Chapter 9 009

They were barely two blocks from the Draethor tower when the system chimed.

[Ding!]

[Essence Points: 2,275 / 2,500]

[The Goddess of Boundless Prosperity has issued a new Trial.]

Trial: Before tonight, provide meaningful employment to at least three people whose lives have been disrupted by the Draethor family's influence.

Reward: 450 Essence Points, 1 Prosperity Shard.

Penalty: None.

Note: Prosperity Shards collected — 1 / 5. Three more after this brings the Goddess's first major blessing within reach.

Korvian read it as they walked. The Goddess had a way of issuing trials that looked simple on the surface and revealed their complexity the moment you started thinking seriously about them. Meaningful employment. Not charity. Not a handout. Something real and sustainable.

He thought about who he knew.

Thalira came to mind immediately. The cashier from the fast food chain who had recognized the Void Card and treated him with genuine respect. She was clearly overqualified for her position.

Then Garrick, the truck driver who had asked no unnecessary questions and handled himself with quiet competence throughout the orphanage delivery.

He needed a third.

"You're thinking again," Mirelle said beside him.

"I need to offer real work to three people by tonight. People the Draethor family has pushed down in some way."

Mirelle was quiet for a moment. Then, carefully, "There's a woman on my set. Her name is Dasha. She was a senior film editor at Vaelith Entertainment for nine years before my stepmother had her demoted to basic crew after she refused to falsify a production budget report." She paused. "She's been too afraid to leave because Evie blacklisted her across most of the major studios."

Korvian glanced at her. "Can you reach her today?"

"She'll be on set until early afternoon."

"Contact her. Tell her I want to meet."

Mirelle nodded and pulled out her phone.

Korvian called Garrick next. The truck driver answered on the third ring, sounding mildly surprised to hear from him.

"Mr. Draethor. Everything alright with the orphanage delivery?"

"Everything is fine. I'm calling because I have a proposition for you. I need a reliable driver — not for one job, but on a permanent basis. The pay will be significantly better than contract work. Are you interested?"

A long pause.

"Permanently," Garrick repeated slowly, as if testing the word.

"Yes."

Another pause, shorter this time. "When do I start?"

"Tomorrow morning. I'll send you the details tonight."

He ended the call and looked up Thalira next. He didn't have her number, so he rode back to the fast food branch near the central district. She was on shift, visibly startled when he walked in and asked to speak with her privately for five minutes.

They stood near the side entrance. Thalira twisted her apron in her hands, clearly unsure what to expect.

"I noticed yesterday that you knew exactly what the Void Card was and how to handle it," Korvian said. "You've had formal banking or finance training."

Thalira blinked. "I — yes. I have a degree in financial management from Velkaryn Institute. I applied to twelve firms after graduating." She hesitated. "Most of them are Draethor affiliated. I received rejections from all of them within forty-eight hours of submitting. No interviews."

Korvian kept his expression neutral but filed the information carefully. His family's reach into the city's hiring networks was even broader than he had estimated.

"I'm in the early stages of establishing independent business operations," he said. "I need someone with financial management experience who is detail-oriented and composed under pressure. You've demonstrated both. I'm offering you a position as my personal financial administrator. The salary will be three times your current income to start."

Thalira stared at him.

"You're serious," she said.

"I don't make offers I'm not serious about."

She untied her apron slowly, looked at it, then set it on the windowsill beside her.

"When do I start?" she asked.

"Tomorrow. I'll send you the details this evening."

[Ding!]

[Trial Progress: 2 of 3 meaningful employment offers made and accepted.]

[The Goddess of Boundless Prosperity is pleased with your selections. She notes that you are building something, not just spending.]

Back on the scooter, Mirelle sent him a message. Dasha had agreed to meet at a small café near the film district at 3 PM. Korvian confirmed and steered them in that direction.

