Birth Of The Crafts-God

The Seven Sparks Forge was open for business.

The announcement dropped out of nowhere, but the reception was off the charts, whether online or offline. Once again, social media platforms were swatted with posts and comments, and even the street the store was filled.

On Kikao...

"The Forge is backkkk."

"Please donate to my GoFundMe campaign to help me get an SS vestige."

"Bahaha. I lost our four months ago, I ain't losing out today!"

While the majority of the reactions were positive, some weren't.

"What can a human offer that a hyuman can't? You guys are overreacting."

"Celebrating a disgusting human scammer scum? I spit on you all."

"What is wrong with you people? Have you forgotten that the store owner is a terrorist sympathiser? Have you forgotten what the terrorists did to us?!"

It was natural that not everyone was a fan of the news. Whether they were those still stick believing that Lucas was a terrorist sympathiser, or those who simply looked down in humans, they were many of them. However, thanks to the fame of the Seven Sparks Forge, Lucas also had some defenders.

"Hey, upstairs boomer, you stewpeed?"

"???" The account that called Lucas a terrorist sympathiser replied.

"The news has already been cleared two weeks ago."

"Ha. Don't blame the boomer. He's probably browsing using NecroSoft Explorer."

"Lmaoooo."

"(⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)"

The result of the Mertens' DSAC press conference with Lucas and Russell began to show results now. Those who missed out on it began searching for the video online and they finally understood the truth.

Lucas and the Seven Sparks Forge had been framed.

Although the speciesists and the anti-human community were still unwilling to agree, the reality were laid bare. Also, the fact that neither the City Lord manor nor any other influential force had come out to deny the claim added substance to it.

Those who dug deeper had even found out that Lucas was in possession of a temporary licence, which could only be granted with the support of a Tier 1 Grandmaster. It made no sense for someone with such a contact to be supporting low scoundrels and terrorists, at least to the average folk. As such, it became difficult to accuse Lucas of the crimes of that day.

Furthermore, the Mertens family had sent their media forces into overdrive. Propaganda material and even 'evidence' were released to clear Lucas' name. For instance, a bank statement of the Lucas' personal account and the Seven Sparks Forge's business account. They were entirely clean. As for whether these accounts were the real deal or not, no one thought much about it.

However, the Mertens didn't stop there.

The Mertens' media forces also pulled out security footage of that day's attacks and used them for a special Tv programme. On the programme, they had invited vestige analysts and popular vestige-smiths to compare the vestiges used by the terrorists to the real-deal SS vestiges. These analysts and vestige-smiths testified that the two were different, making more people believe that Lucas was innocent.

With so much 'evidence' made available, it became harder for one to stain Lucas' name. Together with the previous history of the store, the Seven Sparks Forge's fame was at an all-time high. Customers rushed over to order a new vestige or request for a customised vestige.

The inflow of customers was so much that Lucas and Melissa couldn't handle it. In the end, Lucas had to utilise a daily customer limit, but that didn't stop the fervour.

. . .

"Another busy day?" Vergil stared out of the store's window and glanced at the crowd in front.

Only five days had gone by since the first customer the Seven Sparks Forge received, yet it was now getting crowded every day.

"I don't get why they keep crowding the front even though there's a limit."

Lucas, who was currently on a break, frowned at the sight.

Although having customers was a good thing, more customers meant less time to research on vestiges and materials. Naturally, this irked Lucas a bit.

"Isn't it obvious? They're trying to buy the spaces." Vergil smiled knowingly.

"Hmm?" Lucas was confused.

"Dear mister, it seems you really don't know much about how people behave." Vergil feigned a profound expression and shook his head.

"Get to the point or I'll have you banned from the store."

"Al, alright." Vergil stuttered.

He could still remember what happened two days ago when an arrogant individual skipped the queue and force Lucas to accept his order. Because of the individual's background, the other customers didn't do anything and he felt he could do as he pleased. However, Lucas not only beat the young man up, but he tossed him outside of the store and placed a ban on him.

As a result of the ban, even if the doors of the store were wide open, mysteriously, the young man could not get in. If that were all, Vergil wouldn't need to be afraid. However, when a banned individual tried to force their way in, they'd not only get blocked by an invisible wall, but the 'wall' would release enough electricity to leave the perpetrator with an unforgettable experience.

"While it is true that you handed out tickets to determine the order of customers, it's still possible for some people to sell their slots for a fee. In fact, I suspect that some of those who even got these numbers ahead of others did so just to sell them to someone else."

Lucas didn't say anything but he went into deep thought.

What Vergil said indeed made sense. The vestiges from the Seven Sparks Forge were now in the spotlight. Although Lucas was limited to the system prices, the outside world was different. These vestiges could be sold for twenty to fifty percent more than what they were bought for; there was a large demand.

For those who wanted custom products or simply couldn't afford the black market prices, the best option was to head to the store themselves. But the store had a limit on the number of customers it can attend to per day. This created another demand —a demand for the entry ticket.

Those who discovered this queued up early each day to receive a ticket which they would sell to those who show up late.

Due to the fact that Lucas wasn't overly concerned about what went on outside the store, he failed to take note of this.

"I know what you're thinking but I suggest that placing a ban on this isn't entirely good." Vergil suddenly said, interrupting Lucas' thoughts.

Without waiting for Lucas to ask, Vergil explained,

"If we're being honest, the highest spenders on vestiges are usually busy folks. They don't have the time to arrive early and queue in front of the store. Usually, they buy the tickets off from the scalpers. If you eliminate scalping, you're basically cutting off some of your biggest spenders.

"Also, these guys are connected to reputable circles. They're basically free advertisement for your goods. It's not worth it losing out on them.

"And if you end up stopping the scalpers, they can drop bad reviews for you. It's already been difficult clearing your name and all, but something like a bad review is outside our control."

Lucas paused as he considered Vergil's words. But in the end, he shook his head.

"I'm not really bothered about losing high spenders. I'm not even concerned about making money. You seem to forget who the owner of the Seven Stars Spring Dealership is."

Vergil froze.

The Seven Stars Spring Dealership, although not yet open to the public, has already been predicted to generate millions in revenue monthly. It was said that the only thing that could hold it back would be the number of vestiges they can produce in a month.

As the owner of eighty percent equity of the company, Lucas would definitely not be lacking money. Even if he had none right now, he could just sell some of his stakes in the dealership. Although the dealership wasn't yet open, it was already valued high and there were a lot of wealthy individuals and companies who wanted to have a share of the pie.

"Also, you're wrong about something. I don't care about a bad review."

Lucas stood up right away and walked outside the store.

'...I forgot to tell him why I am here.' Vergil suddenly face palmed.

"Listen up."

The crowd of one hundred or so, who stood waiting, immediately turned towards the store's entrance after they heard Lucas speak.

"It's come to my notice that some of you arrive here earlier than others simply to receive tickets. I don't entirely mind that. However, it's become frustrating that you've turned the entire street into an auction house for these tickets."

Lucas stared at the crowd.

"So starting tomorrow, all scalping of tickets would be banned in the store. The daily limit has also been dropped down to 14 for orders and 32 for repairs. That will be all."