10
The Shopkeep’s name was Sebastian Spragg, and his shop didn’t just sell machine cores. It also sold mana lights and provided a service to refill them.
He was a small squat man with a big nose and squinty green eyes. His brown hair had receded to the point it only grew out of the back of his head.
As Milo entered the shop, he lifted his head slowly and smiled brightly. “Welcome to the Crystal Cave, sir,” he said. His voice was deeper than Milo had expected it would be. “Are you looking for something in particular today?”
“I’m not really sure,” Milo admitted. “I think I’m after a core, but I need to look at them first.”
“Oh? Do you know if you’re looking for something to double or triple your mana?”
“I’d like a selection of some which provide more than double,” he said. He suspected double would be a Unified Core Matrix. He’d need something more powerful if he wanted a real Machine Core. “Also, do you sell machine cores which provide no benefit?”
“No benefit?” The shopkeeper cocked his head curiously.
“Yes, you know. Ones which don’t increase mana at all?”
“You mean depleted cores?”
Milo tried to remember what mages thought of as depleted cores. Then he recalled that each machine core could use its mana and there was no way to recharge them. While it took a lot of effort from the mage to deplete a core, it did happen.
At that stage, they were useless to the mage.
“Yes,” he nodded slowly. “Depleted cores. Do you have them?”
“We do accept trade-ins, sir. So, yes, we have some.”
“Then I’d like to see them if I can.”
“Hmm.” Spragg looked confused for a moment, but recovered quickly. “I’m sorry, sir. It’s not every day anyone wants a depleted core. I will have to go out back and see what we have.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“In the meantime, the other cores you wanted to see are in the cabinet beside you.”
“Thank you.”
As Spragg left, Milo turned to the cabinet. It was a robust thing. Locked. And made of dwarven glass. Not that he was thinking of stealing anything. But if he had requested Click to do so, it might have proven a challenge for the little golem.
He studied the cores carefully.
He still wasn’t entirely confident in recognizing the difference between the Unified Core Matrix and a Core, but Fed had advised the majority of Unified Matrix cores used quartz, as it stored information better. The more transparent, the better.
For Machine Cores, which were dedicated to collecting mana, other gems would often be used. Most of these were personal preference as the color of the gem defined the color the core would glow as mana pushed through it.
It was easy to see some of these in the display as the ruby cores glowed red, the emerald green and sapphires a cold blue.
Diamonds glowed white.
However, so did the Unified Core Matrixes.
Another potential difference was the metal used in the wafer section. Unified Core Matrixes were more often made of silicon. Cores were more often gold or copper.
He clicked his tongue as he swept his gaze over the price tags on each.
Buying just one was going to take about three-quarters of his savings. He couldn’t afford to pick the wrong one. His meagre allowance as a student wouldn’t be enough to buy another for at least a few years.
“Does sir see anything of interest?”
Milo glanced up as Spragg returned with a small box in his hands.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Can I check those first?”
“Of course, sir.” Spragg placed the box on the counter and paused as he started taking the lid off.
“I should remind you, sir, that there is no practical benefits in using one. I would hate if you were hoping to find a cheap alternative method to boosting your mana capacity. If so, these are absolutely not going to help.”
“I know,” Milo said. “I wasn’t after them for that. You can think of me as a collector, maybe.”
“A collector?” Spragg sounded surprised. “Of depleted cores?”
Milo shrugged. “I was a clocker,” he explained.
“Ah. An artificer.” Spragg nodded at that as though everything made sense. Given the reputation of artificers as being a little strange in the head, maybe it did. “Then feel free to browse my current collection. They are all priced at only fifteen silver each.”
Fifteen silver wasn’t too bad.
Provided there was at least one actual Machine Intelligence Matrix among them, of course.
Milo worked swiftly, pulling out a few. Some he immediately knew were cores. And others he could comfortably say were Unified Core Matrixes. But a few left him puzzled and unsure.
He set those aside.
Spragg’s curious gaze followed his every move. At first, he was sure the shopkeeper suspected him of being a potential thief. That maybe Milo would snatch up a few cores and run.
But, as he sorted them, he felt Spragg’s curiosity grow.
Finally, he had five which felt like they had the most potential. One in particular looked like what he expected out of an Intelligence Matrix. Its wafer was silicon. However, its gem was amethyst. Which reminded Milo of the yellow core which had appeared during his testing.
