“Alright, I’ll see you guys later, I’m going to check the Temple and then head back to Earth,” Rick asked standing up and dusting the grass off his pants. 

“Why’re you rushing off alone?” Samira asked. “I’m coming with you.”

Rick looked at his sister and after a moment’s hesitation gave a nod of agreement. He only wanted to take a quick lap around the Temple, to make sure he hadn’t missed anything worthwhile before heading back to Earth to craft the golems. But Samira’s words felt like maybe she wanted to talk with him about something. 

“Please, I wasn’t rushing off, you’re just slow sis. Right Pip,” he snapped back with a smirk on his face. 

“Let’s all go together. We’re all going to the check the Temple anyway,” Jay said with the wide grin back on his face. “I’ve been telling you for so long that we should go see the Temple. Now all of a sudden, you’re looking more excited,” Jay said slapping Rick on the back. “I have a feeling I’m falling in love with the Temple.”

Ignoring Jay’s love-sick words, he asked Dale to join them as well. If he couldn’t make a quick getaway from the Blessed Exchange, he would rather spend the time improving his relation with Dale. 

 “Why not. I was going to do the same thing anyway,” Dale replied with a shrug. 

“Great!” Jay voiced aloud as they started walking deeper into the Temple. 

Rick’s eyes were constantly drawn to beautiful arches that lined the garden path, covered with colourful vines and flowers blooming on them. The only problem was that every time he tried to appreciate the Temple a little, Pip seemed to throw a fit and peck his head. 

“Cut it out Pip, why are you acting so moody today,” he finally said scratching his scalp.

“Peep peep!”

“It’s beautiful, that’s why!” 

“Peep,” she chirped again, pecking at the hand on his hand.

“Fine,” he relented averting his eyes to look at the flowers instead. He didn’t say what he truly felt though, It was totally unbecoming of a divine Firebird to feel needy all of a sudden.

Thankfully there was enough else around him to keep him distracted, from the colourful butterflies to the well-kept gardens, there was no shortage of wonders. But that didn’t stop feeling left, especially with Jay’s running commentary and raving reviews.

“Every time I look at it, I feel like its calling me in. So magical!” said a giddy Jay. “Those pillars look like they’re solid gold, right? That statue, I swear I thought its real for a second!”

Rick tried to tune him out and looked at the other Earthers instead. There were a lot of people walking around looking at the Temple strolling leisurely. But the most striking sight were a few girls that stood with placards on their hands reading Weapons Inc., Find your perfect match. Visit us at Plot – 8118923Z

“Maybe we should try promoting the Hero’s Supplier here as well,” Rick spoke. Although it didn’t look like the most graceful thing to do, he didn’t want to overlook any chance of publicity for his shop either. 

“Why don’t you do it?” Samira said with a one-sided grin. 

“No, no. I mean we should do some promoting too,” Rick quickly cleared his throat and backtracked. He wanted one of them to do it and instead, it was his sister to throw him under the bus first. Now that the shoe was on his feet, it dawned on him immediately how cringey the task would be. 

“That was some quick thinking,” said Dale with a hearty laugh from the rest as well. 

Rick couldn’t help but give a rueful smile as well. But despite the poor execution, he couldn’t ignore the fact that his competitors were so much quicker than them! 

‘Thank god we got Hired-Help. That might end up being our only saving grace. ’ 

“Did you guys see the aqueduct! That’s gorgeous,” said Jay, drawing the attention off Rick again.

“Is he always this excited?” Dale asked turning towards Rick.

“No, not that I remember,” Rick replied. “Didn’t know he was such an architecture buff.”

It was no wonder for someone to fall in love with the Temple, Rick couldn’t fault Jay on it. Everything about it was magical. So much so, that he felt a creeping sense of uneasiness swell inside him.

“Let’s go check the stores,” Samira said snappily, pulling Jay by the shoulder. “We can look at the sculptures and the trees and the grass later.” 

“The Maya girl must be an amazing person to make all this,” Jay said with a wide vacant smile on his face. 

“That’s true. I still can’t believe the Temple just appeared out of nowhere.” Rick said. 

The Manager had to be a really powerful mage to be able to carry out so many unbelievable tricks. From the sound magic where a million-odd people could hear her as if she was standing right next to them; to suddenly disappearing from the middle of nowhere. 

“That reminds me, what happened to those guys that were hanging above the stage?” he asked. 

The first thing to catch his eye when he teleported to the Blessed Exchange was a banner and dozen-odd humans hanging outside down in mid-air. He also recalled Maya saying it was punishment for violating her rule. But after the final announcement, he could recollect what had happened to them!

All of a sudden, he realised that it was just he and Dale walking, while the two had stopped midtrack staring at each other. 

“Sammy do you think it was–” Jay started 

“I wanted to say the same thing. It’s definitely Kory!” Samira said, finishing his sentence, wide-eyed and a thin-lipped smile was etched her face.

