Leaving Eldrich's workshop felt like stepping out of a thunderstorm made entirely of ideas.
Even after the doors closed behind him, Jax could still hear frantic scribbling, muffled calculations, and at least one distant explosion followed by an excited:
"WRITE THAT DOWN!"
Jax smiled faintly as he walked deeper into Crystalshire.
For a while, he wandered alone.
Not because he wanted distance from the Vixens—
but because he wanted to understand the city.
Crystalshire breathed differently than Solmere.
Solmere was rebuilding itself.
Crystalshire was holding itself together through sheer stubbornness.
The streets buzzed with invention.
Crystal conduits glowed faintly beneath stone walkways. Mana pumps turned beside workshops. Rooftops carried strange wiring systems that looked halfway between magic circles and engineering diagrams.
Nothing matched perfectly.
Everything had been repaired.
Modified.
Improvised.
And somehow—
it worked.
Jax loved it immediately.
The city wasn't waiting for salvation.
It was building its own future with cracked tools and sleepless determination.
That was when he found the manufacturer.
The man owned a modest production plant near the eastern district—a squat reinforced structure filled with workers assembling crystal housings and mana stabilization mounts.
Too small.
That was the first thing Jax noticed.
Not poorly run.
Not incompetent.
Just trapped.
The owner's eyes lit up almost immediately once Jax started asking the right questions.
Production scaling.
Storage limitations.
Material sourcing.
Hiring capacity.
Transport bottlenecks.
Most merchants negotiated downward.
Jax negotiated upward.
By the time the meeting ended, they weren't discussing survival anymore.
They were discussing expansion.
More workers.
Apprenticeships.
Additional facilities.
The manufacturer's hands visibly shook when Jax finalized the agreement.
"You're serious?" the man asked quietly.
"Very."
"This amount of capital could triple production."
"Then triple it."
The man stared at him for several seconds.
Then smiled slowly.
Not greedily.
Hopefully.
Jax recognized the expression immediately.
It was the look of someone finally being allowed to build the thing they'd always imagined.
That mattered to him.
Because this wasn't just profit.
This was infrastructure.
With that settled, Jax made his way toward the market district.
And there—
Crystalshire truly came alive.
The mountain city smelled different from Solmere.
Sharper.
Warmer.
Mineral-rich.
Vendors shouted over one another while mana lanterns flickered overhead despite the daylight. Stalls overflowed with mountain herbs, crystal dusts, salts, preserved meats, alchemical powders, and tools built for survival rather than appearance.
Jax didn't arrive to sell.
He arrived to introduce.
Lily Herbs.
He carefully laid several varieties across a merchant's table while curious eyes gathered nearby.
To most people, they looked nearly identical.
Jax knew better.
Fresh-cut.
Dried.
Ground.
Oil-infused.
Heat-reactive.
He demonstrated each preparation method personally, letting local cooks sample small portions while explaining flavor profiles and preservation techniques.
The reactions came immediately.
Interest.
Curiosity.
Excitement.
Then came the important part.
"They only thrive in warmer climates," Jax explained casually. "Solmere's environment is ideal. Crystalshire's altitude makes cultivation difficult."
That changed everything.
Because suddenly—
this wasn't a sales pitch.
It was trade.
Mountain merchants immediately countered with specialties of their own.
Crystal-infused mineral salts.
Mana-reactive spices.
High-altitude herbs impossible to grow elsewhere.
Jax sampled everything.
Asked questions.
Took notes.
Learned.
By late afternoon, he had already secured several long-term trade agreements.
Goods for goods.
Future shipments.
Regional exchanges.
And quietly—
he was already thinking ahead.
If Eldrich succeeded…
distance itself might become obsolete.
That thought lingered as the Vixens finally rejoined him.
The rest of the evening passed quietly productive.
They gathered information carefully.
Mana Bulb growth zones.
Harvesting techniques.
Mountain routes.
Local warnings.
More importantly—
they learned the location of the proper Crystal Cave entrance.
Not the obvious route.
The real route.
That alone explained a great deal about why so many adventuring parties failed.
Bad information killed people faster than monsters ever could.
Rather than camp near the cave, they chose caution.
And privacy.
The finest inn Crystalshire offered wasn't luxurious by noble standards, but it was clean, quiet, and isolated from unnecessary attention.
Exactly what Jax wanted.
No rumors.
No curious adventurers.
No one asking questions about Eldrich.
Tonight—
they were simply travelers.
Dinner was surprisingly good.
Crystal-warmed stew simmered with mountain spices while mineral-rich bread carried an earthy sweetness unique to the region. Drinks infused with low-grade mana crystals spread a pleasant warmth through the body without dulling the senses.
Even Bunny slowed down enough to savor it.
"Okay," she admitted between bites, "mountain people can cook."
Nyxian raised her glass.
"To aggressively seasoned food."
"Hear, hear," Jax agreed.
Laughter came easily after that.
Small shopping trips followed dinner.
Minor supplies.
Local curiosities.
Extra provisions.
Normal things.
And maybe that was what made the night feel important.
Because beneath the looming dungeon…
they were still allowed to be people.
Eventually, however—
conversation always drifted back toward tomorrow.
The Crystal Cave.
An A-rank dungeon.
Even saying the words carried weight.
The Vixens had grown tremendously stronger.
Their gear was extraordinary.
Their teamwork had improved beyond recognition.
But an A-rank cave was still an A-rank cave.
Nobody treated those casually.
Not if they wanted to survive.
Each time uncertainty crept into the conversation—
their eyes drifted toward Jax.
And every single time—
they found him calm.
Not arrogant.
Not reckless.
Certain.
That certainty anchored them more effectively than any speech ever could.
If Jax believed they were ready—
then they were ready.
Later that night, after the others had begun settling into sleep, Llandra found Jax standing alone near the suite's window overlooking the glowing city below.
"You're thinking again," she said softly.
"Always."
"About the cave?"
"Partly."
He looked out across Crystalshire.
"At how much potential this place has."
Llandra stepped beside him quietly.
"You see opportunities everywhere."
Jax smiled faintly.
"No," he corrected gently.
"I see people trying."
That answer stayed with her.
Outside, Crystalshire slowly settled into night beneath glowing crystal lanterns and humming mana lines.
A city built by exhausted dreamers.
A city trying desperately to become something greater.
And beneath the mountains nearby—
the Crystal Cave waited.
Silent.
Ancient.
Hungry.
Tomorrow—
history would begin changing beneath the earth.