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.


    And for the Emporium to open.


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


    That of a chubby man standing behind a familiar counter.


    “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.


    “


    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,


    “


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


    Well, wonder no more!


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


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    novel to have a chance at the grand prize!”


    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.


    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.


    novelty certainly wasn’t one of them.


    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.


    “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.


    “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.


    “


    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.