A Whole New World [Shadow Mission, The Dust Merchant]

Trying to avoid the hustle and bustle of what appeared to be the central area of the city, Xavier had taken to the rooftops in efforts to speed things along. Every couple of rooftops, he looked down at the sheet of paper he was given at the academy, making sure he didn't miss his destination as he hopped to the next rooftops.

Finally he spotted it: a rather large yet short building in the distance, about five buildings away. He stuffed the piece of paper into his left pants pocket and hopped the next few rooftops with a burst of speed, then landed right in front of his target: what he was told was the biggest 'dust' shop in the town. Xavier was confused about how someone could make some sort of profit off selling something that seemed so plentiful and so...useless, but this made him all the more eager to learn more.

As he walked into the building, a little jingle went off, and an older human male turned to greet him.

'Well hello and welcome to Dusty's Crystal Emporium!' The man stopped and studied Xavier for a moment, during this time Xavier looked around and sniffed, trying to get an idea of the place.

'Ahh, you must be Mr. Holstein. I hope you are excited to learn about how one manages a successful Dust Shop!' The man seemed thrilled that someone had showned interest in being taken under his wing.

Xavier had taken his time to get a layout of the place, but he was even more confused than before.

'This is supposed to be a 'dust' shop, yet all I see are fine powders and crystals. I the dust hidden in the back?' Xavier asked the man, his voice filled with true curiosity and real intrigue.

(300/1000)

The man stood in place out of sheer bewilderment for a few moments before his face lit up and he let out a deep chuckle. 'Oh ho ho, so this is what they meant when they described you as odd. You don't seem odd at all, not to me. I simply see a young man who is a bit out of touch, but is very clever in his own right, and is very ready to learn anything and everything about what is unknown to him.' The man walked over to Xavier and kindly offered his hand. ' My name is Dusty Cryssalys, and I have been running the most successful Dust shop in Bellmuse going on fifty-six years now. I love meeting young kids such as yourself who wish to learn, so how about we start with the basics?'

Xavier was hesitant at first to accept the man's hand, but this male human didn't seem to be putting up any sort of facade, so Xavier shook the man's hand in a respectful manner. 'I go by Xavier, and the basics sounds like a great place to start. I'm assuming that the crystals and powders are referred to as 'dust?'

'You would be correct, and it's discovery has been nearly invaluable, ever since it was first found so many years ago. If you haven't noticed from your fellow hunters, Dust is used in conjunction with one's Aura, triggering various effects based on the nature of the Dust. It has many different ways of being wielded: you can wield it in it's raw form, it can be used with ammunition, some weave it into their clothing, and some...well, let's just say they chose to become one with nature's gift.' Dusty then guided Xavier behind the counter as he took out a box of yellow Dust. He gestured for Xavier to look, and he did just that, careful not to get too close.

'Dust is such a big part of our world, even now with technology: airships, robots, androids, mechs. It's a part of our daily lives, but not everyone has the time to gather it...and that is where the Lien comes in.'

Xavier's ears perked up at the word 'Lien.' 'I've about that before, Lien. I'm not sure what it is, all that I know is that people want it and will give you stuff for it, if you have enough.'

(700/1000)

Dusty chuckled again, his mustache seeming to have a life of it's own during said chuckle. 'Well, you pretty much have it down pat, however I have a feeling that I should explain it a bit better to you than that.' Dusty messed with what was the store's cash register, and the drawer popped out, revealing lots of things that looked like the plastic cards Xavier had in his possession...although this man had a considerable amount more than he did, even before his encounter with the man named 'Kei.'

'Now, when I show you this, what does this look like to you on the corners and middle of the Lien?' Dusty asked gently.

Xavier looked at it very briefly before be for responding with 'Yeah, that's one of the ones with a weird 'I' and an 'O' on it. I have a couple of those on me right now.'

Dusty shook his head. 'Actually Xavier, those are numbers, which are different from letters. This is a 'one' and that is a 'zero', but I'm sure the academy will speed you up on that, so I'll tell you what is really important here: how much this is worth. Let's see here...what is something that you collect that you find worth...that you find importance in?'

Xavier pondered the question for a while, then spoke. 'Well, the only things I actually collect are squirrels and eggs...I guess I also gather certain plants for food and the like...'

'Okay, let's go with the eggs.' A smirk appeared on Dusty's face at Xavier's response. 'Now, you and I both know that not everyone barters in eggs, or find eggs valuable or whatnot...however, for this example, let's say that everyone values eggs as much as they value Lien. In this sort of economy, that would mean that a single egg would be the equivalent of one single Lien. Now, having more eggs is worth more to you than a single egg, and likewise so is having more than a single Lien worth more to others than only having a single Lien. This right here is one card that is the equivalent of ten Lien, which is your equivalent of having ten eggs, and this one right here...' Dusty pulled out another card, this one slightly different from before. 'This one is worth fifty Lien, which is equal to five of the ones worth ten Lien.' Dusty then took the remaining different Lien cards available, and put them in front of Xavier: this included the 100, the 500, the 1000, the 5000, the 10,000, and the 50,000.

'Each one of these are simply just one individual object used to express the worth of multiple ones of the same kind, designed for ease of convenience and nothing less.' Dusty then put away the 5000, 10,000, and the 50,000, then took out a piece of paper and started scribbling down something on it. 'Most folks will only ask for what those are worth exactly, however you will have situations in which the amount you are being asked for is not an exact, which is why...I am giving you...this.' Dusty had finished jotting down his desired notes, and then handed the paper to Xavier, then pulled out another sheet and jotted down something on it before handing it to him as well. 'From what I can tell, you may need a bit of time to study those, but that will get you the gist of it. Now from studying you a bit, I can't really see you buying anything too expensive, so here are some rules of thumbs for you: If someone tells you the desire item cost ten Lien, you would provide them with this card. If they say it's worth fifty, you would provide them this card, and if they say it's worth a hundred you would gives them this card. As for anything higher or not an exact amount, that is what those notes are for, and I have another tip for you: I would go check out the academy library. I can tell you have some issues with reading, but you are an exceptional young man who can accomplish anything of an intellectual nature, I can assure you of that. There are plenty of books there to help you with whatever you may need.' Dusty finished just in time to here the store chime go off, and he saw a customer approaching the counter.

'Unfortunately I think that's all the time I have today, but if all goes well and you still show interest in the future of Dust, feel free to stop by any time!'

'Uhh...well, thank you very much Mr. Cryssalys. Xavier said in a confounded manner as he left the shop and headed back towards the academy. He wasn't sure what the notes said or if he understood most of what the older man said, but he knew he had been helpful and Xavier was determined not to let his advice go to waste.

Dusty then turned to the customer at the counter. 'Well hello and welcome to Dusty's Crystal Emporium!' All through his day today, the older gentleman thought about Xavier. That boy represents a life so natural, so simple and not complicated by the demands of others or society's needs...and here I am trying to help him conform. I honestly envy the boy, living the life I used to know and love.

(1601/1000)

~El Fin~