The next month passed by in an odd silence. Leonel didn't appear again, but neither did Sarrieth seem intent on doing anything. For those who had been waiting for sparks to fly, this was an exceptionally odd lull that left many feeling disappointed.
However, whether or not the two had actually thought of letting matters settle just like this, it was completely unknown.
…
"That should do it."
Leonel raised his head for the first time in a long time. He seemed to have sat in the same place endlessly, completely focused on his task. Before him, there were two finished products. One was the grenade they were all familiar with while the other was most definitely not. However, considering the nonchalant responses the others had to this phenomenon, it was clearly not the first time in this last month that they had seen this design.
Leonel ended up having to simplify the two designs he created, effectively forming a stream of four different products, two of which could only be crafted by him, while the latter two were made easier for the other members of Polished Glass to complete themselves.
The result was a line of elite products and common products that would give the group some better leverage on the market.
Kaela smiled. "Rum!"
Rum obediently took hold of another behemoth-like stack of boxes and began to bring them out.
Leonel stretched his back, his eyes slightly red.
"Go take a shower, hermit. We can't have our prized engineer walking around like a rat's nest." Litia teased Leonel ruthlessly.
Toward such a thing, Leonel could only smile bitterly.
"Big sister… That's too mean…" Madia tried to stop Litia from being too harsh, but all she got was a palm to the forehead.
"He's a big man. He'll be fine."
Leonel gave Madia a thankful smile before rushing off to shower and get dressed. At the very least, this small home had such accommodations.
It wasn't long before the group had set off.
…
"How exactly does this showcase work?" Leonel asked curiously.
"I applied for a section from Valiant Hall half a month ago and it was decided that today would be our day. As long as we perform well, our products will appear on the Valiant Hall Exchange List and the system will be pretty much automated for us from then on."
Leonel was enlightened. "I thought we would have to open a shop or something."
Kaela's expression darkened a bit, taking Leonel off guard. Had he said something wrong?
"… We can't afford that." Kaela looked up into the skies as though she was truly hurt.
Litia cleared her throat. "Don't mind her, she's a bit of a money grubber. The Valiant Hall Exchange List is safe and about as no-hassle as you can get. But the consequence is that the taxes we have to pay are higher.
"It would be better for us to have our own store as long as it was in a decent part of the city, but all the land has been bought up by seniors long ago. Usually, you would just have to defeat the store owner and take over the rental fees to take over a store, but the network of store owners is too complex right now.
"Most store owners are part of Union. Defeating one essentially means offending the whole Union, it's really too much of a headache to deal with. So, stores usually only get passed on willingly these days… And most of the time to close family juniors thanks to nepotism..."
Hearing Litia's explanation, Leonel could only shake his head. The more he learned about Valiant Heart's system of competition, the more he realized just how little real competition there was.
Not long later, the group made their way to Valiant Hall, Rum's heavy steps causing the city's to quake.
"You sure you don't need any help, Rum?" Leonel asked for the third time already.
"No, I'm okay." Rum smiled almost too gently for a man his size. He was practically an enormous teddy bear. "You've already done so much work for us, this is the least I could do."
Leonel finally gave up. This big teddy bear was truly too stubborn.
"Thilly, this is the registration information. We'll go start setting up." Kaela handed over some forms over to the thin and spectacled Thilly who quietly accepted them and moved into the building.
Kaela put her fists on her hips like a valiant hero, a bright smile spreading across her face as her lab coat fluttered in the wind.
After a moment of basking in her own glory, she strode forward, finding a space outside of Valiant Hall to begin her setup. Rum followed obediently behind her, a sheepish smile on his face.
'Seems the big guy has a crush on Kaela.' Leonel chuckled to himself.
Valiant Hall was just as grandiose as Leonel remembered it. The only difference between now and then was that there were a few groups gathering around its entrance as though setting up a fair.
Kaela found a nice location beneath the shade of some trees and began to set up their display. It even reminded Leonel somewhat of his school science fair projects, a wave of nostalgia he wasn't quite ready for.
The number of people here to witness this event were quite small in number, though. But, Kaela and the others didn't mind. After all, as long as the judges approved of their product, they could enter the Exchange List.
Out of habit, before going out to any missions, students would always check for new products so they'd be able to get their name out that way.
At least… That was what Kaela thought until there was a sudden change to the situation.
On the horizon, a large number of people began making their way toward the Exchange Fair. There were only a couple hundred at most, not even enough to make the entrance of Valiant Hall feel crowded, but compared to the mere four or five stations of Crafters and Force Pill masters ready to display their products, this number was massive.
Kaela couldn't ever remember there being such a large influx of people. Even when the most famous Factions displayed their products, there would never be this many.
Her eyes along with Leonel's narrowed simultaneously.. They couldn't help but feel that some sort of conspiracy was afoot.