The exchange rate in the game had stabilized.
One gold traded for ten U.S. dollars.
That meant a single piece of [Dragon's Breath Amber] cost a hundred thousand dollars.
The worst part was that the system refused to explain what it actually did. Even after players used it, the buff description stayed vague enough to make a person want to punch a wall.
[Amber Calm]: You carry a scent that makes others feel at ease.
What did "a scent that makes others feel at ease" even mean?
Nobody knew.
Because of that, the hottest topic in Westwatch had always been the true effect of [Dragon's Breath Amber].
Of course, different people investigated a mystery like that in different ways.
Regular players used their brains, argued on the forums, and made wild guesses.
Rich players had a simpler method.
They threw money at it.
The richest player in Westwatch had supposedly hired ten different people to test ten different approaches. The final conclusion was clear.
NPCs became much more talkative.
And that was it.
For example, in the quest [Miller's Missing Boots], a normal player asking for clues would only be told that the boots had been lost somewhere outside town.
A player under the effect of [Dragon's Breath Amber] would get extra details about the soles, the stitching, the leather, the smell, and the exact way the mud had dried on them.
The NPC still wouldn't say where the boots had been lost.
Then there was the quest [Get Even for Old Bram]. Old Bram had been harassed by a pack of wild dogs. If a normal player completed the quest, Bram would simply say thanks. If a player with [Dragon's Breath Amber] turned it in, Bram would thank the player, the player's family, the player's future children, and probably the family dog too.
So it wasn't completely useless.
It was just dangerously close.
Over time, [Dragon's Breath Amber] became known as one of Westwatch's premium idiot taxes, and fewer and fewer players bothered with it.
That said, it wasn't entirely without benefits.
At the very least, using it made a person famous.
Case in point—right now, a town-wide announcement flashed across Westwatch.
System: Player Dawnbreaker has lit [Dragon's Breath Amber]. The residents of Westwatch feel strangely at ease.
The local players immediately started laughing.
"Hahaha, another sucker."
"Probably got baited by some forum theory."
Then someone noticed the name in the announcement, and the chatter exploded.
"Wait. That's Dawnbreaker."
"Hahaha, it really is Dawnbreaker. I just saw him inside the Seer's Hall."
"What's he doing in a backwater town like ours?"
"Is he trying to get up Wyrmwatch Peak?"
"He's only level 40. How is he supposed to climb Wyrmwatch Peak?"
"The last guy who thought [Dragon's Breath Amber] would get him up the mountain got folded so hard his grave marker probably has a respawn timer."
"I don't know why, but I suddenly feel like the secret of [Dragon's Breath Amber] is about to get cracked."
"Let's go watch."
"I'm coming too."
...
The players who had been buying ordinary ward-charms inside the Seer's Hall immediately dropped what they were doing and followed Kael outside.
Kael paid them no mind.
After lighting [Dragon's Breath Amber], he began strolling through the streets.
A child came running past, and Kael stopped the boy for a casual chat.
"Hey, Muddy. Anything interesting happen lately?"
Muddy wiped his nose on his sleeve and immediately started rambling.
"Tommy got a new jacket. It looks awesome."
"Annie looked at me twice yesterday."
"Old Bram got chased by dogs again. It was funny."
"I had a dream where a big fox played hide-and-seek with me."
"Mom says when I'm two years older, I can start school."
...
He chattered nonstop, all of it random neighborhood gossip.
The players watching from nearby were completely lost.
What was Dawnbreaker doing?
But Kael had already heard what he wanted. He said goodbye to Muddy and continued down the street.
A little while later, he stepped into a weapon shop.
Facing the owner, Kael didn't choose [Buy] or [Sell].
He chose [Chat].
"Garrett, anything unusual happen lately?"
The weapon shop owner opened right up.
"Business has been good. Looks like folks finally have money in their pockets."
"A man needs a private stash, you know. Bet you'd never guess where I hide mine."
"Hiring help has been a pain. Too many sticky fingers."
"I had a strange dream. Some fox woman kept trying to tempt me off the road."
...
After that, Kael moved on and chatted with another NPC.
Then another.
And another.
Only after the thirteenth NPC mentioned a fox in a dream did the system finally respond.
[System: Why are so many residents dreaming of a fox? You sense there may be something unusual behind this.]
Kael stopped questioning random NPCs and returned to the [Seer's Hall].
He bypassed the front hall and went straight into the back courtyard.
A group of diviners were practicing there. Their leader, [Diviner Wynn], sat at the front with his eyes closed, resting.
Kael walked over and roused him.
"Diviner Wynn, there's something I don't understand. I was hoping you could advise me."
Wynn opened his eyes slowly and looked at Kael.
"Ask your question, traveler."
"I've spoken with many of the residents," Kael said. "Several of them have dreamed of a fox recently. Why would that be?"
Wynn laughed.
"Everyone here dreams of the fox sooner or later. That's hardly strange."
He rose and pointed south.
"Ninety miles south of Westwatch stands Wyrmwatch Peak. Aldren Wyrd completed his final class advancement there and left this world behind. But the great fox he raised for a thousand years remained in the mortal realm.
"Her name is Nineveil.
"She misses Aldren day and night. Her longing ripples through the region, and so the people of Westwatch sometimes see her in their dreams."
Kael asked the key question.
"How can I meet Nineveil?"
Wynn's expression turned solemn.
"Nineveil is the guardian of Wyrmwatch Peak. Meeting her is simple enough. Force your way up the mountain, and she will appear. Of course, if you do that, she will treat you as an invader and kill you on sight. Unless..."
Kael pressed, "Unless what?"
"Unless you carry something that belonged to Aldren Wyrd. Only then might you survive the meeting."
Kael asked, "And if someone wants to enter Wyrmwatch Peak?"
Wynn's face hardened at once, his voice turning sharp.
"Why do you want to enter Wyrmwatch Peak? What connection do you have to Aldren's Circle?"
Kael remained perfectly calm under Wynn's questioning.
"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not the one trying to enter Wyrmwatch Peak. A friend of mine is. He's a diviner as well."
Wynn's expression eased slightly.
"You have a steady presence about you. You don't seem like a malicious man. I'll assume your friend isn't one either."
Kael kept his face straight.
Right. If I hadn't spent ten thousand gold on that amber, would you still be saying that?
Wynn continued, "Find a piece of [Aldren Wyrd's Calligraphy] and bring it to me. Once you have it, I will teach you how to meet Nineveil."
"Thank you, Diviner."
Kael withdrew, leaving the players behind him staring at one another.
"Dawnbreaker spent all that money and went through all this trouble just to get into Wyrmwatch Peak?"