Tristan, thankfully, didn’t immediately dismiss the idea outright. Eila stood there as he mulled over the idea, her heart beating rapidly. She hadn’t felt this nervous since she did the entrance exams for the Forging Academy.

“Ten Adept cards without failing, huh?” he mused. “Four of those are Earth. Even though that’s not your specialty, you can do it?”

“I’m sure,” Eila lied. She wasn’t sure at all. Adept cards were tricky, a difficulty spike compared to Apprentices. Four without failing at least once was asking a lot.

“Hmmm.” Tristan eyed her. “How close are you to Expert forging?”

“Close,” Eila lied again. She wasn’t close at all. She had just unlocked her second Adept Forgeperk; it would take hundreds more forges before she unlocked them all. But she would make it work. She would spend all day and night forging if she had to.

“Why do you want to be my forger?” he asked, as if he read her mind. “We barely know each other.”

“Because I had a dream of being a Transcendent forger,” she said. She took a deep breath. “But then that System message came, and everything changed. Transcendent isn't enough. I want to be Divine.”

It was all but impossible. There were already Transcendent forgers out there in the world, one for each cardbearer Transcendent. She braced herself for ridicule.

Instead, he smiled at her without a trace of judgment. “It’s a good dream. Truth be told, I have the same one.”

She knew it. He’d basically said as much back in the forest when he asked about the other Transcendents and the supposed Expedition. “I have a feeling if I stick with you,” she said, “I’ll be that much closer to achieving my goal. Also… I decided I can’t stay on this island any longer. I’m afraid at every turn I’ll just see my brother.” She shrugged, shoving down the swell of sorrow rising in her. “Besides you saved my life in the Dungeon, even though, like you said, we barely know each other. I trust you. Though you have terrible fashion sense.”

“It’s not terrible,” he muttered. Then, he sighed. “I don’t know, Eila. I’m going to be progressing at a rapid pace. Faster than any other cardbearer you’ve ever met. I can’t explain how, but regardless, I’m worried you won’t be able to keep up. I know you’re a skilled forger, but…”

“Look,” Eila said. “You’re planning on entering the Elemental Cup, right? To get the [Perk Reset Card]?”

He nodded.

“The Elemental Cup is a little under a month from now. It’ll run for two weeks. I promise to rank-up to Master by the time you win the [Perk Reset Card] to prove to you I can keep up. If I don’t, we can split ways amicably. How does that sound?”

He studied her.

“Also,” she added, “it’s clear you need my knowledge. You really thought those items you had dropped on the Continent? Please.”

Then, he grinned. “Fair enough. All right, Eila. You have a deal. Forge those ten [Blueprints] successfully, and you come with me to the Elemental Cup. If by the end of it you reach Master, we’ll continue on together.” He stuck out his hand. “Deal?”

Before she could talk herself out of it, she grabbed his hand and shook. “Deal. Now, watch me haggle this old fart.”

—🃁—

Half an hour later, Tristan left Artuo’s shop, confused but pleased with the turn of events. He even managed to ignore how the guard at the door scowled at him as he left.

Eila, as it turned out, was easily a Grandmaster haggler. She managed to not only get Artuo to throw in item requirements for five of the cards, but also she got the old man to throw in a pack of sleeves. They were plain, mono-color dark, but still. His cards would no longer feel naked anymore.

With the money he saved from Eila splitting half the cost, he bought a pair of [Gemrock Leggings]. The Adept pants had no additional Equipment Perk, but it had a hefty 90 Armor rating, which was nice.

He still needed to buy the item requirements for four more cards—thankfully he had all the requirements for [Slumbering Stalagmites]-- not to mention passage on an airship, so he decided to leave his other equipment slots alone for now. If he had time, he would farm some more before leaving to fill those slots out.

That left him with a little over one whole air-chip left. They went back to Lootbox to buy the rest of the item requirements, Eila haggling the whole time like a seasoned veteran, Tristan watching in awe.

Once it was all said and done, he had 76 blues left. A decent amount, according to Eila. More than she’d expected. Even she seemed surprised with how well she’d done in haggling.

“That’ll get you a decent cabin on one of the dirigibles,” she was saying as she led them to the back of Sol. That was where the airship zone was.

“I’ll pay for us both,” he said.

Eila opened her mouth as if to protest, then shut it. Likely because she’d spent all her chips on splitting the [Blueprint] costs with him.

“Thanks,” she murmured.

They continued on, Eila pointing out various notable landmarks to him as they went. She clearly knew that he wasn’t familiar with Sol in any real capacity, as she was explaining the more obvious institutions like the Mayor’s Hall and the Forge Academy she’d graduated from. He recognized some of them from the game, but a lot had changed in the transition between worlds.

He listened with half an ear, nodding at the right moments. His mind was preoccupied with the deal he’d made with her. Why did I agree? he thought, bemused with himself. There was simply no way she was going to be able to keep up with him, not with [New Game Plus] on his side. She’d said she was close to Expert—a part of him thought that she was lying, as she’d said it a little too forcefully—but regardless, to Advance from Expert to Master in a a month without a bonus like he had was unrealistic, bordering on impossible.

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Still, it wasn’t like it hurt him to agree. If she couldn’t do it, she couldn’t do it. He would move on and find another forger. Besides, having her beside him would help once he reached the Continent; clearly, he had an informational gap on the workings of society here, not to mention her extensive knowledge on monster drops would help in remaking his old deck.

He didn’t plan on advancing into Master until he got the [Perk Reset Card] anyway. He didn’t want to invest resources into making any Master cards until he was prepared to make his true build.

