As Ke’an walks he has been using his new examination skill to see the names, levels and classes of everyone in the street. After it changed from his Administrator Authority to an actual skill he wondered if it would evolve again if he uses it more often. What he found is that the average level for civilians is around level six for men and five for women. Guards' level ranged wildly from level seven all the way up to mid thirties making Vi the strongest guard he has seen so far.

After examining what felt like two hundred people his skill evolved again. There is no notification and he would have missed it had he not just used the skill two hundred times in a row. As he looks at the information of a random guy across the street he notices it now has name, level class and race. Ke’an is pleased with the new addition to his repertoire though he doesn’t know how it will be useful as he finally reaches the market district.

The streets of the market district are full of life with vendors selling their seasonal wares and civilians of all kinds and social class enjoying the sights and sounds. Ke’an is most interested in the food having his appetite returned to him made him ravenous as if he had not eaten in weeks. The smell of traditional laseverd sweet rolls, grilled meats, and other regional street foods has Ke’an nearly running to the first food stand. He is pleasantly surprised that the stand sells beef and vegetable kabobs drizzled with honey and spiced to perfection.

He nearly forgets his quest to barter and almost pays the exorbitant twenty-five kon for one kabob. With a smile on his face he settles down and successfully talks the chef down to the actual price of eight kon per kabob then buying seven of them. As soon as the man takes the money a message appears on a window in Ke’an’s vision.

(1/3) (Update: Evolving Quest 2) Welcome to the world of commerce!

You've been granted 200,000 teis to acquaint yourself with life's challenges. Remember, money can be both a boon and a burden. Use your funds wisely to delve into the realms of trade and currency. Acquire knowledge of different denominations and their worth, for it'll serve you not just in training but also in the real world. Life Skill Help Menu now active.

Learn the currency and denominations (1/1)

Engage in profitable transactions (0/1)

Make a purchase (1/1)

(Update): Go to Ka’tora’s Odds and Ends and talk to Ka’tora (0/1)

OPTIONAL BONUS: Haggle a better deal.

(Update): OPTIONAL BONUS: Discover the secret of Ka’tora’s shop

Reward for completion

25 x 2 transcendent experience points

Bonus reward ???

Ke’an stuffs his face with the kabobs as he reads the changes to his quest. He is happy he no longer has to breathe or he would have definitely choked. The taste of the sweet and spicy kabobs practically melts in his mouth as he stuffs his face. As soon as he is finished with a few of them he turns to the cook and is about to ask him for directions when he looks at the mini map in the periphery of his vision. A new icon has appeared label quest objective with a bright green exclamation point. Since he apparently didn’t need to ask about a location he instead ordered six more of the kabobs for the journey.

The store is quiet even more so than usual this time of year. Shelves are filled with various trinkets both magical and mechanical. Some items hum with ambient magic, others have turning gears, and moving pistons. Shelves are filled with a chaotic order which does little to show off the mountains of ancient and modern oddities. The winter is always the slower months as the locals have very little interest in the strange wares. When things warm up and travelers once again fill the streets the trickling of patrons will resume.

Ka’tora runs her fingers through her graying hair as she watches the fire crackle in the fireplace from her seat behind the counter. She has never been one to enjoy the cold and this winter started off with a rather strong chill. She is bundled up in an oversized long sleeve turtle neck and a blanket wrapped around her head to toe. As she leans back comfortably in her chair a strand of gray hair frees itself from her head coming into her view.

She is annoyed at the early graying she has been experiencing over the past year no doubt due to stress. She is afraid she will start looking like a grandmother pretty soon despite only being in her late twenties. After a hectic year her brother and his wife who often assisted in managing the store left the city. She had not realized how difficult it would be to run the place all on her own. In her frustration she tries to blow the hair off of her face several times just for it to slowly float back down in the same place. She wants to just grab the strand with her hands and pull it out but that would require her to unwrap the warm blanket which is something she refuses to do. She lets out a long sigh as she accepts the long silver strand and its new place directly in her face.

“You win this time.” Ka’tora whispers to herself.

She focuses back on the fire watching the charred wood pop with energy. She isn’t sure how long she watched the flames before the sound of the door of the shop opening with a bell chime instantly grabs her attention. In walks a man she has never seen before. He is in the traditional light weight stravani robes despite looking like a normal human. He looks young—late teen or early twenties— bronze skin like those from Fleysil and is as bald as a turtle's shell. Ka’tora watches with some amusement at his surprised expression as he takes in the content of the store.

Ka’tora clears her throat. “Welcome, anything you see is for sale, feel free to dig around.”

The young man’s eyes fell on her for a second and she swears she sees a distant star shining deep within. The man simply nods and begins carefully perusing the shelves. Ka’tora is taken back slightly on his determination to find something within her store. She takes a closer look at the man, he is definitely not her average patron. The stravani rarely enter the city unless they are going through the checkpoint and they never stick around. All because there is the Monastery dedicated to the God of Winds. If he was a pilgrim on the path to become a God Changed she doubts he would be sticking around long enough to look through her store.

Her mind begins to wonder as she watches him closely. He’s not a pilgrim but in the traditional garb while staying in a town dedicated to a different God. The stravani and the dai’lia aren’t by any means hostile with one another but there is a big difference between not being hostile and being friends. The way the man carries himself suggests he is a warrior of some kind though he doesn’t appear to have any weapons on him. Beneath the surface she can tell he is rubbed raw, he must have just recently survived a life and death battle. He is definitely hiding something beneath a rather believable casual facade.

A notion hits Ka’tora as she watches him, something known only to her is that within the piles of the messy shelves there are three powerful yet unassuming artifacts spread across the store. She wonders if this man somehow knows of these relics no matter how impossible it should be. Honestly the artifacts look more like junk than anything and no one has ever so much as glanced at them. She dismisses the idea and continues to observe him.

However, as soon as his eyes meet one of the artifacts he instantly grabs the oblong metal disk. Ka’tora shoots up to her feet being sure to keep the blanket wrapped snugly around herself. She has to lean to the side of her counter to see him and make sure he actually grabbed the artifact. She sees it tucked securely under an arm as he continues to search the store.

Ka’tora asks in a prodding but friendly tone. “Are you looking for something, sir? Perhaps I can help.”

The man simply smiles. “No, I am just looking.” His voice is surprisingly smooth and trails off as if lost in thought. “I have never seen a store like this.”

Even as he talks he locates and picks up the second hidden object of power behind several rather impressive looking jewelry boxes to a normal patron it would have gone unnoticed. This one is a broken locket that is coarse in the hands. The ugly thing is not something a normal person would ever want unless they knew what it is. Ka’tora racks her brain for how someone could locate two of her secret items as the man continued his search down more of her shelves. She assures herself that there is no way the man could possibly find the last item.

She never imagined that someone would find one of them and be interested enough to purchase them. Surely one would be a fluke but two? No, this man was up to something but when he hears the price of those two items he will surely put them back. She nods to herself knowing that she would not sell the artifacts even if he found them. Ka’tora is so lost in thought she doesn’t register that the man has walked up to the counter until he taps the wood finish with a finger.