Return of the Woodcutter

Ainar noticed his stare, and said, "What's with this intense staring, boy? Do you want to complain about something? I'm warning you, I offer no refunds." 

"No, your armor is perfect," Aito replied.

"Then what is it? You want my portrait drawn for you?" 

"No," Aito said, gazing at him intently. "I want your help." 

He then promptly explained what happened to the siblings in a few sentences. The minerian stayed stoic all along. 

"So?" Aito asked.

Ainar returned his stare. Seeing the intensity and seriousness in it, he pushed out a heavy sigh. He knew these kinds of eyes. These usually spelled trouble. 

However, he had been prepared for it. Roan had told him it could happen. Now, how did that red-haired bastard know? That remained a mystery, even to Ainar who has known him for quite a long time. 

"What do you expect of me, then? I fail to see how it concerns me." The minerian asked, although he already had a good guess as to what the boy would say. 

Since it wasn't his style, Aito didn't beat around the bush and said, "Could you grant me access to the staff's staircase?" 

The minerian held his head in one hand as if he had the worst headache of his life, sighed, picked up a piece of charcoal, and took a bite. He still felt doubtful about what Roan had told him. Thus, he needed to verify it. To be certain that it would really happen that way. 

"And why should I do that?" He asked, "It'd be a violation of the Tower's rules. If a moderator ever finds out about it, it'll cost me dearly." 

Indeed, why should he? Aito had spoken on the spur of the moment. Without thinking about something in exchange. Something worth Ainar's trouble.

At that moment, his gaze naturally wandered around, as if looking for an answer in his surroundings. His eyes finally settled on his ax's hammer side. Its shiny metallic head was truly a sight to behold as well as a bane to all aura skills. 

Ironically, he found in it his answer. 

"How about a partnership?" He said, looking confident. 

Ainar eyed him stoically, inviting him to develop his offer. 

"This armor set is valuable, right?" Aito said, pointing at his new equipment, "As you said, it is a unique piece." 

"Unhun, so what?" 

Aito shook his head internally. To him, the minerian really had no sense of business whatsoever. 

"The metal, ainium like you call it, is my property." Aito continued, "You have your skill set and a good understanding of how ainium works. If we partner up, we could sell the equipment crafted out of it. For the right price, of course. Since it'll be unique, and considering its resistance to Aura attack, there's bound to be a high demand." 

"True," Ainar agreed. How could he not? It was truly a profitable offer. Something he could use to his advantage. 

Minerians were famous for their craftsmanship, but also for being victims of racism. Most of them were enslaved by humans or killed for profit. Because their hearts were deeply valued, on top of being rare due to their dwindling numbers. 

The only reason Ainar was a free minerian was that he'd always be on the run. He also had different hideouts and a main atelier where he'd craft the best equipment he could. 

He was the sole minerian in the Tower for a reason. Normally, to enter the Tower, it required special permission from one of the four Churches. But thanks to Roan who registered him each time, he could access it every year. 

Other stall owners did look at him weirdly at first. However, with time, they got used to his presence, until they died from old age—or killed by something else—and were replaced by new ones.

Moreover, he chose the bazar for his stall because people were less inquisitive here. Being on the main three districts—weapon, armor, and magic engineering—was asking for troubles. It would expose him to too many glares. 

For a long time, he had searched for a way out of his predicament in the form of a patron of sorts. Someone he could partner up with. Someone he could use to proactively create in peace. Someone he could trust. 

Well, also someone who could bring him a good amount of profit. 

Although Aito was nowhere near qualified to fulfill all these requirements, he had potential. Ainar would be dumb if he did not see it. He was a black challenger.

Although crazy, every black challenger before Aito had at least attained the upper Transcendent realm, some had been Legends, one reached the Demigod realm and even became an actual god later on after getting rid of his craziness somehow. 

Today, he was known as Zalon, the god of wisdom.

'Damn it… should I really place my trust in this boy like Roan asked me to?' Ainar wondered. He took another inquisitive look at Aito wearing the armor he had created. Ainar smiled, remembering a certain boy long ago who had the same potential, yet met a tragic end. 'Same expression. Same demeanor. Same burning gaze. Will it be the same ending though?' 

"So?" Aito said, trying to get an answer from the minerian. "What do you say?" 

Ainar sighed, it truly went as Roan predicted. He internally cursed his friend for being right, but also felt grateful towards him. 

"Let me ask you something first," Ainar said. "Why would you help them, even when you refused at first?" 

Aito stared at his ax once again, tightening his grip on the shaft. "Because I have the necessary means to do so now." 

Ainar lifted one of his brows, appearing unconvinced, then said, "Is that really it? Just because you have new equipment? If that's the case, then don't—"

"No," Aito interrupted, shaking his head. "Not only. I just… I don't know. I keep hearing Ogoro's voice in my head. " 

You coward!

"Somehow, I can't exactly take my thoughts out of it. I hate to admit it, but a part of me insist... knows that he was right. Ogoro's accusatory face comes back to haunt me. Every minute or second, I spend here, doing nothing." 

Why did you pretend to be what you're not!?

"It felt impossible at first. I mean… should I just blindly charge into certain danger for people I barely know? Every time I ran into impossible situations was because someone I truly cared about was in danger. It's not that I don't like the siblings but I'm no hero, Ainar. I don't have that kind of foolish courage."

This is just an excuse! Cower all you want behind it! But it'll remain an excuse!

"I've tried that before. Once. Thinking that saving fishing slaves would ease the turmoil in my heart." 

There, memories of what happened after his time in jail on Earth flashed through his mind in just an instant.

"Only to discover that trustworthy people are exceedingly hard to come by."