The sun was beginning its descent in the sky when they arrived at the airship zone. The back portion of the island had been expanded with a massive platform stretching out over the ocean. Four airships were currently stationed on the platform, though there looked to be room for another four.

He tried his best to not gawk at them, as that would be a dead giveaway that he had never ridden one. But then again, he already knew that Eila knew he was lying, so he kind of stopped caring and gawked away.

He’d been expecting to see bulky blimps like back on Earth. Instead, each airship had a metallic hull judging by the way the setting sun glinted off them. They were sleek and pointed, resembling a shark in their design, with a large fin at the back and two smaller fins protruding from the sides. The first two airships were smaller, though still large, while the next two were nothing short of gargantuan. Some kind of logo or symbol had been stamped on their sides, though he couldn’t really see from here.

A low, rectangular administrative building sat squat at the entrance to the platform. A short wall stretched out from its sides, all the way to the edges of the island. Eila led him inside.

The inside of the building resembled a bus terminal. It was essentially just one long waiting room, rows of seats taking up most of the space, with eight counters at the back. Only two of the counters were occupied, and Eila led him up to the first one, where a portly, balding man smiled at them.

“How may I help you two?” he asked. Tristan read the little tag on his striped uniform: Tulver Monn.

“Hi, we’re looking to book two tickets on the fastest airship to Advance,” Eila said.

The clerk checked a paper pinned to the wall beside him. “That’ll be on the Serenity, a Class-C zeppelin, which departs in two days. Travel time to Advance is four days, three nights. There are single and multi-person cabins available on all three floors: Topaz, Aquamaine, and Ruby.”

Eila had explained to him the distinction between dirigibles and zeppelins and their classes earlier, but he admittedly hadn’t been listening too closely. Judging by the furrow of her brow, however, he assumed this was an expensive one.

“How much is the cheapest cabin on the Topaz?” she asked uncertainly.

“One air-chip,” Tulver said.

Eila turned to Tristan with a gulp. “We can take one of the slower airships,” she said.

“Any chance you could reserve two cabins for us?” he asked the clerk.

“With a non-refundable payment of 50 water-chips, or a refundable payment of one airchip, a reservation can be made. However, if you do not purchase tickets the night before departure, your reservation will be cancelled.”

“No problem.” He summoned his [Binder], brought out the 50 water-chips, and handed them over to the clerk. “Ill be back tomorrow night.”

“Very good, sir. Please hand over your [Status Page Cards] so I can write down your information.”

My what? Tristan glanced down at Eila, who summoned a card in her hand. It appeared to just be a card form of the [Status Page].

Tristan tried summoning it, and it appeared in his hands. As he handed it over to Tulver, a horrifying thought occurred to him, but it was too late.

Oh, shit. What if he sees my [New Game Plus] status?

A terrifying moment passed as Tulver squinted at the cards and wrote down some information.

Then, the man just handed the cards back and smiled at them, saying everything was settled. Sighing inwardly with relief, he dismissed the card for now—he’d take a look at it later himself—and walked outside with Eila.

“Why did you do that?” she asked him.

“I’m going to farm enough loot to make the money. A day and a half is more than enough time if I really put my mind to it.”

Eila’s eyes bulged in a way that told him he’d said something that was definitely not within the realm of a normal person’s capability. He shrugged. If she was going to partner with him, she’d better get used to it.

“All right,” she said slowly. “If you’re sure.”

“I am.” He squinted up at the sky, then back down at Eila. “Hey. You up for some forging?”

She broke out into a wide smile.

—🃁—

The excitement Eila felt at forging quickly gave way to nervous dread. They stood outside the town walls. Tristan wanted the space to do his Advancement Trial out in the open. He’d reequipped his Armor, but even the sight of that silly wolf cloak wasn’t enough to assuage her nerves.

She took a deep breath and summoned her [Forge]. The furnace, inker, and foci station appeared in a triangle around her with the [Blueprint] anvil in the middle.

“Ooh,” he said, pausing his stretch and walking over. “Yours looks much different than mine.” He poked at her [Refined Inker]. “What’s this thing?”

“It’s an improved inker,” she explained. “Basically it allows me to get richer and more varied color from the liquid components.” She frowned down at it. “At Expert, I’ll be able to get an inker that adjusts the consistency of the ink too.”

“Cool. Say, why does yours look so different from mine? The set-up, I mean, not the individual pieces.”

How did he not know such basic fundamentals of forging? “Once you become an Apprentice forger,” she explained, trying to keep the confusion out of her voice, “you unlock the ability to customize your forge.”

“Oh right. I did get that message from the System.”

She frowned. “You’re an Apprentice?”

“Mhm.” He summoned his [Forge], and it appeared in front of him as the standard, [Novice Forge] that every beginner started out with.

“You forged all your cards on that?” she said, dismayed. “Even the Apprentice ones?”

“It was quite the struggle, I won’t lie.” He dismissed the [Forge], and it puffed away. “If I never have to ink a card again, I’ll die a happy man.”

She shook her head. “Still, it’s impressive. You have talent.”

“Thanks. Though I think it’s less talent and more stubbornness.” He grinned at her. “I’m excited to see what real talent looks like.”

“Stop, you’re making me nervous,” she half-joked, half-pleaded.

Tristan, stupid boy that he was, just sat down and leaned forward like an eager student. “Please, don’t mind me. Pretend I’m not here.”

She groaned, but there was nothing to do about it.

If she was going to be his forger, she had to get used to it.