82 Collecting Information

"It should be around here somewhere," I mutter as I survey the building's interior. The high-class tavern is better than the shady bartender's establishment, but that's a given considering our current location.

The rugs of the polished hardwood floor are spotless and free of any wrinkles. It almost looks like they are painted on the ground. The heavily decorated tables are all supporting fancy and intricate meals that probably cost a fortune, and the clients look the part too.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Mary whispers in my ear. I'm not sure, is a place like this really the home of the information broker? It looks too clean to be the host of such illegal activities, but you should never judge a book by its cover.

"How can I help you?" a crystal-like voice belonging to a well-dressed receptionist takes me out of my thoughts, and I adjust my hood to make sure that she doesn't make a scene.

"Yes, I heard your establishment served very informative meals," I say. This level of subtlety deserves an award, but I'm not one to complain about trophies.

The receptionist stays impassible and nods, "Of course, please follow me." She grabs two menus and heads towards the back of the room, where an engraved round door separates the central area and the private zone. She knocks on the door while following a pretty intricate pattern, and the door opens on its own after a few moments.

"Sorry for bothering you, clients wanted to see you." The receptionist lowers her head, and the man inside the room waves her away before inviting us.

The man, which has tiger-like features, is wearing a mix of what must be formal clothes for this society along with a few well-hidden but still visible armor plates. He holds a long and thin pipe in his right hand while the other is wrapped around the waist of a barely-dressed goat-headed woman.

"Please enter, and make yourself at home." He says while waving towards the empty chairs in front of him. Mary and I exchange a glance, and we sit down. This man might be our information broker, and he doesn't feel too dangerous. If the situation goes in an unexpected direction, then I can Rewind, and if he tries to attack us then we'll take CaRe oF hIm!

"The food here is delicious, isn't it?" he says after eating something resembling a small crab leg. We aren't here to share a meal, so I open my mouth, "I heard that you have access to a lot of information, is that true?"

The tiger-headed man raises an eyebrow and smirks, "Straight to the point huh? It's a bit refreshing compared to the usual nobles and their never-ending platitudes. So, what do you want to know? People don't come to me unless they want something very specific, so I'm all ears as long as you have enough to pay me."

Well, it shouldn't be a problem since I plundered quite a bit of wealth.

"Money isn't a problem." I reassure the information broker, "So, I want to know how to make spatial bags."

The information broker doesn't even react and nods before slapping the table. "All right, but it'll cost you. Not to mention that you'll incur the wrath of a lot of guilds and the royal family."

"He can handle them," Mary says.

I think I can handle them, and if I can't... There are other ways to disable an opponent. A one-way trip to the nearest sun should do the trick. These people aren't used to portals, so I could use the effect of surprise to my advantage.

"Lad, I don't know how you got a beauty like her, but don't let her go!" the information broker laughs. "But let's be serious for a moment, I can tell you everything I know about spatial bags, but it's going to cost you."

I sense an opportunity to fleece the tiger-headed man, so I tilt my head to the side, "And what is it going to cost me?"

The broker leans back, "Learning about the actual process itself will cost you a few dozen gold coins, maybe more if you don't know certain aspects of Infusion. Then I can tell you all about the materials and essences needed; it's yet another dozen gold coins. If you add a few other coins, then I can even tell you where to find the materials needed. Can you afford it?"

Of course not. I can barely afford one of the options.

But I wonder if this broker can resist time going backward?

"All right, then tell me everything about the process itself," I say before dropping the coins on the table. The tiger-headed man quickly counts the coins before shoving them into his pocket.

"Thank you for your patronage!" he says with a smirk. "Now listen carefully. First of all, you need to-"

To be fair, the broker's explanation was very clear and concise, to the point where I memorized everything in one go. Making a spatial bag isn't as hard as I thought. The secret resides in using Power Stones as intermediate steps to infuse everything into the container at once. The number of those intermediate steps is somewhat daunting, but it can be done and, more interestingly, it can be easily automated.

I review the knowledge I acquired one last time before Rewinding. Mary makes a slight grimace, and I feel a bit sorry for her. Maybe I could develop some temporal ear-plugs for her? I bury the thought to the back of my head since I don't have the knowledge nor the capabilities to make something like that and concentrate on the current situation. This time, I buy the information about the materials needed.

The lecture lasts a bit longer than the previous one, but the information is worth it. Making a spatial bag doesn't only require essence, but also something these people call 'crystallized World Energy'. In other words, it's Magicite. I pressed the broker for a better description of the Magicite, if the Infusion needs purple Magicite then I'll have to find a solution to that problem. But I was lucky, and it looks like the Infusion only needs medium-grade Magicite.

