Chapter 74: The Door to Saint A

The following afternoon, Reinhard returned to Eclipse. He walked into Lucien’s office carrying a small bag in one hand and found Lucien already sitting behind his desk, surrounded by documents stacked high enough to hide most of his face.

Lucien looked up and smiled. "You’re early."

"I had something I wanted to ask you about."

Lucien leaned back slightly. "Lightkeeper Dew?"

Reinhard nodded.

"How are things going?"

Lucien sighed. "Not very well."

Reinhard raised an eyebrow. "Are they looking for more buyers?"

"Close," Lucien said with a small chuckle. "They’re just waiting to see if anyone can actually provide the item they need."

Reinhard hummed. "Which item is it?"

Lucien hesitated for a moment. "The company involved is Saint A. They’re one of the Overseers of Aurileus City, and they’ve been searching for an extremely rare herb for quite some time. I’m not sure exactly what they’re planning to—"

"It’s Lumina Root."

Lucien stopped mid-sentence with his mouth still slightly open.

Reinhard continued casually, "A Divine-Grade herb. Apparently they need it as a key material for a breakthrough in their research, something that could lead to extremely rapid physical healing."

Lucien blinked. Then he blinked again. "How..." He stared at Reinhard. "How do you know this?"

"I used the Mirror on myself."

Lucien’s eyebrows rose.

"It showed me a possible future where we were in a room talking to one of their representatives. They explained what they were looking for and why they needed it."

Lucien stared at him for another moment before suddenly laughing. "No wonder Archon called the Mirror a Divine relic. That thing really is ridiculous."

"I knew you’d appreciate it."

"I knew Saint A was searching for the herb, but I didn’t know they wanted it for a new rapid-healing technology."

"Yep."

Reinhard placed the bag on Lucien’s desk. "Good thing I came prepared."

Lucien looked at the bag. Then he looked at Reinhard. Then back at the bag, and slowly his eyes widened. "You didn’t."

"I did."

Reinhard opened the bag and pulled out the Lumina Root, setting it on the desk with the casual air of a man returning a borrowed umbrella. Lucien stared at the root, and for several seconds he said nothing at all. Then he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face with both hands.

"Reinhard."

"Hm?"

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Of course. What else would it be? A very expensive carrot?"

Lucien lowered his hands and stared at him, and his expression broke completely. "How did you even get this?! Where was it?!"

Reinhard smiled. "It fell from the heavens."

Lucien froze.

"Just like the Mirror and the Lens."

Lucien stared at him with a completely blank expression, the same one Reinhard had seen on half of Eclipse’s research staff by now.

"This is how those researchers felt," Lucien muttered.

Reinhard laughed. "You get used to it."

"I really don’t think I do."

Lucien knew there was more to the story, and he also knew better than to ask. Whatever Reinhard was doing, it was becoming increasingly clear that questioning where he obtained certain things rarely produced a useful answer, and the answer he did get was rarely helpful anyway.

Lucien picked up the Lumina Root carefully and examined it. "This is enough to change the negotiations."

"Good."

"It might be more than enough."

Reinhard smiled. "I also brought something else." He reached into the bag and pulled out a collection of documents. "Verified research on Lumina Root. Its properties, authenticity, known applications, and records connecting it to Saint A’s current research requirements."

Lucien took the documents and read through the first few pages, and his expression slowly changed. "This is legitimate."

"Of course it is. I don’t do half measures. I do all the measures, and then a few extra measures nobody asked for."

Lucien kept reading, and after several moments he set the documents on the desk. "With the Lumina Root and this evidence, I can probably get us a direct meeting."

Reinhard leaned back. "That’s what I was hoping for."

Lucien looked at him. "I’m not even going to ask where you got this from, but we should probably think of a believable explanation."

Reinhard thought about it for a moment. "Just say we got it from Silent Night."

Lucien’s lips twitched. "Are you trying to destroy them?"

"Saint A is that terrifying?"

Lucien blinked. "You really don’t know?"

"Know what?"

Lucien sighed and set down his pen. "Alright. There’s something you should understand about where you actually live."

Reinhard leaned forward. "I’m listening."

"You know Marvello and Axom?"

"Of course."

"They’re not independent cities."

Reinhard paused. "I thought they were."

"They’re large enough to feel like cities, but they’re still districts within Aurileus."

Reinhard frowned. "So Aurileus is bigger than I thought."

"Much bigger."

Lucien picked up a pen and turned it between his fingers. "Actually, calling them districts is easier than explaining what they really are." He looked at Reinhard. "The continent is divided into twelve massive metropolitan districts."

Reinhard stared at him. "Twelve?"

"Yes."

"They’re not ordinary neighborhoods," Lucien continued. "Each one is effectively a city-region. They contain multiple cities, towns, industrial zones, residential areas, wilderness, research facilities, and everything else you’d normally expect to find spread across an enormous region."

Reinhard slowly leaned back. "So when someone says they’re from Aurileus..."

"They might live in a smaller city several hours away from the actual center, but Aurileus is still what they call home."

