The Flying Emporium

The next day.

Numerous [Receivers] had popped up all across the mountaintop, the majority, but far from all of them, located near the various establishments. Whoever came to visit the floating mountain this day would be bound to come across one of these installations within the first minute of their visit, at the latest.

But as at the time they were still laying dormant, they were unable to capture anyone's attention for long. After the initial curiosity of the first visitors this day had died down, they simply went about their usual business, discussing the new setup only in passing.

Some, looking forward to their breakfast, went to secure their seats in the still closed cafe.

Others formed an orderly queue in front of the Emporium’s main store.

A few headed towards the building with the green tinted windows.

And still others, a comparatively small group, all people who had arrived via the portal station, immediately left the mountain and flew off into the distance.

The ones who remained patiently waited for others to arrive.

And for the Emporium to open.

But when the usual time came, nothing.

None of the familiar faces that usually greeted them each morning appeared; the doors remained shut.

Instead, without warning, every single one of the previously largely ignored [Receivers] sprang to life. And all of them showed exactly the same image.

That of a chubby man standing behind a familiar counter.

“Greetings valued customers. I am Severin. Some of you may already know me as the owner of the Emporium and today it is my greatest pleasure to announce to you the inception of our first community event.

Many of you have probably already heard the rumors. But today- as our way of giving back to all of you and as a big Thank You- we want to make it official!” Severin inside the store paused for a moment, maintaining a big, fake smile on his face that made him feel dirty.

Only when he observed, with the help of an additional [Receiver]-[Transmitter] setup installed on Emily’s left, that he had everyone’s attention and that his words had created the desired effect of suspense, he continued.

“I hereby announce the Emporium’s first ever Broadcasting Event. We invite you to use our newest products, the same [Receiver] and [Transmitter Crystals] which allow me to speak to all of you right at this moment, to share with us some of your own most memorable experiences!

But of course, every grand event also deserves a grant prize.”

Maintaining his smile, Severin produced a small, matte black card in his hands and held it towards Emily, who zoomed closer in.

“One copy of our Emporium’s V.I.P membership card! That stands Very Important Patron and comes with a diverse array of unique benefits.”

With a nod of his head, Severin signaled to zoom out again. Once assured by a look towards yet another [Receiver] installed on Emily’s right, and which showed the same images as the ones outside, that he was indeed the main focus of the broadcast again, he continued,

“For example, exclusive prices, additional daily activations of our much loved automatons, and many other features!

What exactly do I have to do to win this exclusive membership, you wonder?

Well, wonder no more!

Just as we pride ourselves on our novel products, we want you to show us the new heights you can reach using with them. So that we can all grow together!

Just share with us your or your group’s adventures and shortly explain what exactly makes your submission truly novel to have a chance at the grand prize!”

Severin and his [Employees] wanted these people gone.

But even utilizing the event Severin had originally thought up only to popularize a, in this world, still unknown form of entertainment, in itself, wouldn’t be quite sufficient.

They didn’t just want to make them leave. They also wanted them to stay away. At least for a while.

Telling them don’t bother us for the next few days if you want to win obviously wouldn’t do. They couldn’t be too on the nose about it.

And so what Severin and his [Employees] had instead come up with overnight, was a theme for their event, a motto to gently steer the participants into the right direction:

Novelty.

In adventurer circles, that word was oftentimes synonymous with danger and uncertainty.

Which, in turn, meant slow progress.

Be it challenging unfamiliar enemies, grouping up with new people, or coming up with novel tactics, whatever it was these people would choose in order to qualify for the chance to win the desired V.I.P membership, the next couple of days a lot of them were bound to be stuck in some dungeon.

That was, if they didn’t outright leave the Golden Mountains to try their luck somewhere else; for all the things the Mountains were associated with, novelty certainly wasn’t one of them.

Now, this certainly wasn’t a foolproof plan -not everyone would participate in their event, and of those who did, most would probably be reluctant to put themselves in too much danger and instead would try to come up with a more creative approach - but it didn’t have to be. It just needed to buy them some time, not drive business to a hold entirely.

Besides, while having a theme was a nice touch, the most important thing was the event itself, as it would give Severin an excuse to temporarily change some of the Emporium’s sales practices under the guise of organizational considerations without arousing any suspicion and thus risking provoking the panic buying Mylana had warned against.

In a more sober, matter-of-factly tone of voice, Severin continued to explain,

“For logistical reasons, all participants must register with us in advance. Not least so that we can allocate you a time slot for the actual screening. This will be especially important for those of you, who will choose to live-broadcast their adventurers.

Which is to say you are also free to hand over your submission as a recording as long as you meet the deadline, which is set to be in six days from now.

In fact, for most of you, this will probably be the preferred option, as it will be the audience’s, meaning your votes that will ultimately determine the winner of this friendly contest.”

He allowed his words to sink in for a moment.

And then went on to disperse any thoughts about exploiting a certain loophole by saying,

“But be warned! While voting for yourself, your group, your guild, or even just your friends, will of course be permitted, buying or otherwise extorting votes, is not.

Should such a behavior be exposed, the involved parties will not only be disqualified but also permanently banned from all our premises and access to our products and services,” Severin warned gravely.

Again, he paused and made sure the people outside had gotten the message.

On a more positive note, he then finished, “To register or if you have any further questions, please refer to our personnel inside our main store.

Thank you for your continued support and good luck!”

Only when Severin was sure Emily had finished the recording, did his facial muscles relax.

“Good. Now get ready to get busy. Don’t forget what we have discussed.” As he said that, Severin reached out to take the recording crystal from the girl’s hands.

A few minutes later, the [Receivers] that were now surrounded by people animatedly discussing what they had just witnessed, once again sprung to life.

And again they showed the same chubby man behind the same familiar counter.

“Greetings valued customers. I am Severin. As the owner-” the image repeated itself.

At this same time, the doors to the Emporium finally opened.