Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Zhi Qing led Ming Yue and the others into the Craftmen's District, walking past the many workshops and stores. The deeper they went, the more opulent the surroundings became. Suddenly, the gems that were showcased seemed much purer. Even things like formation flags and equipment were noticeably higher in quality.

Then they reached the center to which multiple roads lead to and formed a circular path. In the middle was a tree sapling, only several feet tall and quite thin. That sapling was surrounded by several feet of grass then the circular path.

Outside of this path were three buildings, all of which was equally flashy in their respective ways.

The one in front of them was less of a store and more a massive forge. Black stone made up this building as multiple pipes popped out of the roof, spewing smoke and dust. There were several panes of glass at the storefront, featuring a mess of weapons and armor. Ming Yue could hear fierce hammering from within as thick, metal doors blocked the way. Two pillars stood by either side of those doors carved with the name, "Forge of 81 Fires".

To the right was an incredibly sparkling business. there was as many gems as there were equipment in the first store. From the size of a pea to one as large as her own body, that one was a emerald gem wrapped with chains and locked behind sevaral glass boxes. The doors had been bejeweled as was the rest of the building. The store itself was just as large if not larger than the first. A large golden sign hung above the doors with the words, "Treasured Gem Hall" painted in some sort of glowing ink.

To the left, the third store was not as flashy as its neighbor but it was certainly unique. Rather than a store, it seemed more like a garden wrapped around a stone building. Rather than doors, there were wooden gates with a thick wooden board, etched with its name, "Wildwood Pavilion". Rather than gems or metal weapons, it was stone and wooden items like rings and other pieces that were showcased.

Ming Yue looked at the three stores, wondering which one would best fit her needs. Just as Zhi Qing was about to give an introduction to them, the bedazzled doors suddenly slammed open as a thin, bald-headed man came out with a fearsome expression on his face.

He wore bright purple robes with golden embroidery and a monocle on his right eye. He must've been around forty to fifty years old, his forehead had a fair number of wrinkles and his lips were thin and gray but well-maintained.

The bald man stormed over to the Forge of 81 Fires and slammed his fist on the door.

"How many times have I told you to keep the noise down?! My people need some peace and quiet to work!"

He continued to slam the giant metal doors, each time producing a resounding bang. Despite his looks, Ming Yue could see that he was strong.

After a few more knocks, the doors opened wide as a burly woman emerged from them, looking just as furious as her counterpart.

"Hah! My noise? What about your store?! Its so shiny, its practically blinding my eyes and the eyes of my workers!"

She carried large hammer in her hands, holding to her side. Its handle was short enough to grab with one hand but the head was massive, like a block of raw metal. If it had a longer handle, it could've doubled as a warhammer.

Her skin was extremely tanned and covered in soot. She wore a leather apron over her workclothes which comprised of heavy pants and a short sleeved shirt. Her body was well-proportioned and somewhat bulky as the work she did required strength. She tied her hair up into a bun and wore a headband as well. Compared to the store owner of the Treasured Gem Hall, she towered over him. Even then, he did not seem to lack in pressure against her.

"Blinding?! My doors have been tainted by the ashes coming from your roof pipes!"

"Oh that's good! If it were any more blinding, it would damage my eyes. Are you willing to take the responsiblity?"

"I'm pretty sure your eyes are already damaged from all that soot and flame you stare at!"

Despite being professionals, they were bickering like children, slinging insults at each other.

"It seems that they're at it again..."

Zhi Qing looked at them helplessly but did not move to break off the quarrel. Rather it seemed like she was waiting for something to happen else.

The spat slowly grew louder and it seemed that the two were about to fight each, one with his fists and the other with her hammer. Ming Yue had thought that the workers would come out but there was no movement from either side. Instead, the wood gates of the Wildwood Pavilion opened and an extremely old man came out.

His hair and beard was pure white and his earthen colored robes seemed to be made of sturdy cloth. He wore an emerald bangle on each wrist and carried a stave to help him walk. The old man walked up to the other two and gave a small cough.

"Zhang Guang, Mei Zhen, you two always fight and bicker with each other, why can't you two get along?" he said.

The two looked at each other before looking at the owner of the Wildwood Pavilion. Compared to the other two, he was quite small and did not have much of an aura. However, they did not ignore him and instead spoke with a certain level of respect.

"What can I do, Senior?" the woman said, "Zhang Guang's store is a complete eyesore. I don't think I can endure looking at it any longer."

Zhang Guang's face went red as a tomato as soon as she said those words.

"What did you call my store? An eyesore? Mei Zhen, your store is going to make me deaf by the end of the night!"

Though the owner of the Wildwood Pavilion sought to calm them down, in a matter of seconds, ir had gotten worse. Rather than arguing, it was beginning to turn into a shouting match.

Clearly annoyed, he discarded his stave and the emerald bangles glowed. In seconds, his body grew in size before standing a head over Mei Zhen. His face was as calm as ever but there was an ominous aura surrounding him.

"It's been years since we've opened our stores together. Before that, we just fellow researchers who worked together for years. Even after all this time, the two of you still can't get along?" he said.

His aged voice came with a deep and rather threatening tone, something that contradicted his peaceful expression. As for the other two, they immediately backed up and lowered their heads, feeling ashamed from his words.

"I suppose I can live with Mei Zhen's noise."

Zhang Quang was quick to compromise and he turned to face Mei Zhen.

The old man looked at her, waiting for a response.

Mei Zhen's stubborn expression softened as she sighed.

"Years of friendship is not worth breaking just because of some dumb stones."

Zhang Guang's face twitched from the last few words but nonetheless it seemed that everyhting as resolved.

"It seems that the three seniors are still as close as ever!" Zhi Qing's voice chimed in as she approached with Ming Yue.

The trio looked over and smiled at her appearance.

"Zhi Qing, it's good to see you! How is Grand Researcher Ou?" Mei Zhen asked.

"She's still going strong. I'm here because of my master's guest."

She stepped aside and guestured towards Ming Yue.

"This is Ming Yue, a student of High Assayer Shen. She has some materials that she wants to use for crafting."

The trio of store owners looked at her and itroduced themselves. Mei Zhen was the owner of the Forge of 81 Fires. Zhang Quang owned the Treasured Gem Hall. The owner of the Wildwood Pavilion was named, Cheng Wei. They were all master craftsmen and retired members of the Research District.

Upon hearing about Ming Yue, they had all become interested in what she had to offer.