The rest of the lecture was about all the essences required. The broker also gave me pointers on where I might find the materials needed.

However, that last part isn't interesting for me. I already have access to a myriad of exotic materials from the HiddenNet, and the tests ran by the Fabricators already gave us a good list of articles we can use as an alternative to extract all the essence we need.

I Rewind, and this time I ask the broker about Formations and where I could find manuals about the subject. Formations might be useful in the future, so it wouldn't hurt to learn a bit more about them. The broker gives me the location of certain high-end shops, and that's when I get an idea that causes a huge grin to creep on my face.

The timeline goes backward again, but this time I ask for the location of shops and warehouses with rare materials, Infusion Altars and other types of machinery. I could attempt to rob the royal family, but I bet it's not going to be as simple as walking in and taking everything. This is why I'm focusing on shops, nobody should be able to stop us there, and we'll fill the Order's treasury.

I thank the broker and Rewind, but this time it's at the moment when we left the building that allowed us to enter the Noble District. I enter all the coordinates in my Portal Gun before my head turns towards my companion, "Please give me your Portal Attachment."

Mary hands me the small cylinder, and I transfer half the coordinates into the device before giving it back to her. "Listen, we're going shopping. Teleport to those places and take everything you can to the last location."

A smirk appears on the hybrid's face, "We weren't supposed to lay low?"

I crack my knuckles, "There's been a change of plan." I say before pulling out my Portal Gun and aiming at my feet.

"You know, I like this plan a lot more!" she grins and mimics my movement.

"I bet you do, now let's go sHoPpInG!" Our exchange earns us a few curious glances from the passersby, but it's nothing compared to the panic caused by our portals opening at the same time.

This raid might cause a bit of a commotion, but I'm sure that everything will be fine.

My first stop is a high-end weapon shop. The receptionist is running away while screaming as soon as I emerge in the middle of the reception. A brave security guard tries to stop me with a stab of his sword, the blade bounces off my shield and I shield-punch him into the next room where he has a nice and restful nap. I barely register the terrified shopkeeper and begin to browse the shop.

There are weapons in display cases; some are also hanging on the walls. But most of those are not interesting for me. Despite their formidable craftsmanship, those weapons would not even be considered on a modern battlefield. First of all, their enchantments are powered by Power Stones, so the weapon needs to be constantly reloaded. And their enchantments are nowhere near what regular enchanting can do; they lack power.

But my goal for this shop isn't the weapons themselves, but rather the materials and tooling. I smash the door to the back room and find what I'm looking for. An ornate Infusion Altar rests in the middle of a room while the walls are covered in drawers. I also spotted something resembling a drill press on a large table, but with a few weirdly shaped tools instead of a standard drill bit.

Maybe this could help us upgrade the Printers so we can work with more exotic materials?

I'll think about what we can do later. For now, let's transfer everything. I teleport the Altar, along with a Distillery which was embedded in a wall. A large amount of materials soon follows. It's at this moment that I spot a pile of books that was hidden behind drawers. I am about to transfer them when screams and shouts emerge from the entrance of the workshop.

"By the name of the Royal Family! We order you to surrender now!" a guard shouts.

I take a deep breath and sigh, the small squad of armored soldiers marches towards me with their halberds raised. I could ignore them, but they are going to call reinforcements and bother me during my shopping, so I have to take care of them now.

The shotgun on my back should do the trick. I equip the weapon and fire a single MH Shell towards the approaching guards, who disappears from the surface of the planet. Large holes appear in the buildings behind them, but they should hold.

I then resume my activity, it doesn't take a lot of time before the room is completely cleared. I hear yet another squad of guards headed my way, but they are too late. I hear another commotion on the other side of the city; it looks like Mary is doing her job correctly so I can't slack off. I teleport into another shop, and this time the shop owner is a bit braver since he attacks me with a spear.

The weapon barely even activate my shield. I kick him away and prepare for another round of looting while bells are rung all over the city, guards should also be in my position in a few minutes.

Really, why is this so troublesome? I'm just collecting new trinkets for the Fabricators, and these people should understand that they are no MaTcH fOr Me.

...??? PoV...

"Your Highness! The aggressors have looted yet another shop!" One of my ministers report, and I grit my teeth while going down the hallway. Large amounts of World Energy have suddenly appeared over the city, and with it came an unprecedented calamity. Two unknown people who are wielding tremendous power are completely emptying the warehouses and blacksmith shops all over the city.

