After opening the gate portal to the Illusionary Haven, as he had decided to call it, Northern found himself with an unusual amount of free time.
With nothing urgent demanding his attention, he strolled through the city — even in the dark — engaging in long discussions with Hao.
During their conversations, he caught up with the merchant and learned that Hao had been making steady progress in business. He had already planted Rethium in several strategic nations known for their strong forging traditions, though the venture had been far from smooth.
Beyond that, Hao had begun liaising with a certain alchemist, someone he believed could harness Rethium's properties for healing potions.
Healing potions were incredibly rare. The only existing ones were created through a Drifter's ability, not from Rift resources, making them a luxury few could afford.
But if they could crack the formula, if they could successfully integrate Rethium into potion-making then they'd be set for life.
More than that, it could be the key to catching the attention of the Merchant Monarchs.
That alone was enough of an incentive for Hao.
However, on the market side of things, progress was painfully slow.
Forgers, Artificers, and Alchemists were creatures of habit, clinging to resources that had already proven their effectiveness. They rarely trusted new materials, let alone something as unfamiliar as Rethium.
Many of them had flat-out refused Hao's offers.
And the only way to force a shift in perspective, to make them acknowledge Rethium's worth was through weapon crafting itself.
Hao had considered hiring Forgers to help with that, but Northern had his doubts.
Because he understood what kind of resource Rethium truly was.
It was a monstrosity.
And the kind of Forger capable of handling it was rare—far rarer than Hao seemed to realize.
In fact, there were fewer than five creators in existence who weren't shackled by the mediocrity of creation. Most of them settled for less, unwilling or incapable of pushing past their own limits.
Eleina was one of the few exceptions.
But even she might not be able to handle Rethium.
Which meant he had to do it himself.
And that was precisely why he needed to hasten the creation of his Forgery.
He had shared these thoughts with Hao, and the two had discussed his plans in depth.
Even though Hao had yet to break through in the resource market, he had already solidified his position as a viciously successful merchant, surpassing ten percent of the trade elite.
And his fortune came entirely from selling soul cores.
Northern had accumulated mountains of them.
The soul core market was ironclad.
Drifters were desperate to saturate their cores, eager to ascend to the next rank without facing the horrors of the Rifts.
Of course, those kinds of Drifters—the ones who sought power without struggle—were butter-bred.
Nothing like those tempered by the cruel, unforgiving maws of monsters.
Yet, nobles these days chased rank over skill, obsessed with titles over competence.
It was a disgrace.
And Northern knew one day, that foolishness would cost them.
Perhaps, eventually, a Paragon would rise, only to be so weak that he couldn't even uphold the weight of his own title.
That is if it were even possible to evolve into a Paragon solely through absorbing soul cores.
Which Northern highly doubted.
There was something about the soul. Something that evidently changed once one became an Ascendant.
For now, it was just a suspicion.
But soon, he'd know for sure.
Either way, thanks to Hao's ability to stack a fortune—one way or another—there was now more than enough money to fund the near-impossible infrastructure Northern had envisioned.
And most of the components that would form this edifice would be prepared and reinforced by him.
Of course, with so little time on his hands, he had no intention of doing it all himself.
That's what clones were for.
And the best part?
In the Limitless Void, his clones could exist independently—without drawing from his own Essence reserves. Instead, they would siphon directly from the Limitless Pool of Essence in his soulscape.
In the coming days, his clones were about to become very busy.
Northern smirked, realizing he'd soon be able to exist in multiple places at once.
Then, a thought struck him—a deliciously terrifying one.
If he became a Paragon… how strong would his clones be?
One Paragon-level clone was already absurd.
But hundreds of them?
A shiver ran through him.
'Somebody, please stop me. I think I might be growing too strong.'
And the most interesting part was that his progress had been entirely secretive.
Even those who knew about his abilities had no idea of their true extent.
If they did?
They would have already created a rule forbidding his existence.
And if that failed?
They would have done everything in their power to ensure he never became a Paragon.
Even if it meant killing him.
Northern exhaled, genuinely pleased that he was a naturally secretive and cynical person.
Hao, however, had been watching him closely.
A strange expression crossed the merchant's face—something between doubt and wariness.
"…Are ya… okay?"
Northern straightened his posture and exhaled.
"Yeah, yeah. Of course. I'm perfectly fine."
Suppressing the stubborn grin tugging at his lips proved more difficult than expected.
Hao's gaze drifted upward. Even from this part of the city, the Illusionary Haven's gate was visible—looming over the skyline like a monument to the impossible.
He stared at it for a long moment before sighing and lowering his gaze.
"…You are a fearsome person."
His voice was quiet, but firm.
"I fear you."
Northern blinked.
Then, a slow grin stretched across his face.
"You should say that more often."
His eyes gleamed.
"Maybe then, I'll finally get used to swallowing it."
Hao looked at him, completely speechless. He could have never expected such a self conceited response.
But Northern had recently been forcing himself to come into character.
He gave Hao a thumbs up and said:
"I'll be retreating to my chambers now and would most likely be busy until late morning. Please inform the Paragon on my behalf, although I doubt if anyone would be able to disturb me with how persistent Jeci is."
He sighed and waved Hao a goodbye before walking away.