“And the other was Bill Conor, right?” Jay asked to which Rick’s sister gave an enthusiastic nod.   

“What are you guys talking about?” asked Rick. “Do you know those guys?”

“Ya, we recognised two of them. Both are quite well-known in the city we are living in actually,” Samira said. Looking at Rick’s confused face she added. “You remember about the Beast Master, Kory?”

“The leader of Salamander City?” Rick asked. He recalled the name immediately. 

“Yup!” said Samira. “And the other guy’s Bill Conor.” 

“I am not surprised to see them there,” Jay added from the side. “With Bill planning a coup against Kory and everything.”

“Wait what?” 

“Yeah, everyone knew something was bound to happen,” Samira scoffed. “Bill wasn’t…. the most discreet person.”

“Hey, Sammy, Jay. You should just leave that city,” said Rick. 

If life wasn’t already dangerous enough, two of the top leaders being hung upside down for trying to murder didn’t evoke any confidence in him. For someone to be planning a coup in such a short period, Rick didn’t hold the Salamander City in good regard.

“Don’t worry about us, mate. Your sis and I can take care of ourselves. Besides, whatever happens to Kory, it serves him right.” Jay sniggered. “I didn’t want to tell you this, but the bastard stole your Word Transmission Scroll.”

“What do you mean stole my Word Transmission Scroll.” 

“We gave him a Word Transmission Scroll you made and the gall of that fellow, he someone replicate it!” Jay explained furiously. “Now all his people are running around with a pocket full of Word Transmission Scrolls like they came up with it.”

“Wow!” Rick exclaimed in surprise.

“Exactly! And the bastard didn’t even admit to his people that he just stole it!” Jay continued, getting angrier by the second. “Don’t worry though. Once I get back to the City, I’ll punch that bastard’s teeth off.”

“There’s no need for doing all that just for my sake. I knew someone would copy it sooner or later,” Rick laughed aloud. 

If he could make the Word Transmission Scroll on the first week after the Heaven’s Dictate, there was no chance others wouldn’t figure it as well. After all, it was a very rudimentary artefact! The only reason why he could come up with it so easily was thanks to the Lemegeton!

‘This Salamander City is definitely a notch above the likes of the Celestial City,’ he realised. After all, he had given Azer the same scrolls months before. While the Salamander City copied it in less than a week, there was no evidence of the Celestial City being able to replicate it at all!

He knew he would have done the same thing if the tables were turned. With nothing to enforce intellectual property rights, the only choice was to keep improving and crafting new artefacts! But there was no helping it. If he wanted to attract more people to his side, he had to be able to give them something others couldn’t. After all, despite everything, he had one clear goal – to live away from the front lines when the aliens did invade Earth! He wasn’t cut out to be a hero and he knew it. 

‘I need to make a better version of it!’ he thought, grimacing at the ever-increasing list of things he had to do. 

 “I don’t blame him,” said Rick with a hand on Jay’s shoulder. He had to invent something better if he wanted to stay alive. It was immaterial whether others copied it or not. 

 “Wait, you’re not mad?” asked Jay in a tone that betrayed the look on his face. He looked unsure of what to do with all his built-up anger. 

“Someone was bound to do it. But if you can make the bastard feel bad, get something good from him,” Rick smiled trying to placate Jay. “I am thinking of making a better version of the Word Transmission Scroll anyway.”

 “I told him you wouldn’t care. But apparently, I’m not believable enough,” Samira chimed in, punching Jay’s arm lightly. “This thick-head seems to think he owes you his life.” 

“Don’t worry about it man, you don’t owe me anything,” Rick said in surprise. For a man who felt ingratiated to him, he would have expected Jay to mention a word of appreciation or two. But he couldn’t recollect much in the way of the man’s show of appreciation.  

“That’s good. Can you make these improves Word Transmission Scroll in time for the shop’s opening?” asked Dale. 

“I’ll try. Can’t make any promises though,” said Rick unsurely. He already had a lot of things he had to get done without another obligation added to it. Instead, he tried to sway the conversation away, “So, anyone knows what happened to them?”

“They disappeared with the Manager as well,” Dale said with a shrug and the others nodded as well. 

“So… Nobody knows what happened to them?” asked Rick. 

All everyone saw was that they had disappeared from the sky at the end of the announcement as well. With the ensuing confusion of people rushing to get into the temple, no one even thought about it for long. 

“Doesn’t matter. You guys will find out when you get back to your Salamander City anyway,” Rick added. While it was intriguing to wonder what the unpredictable Manager of the Blessed Exchange did with the poor rule-breakers, Rick had no wish to see the woman again. 

He was definitely one of the rogue-heroes who had embraced powers of heretics! Not just that, Rick was worried that the artefacts in his possession were of one of the worst heretics out there. The first words he read on the Lemegeton was to change the god’s Evolution System to Lesser God’s System!

That’s when he head a familiar voice drift from behind.

“Oh, I can tell you what happened to them.”