Status? Caste? What's that? Rubbish!

The following days in Death Valley, Cien went about his routine as usual. He carried out his daily tasks of hunting pests and tending to the garden in the morning.

In his garden, not only watering, Cien also takes vegetables and herbs that are ready to be harvested.

Afterward, he worked on creating various items to restock his shop. Since he returned from the open market in Wynteria, Cien hadn't had a chance to replenish his increasingly empty store.

Building the inn and tending to the garden had taken up his time. Once those were completed, he immediately started crafting Rupture and then Crimsonagin.

Cien needed to fill the display cases and cabinets in the store so that it wouldn't look like a bankrupt shop.

It didn't have to be filled with unique weapons like Rupture and others. He just needed to stock it with a Hellteak Spear, a regular sword, a bow and arrows, and perhaps some accessories and alchemical potions.

Cien had already made a list of the items he would create, so he just had to follow it.

Cien worked until sunset and then returned to his cave to water his garden. Once he finished attending to the garden, he proceeded to take a bath and have dinner.

Afterward, he went to the workshop to study. He learned recipes from his mobile phone and also delved into studying the Blood Pact.

Currently, Crimsonagin was displayed on one of the weapon racks in his shop.

The dormant personality rumored to reside within the weapon couldn't be awakened yet. Even if it did awaken, Cien was certain that its intelligence would be no different from that of a baby or toddler.

So, it is better to try waking it up when Legia has arrived. So that the woman, as the owner, can raise it herself.

After they both become familiar with each other, only then will Cien suggest the Blood Pact.

For the power of Crimsonagin itself, Cien has already tested it on one of his recent hunts.

Honestly, the power of that spear truly amazed him. It even sparked a desire within him to make it again. Although, in the end, Cien abandoned his intention.

Crimsonagin, Rupture, Bluminous.

These three weapons can be considered unique weapons. Different from ordinary weapons. As their creator, Cien feels that if he were to make those weapons again, the uniqueness of those weapons would diminish.

Whether it's self-satisfaction or just his pride as a craftsman, Cien has decided not to create two identical unique weapons.

As for the Fire Glove? It is a magical and powerful artifact. But Cien feels that the Fire Glove is not a unique weapon. So it doesn't matter to produce more of those magic weapons.

Ah, speaking of unique weapons. Cien has another unique weapon. A greatsword that has always been nothing more than a decoration in the shop.

A sword created by Cien before he went to Wynteria, and solely for self-satisfaction, as it is every man's dream to swing a greatsword.

Now the sword has been created, unfortunately, it can only daydream in the shop, waiting for its future owner to come.

Cien cannot use it. The sword is not a magic item. And its weight troubles Cien. Not to mention, currently, he prefers fighting from a distance, using close-range weapons is not his ideal choice.

Cien only used the greatsword once, after his dream was fulfilled. Well, that's it. Let the sword be a decoration in the shop.

That's what made him keep the Crimsonagin after one use. He had no intention of using it as his main weapon.

Day by day, Cien passed by calmly and peacefully. There were no new events from his phone in the following month. This somewhat made Cien gloomy.

However, the busyness of his daily routines made time feel like it was passing by so quickly. So, the gloomy feeling disappeared and was replaced with anticipation for the next month.

About three weeks had passed.

There was nothing significant happening in Cien's daily life during those three weeks. Besides the storage space getting filled and the shop becoming packed with various weapons.

Aside from that, there was nothing else.

And then, everything changed one afternoon.

Cien, who was in the workshop, designing his new arrow. He heard the sound of his phone notifying him.

Cien reached for his phone and glanced at the screen. He found that dozens of people were now entering the protected area of his formation.

'...Hm? Who are they?'

For the first time in his life in Death Valley, a group of people appeared all at once, and from their movement, it seemed like their destination was his shop.

'Legia's men? Or Sravati? Umm, it could also be Reiss…'

Whoever they were, for now, Cien had to be a little cautious. His formation could block those with malicious intentions.

But of course, Cien wasn't completely confident. His formation's power could make mistakes. So, as a precaution, Cien quickly moved. He took his bow and quiver of arrows.

Cien went to his shop. He took the Crimsonagin and strapped it to his back. Then quickly, he went upstairs, out through the balcony, and jumped onto the roof.

Cien knelt there, preparing an arrow ready to be shot at any moment.

A few minutes later, the group of people arrived.

Not all of them were human; there were also a few chickens and goats. As for the human count, there were about thirty people.

There was one person who seemed to be leading the group. A middle-aged woman with short blonde hair. Her attire appeared formal, but Cien felt that the clothes she wore were men's clothing.

A black suit with long pants.

Cien didn't know the woman, but he recognized the two people following beside her.

'Ian and Veronica... an interesting combination.'

Realizing that the arrivals were not suspicious individuals, Cien came down from the roof. He unloaded all the weapons he had on him and put them in the middle of the second floor.

