The mock tournaments had already begun and Jarren had already spent half the day absent fucking Clomere to his delight. He was absent for two days for the academy however with such an important occasion coming up, not a lot of attention was placed on him.
Returning back to his body, he gave it a light stretch which was followed with a shower before taking a step out of his room. For Harven and Orissa, he had spent the two days in his room upto theatrics only he knew unaware that he had left he academy and returned.
The dormitory halls were empty, his boots echoing in isolation as he made his way to the exit. Given that it was a weekend, it was expected for the halls to he so and for a fourth year, student, due to the individualism one student had it was more or less as he was used to.
Stepping out of the dormitories, he looked to the far edge where students made their way to Bolyres, the town right outside of the academy. As for the Bastions Grounds, all kinds of fight reigned however it majorly consisted of first year students whose techniques were nothing too concerning for a fitting audience.
Heading to Bolyres, he wanted to see the changes that the world was now facing. Instantly, rather than coaches he was met with trams that ran all over. Free of charge and with a quick glance understood it's core mechanics.
'Rather than fuel they use malcore as a fitting energy source from green malcore shards. About fifty should suffice for a month.' The technology that grew like ivy in this world was both amusing to watch as he went on with his sightseeing. It wasn't just technology but other sectors as well that were impacted.
Now he saw all kinds of shops that had opened up and because of this students flocked to such places. Bakeries, designer shops and such trinkets however he was barely moved. With his hands pocketed, he made his way to a shop that seemed to have a chic modern design.
Upon entering, the blazing heat that had been pestering him came to an end as the air conditioner took care of that. The shop wasn't that big in terms of size however what was on display was something he fancied. On shelves and walls artifacts suh a phones and tablets were in display.
And with that all kinds of descriptions followed indicating their uses. From commutation to taking photos, the full deal was present and similar to the trams they were powered by malcore as well. 'After two years and they finally cracked it.' A light muse as he made his way to the front.
Such a trinket was enviable however a problem arose from it. The sky high price for one. A small compact functional phone went for 1,500 blue malcore shards. The more powerful and complicated phones fetched for higher prices. 1,500 blue shards was capable of several breakthroughs at the Scholar's Vault thus a select few students bought such an item.
"Welcome. Here we have all kinds of phones, tablets and other technology from the fallen world that we're sure you'll be interested in." Displaying the gadgets behind the reinforced glyph glass, Jarren's eyes darted all over before his fingers pointed at a specific phone.
"Ahh... that, the Mark II series™. Excellent choice. Best in the market at the low low price of 150,000 blue shards." Fifty thousand blue shards was anything but cheap to the average student and for a noble, even they would have to pause hearing such words.
Only a handful of items in the Scholar's Vault were worth such a prize. The one behind the counter, a man in his forties had a look of uneasiness behind his face. So far he hadn't made a lot of sales due to how exhobitant the prices were. However even he couldn't lower the price given that he had spent a fortune on them.
"Here." A small bag fell out of the shadow realm taking the man by surprise. Upon inspecting the bag, he was beyond shocked that such a student had so much money on him. His demeanor once unsure and hesitant instantly melted into friendliness. "Nice doing business with you. If you're interested with other models, I can introduce them to you."
Showcasing those behind him, he hoped that Jarren who seemed to be a big spender purchased more. 'And here I thought that I would make loss. If I make him buy something of a higher value than that phone then I should make even. Sadly not a profit but it's better than making loss.'
Jarren looked at the sleek designs that gleamed of class and elegance. His phone wasn't even the most expensive item in the shop as his interest once more landed on a laptop. It's price however was no joke given that it was 250,000 blue shards. It would be hard for a noble to have so much money however for a horror like him, manifesting shards was a matter of thought.
*Snap*
The owner smiled as he brought the laptop to him and upon further inspection found it to fit his needs. "We have even more designs that you would be interested in." Realizing just how wealthy Jarren was the owner didn't stop showcasing his products.
'If I keep him here then I should make a profit.' A snarky smile crept onto his lips however his dream of profit was shattered.
"I'm satisfied however here. I was never here." Another bag came, this time it held 50,000 blue shards. The owner knew what he meant with his words as he took the bag away. "Of course, as my favorite customer I hope that you visit soon." Placing the laptop away in his pocket realm and pocketing his phone, he took his leave.