One of them is even destroying squadrons in less than a second. Nothing remains of the victims, not even their armor.

"Evacuate the civilians and order the guards to not attack the aggressors! Warn the leaders of Noble Families and order them to deploy according to Directive One! Also, prepare the Royal Armaments Three and Four!" I order with a dry voice.

"B-But, Your High-" one of the shocked ministers tries to say something, but I slam my foot on the ground to silence him. "Now is not the time for arguing! My father has approved of my decision, and he's already deploying with his aides! Or do you dare oppose a royal decree?!"

The minister in question lowers his head, and I take a deep breath. Directive One isn't something that is invoked lightly; it's one of the first measures put in place after the Great Massacre. The Directive states that in cases of a significant emergency similar to the Great Massacre, all noble families relinquish their status and are placed under direct command of the royal family for the duration of the disaster. Any dissidents are to be executed on the spot.

It has never been used before, but this situation forced the hand of my father. I focus as I enter the Royal Vault, where the Royal Armaments I requested are already prepared. Royal Armament Three is a set of armor reserved for the princess of the country; it's equipped with state of the art Formations and a unique Power Stone reloading system that is still unmatched to this day.

Royal Armament Four is a complement to the set of armor. It's a long semi-transparent pink sword that hooks directly to the armor and uses the Power Stone reserves to fire powerful beams out of the unbreakable blade. I only saw those artifacts once, when I became the princess of the country. And now I'm being strapped to the inside of the armor while the tube coming from the handle of the sword is being threaded into a specific hole of the defensive set.

"Is everything all right?" One of my aides asks, and I nod while gritting my teeth. I don't know what's causing all this chaos, but I know it isn't something I can defeat alone. Maybe Father will know what to do.

"Activating!" a shout from one of the aides takes me out of my thoughts, and a large sack full of Power Stones is strapped to my back. The Royal Armaments come to life and glow with a faint golden light that awes everyone present.

I move my hands around to make sure that there isn't any problem and swing my sword in the air a few times. It's like the blade is cutting the air itself, and I'm beyond impressed by what the craftsmen of old were capable of accomplishing.

"The Princess is deploying!" I shout before running to the exit. An armored carriage already awaits me, so I board it, and the vehicle jumps forward.

"What's the current situation?" I ask one of my escorts.

"Your Highness! The invaders have looted another set of shops! They should-" I grit my teeth as an immense amount of World Energy appears from a few city blocks. "They should be here! Go!" I order, and the convoy changes direction.

This is similar to the disturbance in the sewers, but this time it's way stronger. Did some ancient evil wake up from its slumber? Or is this the foreign invasion that my father was dreading all this time? Either way, we must do something now, or we might lose the last city in the country.

The shop that is being looted soon appears in my vision. The shop's personnel is waiting outside with fear visible on their faces, and the guards are evacuating the people while surrounding the perimeter.

I jump out of the carriage and ready my sword. "This is the Princess speaking! Your actions are unacceptable! Come out and face the consequences of your-"

"For fuck's sake!" A loud voice shouts. "Why do you people always make things so difficult?! I'm just taking a few things; nobody has to die if you stay calm! But no, you throw the lives of your men away!"

A red-robed figure steps out of the shop. The figure wears a full set of armor under his robe, and it's unlike anything I've ever seen. It looks like it's on par with the Royal Armaments, or even better.

"How dare you speak to the Princess like that!" a guard shouts.

The figure turns toward the guard and a golden aura suddenly surround the assailant! The power of the aura is unlike anything I've ever felt, and I can hardly breathe. The golden figure approaches the guards and raises its palms before slapping the poor soldier. The blow is so strong that the guardsman is sent flying through a building.

"Now, is this enough or do you plan to bother me again?" the figure asks while barely looking in my direction.

I grit my teeth and activate one of the Formations of Royal Armament Three. It lessens the burden of the attacker's aura so that I can stand up again. "Who do you think I am? I'm here to defend my subjects!"

"Then step down, my goal isn't to harm people." the figure says. "I know it isn't a fun time for you, but we need those artifacts now, so I don't have any other choice."

"You'll bring untold ruin to us, and I can't let that happen!" I shout as I ready my sword. A quick press on the trigger hidden in the handle should create a beam of pure World Energy that will cleave him in two!

The figure shrugs before pointing a weird stick towards me, "Oh well, at least I tried."