Dasha turned out to be a composed woman in her late thirties with tired eyes and the careful stillness of someone who had learned to take up as little space as possible. She arrived at the café early and sat with her hands folded around a cup of tea she hadn't touched.

Mirelle made the introduction. Korvian sat across from Dasha and spoke plainly.

"Mirelle tells me you're one of the best editors Vaelith Entertainment had before her stepmother had you removed for refusing to falsify financial records."

Dasha's jaw tightened slightly. "That's accurate."

"I'm in the process of building an independent production and media division. It doesn't exist yet beyond the planning stage, but it will. I need someone to lead the editorial department from the ground up. Full authority over your team, your process, and your standards." He paused. "No falsified records. No Evie Vaelith."

Something moved behind Dasha's eyes. Not quite hope. Something more guarded than hope but pointed in the same direction.

"Why me?" she asked.

"Because someone who lost nine years of career rather than sign their name to a lie is exactly the kind of person I want building something that carries my name," Korvian said simply.

Dasha looked at Mirelle, who gave a small nod.

She turned back to Korvian. "I'll need full editorial independence."

"You'll have it."

"And a written contract before I do anything."

"I'll have it drafted by the end of the week."

She picked up her tea and finally took a sip. "Then we have an agreement."

[Ding!]

[Trial Complete: 3 meaningful employment offers made and accepted.]

[Reward Granted: 450 Essence Points, 1 Prosperity Shard received.]

[Total Essence Points: 2,725 / 2,500 — LEVEL UP!]

[Congratulations. Level 2 Achieved.]

[The Shop is now unlocked.]

[New passive system feature unlocked: Essence Overflow — excess Essence Points carry forward to the next level threshold.]

[Current Essence Points: 225 / 5,000 toward Level 3.]

[The Shop is now open. Browse at your discretion.]

Korvian felt the level transition move through him like a current — not painful, not dramatic, but unmistakably real. A quiet expansion, as though a door he hadn't known was closed had opened somewhere inside him.

He kept his expression completely still. Dasha and Mirelle were still talking across the table, exchanging contact details.

He opened the Shop interface discreetly.

[The Primordial Covenant Shop — Level 2 Access]

Available Items:

Perception Veil (Grade D) — Renders the user effectively unnoticeable in a crowd for up to 30 minutes. Cost: 800 Destiny Shards.

Resonance Read (Grade F) — Allows the user to detect deception in spoken conversation with moderate accuracy for 20 minutes. Cost: 300 Destiny Shards.

Shard Accelerator (Consumable) — Doubles Destiny Shard earnings for 6 hours. Cost: 1,200 Destiny Shards.

Wound Closure (Grade F) — Accelerates natural healing of minor to moderate injuries over 2 hours. Cost: 200 Destiny Shards.

[More items unlock at Level 3 and beyond.]

[Current Destiny Shards: 1,230]

Korvian studied the list carefully. Resonance Read was immediately useful — detecting deception in conversation was exactly the kind of advantage that would matter in the days ahead. He purchased it without hesitation.

[Resonance Read acquired. Cost: 300 Destiny Shards deducted.]

[Destiny Shards remaining: 930]

Outside the café window, the afternoon light was already beginning to shift toward evening gold. The city moved around them, indifferent as always to the quiet revolution being assembled inside it.

Mirelle caught his eye as Dasha gathered her things to leave.

"You're building a team," she said quietly.

"The beginning of one," he replied.

She studied him for a moment. "Garrick. Thalira. Dasha." She paused. "And me?"

Korvian looked at her steadily.

"You were already on the team," he said. "You just didn't know it yet."

[Ding!]

[The Goddess of Boundless Prosperity sends a final message for the day:]

"Level 2, Korvian. The gods are paying closer attention now. So are your enemies. Move carefully — and move fast."

[The Twin Sovereigns of Retribution add simply:]

"The second critical move from Verana Draethor arrives tomorrow morning. Be ready."

Korvian closed the interface and finished his coffee.

Tomorrow, then.