I Reign Supreme

Old Man Guss:

'Old Guss!'

Bam!

Vester slammed the paper scroll on a counter inside a small kiosk shop after removing it from his shoulder bag and yelled.

A chubby elderly man wearing an apron and currently backing the counter turned around eagerly to see this his unwanted customer. The man was bald in the middle and had an undue cheeks for a man his age. He was potbellied, roughly 5'6 and this made him stout.

'You should be dead by now, or are you ghost? Please be ghost, please be ghost.' asks the man in a surprised tone while cleaning a paper scroll.

'Ha! The only ghost you'll be seeing is yourself in ten years.' chuckled Vester.

The man's surprise mood drastically changed after he heard Vester's reply, to change the topic, 'This is my scroll?'

'Where's my money?' Vester pridefully enquired.

'You ever heard of service before payment?' said the man.

'Hmm…' Vester c.a.r.e.s.sed his chin before saying, '…I think it's payment befor–'

'–Ofcourse it's payment before service! Now!–' the man calmed himself down as he darted quick glances at the market people, 'Now give me my scroll'

Vester slid the paper scroll to him and said, 'Why would the Seraphim Hand make a break-in so easy that way? I mean, anyone could locate their arsenal.'

The man placed his hand atop the paper and replied, 'If they station guards at the entrance, enemies would know that tunnel leads to somewhere, and that somewhere has something they wouldn't want people's knowledge about. So they just let it be instead.'

After explaining, the man forcefully took the scroll underneath Vester's hand to his face. Sniffed it, licked it and bit it.

Vester displayed a disgust look on his face and bluntly asked the man, 'Guss, my money?'

The man paused in his actions to look at Vester, 'For a man your age what do even need a double hundred green paper for?'

'Something for the young and hearty.' Vester sniggered and replied.

'Why don't I make you a deal–'

'–Not interested.' Vester disinterestedly cut Guss' speech.

For some moments the two stared deeply into each others eyes. One black, the other silver. To Old Guss, Vester was not a boy to even the slightest bit lay a speck of trust on him as he would indubitably turn against you if the odds of what he gets tends to be much more than what you have to offer. A child stubborn to the core. There was no doubt he could even blackmail him for the scroll.

Nettlesome child, I'll put you in your place!

Meanwhile, Vester had dissimilar thoughts on the matter. He couldn't trust anything the old man tells him. All Guss wants is people's labour channelled towards his happiness and income. A greedy and covetous man with an insatiable taste of everyday living. He could just put the money aside if Guss had ever come to his aid before. But no, never once has Guss helped him. Helping Guss acquire the paper scroll was because he had a double gain inside. Not a win-win, but a winwin-win. He gets to be paid 10,000 green paper and also run away with an extra scroll paper. Now why would he loose that to this retarded old man?

'I see.' Guss raised his chin but not his eyes, staring down into Vester's silver eyes. He exhaled deeply and went in to take out a brown paper bag. Placing atop the table, he said with solemnity, 'This exchange ends hear. No third party should know of this.'

Vester stared at the bag, then at Guss, remained silent and drew a wide smirk over his face. 'How did you know that place.'

Old Guss withdrew his hands and answered nonchalantly, 'For every special man, there's a special secret.'

'You have contacts with the Seraphim Hands don't you?' Vester sounded with suspect. It was obvious. Guss sells paper scroll and knows the main ScrollMaster's library of scrolls. But why couldn't he just get it himself.

Guss clenched the paper scroll tightly in his hands and stared heavily on Vester. Vester obliviously reminded him of his past. When he previously helped the Seraphim Hands in making some of the most genuine scrolls of all time. But after an incident he was constantly relegated till the point of no breakthrough and now had to do some illegal things. Even with a kid.

'I have my ways with paper scrolls.'

Paper scrolls were manifold and diverse of each other and this greatly depended on the paper itself. The most commonly used paper scroll were psue-paper scroll as it was more affordable and convenient to the users. The next in line was psuche paper scroll which was the reason the Seraphim Hand distinguished themselves from the rest of Ascenders. In relation to subtle energy, widely known as mana: the impersonal source of energy that is both external and internal, existing in people, places and object, psuche paper scroll were able hold almost a shocking amount of it, store it, control and manage it so as to produce maximum effect of the Ascender.

