(XXXV) Preparations

Jackson took stock of the items he had collected on the first four islands, filling the entire storage room with a massive pile of the items:

[Mutated Hollow Skull x12]

[Common Hollow Spirit x 12]

[Hollow Skull x 18]

[Unidentified Gemstone x300]

[Mietalajed Iron Shell x225]

[Muraŭjoŭka Stinger x75]

[Bejeweled Insect Wing x150]

[Muraŭjoŭka Queen Stinger x1]

[Mietalajed Queen Shell x4]

[Nina Urqu Drake Claw x20]

[Nina Urqu Drake Fang x32]

[Nina Urqu Drake Eye x2]

[Nina Urqu Drake Thagomizer x6]

The three women's eyes lit up at the pile of gold in front of them as Jackson snapped his fingers to grab their attention, "Amelia, take everything you need to make me 'that' and all the shells to make armor, stingers to make daggers, and claws to make swords."

She nodded as she immediately exited the room to grab August to close the shop for the rest of the week.

"Natane, sell everything else; I need a decently sized storefront close or in the plaza around God's Tower with a few floors above; I need fifteen Uncommon Spirit Cores and two skill books; get with Amelia to get their names along with a list of what items to not sell." Jackson explained as she nodded, standing and walking past him, dragging her fingernail across his chest with a smirk as she exited the room.

"What about me, Jax..?" Alijah asked, jumping out of her chair and looking up at him with big, eager eyes.

"Right now? I want you to hang out in the plaza around all the merchant stands and watch all of them, study. Stay close to Natane, and once she has sold enough, ask her to sponsor you to take the Climber Association's Certificate of Commerce." Jackson explained, patting the top of her head and smiling.

"Once she has secured our building, it'll be all up to you to turn it into a store and begin selling the stuff Amelia makes. Everyone will be counting on you." Jackson continued as Alijah's eyes sparkled, dreaming of her as a wealthy merchant princess.

"You can count on me!" She exclaimed, sprinting out of the store. Jackson smiled and nodded, waving goodbye to Amelia, August, and Natane, huddled over spread-out pieces of paper as they returned the gesture.

By his estimations, Amelia would use the queen's stinger in conjunction with two of the six thagomizers along with the queen's metal to make his weapons and armor and would need the fifteen spirit cores to complete her blueprints.

Natane would need to spend about 500,000 credits securing the building and another 100,000 for Alijah to get her permit. The two skill books contain a unique martial technique for utilizing Amelia's weapons armor; both would be another 250,000.

Jackson crossed both arms behind his neck as he ascended the stairs back into God's Tower. By his estimations, Natane should be able to make upwards of 750,000 credits, and all the armor, jewelry, and weapons made by Amelia and sold should net upwards of 1.5 million.

He sighed heavily, hesitantly entering the portal as he returned to Ilasa Port, 'Three days!' Jackson proclaimed inwardly, giving them a week to finish the preparations so he could start the second half of Tutorial Island.

Jackson exited the plaza, walking casually as a pair of boys whispered to each other, their eyes following him through the crowd. Instantly they sprinted down the alleyway behind them, zipping through the narrow passageways.

Quickly navigating their way through half of the city, they ran up to an older woman, tugging on her dress before she knelt down, and they whispered into her ear and ran off.

She quickly entered a nearby building and began shouting as two men wearing worn clothing burst out of it, and each ran down different streets, running to tell their handlers.

The Jackal's network is deep and interwoven through dozens of tedious layers until finally, the one man who openly meets with him was notified by his underlings.

The same thin-faced man stood before The Jackal, wearing a suit and tie with slicked-back hair and narrow-framed glasses, "Sir... He's returned to Ilasa Port."

"Good..." The Jackal replied, walking back and forth in front of the large window, looking down as he smoked a cigar, staring out at the bustling port.

"Find out what you can about him..." He smiled, looking at his advisor, "Make sure you notify Tetrakyts... Delay it leaking it to them, though!"

"Yes, sir!" The man bowed low, bowing again, his eyes meeting the Jackal's gaze for a moment before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

***

Jackson turned down the streets of Ilasa Port, scanning the buildings around him as he walked. He knew the Jackal had a base somewhere; he just needed to find it.

A few turns down pathways, he saw a small wooden sign next to an alleyway that read: LQ Ilaqst. He looked up and down the streets, seeing the sign pointed to an apartment complex with several levels and many balconies overlooking the ocean.

Jackson stepped into the entrance and climbed the stairs, knocking on the heavy wooden doors. After a few minutes, a gruff voice answered from behind the locked doors, "Who is it?"

"My name's Jax..." Jackson said, looking down at the ground as he stood close to the door, "I'm looking for friends. Are they here?"

"There may be friends here; who sent you?" The voice growled back.

"A friend." Jackson replied with confidence.

"Come in then." The man opened the door after a moment, and Jackson walked inside the dark building to hear the latch sliding shut behind him. He slowly walked through the dark, run-down hallway; when suddenly he was knocked unconscious over the back of his head.

Jackson's consciousness returned as he awoke a few hours later in a daze, bound by rope to a chair with a dimly lit lamp hanging from the ceiling above him. He looked around, catching the well-dressed man with glasses in front of him and the gruff musclehead standing behind him.

"Nice to finally meet you, Jackson! I've heard so much about you!" The bespeckled man adjusted his glasses with a wicked grin.