1. Novel

  2. The Gate Traveler

  3. B2—Chapter 66: Magical Gems, Shopping Sprees, and “Liberation” Action
The Gate Traveler

B2—Chapter 66: Magical Gems, Shopping Sprees, and “Liberation” Action

Hi everyone,

Today is the Jewish New Year.

I know most of you aren't Jewish.

Still, I wish you all a fantastic year full of wonder and discoveries.

Traveling Dreamer

When we arrived in Albuquerque, we needed two days to recover and catch up on sleep after the intense days on the road. Once we all felt human again, I opened the computer and checked an alternative route to Canada without the detours to Alabama and Chicago. We had to retrace our steps, as the best route was through Vegas, but I didn’t want to go there again. The robbery still worried me, and I feared any potential consequences or retaliation.

We still had to pass through major cities along the way. Al wanted more drugs, Mahya wanted more alcohol, I needed more coffee, and we still hadn’t finished our entire shopping list. After considering all these factors, our route looked like this:

USA

  • Albuquerque, NM
  • Santa Fe, NM
  • Trinidad, CO
  • Pueblo, CO
  • Colorado Springs, CO
  • Denver, CO
  • Fort Collins, CO
  • Cheyenne, WY
  • Casper, WY
  • Billings, MT
  • Great Falls, MT

Canada

  • Lethbridge, AB
  • Calgary, AB

The next step was shopping. We hit twelve liquor stores, buying all their stock, including the warehouse inventory, with next-day delivery to our Airbnb rental. After the last stop, Mahya finally said, “I think we’ve bought enough alcohol,” and Al and I sighed in relief.

I searched online and visited Red Rock Roasters and Farmer Brothers to buy coffee. At first, Farmer Brothers gave me problems because they don’t sell to private individuals, only to restaurants, hotels, etc. However, with a bit of persuasion from a slight nudge of Spellbinding, subtle enough that it didn’t make me feel sleazy, and a promise to pay a small percentage above the standard price, I could buy one more ton of coffee. I still haven’t reached Mahya’s point; I didn’t feel I had purchased enough coffee.

Mahya wanted to buy a lot of semi-precious stones and gems, so I went online again—Google for the win. We visited Liberty Gems and Minerals, Skyriders Gems and Minerals, and KI Beads. At KI Beads, I bought a lot of beads because they seemed like something people in Fantasy Land would love. Mahya bought gems and semi-precious stones.

When we returned to our rented house, curiosity got the best of me. I turned to her and asked, “Why did you buy all this?”

She handed me a stone and said, “Analyze it.”

I used Identify:

Citrine

Very informative - NOT!

I tried Appraisal:

Citrine
$30 to $40 per carat

I told Mahya, “Identify gives me the name of the stone, and Appraisal gives me the price. I have no idea what you want me to see.”

She sighed and replied, “Right, you’re not a crafter; you don’t have Analyze.”

She popped out a screen that showed:

 

Citrine
Enhances the power of magical wands, boosting their effectiveness

“I also know all kinds of uses for these stones for weapons and amulets from my parents,” Mahya said.

By then, I was already working on a way to warn Earth. What we saw on the road to Albuquerque was burned into my mind, leaving a scar. I wasn’t Earth’s savior, but I couldn’t just ignore the danger heading their way. Giving them a heads-up seemed like the least I could do—mostly to ease my own conscience. I wasn’t committed enough to stay and help them through those tough years, but I still wanted to warn people and maybe get a few to prepare.

“Can you give me a list of what the stones you bought do?” I asked.

We went through the gems one by one, cataloging their magical properties. Halfway through, my brain felt as dense as the rocks we were sorting. Diamonds, rubies, sapphires—each one had its purpose, from sharpening weapons to boosting spells. We had plenty to work with, though I’d be lucky if I remembered even ten percent of it.

Spoiler

That was one hell of a list, and it took us the better part of a day to get through it. Even with the gem inventory finally complete, it felt like we’d barely made a dent in everything we needed. Mahya was set, but there was no rest for the wicked—or, in our case, for shoppers with endless errands.

We visited DIY, hardware, building supplies, and home improvement stores, more or less emptying their inventory, including from the warehouses. We went separately so no one would realize the same group was buying all this. I purchased another fifty trampolines of different sizes, a gas supply for cooking, and the balloon, which would last us for years. Although Mahya said we could find gas in other worlds, I didn’t want to take any chances. After some research, I visited Hit or Miss Archery, Archery Warehouse, and Sportsman’s Warehouse, emptying their inventory. I found some antique shops, bought seventeen mechanical cameras from different eras, and ordered stands to sell from.

By converting two more ability points to stats, I increased my intelligence by ten points. I didn’t feel any wiser, but thought I might discover the effect later. After raising my intelligence, I increased my storage twice more. Now, I had 216,000 cubic meters, and looking into my storage was scary.

To put that into perspective, 216,000 cubic meters is roughly the volume of eighty Olympic-sized swimming pools, or about the same as thirty-five Boeing 747 aircraft. The sheer scale of it left me speechless, and a little terrified. Having a pocket-dimension storage of that magnitude felt surreal, like carrying a vast, hollow mountain inside me. Every time I accessed it, a shiver of both excitement and apprehension ran through me.

On the way back from one of our shopping trips, we saw an army surplus store and checked out what they offered. They had a lot of great items, and we ended up pretty much emptying that store. Realizing the value of these stores, we added them to our list and visited five more such stores in Albuquerque.