That core he now knew governed the testing process.
There was also a cold sensation when touching it. And, when his fingers touched the silicon, he was sure he could detect a coppery taste in his mouth.
Fed had told him that Intelligence Matrixes never stored mana. They were made to drain it.
The sensation of cold when he touched it might be the Matrix trying to drain the flimsy amount of mana from him.
He couldn’t be sure.
But it was promising. Two others gave him a similar feeling.
His eyes caught sight of a sign on the counter listing prices for recharging mana lights and a question sprang to his mind. “These can’t be recharged, can they?”
“The cores?” Spragg shook his head vigorously. “No, sir. And I would warn sir against attempting it. There have been mages who have tried to extend the life of their cores by injecting mana into them forcefully.”
“They failed?”
“They died, sir.” Spragg gave Milo a heavy look. “Explosively, I might add.”
“That doesn’t sound pleasant.”
“I’m sure it’s not,” Spragg said. “You’re not considering it, are you, sir?”
“No,” Milo said. “I wasn’t. I just don’t know all that much about how cores are used.”
“You’re not a mage, sir?”
“I am. Sort of. Well, my mana is very low, and I was only just dragged into the Academy.” Milo gave the shopkeeper a wry look. “No one’s very eager to teach me anything right now.”
“That’s a shame, sir. Cores are very delicate things. And dangerous in some circumstances. I would have expected at least a basic level of caution would have been taught.”
“Maybe I skipped that class,” Milo admitted.
“Skipping class, sir?” Spragg sounded shocked by the thought.
“I don’t have a team yet,” Milo told him, more concerned with the cores he was considering than the conversation. “No one wants someone who hasn’t got enough mana to cast even the most basic spell.”
“Oh.” Spragg winced. “I see why that might cause friction, sir. I hope your choices today will improve your chances at selection.”
“I doubt it will,” Milo said drily. “But I’m sure it will be helpful to me in the long run.”
“Well.” The shopkeeper looked lost for something to say. “You said you were an artificer?”
“I was.” Milo sighed. “Before they dragged me away.”
“Perhaps those skills will translate to something a team might find helpful. Attention to detail is a skill most artificers possess. Do teams still learn via dungeon exploring?”
“They do.”
“Knowing a dungeon’s dangers, as well as the best way to complete it, can make the difference between success and failure.”
Milo looked up at him. “Huh. I never thought about it that way before.”
“If you learn what you can about the dungeons, you might be more attractive to teams who are perhaps not so gifted in that area?”
“Maybe.” Milo considered it. “It’s not a bad idea.”
“It might also be good to keep in mind that looking for a team is less important. You might instead want to look for potential friends who can see past your shortcomings to see your potential.” Spragg smiled kindly. “One should never underestimate the power of friendship, yes?”
“I’m not very good at making friends,” Milo said. He tapped his temple with a finger. “I live up here too much. Anyway. I think I’ll take these.”
The shopkeeper glanced down at the selection Milo had set aside. “Very good, sir. And were you still looking for a proper core?”
He nodded, returning to the display. Spragg followed calmly.
“I think that one there,” Milo said, pointing at one glowing with white light. The tag advised it had a 3.1x effect on mana. Which aligned with what Milo expected from a proper core.
Some others had more, but he couldn’t afford those.
“Very good, sir.”
As Milo was leaving the shop, he paused in the doorway. “What do you do with the depleted cores?”
Spragg stared at him for a moment before answering. “I store them, sir.”
“You don’t sell them normally?”
“Who would buy them?” The old shopkeeper gave him a sad look. “In truth, I can’t bring myself to throw them away. They serve their mage, sometimes generations of mages, faithfully. Then, when they are too old to do so anymore, they are set aside like trash.”
“It sounds like you think they’re alive.”
The shopkeeper chuckled. “That’s a strange idea, sir.”
“Is it?”
“I would think most people would think so, sir.”
“Maybe they would.” Milo flashed the shopkeeper a smile of his own. “But I’m not most people. Thank you, Mister Spragg.”
“Have a good day, sir.”
“You, too.”
As the door closed, the old shopkeeper stared at where his customer had been. He stared for a long time.
Then, with reverent calm, he slowly closed the lid on the box and carried it back down to the basement.
“What a strange young man,” he muttered to the box. “Don’t you think so?”