"That explains a few things." Reinhard paused. "Also, it explains why nobody could give me directions correctly for the first month I lived here."

"That’s a different problem."

"Is it, though?"

Lucien smiled and moved on. "Each district also developed around a particular function." He began listing them, ticking each one off on his fingers.

"Aurileus is medicine and Gnosis. Healing, research, advanced Awakener medicine, pharmaceutical development."

"Valtheris handles finance and commerce. Banking, investments, major auctions, and wealth."

"Elyndor is focused on Awakener combat. Training facilities, rankings, tournaments, and professional Awakeners."

"Marvello handles technology and industry. Magical technology, equipment, inventions, and manufacturing."

"Solmara is entertainment and luxury. Celebrities, restaurants, resorts, and high society."

"Dravenfall focuses on exploration and resources. Dungeons, expeditions, rare materials, and dangerous regions."

"Caelmont is education and research. Universities, academies, scholars, and specialized institutions."

"Virelia handles agriculture and alchemy. Crops, magical plants, food, and potions."

"Astralis is artifacts and ancient history. Relics, ruins, collectors, and archaeology."

"Ravencross handles transportation and trade. Shipping, logistics, caravans, and major markets."

"Lunaris is culture and media. News, entertainment media, and public reputation."

"Grandis is government and elite society. Politics, major organizations, and national influence."

Reinhard listened quietly, and the scale was considerably larger than he had imagined. Until now, he had thought of places like Marvello as major cities in their own right, and he had not realized they were only pieces of something much larger. "So there’s an entire district for shopping."

"Solmara covers luxury, yes."

"I’ve been shopping in the wrong district this whole time." Reinhard looked genuinely troubled by this. "Do you know how much money I could have saved with proper district research?"

"You spent sixteen million dollars in one afternoon."

"Imagine how much I could have spent with a map."

Lucien continued as if he hadn’t heard that. "Each district has an Overseer."

Reinhard nodded.

"And Saints represent the Overseer’s status and leadership."

"Exactly."

Reinhard thought about it for a moment. "Then Saint A is the Overseer of Aurileus because they’re the largest pharmaceutical company?"

"That’s part of it," Lucien said. "But it’s more accurate to say they hold the most value and influence within the city."

Reinhard raised an eyebrow. "So the title isn’t permanent?"

"No." Lucien shook his head. "Overseers have changed over time. Organizations rise, fall, lose influence, or get replaced, and the person who ultimately decides who holds those positions is the Arbiter."

"The Arbiter?"

"The Arbiter governs the larger metropolitan structure and the country itself."

Reinhard considered that for a moment. "That’s quite a position."

"It is."

"Do they also have a fancy title, or is Arbiter already the fancy title?"

"It’s already the fancy title."

"Efficient."

Lucien waved his hand. "But that doesn’t matter right now."

Reinhard nodded. "What matters is Saint A."

"Exactly."

Lucien tapped the Lumina Root. "If we tell them Silent Night supplied the information and the material, there’s a very good chance that syndicate gets erased."

Reinhard paused, then laughed. "Better them than us."

Lucien’s lips twitched. "Alright. Not like the syndicates are exactly known for being good people."

Reinhard glanced at the Lumina Root. "So this is the door into Saint A."

Lucien nodded. "Pretty much."

He gathered the documents and slid them neatly into a folder. "I’ll handle the introduction, provide the evidence, and arrange the meeting. You don’t need to worry about the logistics."

Reinhard smiled, and it struck him again just how much things had changed since he started. Before Eclipse, every rare material had meant another search, another lead, another dead end, and another place he had to investigate himself.

Now he could carry one item into Lucien’s office and watch an entire organization begin moving around it, with information, contacts, transportation, negotiation, introductions, and rare materials all shifting into place at once.

Eclipse had gradually become something much more valuable than a place to buy things. It had become a network, and Reinhard was finally starting to understand what that meant.

Lucien closed the folder. "Alright. Go back to work."

Reinhard raised an eyebrow. "I don’t work here."

"You have an office."

"That doesn’t mean I work."

"You have a nameplate."

"That’s just decoration."

"It has your title on it."

"Decorative title."

Lucien sighed. "Just go."

Reinhard laughed as he stood. "So when is the meeting?"

"Most likely by the end of the week."

"Alright."

A notification appeared.

[Investment Opportunity Available.]

[Target: Emily Ashcroft.]

[Objective: Get the Lightkeeper Dew.]

[Difficulty Grade: A.]

[Success Probability: 25%.]

Reinhard’s smile grew before he turned toward the door, then looked back. "Lucien."

"What?"

"Make sure they have good chairs."

Lucien stared at him. "Why?"

Reinhard smiled. "If I’m going to negotiate for something my wife needs, I might as well be comfortable. Also, if the chairs are bad, I’m walking out, and then you’ll have to explain to Saint A why the Mirror guy left over furniture."

"I hate that this is a real risk."

"It’s a very real risk."

Lucien shook his head as Reinhard left, and the door closed behind him. He looked down at the Lumina Root sitting on his desk, then toward the door.

"That man..." A small smile appeared on his face. "Really does make things interesting."