Chapter 22: Mission: Balance the Scales

The Store's atmosphere remained heavy long after the Debt Collector disappeared.

Li Kai stood silently in front of the main counter, staring at the scroll he had just signed. The golden letters pulsed faintly, a constant reminder ticking in the back of his mind: 30 days. No more, no less.

Serin crossed her arms and leaned against the nearest shelf. "So. What's the plan, boss?"

Li Kai exhaled slowly. "First, we gather information. We need to know exactly what happened with the Vitality Tree. Where it is now. Who knows about it. And how bad the situation has gotten."

Xiaomei, materializing a glowing datapad in her hands, nodded. "Already on it. Accessing local and regional data feeds… Hmm." Her fingers danced across the surface, pulling streams of holographic text and images into the air.

A map appeared—Verdant Hollow, the surrounding regions, and a red pulsing mark to the north.

Subject: Verdant's Rebirth TreeLocation: Ruins of Estera VillageStatus: Growing exponentially.Affected Zones: 3 settlements absorbed into rapid overgrowth.Political Status: Kingdom of Vaelos dispatching envoys. Potential conflict brewing.Magical Readings: Off the charts. Unstable.

Li Kai stared at the projection. "Three settlements already?"

"Yeah," Xiaomei said grimly. "The tree isn't just healing. It's reshaping the land. Wildlife, too. It's evolving everything it touches. People are starting to worship it."

"That's... problematic," Serin muttered.

Li Kai nodded. "Worse than that. If kingdoms start fighting over it, countless futures could be changed. We need to act fast."

Xiaomei looked thoughtful. "Three options: Contain it, move it, or neutralize it."

Li Kai grimaced. "Neutralize? As in destroy?"

"Best case scenario: relocate it. Worst case... yes. Uproot it before it roots too deep into the world's fate lines."

Serin unsheathed her sword halfway, the blade humming. "If it comes to that, I can cut it down."

Li Kai shook his head. "Not unless absolutely necessary. If we destroy it without understanding its effects, we might cause even bigger ripples."

He turned to Xiaomei. "Can you prepare a suppression artifact? Something to stabilize its energy long enough for us to assess it?"

Xiaomei smiled faintly. "Already designing one. I'll need about six hours and rare materials: aetherium dust, a living crystal, and an echo fragment."

Li Kai's brain spun into motion. "Aetherium dust we have in stock. Living crystal... there's a trader in the Verdant Hollow markets. Echo fragment, though..."

Serin spoke up. "There's a minor dungeon south of here. Old ruins. They're said to produce echo fragments."

Li Kai gave her a thumbs-up. "Perfect. We'll split up. Xiaomei, you work on building the artifact. Serin, you come with me to raid the dungeon for the fragment."

Xiaomei saluted with two fingers. "Try not to die. I'd hate to inherit your Store and your debts."

Li Kai laughed despite himself. "Gee, thanks."

He quickly issued orders to the System.

System Quest Activated:Mission: Balance the ScalesObjective: Stabilize or neutralize the Vitality Tree to restore fate balance.Time Limit: 30 days (29 days, 14 hours remaining)Rewards: Ledger Debt Cleared, Store Upgrade Access Unlocked.Penalties: Store Collapse, Erasure of Storekeeper's Existence.

A grim reminder.

They couldn't afford to fail.

An hour later, Li Kai and Serin were riding through the outer woods of Verdant Hollow on a rented mana-beast, a sturdy creature resembling a giant wolf with armored scales. The trail to the ruins was barely visible, swallowed by creeping vines and thick mists.

"Feels too quiet," Serin said, scanning the trees.

Li Kai nodded. "Standard dungeon conditions. Danger scales with silence."

The woods darkened as they moved deeper, and soon a broken stone archway appeared before them—half-sunken into the earth, vines threading through ancient runes.

"The Ruins of S'vell," Serin murmured. "Place was wiped out by magic experiments centuries ago. Lots of leftover echoes."

Li Kai dismounted, feeling the tingle of dormant energy in the air.

"System, scan for dungeon layout."

System Scan Complete:

Primary Chamber: 120 meters ahead.

Threats: Echo Wraiths (3 detected), Stability 65% (danger of collapse).

Target: Echo Fragment (Nestled at the altar).

"Echo Wraiths," Serin said grimly. "Wonderful."

Li Kai drew a relic from his belt—a small lantern etched with anti-phantasm runes. He lit it, and soft blue light spread around them, repelling ambient ghost energy.

The first Wraith appeared moments later.

It burst from the shadows—a humanoid figure made of swirling mist, hollow eyes locked onto them. Its cry was a distorted wail that cut straight through the heart.

Serin moved like lightning. Her blade flashed, slashing through the wraith, forcing it back. It reformed instantly, howling louder.

"They reform unless we bind them!" she shouted.

Li Kai responded by throwing a Seal Tag—one of the minor products the Store sold—onto the wraith. The tag burst with golden chains, wrapping the creature and anchoring it to the ground.

"Nice throw!" Serin called.

Two more Wraiths circled around. Li Kai focused, heart pounding, as he and Serin moved in perfect sync. Slashes, seals, barriers. The ancient stones around them trembled with the backlash of their struggle.

Finally, with a shuddering scream, the last Wraith was sealed. Their forms collapsed into mist, leaving behind crystalline shards.

Serin sheathed her sword. "And that's why we get hazard pay."

They advanced cautiously into the primary chamber. At the center was a cracked altar—and on it, the prize: a glowing shard of semi-translucent crystal, pulsing with soundless energy.

The Echo Fragment.

Li Kai approached reverently, feeling the heavy hum of ancient time around it.

"Easy," Serin warned.

He reached out and grasped it.

For a heartbeat, everything froze. He saw flashes—memories of the ruin's destruction, wizards screaming, time folding in on itself.

Then the vision snapped away. He staggered but remained standing.

"Got it," he gasped, pocketing the fragment into a containment pouch.

Serin grinned. "One step closer to saving your Store."

Li Kai smiled back, heart racing with adrenaline and a fierce, burning hope.

"One step closer," he agreed.

But deep down, he knew—the hardest part was still to come.