We bought huge stocks of various items, including camouflage uniforms, boots, jackets, pants, hats, and gloves. We also picked up backpacks, duffel bags, rucksacks, and camping gear like tents, sleeping bags, canteens, and mess kits. For survival equipment, we gathered first aid kits, compasses, and emergency blankets. Our tool collection expanded with multi-tools and knives, and we secured storage containers like ammo boxes and waterproof cases.

Additionally, we acquired gas masks and protective gear, paracord and rope, combat boots and tactical footwear, tactical vests and load-bearing equipment, surplus optics like binoculars or spotting scopes, and cold weather gear such as thermal underwear and heavy-duty coats.

After searching for portable forges, we bought a Hell’s Forge Portable Propane Forge and a Whitlox Homestead Coal Forge, and to be safe, we bought ten units of each. Where we purchased the Whitlox Homestead Coal Forge, I also saw models of smokers in different sizes, so I bought ten. I immediately placed one smoker on the balcony of my house and stored the rest for future use. After purchasing the propane forge, I bought a vast propane supply wherever I could find it.

We bought workstations and workbenches and emptied a few home goods and bed and bath stores. Basically, We raided enough stores to make a doomsday prepper blush.

Before we left Albuquerque, Al wanted to do a drug run. With a deep sigh, I went to get ready. My attempt to cast glamor on our Jeep didn’t work.

I looked at the sky and said, “The ‘One  of The Crowd’ ability says that it’s all a traveler needs to travel successfully. I need to glamor this Jeep. Why can’t I? I’m also sure other travelers have had to hide vehicles before. I definitely should be able to glamor the Jeep to travel better.”

I felt amusement directed at me, a faint hum of smugness creeping into my thoughts.

Frowning, I muttered, “I’m not kidding. This is no joke. I need to glamor the Jeep. You need to add that to the ability.”

This time, I got no response. I let out a frustrated sigh—lazy system.

Al approached me, his footsteps light as he crossed the gravel, and asked, “Who are you talking to?”

“The Guidance,” I replied, folding my arms.

“Why?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his voice, as if he expected my answer to be just as ridiculous as my last request.

“Because I need to glamor the Jeep,” I said, gesturing toward the vehicle.

He laughed, shaking his head, and patted me on the back.

Why did everyone think I was joking? I was completely serious; I wanted to glamor the Jeep. Of all the things I’d learned to do—store mountains of supplies, manipulate luck, heal wounds—I still couldn’t glamour a Jeep. I mean, what kind of magical traveler can’t make his car look inconspicuous? It was becoming a personal affront at this point.

After checking the vanity plates we got from Vegas, I smirked to myself and changed the Jeep plates to “PAWSOME.” Then, I conjured up new identification for the Jeep with the new vanity plates. I activated my Luck, and we went looking for some drug dealers.

On the way, I told Al, glancing at him from the corner of my eye, “I’ll get you there and point out the location, but I’m not going in. You’ll have to find the drugs yourself.”

“This does not pose an issue,” he replied, his voice steady and confident. “My class will assist me in locating them.”

“Okay,” I said, nodding as I kept my eyes on the road.

Our first target was in the International District, an area teeming with a mix of old motels, run-down apartment complexes, and colorful murals that attempted to mask the underlying decay. The streets were dimly lit, with flickering neon signs advertising cheap rooms and dubious services. I parked the Jeep two blocks away, and we both turned invisible before making our way to the target location.

I pointed the dilapidated building to Al, an old graffiti-covered structure that seemed to lean to one side. He tapped me on the back and disappeared inside. I waited with bated breath, worried about Al, but I heard nothing from inside. So far, so good. Finally, Al came out, and we returned to the Jeep.

We drove in silence to the nest location, Central Avenue. The historic Route 66 was a mix of neon lights, motels, and diners, but parts had a more sinister undertone after dark. I parked near a shabby motel, its once-bright sign now missing letters. The air smelled of grease and desperation. Again, we turned invisible and made our way to the location. This time, I could hear muffled voices and the distant sound of sirens. Al slipped inside, and I waited under a scraggly tree. After what felt like an eternity, Al finally reappeared, and we returned to the Jeep.

Our last stop was the Barelas neighborhood, a historic area just south of downtown. Old adobe houses and chain-link fences lined the narrow streets. The night was eerily quiet here; the usual buzz of the city muffled, as if we had entered another world. I parked in a secluded spot, and we repeated our routine, becoming invisible and approaching the target. This time, it was an old house with boarded-up windows and a sagging porch.

The street lay quiet, each step we took swallowed by the thick, suffocating air. Even the distant hum of the city seemed to retreat, leaving only the echo of my breath as company, broken only by the occasional bark of a distant dog. The weight of the neighborhood’s history seemed to press down on me, as if the ghosts of its past were whispering warnings in the air.

When Al finally reappeared, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. The drive back was a blur of dimly lit streets and uneasy glances in the rearview mirror. I knew no one was following us, but that didn’t stop the lingering unease.

After we returned to the hotel, Al threw the loot on the floor in the living room. I didn’t know how many drugs he “liberated” from the dealers. He didn’t specify this detail. But he also brought a lot of weapons and money. He added over half a million dollars to our general fund. It was turning into a ridiculous comedy. No matter how much money we spent, and we spent a lot of money, our capital grew instead of shrinking. We were determined to finish all the money from Earth and convert it into goods and useful things for the future, but this task began to seem impossible.

When I said that to the other two, they looked at me like I was crazy, and Mahya commented, “You can never have too much money.”

I stared at the half-million dollars spread across the bed, trying to wrap my head around how the last leg of our journey kept making us richer. At this rate, we’d need a whole new storage dimension just for the cash. I could see why Lis didn’t care about money anymore—after a certain point, it’s just numbers.

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