The Gene of the Ancients (Rogue Merchant Book #2): LitRPG Series by Roman Prokofiev (top books to read TXT) 📕

“And?”

“But everything went wrong. We didn’t finish the preparations, and now I have no idea where the other five are and where their Keys are hidden.”

“I don’t buy that you didn’t have a backup plan for such an occasion.”

“You’re right. We did. In addition to the Keys, we created the Compass, an artifact leading to their location. Just as a safeguard, in case they get lost or fall into the wrong hands. But there was a problem with it, too.”

The Magister fell silent.

“It’s a pretty touchy subject. In short, I had an associate, my right hand. His name was Dmitry Svechkin, and we had a falling out concerning the Seven Brothers, just before the plane crash. It was a huge fight. I won’t go into detail, but it was personal. He has the Compass, or, rather, his digital copy does. You will have to solve this issue.”

“Err...what do you mean?”

“Find Svechkin. I know where his digital avatar is. He has the Compass and one of the Keys. You must locate him and persuade him to give them up. That won’t be easy, I won’t lie.”

“I see,” I said. “So let’s say we have a deal. I’ll find your friend and get you the Compass, work for you, and find the rest of the Keys. What is my reward?”

The Magister gave me a dry smile. From the looks of it, he hadn’t expected my question.

“Filthy lucre... Oleg, if we’re able to control the procedural generator — and with it, the Sphere itself — we won’t have any financial problems. Ever. As I said, if you help me, you’ll get your share.”

“Those are all words. I would like a confirmation, here and now,” I insisted.

“I think that by helping you deal with...whatshisname, Goggy, I’m already confirming my intentions ‘here and now,’” the Magister said. “By the way, the problem is already solved. They won’t bother you anymore.”

“Thanks for helping me in real life,” I answered after a pause. “I didn’t expect you’d be able to do something like that. Now, I see that the business is serious.”

“Mr. Leo will write a report. Take his contact information, he’ll be in charge of your security over there. If anything happens, call him any time, don’t be shy.”

“All right, I’ll do that. But this is not what I was talking about,” I said, not about to be thrown off. “You’re promising me the moon for my help, but it’s pretty abstract. The amount is unclear, too. I would like to get something right now.”

“Well, Oleg...” the Magister hesitated. “I don’t understand what you want. It’s not like we could sign an agreement about something like that, and it would never have held, anyway. It’s all quite simple, really — either we win or...”

“Nope. It won’t do,” I interrupted him. “That’s not how I work. I propose a simple and clear scenario: you give me a task, and I’ll do it. The reward is set in advance, the payment is by piece. And, of course, I still get the share, eventually. One-seventh, am I correct?”

“You’re one smooth operator!” The Magister laughed. “No wonder, considering what they told me... All right, I agree. But keep in mind, I cannot pay you real money. Transactions over there are too easy to trace. It might cause problems for people who are helping me. So we’ll have to keep it to in-game currency, all right? I don’t need to teach you how to transform it into the real one.”

“That’s true. In-game currency can also be traced, however. All I need from you is insider info, and I’ll use it as I see fit.”

“Hmm. That’s smart of you, Cat.”

The Magister drummed his finger on the table.

“But that’s harder than it looks. Sphere is a living world, everything is generated randomly here. Still, I might have something for you. All right. Bring me the Compass, and I’ll pay you a sum equivalent to a million gold. Deal?”

“Not quite. Respectable people always pay in advance,” I said, smiling.

“How cheeky! An advance!” Balabanov flicked his fingers and chuckled, but the look in his eyes stayed hard. “Fine. As a sign of your future handsome reward, I’ll give you an exclusive item from the Order. After all, I’m the Magister, am I not? Pick one — an item, reputation points, or a recipe?”

Well, reputation points would probably unlock the Order’s quests with rare rewards — but I didn’t really need that, considering my close relationship with a certain Magister. An item, especially a unique one, was nice, but it was one-time, I would either equip it or sell it; rubbish. But a recipe, especially if it was completely new, was a great way to make money. All right; I made my decision.

“Is the recipe exclusive?” I asked to make sure.

“Yes. You’ll be the first to get it — this quest chain of the Order hasn’t been unlocked by players yet. I’ll have to open it.”

“The recipe, then!” I said.

“You’ll get it in the lab. Ask the alchemist. I temporarily allowed you to access the inner circle.”

“And speaking about rewards... What did the Sphere’s marketers promise you? I hope you got a bargain. But then, that’s unlikely,” the Magister corrected himself.

After hearing about the Diamond account, he gave me a nod of approval and told me that I would need it later anyway. This account type offered advantages and made playing easier; the administration cut Diamond players slack, treating them completely differently.

“And now pay attention. The rules allow any player with that subscription type to pick a gift. Now I’ll tell you what to choose...”

* * *

Upon leaving the Magister, I decided to take a stroll around the Order’s stronghold. The huge fortress built from red stone teemed with life. Its