System Change

Indeed, Derek didn’t have to worry much about Jacks. When he got home, he pulled the man to the side and told him about everything that had happened. When Jacks learned that Gerald had been captured and Derek had asked Natalie to learn more about the death of his wife, Jacks was more relieved than anything else.

“I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction you were going to have to the news.” Derek said. “I’m honestly a little surprised.”

Jacks smiled and shook his head. “I’m relieved because I don’t have to worry about Jake going out and doing something stupid. He can slow down and enjoy life a bit more now. He doesn’t have to rush to level and become stronger. He can take it slow and build his foundation.”

“I see.”

“That doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t like to personally get my pound of flesh out of the man.” A glint flashed in Jacks’s eyes before he continued. “But this is for the best. I’ll be able to learn the truth and move on. It’s all I can ask for. Thank you, Derek. Thank you so much… for everything.”

Derek didn’t know what to do when the strong, scarred man’s eyes began tearing up. He simply took a step forward and slapped Jacks on the shoulder. “You’re a good guy, Jacks, and your son seems to be good as well. I’m glad I could help a little.”

Jacks shook his head. “You didn’t help a little. You gave me my life back… gave me my son back. Then you went out and did what you did today. I can not thank you enough. I will forever be in your debt. You have a guard or trainer, or whatever you need me to be, for as long as I breathe.”

“I don’t know if I deserve that much, but I’m certainly not going to turn down competent help.” Derek began laughing. Soon, Jacks’s laughter followed.

Derek was happy that the day that started with him stressing over Alanah’s gathering had such a happy ending. That night, he went to sleep with a smile on his face.

Over the next few days, Derek did his rounds through his shop and the city.

He passed on the majority of the mana cores to Brandi and had multiple talks with her about her crafts. He looked forward to seeing what the girl would create with the mana cores. She was very excited as well.

According to the maniac crafter girl, Greater Meditation was the greatest thing she had ever seen. Brandi was now able to get more done in a single day than she could in three. Derek was still worried about her nutrition because she didn’t currently have the extra Vitality or Endurance to completely go with it, but he trusted Malorie would make sure she ate regularly.

Speaking of Malorie, she had taken to management like a fish to water. She ran her legs off all day, making connections and obtaining supplies for Brandi at a low cost. She was impressive, to say the least. Derek felt that he could leave the running of the shop in her hands with no problem.

Thomas continued his solo training. He didn’t miss a day in the training room. Derek went with him once to check on his progress, and he had to give Shae some credit. Thomas was much better with a spear than he had been before. He was also more fierce and decisive. All that, after such a short time, truly impressed Derek. Thomas would be turning heads once he enrolled in the Academy. Maybe he would even get a higher rarity class at his next upgrade.

Jacks and Rayna continued training and leveling outside of Savannah after Gerald was caught. Rayna, especially, seemed to be much more confident than she was before. Derek wasn’t surprised though, her new class was great, and she had a fantastic training partner in Jacks.

Silvi… was Silvi. She spent almost all of her time in her kitchen working on different dishes. She was even to the point where she would cook without eating and just store different dishes because she wanted to try something new. Half of Malorie’s running was because Top Chef Bunny wanted more or different ingredients, and just like with Brandi, Malorie would do everything she could to find a supplier.

Derek chatted with Roman multiple times while he was recovering from making potions. The halfling was probably one of the busiest people in Savannah over the last few days. As Alanah and Stella provided him with more and more materials, he worked almost nonstop on creating his new potions.

Derek dropped off his remaining mana cores with the Alchemist. Roman was intrigued, but too busy to try anything with them for now. He had to pump out as many Potions of Physical Permanence as he could before the auction started. It was crunch time for him, and he didn’t yet trust anyone else with his recipe.

Stella was too busy for Derek to even meet with. She was being run ragged organizing the auction. She was just as busy, if not more than Roman. Other than a couple waves and nods, Derek had no other interactions with the woman.

He had a couple of friendly visits with Alanah, as well. She was busy, but had no problem putting something else aside to chat with Derek. They talked more about the Great System and stats. He even learned a few personal things about the half elf business woman. Things like the fact that she wasn’t even from the continent they were on.

She was one of the very few that traveled over the oceans. He didn’t ask her why, because he noticed the look she had when talking about where she came from. It was the same look Derek would get talking about his family back on Earth. If she ever wanted to talk about it, he would be there to listen, but he wouldn’t push.

On the day before the auction, Derek dropped by the City Lord’s Manor to visit with Natalie about Gerald. She hadn’t made much, if any, progress with getting information out of the man. Currently, she was looking into the Shadow Witch, Vanessa. She didn’t seem against spilling what she knew about Gerald, which turned out to not be too much.

Natalie hadn’t even been able to get a word out of the plant user. His lips were the tightest out of the bunch. Cliff was actually the one that was closest to letting Natalie in on his secrets. She figured his defenses would go down soon enough.

Derek was more and more curious about her power, so he finally decided to ask her about it.

“How is it that you were able to see into my thoughts about Malcolm Torith so easily, but it’s so hard for you to see into Gerald?” He asked.

Natalie shrugged as she took a sip of tea. “Certain things are much easier. When you were thinking about Malcolm Torith, you wanted others to see what you saw. You subconsciously gave me permission to see it. There is a great difference between that and what I am trying to do with Gerald. The man doesn’t want to give away any of his secrets, so he is sealed tightly, and I have to work my way in.”

Derek nodded. “I guess that makes sense, but how were you able to know what I was thinking all those times before? And what about you knowing how strong I was?”

“Well, I’m sure you have heard, but I am an Appraiser by trade. As for what you were thinking, I’m very good at reading people. It’s hard to hide emotions in your eyes and on your face.” She smiled. “And for knowing how strong you are… I simply appraised you. I can see the fluctuations of your aura, and I do not see many auras as strong as yours.”

Derek was surprised. Natalie was very forthcoming about her skills. He had prepared himself to be scolded for asking about her skills, but she didn’t.

“If you were to put a bit of effort into looking for information about me, you would have found out everything that I have told you today. I haven’t shared anything with you that others do not already know. I still have my secrets.” She took another sip of tea.

“There you go again, reading my mind.”

“It was written all over your face.”

“So… exactly how much stronger am I than the King?” Derek smiled.

“Your stats are better. That is all I will say.” She shrugged, then looked at Derek with her piercing white eyes. “How about you? How did you manage to obtain a class with such affinity to the void element?”

Derek tapped on the table while thinking about his answer. He was strong now, stronger than most people in the Kingdom. He was also a resident in the city that Natalie controlled. He probably shouldn’t go into a ton of detail, but he was confident enough to reveal more about himself. Still, him coming from Earth was a secret he would probably keep for a long time.

“I… spent a lot of time in the void.” He finally answered.

Natalie’s eyes widened. “Oh my. How did that happen? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Portal.” Derek replied.

“Portal? The highly restricted skill?”

Derek nodded. “I guess the person casting it ran out of mana or was interrupted while I was inside.”

“I see. That is definitely one way to get acquainted with the void. I have heard of that happening to others, but I have never heard of anyone reemerging. I can’t think that it was easy.” Natalie said.

Derek shook his head. “No, it was neither easy nor painless. It sucked.”

“I imagine so. I am sorry.”

“Eh, it is what it is. It’s part of the reason I’m here, so it wasn’t all bad.”

After that, the two continued discussing other things. Natalie didn’t ask any more questions about the void, and Derek was happy to not bring it up again. He could feel the shiver going down his spine when he thought about the time he spent trapped inside.

Before long, Derek left and went about his day. Tomorrow, he had an auction to attend.