42. This is the Pits

Walking through Greenstone, Jason repeatedly shadow-jumps across the street, testing range, speed, and mana cost. Farrah and Gary debate its merits: frequent, cheap use but dependent on available shadows. Jason notes a sluggish activation and limited target size, while Farrah advises practice. They head toward Old City markets, with Jason promising to visit Jory’s clinic.

The scene shifts to Old City’s Fortress, a massive, ancient den of vice and the neutral hub shared by the city’s three crime lords. The fighting pits draw elites and adventurers alike, with viewing boxes reserved for the crime lords and Lucian Lamprey, the Magic Society’s director, who treats the venue as his office.

Lucian’s deputy, Pochard Finn, joins him as they observe low-stakes day fights. Their ease is interrupted by Clive Standish, an awkward scholar, who arrives with an unusual iron-rank spirit coin bearing a man-with-thumb embossing and an unknown-language inscription.

Clive explains that several such legitimate coins have surfaced, unregistered to any licensed coin farm. His translation ability renders the inscription as “product of Jason” and “good day, friend.” He proposes two possibilities: an illicit spirit coin farm, or a legitimate, rare looting ability producing coins—often tied to prosperity essence and human racial gifts.

Weighing legality and impact, Lucian orders two tracks: Pochard will post a three-star Adventure Society contract to investigate a potential off-the-books farm, while Clive is authorized to use Magic Society resources to locate the individual source if it is an ability. The decisions set a quiet hunt in motion that could expose Jason.