Second World

They were speechless hearing Meratis' words. Jack sent silent messages to Grace and Jet immediately, 'Wear your Amulet of Rebirth.'

'They are all weak. How are they going to tear us apart?' Jet replied.

'Don't underestimate them. I think they are hiding something. No way a divine faction is this weak.'

While messaging, Jack said to Meratis, "So, what do you need us to do to show you that we don't carry wickedness?"

"You don't need to do anything. Just sit tight," Meratis replied.

"Hm?" Jack was puzzled.

Meratis was quiet then. None of them were speaking. The atmosphere turned awkward. Grace and Jet had worn their Amulet of Rebirth. They could easily change their equipment with their minds, so their action was not conspicuous. Jack just felt bad for Oswald, perhaps this native shouldn't have followed them here.

After a long and weird moment of mutual staring, Meratis broke into a grin. "You all passed," She said.

"Huh?" Everyone was confused.

Meratis chuckled. "Those chairs you sat on can detect the darkness inside the person who sits on them. If your desires are too overwhelming that they turn you wicked, the chairs will react. Since it doesn't for so long, that means you are in control enough of those desires."

"Desires?"

"People who have strong wants aren't necessarily a good thing. These wants might propel them into improvements, but if you can't control these wants. They will instead become an obsession that pushes you to do whatever is necessary to achieve that obsession, including harming and sacrificing others. That is the root of wickedness."

"We don't have them?"

"I can sense strong desires from you all, especially you," Meratis pointed to Jack. "But you kept them under control. You exercise pressure strongly on yourself for those desires, but not at the expense of others."

'Uh… I hope you never hear the story about when I let my friends fight the Grim Sand Drake,' Jack thought within. But then again, he did it only because he knew they all wore Amulet of Rebirth. Otherwise, he would have retreated.

"What will this chair do if it detects the wickedness inside us?" Jet asked.

"Demon hands will appear from those chairs and rip you apart," Meratis answered.

"Um, can we stand now?" Jet asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Meratis chuckled. "Don't worry, if the chair hasn't acted by now, that means you have passed. The chair won't do anything anymore… probably."

Jet shifted again, eager to stand.

"Wait! Are you telling me this guy is not wicked?" Jack pointed to Oswald.

"Hey, man. What's your problem?" Oswald protested.

"He kills people for a living," Jack said.

"For a living. I've never done it out of my own desire," Oswald said.

"So, does that make it okay? What if someone pays me to kidnap and torture you? Am I not at fault?"

<br/>"There is no need to argue. These chairs don't decide if one is right or wrong. It simply searches within you if there is an imbalance between your desires and restrains," Meratis said. "Now, then. Tell me what you are here for."

"We heard that you have someone in this village who can craft pet armors for medium-sized pets," Jack said. "We would like to craft ones for our pets."

"Where do you hear this from?" Meratis asked.

"Guila," Jack answered.

Meratis seemed surprised to hear the name. A glint of sadness was seen in her eyes. "How is she doing?" Meratis asked.

"She is… lonely," Jack said, remembering the sadness in Guila's eyes when she mentioned this village. "Forgive my curiosity, but why was she exiled?"

Meratis was silent at first. After a few moments, she said, "Guila becomes too attached to a particular animal that is her friend. She also likes to wander outside with said animal. There is one time when they encountered a group of native adventurers. This group heard Guila's animal friend talking, so they attempted to capture it. Guila and her friend tried to flee, but her animal friend got wounded in the process. Guila lost herself and ended up killing the group."

"She is just defending herself and her friend, right? Why was she punished for that? I would have done the same. If this is considered wicked, then this chair should have torn me up already, isn't it?"

"It might not be considered wicked for you outsiders, but we who dwell in this village bear a higher creed. Unless this village is attacked, killing others even for self-defense is a violation. At best, she was only allowed to wound them or scare them away. She had killed because she lost herself in rage and desecrated the peace in her heart."

