Chapter 4051: Sir! III
They materialized in the outer periphery of Aeternitas Concordia.
Here, the humble stalls of Originus Venerant Fold Dwellers gave way to the grand golden towers of Living Existences, creating a boundary zone that belonged fully to neither.
Noah’s throne sat unoccupied but radiant, its presence making the space around it significant simply by existing.
No one had dared remove it!
The atmosphere in the market was tense with a particular flavor of displeasure.
At this moment, Fold Dwellers and Living Origins alike cast hostile glances toward a specific group: Fold Dwellers from the Veiled Sunfolds who bore the unmistakable designation of Paradox above their heads.
Kalysta stood at their center, golden lights of Kismet and Destiny swirling around her form despite her downcast posture. Her golden hair caught light that seemed to come from within rather than without, but the marking of Paradox above her head made her radiance seem tainted to those watching.
She wasn’t alone in her designation!
Master Shen, Master Etheopa, and others from the Veiled Sunfolds clustered together like sheep surrounded by wolves, each marked as coming from Paradoxical Folds, each feeling the weight of hostile observation.
Interestingly, no one had moved against them. Word had spread about two other Paradox-marked Fold Dwellers who had revealed sponsorship by Honored Living Existences.
That possibility that these outcasts might have hidden backing kept violence at bay, though not hostility.
Master Shen took another long pull from his gourd, the alcohol doing little to ease the suffocating atmosphere. He whispered to those near him, his voice barely carrying over the market’s noise.
“Maybe… there are no opportunities for us here.”
Kalysta’s eyes flashed gold with inner light, Kismet itself speaking through her perception. “No. Kismet tells me there is something here…”
Master Shen rolled his eyes with the exasperation of someone who had heard this before. “Girl, are you still dreaming about Osmont? You can’t-”
BZZT!
The white light that suddenly blazed in the distance cut off his words. Every eye in the market turned toward the source, and Master Shen nearly dropped his gourd at what he saw.
“No fucking way…”
He took another drink, longer this time, blinking repeatedly as if alcohol might clear the impossible from his vision.
But Kalysta had no such hesitation.
Her entire being lit up with joy that transcended her circumstances as she called out across the market.
“Sir!”
…!
Noah materialized exactly where he intended…walking toward his throne with the confidence of someone returning to their own living room.
He noticed Duke Whisker floating beside him, the mouse having shrunk his presence until he seemed like nothing more than an ordinary rodent, albeit one that happened to float. The Duke settled atop a nearby stall with the air of a casual observer.
Then he heard it…that voice calling him with a title that was becoming surprisingly common in his existence.
“Sir!”
Why did Osmont, a Fold Dweller just like them, inspire such fear in beings that should have been able to crush him without thought?!
“No,” Kalysta said hesitantly, her voice small with confusion. “No one bullied us. They just… watched.”
Noah nodded, accepting this. He moved to his throne with grace, settling into it as if it had been carved specifically for his form. His gaze swept across the marketplace.
“Trades are back on!” His voice carried with the clarity of a bell through the market air. “Anything from the Doorways to the Loom, especially Herbs… and if I like them, a bowl shall be traded!”
With gestures, two radiant Glass Woks materialized beside him. Each one contained soup that gleamed with inner light, cut up Marine Lifeforms swimming through broth that could elevate existence itself. Multiple stacks of golden bowls appeared as well.
Kalysta and the others stood frozen, trying to process what they were witnessing. Master Shen’s gourd hung forgotten in his hand, his mouth slightly open as his mind struggled to reconcile the Osmont he remembered with the being who now commanded respect in a place like this!
“What…” Master Etheopa’s voice emerged as barely a whisper. “What the hell is going on?”
The question buzzed in the air, but Noah didn’t answer directly. Instead, he gestured for them to come closer, to stand near his throne where the designation of Paradox might matter less than proximity to someone who transcended such categories.
Kalysta moved closer without hesitation, drawn by Kismet itself toward whatever fate awaited. The others followed more cautiously, Master Shen taking one more drink before accepting that no amount of alcohol would make this situation make sense.
Around them, the marketplace slowly returned to life.
Duke Whisker, still disguised as an ordinary mouse, watched it all with stellar eyes that missed nothing.
At the center of it all, Noah waited for more opportunities to arise as in the Early Veiled Shore…his main body prepared to excavate wonders to pass the time until plants matured, until the Kleos Concordat began!
4/4 Keep the Magic Castles and Golden Tickets coming! Next chapter titles: The Terrifying Early Excavation Depths! 1-4

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