Chapter 56: The Withered Flower

Technically, Kreyn and Groza seized power at Crooked Horn by overthrowing the previous leader. But outside of that Node, they were still nobodies.

When they encountered a traveling merchant who was clearly of higher status than they were, they had to do everything they could to pique his interest. That was supposed to be the beginning of their relationship.

They managed to do it.

Crackle.

A crackle came from the burning campfire, warming all five figures at once. It was early morning, but even at noon, it was quite chilly in these lands. A campfire never hurt, especially since it wasn’t just a source of heat.

Varyn, as the responsible one, was grilling the meat, rarely saying a word.

"Norma, dear," Diaro pointed to their mount monster lying off to the side. "Please feed Roco, he must be hungry."

No sooner did he say this than Norma jumped up from her seat with a joyful gleam in her eyes.

"Yay! Roco! It’s time to eat!"

In a flash, she ran to the cart and soon pulled out a massive glass jar containing hundreds of meaty beetles. The jar was so large that Norma held it above her head with both hands, like a barrel.

"So, who are you, and why did you want to meet with me?" Diaro asked. He was polite, but there was always a weight in his voice that showed he was in charge here.

Crunch.

Kreyn was eating a plain granola bar, leaving the negotiations to Groza. Not only because he thought she was better suited for the role, but also because he was hungry.

"Our names are Kreyn and Groza. We’re from Crooked Horn."

Abruptly, Norma spun around:

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed, paying no attention to the fact that her arm was up to her elbow in Roco’s jaw.

Groza was taken aback by such a reaction, but Kreyn smirked as he realized what was going on.

"I see..." He leaned closer to the fire. "So you’re already in the know?"

Diaro shrugged.

"What can I say? The takeover of a Node and the assassination of its key figures? News like that spreads fast. You probably don’t know this, but every Node has someone who immediately reports the news when something noteworthy happens. Traders like me pay them money for this so we know everything that’s going on in the surrounding areas."

Diaro raised a single finger.

"But this time, something was interesting. I didn’t expect Hargod to lose his position so quickly. He was a fool, but a strong one - sometimes that’s what matters most. My informant only gave me a brief summary about you, not what you look like."

"That means it all happened quickly, and my informant wasn’t prepared for it since they’d never met you even once."

Kreyn spread his arms wide.

"It was a ruthless and senseless uprising. Well, for everyone except me."

His expression shifted slightly, growing more somber.

"Still, you must know when we showed up and where we came from, right?"

"Sure. I knew everything except what you looked like." Diaro didn’t deny it. "You’re from a city, and you ended up in this situation against your will. However, you did something no one expected."

Diaro rested his hands on his knees.

"Based on that, I can only think of two reasons why you were waiting for me. First: you want something from me, either a favor or a good. Second: you want to return to the city, and I have to help you."

"The second one," Kreyn replied without hesitation.

"I see. Then we have a problem."

"Hmm?" Groza blinked in confusion. "We were told you could help us! Are you saying even you can’t contact Dust Star?"

Diaro glared at her.

"Dust Star, you mean...? Well, that doesn’t change things much. I know the necessary frequencies for all the nearby cities, and Dust Star is no exception, but I don’t have a powerful enough transmitter with me. Some merchants carry them around, but I don’t often get requests like that."

"You need a transmitter?" Kreyn raised an eyebrow. "But then how do our bracelets work?"

"It’s high-end technology, and it’s also linked to the chips in your badges. That’s enough to contact Dust Star via your personal channel, even from a very long distance."

Groza frowned as she realized the full extent of their problem.

"We’ll have to use radio waves that go in all directions instead of a single focused channel. Even if we had something comparable to the bracelets, it wouldn’t be enough for the waves. We really need a powerful transmitter..." Groza pondered, already weighing their options.

Kreyn raised his hands to stop them both.

"Wait. So you can do this, but you need a transmitter. Do you know where we can get one?"

Diaro smiled slightly.

"Of course. I’m a traveling merchant. I’m obligated to know everything my customers might need."

Then, he pointed toward the slope in the distance.

"If we keep heading south, we’ll come across an abandoned observatory. It’s old, and all the valuable electronics were looted long ago, but no one has touched the antenna. Besides, there’s not much to take from there - it’s just a piece of metal and a couple of wires. I have a device that can replace the receiver with the necessary coordinates, so that’s not a problem."

The plan sounded pretty simple: They’d head to the observatory, use the old antenna, and then return home.

But Diaro hadn’t yet named his price for his help.

"And? What do you want in return?" Kreyn asked, bracing for the worst. "You traveling merchants are useful, but I’m sure you don’t hold back when it comes to prices."

"Hahaha! That’s true!" Diaro laughed heartily.

Suddenly, his expression turned serious as he held up three fingers.

"You’re right, many people use our services, but we do dangerous work, so in exchange for my help, I have three conditions. First: 10,000 credits, that’s for the trip. Second: You help us with one job here, at Deadbloom Lake. Third: I want you to create something for me, Varyn, or Norma."

Groza was speechless. She expected Diaro to demand between 5,000 and 10,000 node credits from them. But what he was proposing was nothing less than a robbery on his part!

"Hmm..." Kreyn leaned forward, his fingertips touching one another.

"I can understand why you want money and our help here. If I were in your shoes, it would be foolish not to take advantage of this. But what exactly am I supposed to create for you, and why are you so sure I’m the one who made these things?"

Diaro spread his hands in a sweeping gesture.

"My informant at Crooked Horn reported that it was a woman and a man, and that the man was a blacksmith. But even without that information, I would have immediately realized that these items were crafted by you and not purchased."

He smiled as his eyes narrowed.

"I know most of the blacksmiths in this region, and none of them make gear like these boots and this armored jacket. Or are you going to keep denying that this is your work?"

Kreyn glared at Diaro over his eyebrow.

It was a long stare before he sighed heavily and looked over his shoulder at Deadbloom Lake.

"I won’t deny it, but what exactly do you need at that wretched lake?"

"Oh, you won’t be disappointed!"

Diaro was brimming with excitement. The fact that Kreyn didn’t refuse was, to Diaro, the same as granting his agreement.

"The Withered Flower. Ever heard of it?"