After that he spent his time heading towards the blacksmith however a lot of students were already present thus he went back to the academy. The tram dropping him at the entrance. Bringing his phone out, he went through it.
It was as advertised, with proper signal capable of playing games and more. After going through every nook and cranny, he put it back and made his way to the Bastions where fewer students were present. Taking a seat on a nearby bench, he enjoyed how incompetent and greenhorn the first year students were.
The sun was already setting however he didn't mind it at all however his pace didn't last long before it was interrupted by Orissa who took a seat next to him. "Where have you been?" Her question came after a few moments of silence that had awkwardly found it's place between the two.
"In search for peace and quiet." His tone calm as his eyes calloulsy looked at the two students locked in combat. "Quiet? At a place like this?" The sounds of students shouting battle cries and weapons clashing filled the air. The ethereal sounds of glyphs in action following shortly after. Stumped, she changed the subject.
"For two days? Or were you making another breakthrough?" Her concerns were valid given how monstrous and silent he had been as of late. "Guess?" The same statement found her once more.
A few minutes passed before the fight came to an end. The exchange short of skill and refinement as the victor won by sheer luck. "I hope you don't mind but do you have a phone?" He shifted his attention to her and from it forced her to look elsewhere. "Yes, why is that important?"
She fell silent before stating once more. "Can we exchange contacts? Talk a bit more when you're in your room." It felt like she was flirting making her cheeks flush red however it was an act, a facade that he saw through with ease. "I don't mind." Bringing out his phone, she was momentarily shocked.
"How did you afford that? That's the Mark II series, right?" Jarren merely brushed it off. "Well I am a spoilt noble for a reason right? What's 150,000 shards to me?" Such words made her skeptical however her face expressed shock. "Well I guess being a noble's son does have it's advantages." Handing his phone over, she placed her contacts.
However what made her come to a halt was the picture he had at his home screen. There it was, a picture of Arcania in complete ruin. The planet was split in half with one side bathed in blood and the other ash. At the core of it all was a structure she couldn't identify that resembled a golden halo in darkness.
With how realistic it came off as, it felt real however it made no sense as to how it came to be. 'What is this?' She couldn't quite decipher what she was looking at however she had no option to look at it for long before returning Jarren's phone back to him. "I wish you the best of luck."
And with that he rose to his feet, his phone pocketed in his chest and left. 'So far his aura is still the same as before however the artifact Harven gave me still hasn't quite deciphered what rank he is.' Pulling out a small gem from her undercoat, it remained colorless.
Leaving the Bastions, she made her way back to the Archives where Harven was already waiting for her. Handing over the gem, she broke down what had happened. "But that's impossible, the malcore reactor would have at the very least shown some signs of change."
Wondering as to why the reactor gave no results, his eyes closed as if to consult with his mind. "Also I don't know whether you care about this but he bought a phone. The latest and most expensive one. The Mark II for 150,000 blue shards." Harven's eyes shot wide open with shock.
"A hundred and fifty thousand blue shards for a piece of metal and silicon? The Velros Family are nobles but for Jarren to have such money would be too great even for them." Another piece of the puzzle that seemed to have no connection to what they were after came up. As of late that was how it had been breaking down Jarren.
"His aura hasn't shifted so he's still in the same rank but that's not certain. I still can't believe that he manged to have a golden shard to begin with." Orissa felt Jarren's wealth was an important piece that was needed to know exactly what they were dealing with. 'When he made that apology , he offered a golden shard however Callista didn't take it. There's no way a student should have so much money on him.'
Orissa knew that she was onto something. "It would also seem that he has a token for the Scholar's Vault. Handed to him by Veriyal apparently." Orissa's brows furrowed upon hearing this. Jarren and Veriyal had no form of connection whatsoever thus for him to receive a token from her was baffling.
"As for asking Veriyal, she's not giving us much to work with." Harven concluded as his hands interlocked looking at the facts that they had. "Well I have his contacts so it should be much easier to contact him." Orissa mused as she too fell into thought.
After a thorough revision of what they had, the two split up heading towards their designated places. 'The tournament should start soon so I'll have to focus on my growth and put this on hold.' Orissa thought as her figure walked through the empty halls before entering her room. Crashing onto her bed, she recalled the image she saw on his phone.
An image she felt had more weight than it seemed but nothing solid ran through her mind.