. As a fire melee fighter, she was able to take a variety of physical boosting options in combat, where most others couldnt. Fire also synergized well with a great number of explosives that she could concoct.

Aster's spatial vest was, as warned, much smaller than theirs, but the closet-sized space was still enough to let her pick items up that she couldnt bite, and gave her a degree of autonomy she had greatly desired.

As the weeks turned into months, the celebration ended, and most of the casual attendees left. Only the most diehard of the crafters, who were interested in the more in-depth exchange of ideas, were left on the moon.

It was beyond their ability to meaningfully participate in those discussions, and the three of them left not long after that. Matt spent his final week there filling up the mana reserves of the research facility, wandering around collecting mana samples, and relaxing with Liz and Aster.

When they returned to training, they doubled down and refined their skills with their alternative identities.

They intended to participate in an earlier tournament, and would be younger than most of their Tier, but they were also reaching a point where their fundamentals were as polished as they reasonably could be. They were getting restless.

For the last few years of their training, they alternated between delving as their false personas and their real identities, which gave them a decent delving pace of twice a week. Living a double life was sometimes confusing, but they managed without any major slip-ups.

That didnt stop Luna from issuing them clandestine missions from time to time. Some were true missions, where they used their skills to stop or prevent various minor calamities. The most notable for Matt was when they investigated a local corporation for rifts disappearing on the planet, and found that they were a front for a neighboring noble. They were trying to discredit a competitor from challenging the Marquees above them for his position when their term ended.

They busted the corporation and the noble behind them, leading to their removal and jail time.

It was a subtle reminder that the Emperor's initiative to remove hereditary nobility, in favor of a more meritocratic system, had its own downsides.

Matt liked those missions, though. It made the three of them feel like they were making a difference and improving the Empire.

Most others were mundane, with them being caught at the end by Luna or Kurt, before they left whatever planet they had found themselves on. Those missions had fewer stakes, and didnt give them any satisfaction beyond ensuring that their skills remained well-honed.

At first, selling the mana to Amelia was annoying with their traveling around, but Luna somehow procured a truly impressive number of mana storage devices, letting Matt charge them during their travels. Then, she just had local agents swap the empty mana storage devices for the full ones at the normal delivery rate.

With only a year left before the Tier 10 tournament, Matt had one last stop on their way to the Kingdom capital of Tur'stal, where the tournament would be held this time.

Matt needed to see Lilly once more.

Home awaited.

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