While the last two paper were Qumran and Papyrus respectively which were basically used for one purpose - Compendiums. These paper scrolls were a lot more larger, heavier and complex to use.

It is also very necessary to note that each of these scrolls has their various flaws and impediments in using them. While psue-paper scroll was convenient and affordable, there is a limit to the amount of mana intake it could absorb, psuche paper scroll downsides was it could contain limited number of mantras which the user tends to draw on it making it utterly ignorable by Ascenders who has rooms for god-killing mantras.

The Qumran and Papyrus paper scrolls are very similar, only Qumran paper scroll absorbed a very colossal amount of mana from the users for a moderate level of mantra and the Papyrus paper scroll were impossible to gain access of without the user's unique flow of mantra to it. It also consumed plentiful mana and are very hard to obtain or even manage.

Vester reached out to the brown paper bag, inspected the inside then smiled winsomely at Guss. After dumping it inside his shoulder bag, 'How do you intend to sell something stolen, the Seraphim Hand has a good sense of their belongings, you know.'

Guss c.a.r.e.s.sed his chin as he replied, 'You ever heard of blue market?'

Vester pouted and thought, 'Hm… I think you mean black mar–'

'Ofcourse I mean black market, you incorrigible cretin!' Guss bellowed. 'Now get out.' he calmed himself again and spoke.

Vester connected his brows and glared at Guss. For a man his age, he sure is a halfwitted maniac. 'You know, I might get to sell these things one of these days.' Vester lamented.

'Ha! With just… You?!' Guss' tone was filled with mockery.

'Nah, with you.' Vester turned around to leave but stopped and said over his shoulder, 'You might be the best scrollmaker there is in Xylem.'

Guss froze after he heard Vester. He never told anyone he was a scrollmaker so how did Vester know? Besides, the best scrollmasters – Seraphim Hand, relieved him off his services so what more could a mere boy afford. Well, at least, someone praised him for his works, something he hadn't heard in years. A boy who he disliked so much had the guts to tell him such. So much years passed and out of everyone in Xylem, it was this boy that knew his worth and feats.

After thinking less, Guss locked his sight at the disappearing image of Vester as he jolted into the night.

Hmm… what a kid.

…

In the empty street of the First District, Vester sauntered by majestically. One hand buried in his pocket while the other constantly tapped his shoulder bag.

'Looking at the moon, it should be past midnight.' said Vester while gazing high into the moon.

Bbrrmm! A muffled noise was emitted from his belly. It was now at this moment he realised he hadn't eaten a thing since that fervid freak of a man showed up.

'I should eat something.' Vester spoke and rubbed his tummy.

It didn't take him long to locate a canteen at the opposite end of another street. Numerous bulbs were mounted by the entrance as they reflected 'Miss Moffis' Heaven, Eat 24/7'.

'I'd like two brown breads, a bowl of oats, some eggs and milk. I'll need that seperated, one to go and the other to be eaten, here.' he said ecstatically.

A woman in her early thirties, discussing with the rest of her customers took a quick glance at the person who ordered such. After ending her speech with them, she walked up to Vester.

She stared at him...

He stared back...

After some seconds passed, 'What?!' asked Vester.

'Isn't it too late to start a show, besides, you should be sleeping.' the lady cautioned.

'What I should be doing is reaping my work.' Vester said with an insincere smile.

'Go home Vester.' she affectionately said and walked away.

Slam!

Vester slammed five hundred green paper atop the counter, making the lady halt and drawing several attentions towards his position. The lady's eyes dilated and her heart palpitated. She even gulped down plentiful of her saliva and the rest of the customers shockingly stared at Vester with their lips centimetres away from touching.

'Do I need to repeat myself, Miss Moffis?' Vester c.o.c.ked his shoulders at the onlookers as he spoke.

'I would get your… things to-go, right away.' she managed to speak and collected the money.

Green paper, the legal tender exchanged between the buyer and seller for services or goods rendered. In Xylem, a full square of meal, equals five green paper and compared to the income of an ordinary Ascender not affiliated with any kingdom force – one fifty green paper, is a moderate amount to buy life's necessity with. Now in relation to those affiliated with a kingdom force, two fifty green paper was the route to living good.

Vester here, has dropped the sum of two months income of an Ascender affiliated with a kingdom force. That was unprecedented almost since time immemorial.