He went to the bathroom to wash his face, and then he heard a knocking on the door and a woman calling his name.

Cien descended and opened the door.

The woman who behaved like a leader bowed and greeted him while introducing herself.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Millard. My name is Mia Genevra. I work as an aide to Princess Sravati. We have come here on the orders of the Princess to discuss some important matters," Mia introduced herself while slightly bowing with her right hand crossed over her chest.

Cien fell silent for a moment. He gazed at Mia and briefly scanned the people now standing in front of his shop.

A sudden wave of confusion seemed to settle in his head. Cien instantly recalled Legia's question about accommodating homeless people at his place.

'Really? Is there really someone crazy enough to want to live here? No, it's still uncertain. It's better to listen to what the girl wants first…'

Cien then shook Mia's hand in return. He invited Mia and some of her companions to come in.

As for the others, Cien allowed them to rest in the front yard because his shop wouldn't be able to accommodate all of them inside.

Only three people followed Cien inside. Mia, Veronica, and Ian.

Cien guided the three of them to the second floor. He asked them to sit at the dining table while he prepared tea.

Cien served the tea to Mia and Veronica. Ian didn't sit down but stood behind the two girls, acting as a guard.

Cien smiled briefly at Ian before sitting in a chair across from the two women from Huntara.

"Yo, little girl, didn't expect to see you with Ian. How have you been?" Cien asked casually.

For Cien, this place is Death Valley, and a person's status and caste didn't matter here. Whether it was Sravati or Veronica, they were all the same.

Mia, hearing Cien's question, was slightly taken aback, feeling that the Shop Owner was being impolite. Meanwhile, Ian simply smiled faintly, knowing that nobility and status meant nothing in Cien's eyes.

Similarly, Veronica didn't feel the least bit offended by the Shop Owner's tone. She smiled sweetly and replied

"Very well, Uncle. I came here because I insisted on participating when I heard that the Third Princess would be sending someone here.

"I also came to deliver a letter from Mama. Actually, Mama wanted to come along too, but due to Sis Jeanne's achievements in Blackwinter, our family has been quite busy."

"Ah~ I've heard about it too. Jeanne managed to kill the enemy general, right? I never thought she would dare to do it."

Cien and Veronica eventually immersed themselves in a conversation. Cien listened to the young girl as she recounted her recent experiences, where many people visited their house, from nobles to renowned merchants.

Everyone came to meet the Blackwinter Hero, Jeanne.

Veronica was extremely proud of her cousin's achievements. She even enjoyed boasting to her friends as the sister of the hero.

Cien occasionally nodded and responded to Veronica's remarks. For Cien, it was a pleasure to hear Veronica's stories.

On the other side, or more precisely, on the chair beside Veronica, Mia was stunned watching the two people, who were different in status, age, and gender, chatting so casually.

Their little laughter made Mia feel that something was amiss from what she saw.

'Why does the Shop Owner dare to speak so freely to Miss Veronica? Doesn't he know that she is a respected noble from Huntara?'

Mia was confused. The etiquette she had known all along seemed to crumble before her eyes.

Not only that, but the most important thing was herself. She was a representative of Princess Sravati and the leader of the group she brought. But now? She felt like she had been sidelined by the Shop Owner.

Mia felt that her existence had been humiliated.

She wanted to interrupt the conversation between the two people in front of her. But Ian halted her action before it happened.

"Ahem!"

"Hm?"

Cien, who saw Ian, then noticed the man shifting his gaze towards Mia.

'Ah~'

Cien realized that he had just neglected his guest.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I must have been too excited to see this little girl again," Cien said.

Veronica also realized her mistake.

"Ah, it's all right, it's just…"

Mia could only calm herself down. She then tried to remind Cien that she and Veronica held high status in Huntara. So, she suggested to the Shop Owner to maintain his attitude.

But seconds later, after making that suggestion, a sudden chill ran through Mia's body.

She looked at Cien, at the Shop Owner whose eyes seemed devoid of light. In Mia's eyes, the gaze from those eyes sent shivers down her spine, as if encountering bone-chilling terror.

Mia was frozen in place.

"This is Death Valley, Aide. The most important thing here is how to survive. Status? Caste? Hahaha... none of that can save your life here."

From this moment on, Mia learned one important thing. Death Valley was not a kingdom. Inter-kingdom politics? Useless!

In any other kingdom, ordinary nobles were respected because the kingdom did not want to initiate diplomatic problems or create wars.

They also did not want to diminish the cooperation between the two kingdoms.

But for Death Valley? Whether it be a king, a prince, or even just an ordinary noble, if they die in Death Valley, will there be anyone willing to avenge them? No.

They all knew. Death Valley was the place where death resided. If a noble died there, they could only bite their fingers in frustration.

"So, do you understand, Aide Mia?" Cien asked with a wide smile, although his eyes showed no smile at all.

Mia nodded repeatedly, "Y-yes, Lord Millard."

"Alright, then let's continue. So... what does Sravati want?"