Jack decided to not judge their way. Every society had their custom. One thing confused him though. He remembered Guila was only a level 20 elite. Was this group of adventurers so weak that a level 20 Guila could slaughter them all? But he also remembered Peniel told him that natives usually only came out to the wilderness after passing level 30. Was this group a bunch of daredevil youngsters who decided to brave the wild when they were still under-leveled?

Meratis stood. "Come," she said and led the four outside. Jet was happy that he no longer have to sit on that trial chair.

Meratis led them to another part of the village. Whitebeard, Sharpsnout, and Pete walked beside them. Jack also caught the sight of Shortpaw following after them from the roof.

"It is tradition for those who have managed to pass through the Lost Forest for the first time to be bestowed a reward," Meratis spoke on the way. "The reward was the permission to stay inside this village for thirty days."

'Thirty days? I will be able to improve my mana manipulation greatly if I can stay that long,' Jack thought. He only stayed in Daminos Square Garden for six days and it already helped him a great deal with his improvement. But of course, a large portion of it was due to the ancient battleground. Still, he believed staying in this dense mana place for a month should bring similar improvement.

"Normally, our blacksmith will need you to fulfill some requirements before she crafts anything for an outsider," Meratis said. "But I can vouch for you so you don't need to go through troublesome requirement quest. You only need to pay the fee and get the materials for the pet armor. However, your stay will be reduced to ten days. Do you prefer this arrangement?"

"Will we be able to search for the materials within ten days?" Jack asked.

"Don't worry, the materials are inside this village. But whether you can get them or not, that's another question. If you can't get them in ten days, having thirty days won't make a difference."

Jack thought about the proposal. Here he thought he could have thirty days of mana training in this place.

"If we cross through the Lost Forest again to this village, how long are we allowed to stay?" Jack asked.

"We will ask you what business you need with us. If we deem it unimportant, we will politely escort you out," Meratis answered.

In other words, this would be the only chance we are allowed to stay for a long period. After giving the matter some thought, Jack said, "In that case, all right. We will take your offer. Please vouch for us."

Jack then turned to Jet, "Okay?"

"Okie Dokie," Jet said.

"Good," Meratis said. "We have arrived." They came to a large house in which half of its structure was an open workroom. The open workroom had only a roof and one back wall. A large furnace, large smelter, several anvils, and various blacksmith tools were inside that space. There were also some empty stalls. A dwarven woman was hammering an iron plate on the anvil. Jack inspected her and found out she was called Hedite, a level 20 elite.

"Hedite, I have customers for you," Meratis called out.

The dwarven woman named Hedite stopped her work. She looked over. "Outsiders…? Outworlders even. What do they want?"

"They want you to craft pet armor for them. I've agreed to them that you will do it. You will do it, won't you?"

Hedite grunted. "Show me your pets."

Jack summoned his Therras and Jet called out his Crimson-maned Lion.

Hedite whistled. "Not bad. And here I thought you are going to ask me to craft armor for some weak-ass pets. All right, since the chief had asked, I won't turn her down. The fee is one hundred gold coins for each pet. You will have to look for the materials I need."

"No problem," Jack said and took out a hundred gold coins from his bag. It's a good thing he had taken his share of the restaurant and bakery's profit before he journeyed here.

Hedite accepted Jack's coin.

"What about that other one?" Hedite asked, referring to Jet.

Jack turned and saw Jet who was showing an embarrassed smile. "Jack boy, you have some coins I can borrow?"

"You don't save enough coins?" Jack asked.

"I never thought it will be this expensive. It's almost the same price as a plot of land in the capital," Jet reasoned. "I only have forty gold coins here, if you can add the rest."

"Keep your coins. Here, one hundred gold coins for his pet as well," Jack said, giving the coins to Hedite.

"Thank you, Jack boy! I will pay you back!"

"Don't sweat it. You treat me a lot when I was little. It's my turn now."