Sana was startled at being recognized immediately, but before she could show her shock, her uncle's training kicked in, and she simply smiled back without any other reaction. Her mother gestured to the side of the hall and started walking, Sana and the head attendant following. Looking at the paintings on the walls, Sana noticed quite a few similar to the ones in Radus's courtyard. The head attendant, deferring to Aria, waited for her to speak up.
"I see the Blackwood Emporium truly lives up to its reputation," Aria said, looking around the room at the displays. The head attendant bowed and replied, "Thank you for your kind words, Lady Aria. However, I'm afraid those trinkets are not worthy of such praise. In any case, we'll be sure to satisfy whatever request someone of your esteem status might have for us."
Aria looked back at the head attendant and stated, "Well said. I'm looking for special items for my daughter or rare materials to refine into items." The head attendant couldn't help but purse her lips in disappointment before Aria continued with a small smile, "But, of course, if there are any unique items that catch my eye, I won't turn them down."
The head attendant stiffened momentarily before replying, "It seems I made a fool of myself. Please accept my apologies."
The head attendant led them through the back door into a hallway, which split off left and right in a slow curve with doors on both sides. They were led down the hallway and into another room through a door. Compared to the entrance hall, the room was relatively simple: a stone table in the middle with chairs along two opposite sides and two other tables along the sides of the room with various refreshments. The room had no windows, and glowing white stones were set into the ceiling to provide the only light.
The head attendant closed the door after following them into the room. The sudden absence of noise suggested that the door was insulated in a particular way to reduce sound. She gestured for Sana and her mother to sit and began serving them: Aria the wine and Sana the tea. Despite the quick sequence of events, Sana's mother was content to sit at the table, silently sipping the wine.
Less than a minute later, the head attendant opened the door again, and a couple of servants carried three boxes of different sizes onto the side table. The servants quickly left the room again, and the head attendant locked the door behind them. She waited until Aria put down the wine and turned towards her before starting, "Thank you for your patience."
She took the longest of the boxes and set it before Aria and Sana. The long and thin shape of the box was promptly explained when the head attendant opened it. Inside was a long spear made of an off-white material.
"This spear is forged from the bones of a demonic beast, the Three-Eyed Lion. It was created by a genuine Immortal, so the spear retains the incredible durability and Qi conductivity of the bones. In addition, as you can see, the method used to forge the spear left no weak points behind, making it one unified whole." While the head attendant spoke, she lifted the spear out of the box and held it up before Aria.
Aria stood up and took the spear from the head attendant's hands for a closer inspection. The head attendant simply smiled, stepped back and the second-largest box and set it on the central table. When Aria finished her inspection and set the spear back into the box, she turned her attention back to the head attendant who opened the box. Inside was a light-brown leather skin.
"This is the skin of the Three-Eyed Lion, and while it isn't large enough for a complete armour set, it can still be used to protect the most vital areas since it absorbs and conducts Qi like no spirit beast leather can," the head attendant said to Aria, with a quick glance at Sana.
With her speech finished, she finally put the last and smallest box on the table. "This last item might not be as immediately useful. It is more esoteric in value." She opened the box and inside Sana could see a round, smooth, glassy sphere about as large as her fist. Looking closer, she was surprised to see a small black circle, a pupil, in the centre of the green-brown sphere. "This is the Lion's third eye," the head attendant continued, "it was sold to us together with the other two items, and we would be happy to sell all three item together for a special price."
Aria simply stared, frowning, at the eye for a while before addressing the head attendant. "Very well, I'll take all three, but I also want a container carved out of spirit wood for the eye. I wish to speak with the crafter directly for the specifics." She took out a piece of rolled up parchment from a pouch, put it on the table and continued. "In addition, I want the materials on that list."
The head attendant picked up the list and examined it for a minute before lowering it and smiling. "That should be no problem, we should have all the materials you want. Are you wishing for them to be prepared now or at a later date?" she asked.
"I'll send someone to pick up the materials tomorrow, and I'll come along to instruct the crafter." Aria put a hand on Sana's shoulder and softly pulled to signal to her to stand up. The head attendant bowed again, closed the three boxes and lead them back out of the room. She gestured to the servants waiting outside the room and then lead them back into the entrance hall.
Aria and the head attendant exchanged pleasantries for a few more minutes, after which Aria and Sana exited the Blackwood Emporium. They moved along the circular road for a few minutes, looking at the shops, until Sana couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "What are you doing with the eye? Why would you need to put it in a special box?"
Her mother chuckled. "Just remaking a little toy I lost a while ago. You'll see." With that, Aria stopped talking and despite constantly pressing for an answer on their trip and even all the way back to their temporary residence, Aria wouldn't say a thing. So, after another meditation session, Sana had to go to sleep feeling frustrated.