The Next Morning...
Levi had just finished writing a D-mail at a cozy cafe in his neighborhood... once signed, he sent it to Sati and waited patiently for a response while sipping a cup of coffee.
’You think they will agree?’ The Titan wondered.
’Well... I have seen less desperate people accept much worse.’ Ash’Kral shrugged.
Levi remained quiet, running the plan in his mind over and over again... he knew that if he were going for this, there was no option for failure.
...
Meanwhile, outside House Zen’s estate, which was centered around a cluster of vertical, finger-like stone mountains, Sati climbed with a thrilled expression.
The moment she received Levi’s mail and read its details, she closed off the store and teleported back to her family’s territory... She was told to use the teleportation only in emergencies since they cost money... money they couldn’t afford to pay.
Still, she didn’t hesitate to use it for this.
She jumped from one rock to another, piercing through the thick white clouds that perpetually drift around the midsection of these peaks... the clouds separated the lower trading towns from the high temples above.
"Little Sati... slow down... you’re disturbing the peace."
An elderly monk-like humanoid goat advised softly after Sati drove past him rapidly... he was meditating on top of the clouds, floating using nothing but his mind.
’Elder Shakti... I am sorry for ruining your meditation, but it’s a serious matter!’
Sati sent an antsy telepathic message while continuing her climb.
She skipped past buildings with steep, curving tile roofs that were built directly into the cliff faces, balanced precariously on narrow ledges.
These gravity-defying structures housed all the citizens of the Zen Barony... they were connected by a web of stone stairs carved into the mountains, and long rope bridges that swayed across the misty gaps between the pillars.
The entire territory was shifted from a smooth landscape to a mountainous chain that pierced the sky... a perfect habitat for the Runehoof Race, whose culture and lifestyle were based on practicing their own Dharma.
As Sati climbed further, many citizens kept on advising her to move more slowly and deliberately to avoid disturbing her own Dharma.
All of them had either white, grey, or black fur, with curved horns, and hooves that allowed them to move easily along the steep mountain paths.
They wear simple, rough-spun wool robes in earthy colors, avoiding any outward display of the vast wealth they supposedly still manage.
Sati kept apologizing, but never slowed down... she knew the citizens were clueless about the deep shit her family’s estate was in.
Before long, she arrived at the very highest summit in the territory... immediately after pushing through the misty clouds, her eyes were graced by a grand, quiet brown temple that overlooked the entire mountain range.
The air here was thin and smelled of incense... the estate was nearly silent, filled only with the soft clicking of hooves on stone and the occasional sound of a ringing bell.
Sati greeted the monks with polite head nods while treading along the main path, her footsteps slightly faster... Once she went inside the temple, her ears were blessed with a unified, mesmerizing reading of a scripture.
Even when she was in a rush, the moment she heard the chanting hums, her feet started dragging on their own... it was like her mind and heart were put at ease, erased of anything called anxiety, worry, or whatnot.
She painted a faint smile and walked through the corridors, following the hums... the floors were made of a smooth, natural dark brown wood. It was so clean that it reflected the tall stone pillars supporting the ceiling.
There was no gold or flashy decor... Instead, the walls were lined with simple wooden shelves holding thousands of neatly organized scrolls and account books.
At the far end of the corridor, Sati’s eyes were drawn to the center of the main hall, where the gathering of goat-monks was held. They floated a few meters above woven mats while their bodies were lined with intricate runic inscriptions.
At the far end of the hall, an elderly white-furred humanoid goat floated in front of the gathering, his voice the softest, and yet, it guided the scripture reading, helping them harmonize.
Behind him, a massive window looked over the open sky and the distant mountain peaks, making the main hall feel like it was floating in the clouds.
As Sati stood behind in silence, refusing to disturb the Attunement, the same soft voice of the monk resounded in her mind.
’Sati... what brought you back, dear?’
He asked, his tone neither scolding nor questioning... even when Sati had abandoned her post in the store and wasted money on a teleportation without his permission.
’Dad... I knew you wouldn’t check your mail during the Attunement... but it’s very important.’ Sati shared with a tint of excitement, ’It’s the anonymous buyer from yesterday... he reached out to me and said he is interested in a large delivery consisting of a hundred spiritually coated artifacts!’
Upon hearing this, Sati’s father, and the estate’s current head Zen Brahmin, didn’t even flinch... he just kept the same peaceful smile while continuing with the chant.
’That’s a big order indeed... tell me the details after the Attunement ends.’
’Alright, I will wait for you at the office.’
Hearing this, Brahmin nodded slightly and continued with the chant like nothing had changed... when it came to the Dharma, even such important big news was considered secondary.
...
Shortly after, Brahmin joined his daughter in his office... calling it an office was a bit much. It was just a small, simplistic room with a square wooden legless desk and a similar woven mat around it.
Sati forwarded him the mail, and her father read it carefully... a moment later, he closed it and sighed, "He wants to meet me personally to confirm the order..."
Brahmin could still remember the days when their family’s name was enough to confirm any order, at any size... his family used to handle thousands of artifacts in orders yearly without his involvement.
Still, he understood the situation from Levi’s perspective... in fact, he was pleased to know that Levi wanted to continue their business after his first purchase since it meant he must have loved their reinforced artifacts.
It might not be much, and it might be already too late, but still... it felt good to know that someone still accepted their Ancestor’s legacy, instead of taking crap on it.
He turned to his daughter and requested with a soft smile, "It’s been a while since we had a guest... show him around once he arrives."
"Leave it to me!" Sati smiled gleefully, still excited at the notion of fulfilling such a large order. She knew that as the store’s clerk, she would receive commission on the sale.
If it wasn’t for the commissions and crippling boredom in the estate, she wouldn’t have bothered to work as a clerk for their store when she was the heir of the house. But it was still far better to be in the big city than stuck here with old fogies.
Meanwhile, Levi received the approval message and the chosen date of the meeting... seeing that it was tomorrow, he accepted the date.
’Well, I hope it all goes well...’
Levi murmured, knowing that the large order was nothing but a scam to get a meeting with the estate head!