"Taleweaving Fruit?" Jack murmured the name in a low rumble. "It can truly improve talent?"
"Yeah!" Danny said. "Big prize. Lots of people enter. Got to have a good story though. Not just a well-made object. It's about the tale."
Jack looked at the stall again. At the 'Tale Focusing Cores'.
He wanted to join the competition. For once, it would be a conflict without violence. One where the power to win came from creation rather than destruction.
The 'Tale Focusing Cores' were part of the process. A way to channel the 'tale'. But how to use them?
This required thought. He needed to understand how this worked. What kind of 'tale' qualified for the competition. And how to translate his kind of tale into something the 'Tale Collector' would deem worthy.
The library held knowledge. His workshop held the tools. And his past held the stories.
"Sounds interesting." Jack commented. "Tell me more." He commanded. Turning fully towards Danny. His mind was already calculating possibilities.
He needed details. What defined a 'tale'? What were the criteria? How was it judged? His engineering brain was already trying to reverse-engineer the process.
He had plenty accumulated knowledge. A unique set of abilities. And a wealth of dark experiences. He could build something. And he used to be a content creator in his past life. He could definitely tell a tale.
Danny simply started explaining what he knew. He had never been to the Tale Mansion. Five years ago, he wasn't a transcendent Steamrune Engineer yet.
But his brother had visited the mansion. And he had heard a lot about it from him and from other mercenaries. Thus, he shared what he had heard...
About the history of the Tale Mansion. How it was originally built by a noble from craftsman line who loved stories, any kind of stories. But a supernatural incident later evolved the mansion into its current version, one of the Ten Transcendent Havens for Art.
About the types of art seen in it. And the winning artworks in the past. Ranging from rough painting sketches to mechanical marvels.
About the elusive nature of the Tale Collector's judgment. It seemed highly subjective. It seemed to be entirely based on the 'resonance' or 'impact' of the tale conveyed.
Resonance. Impact. Jack considered his evil target's terror as he delivered his judgement. Their fear. Their regret. Their anguish.
Those moments had impact. Significant impact. Could he capture that? Translate the cold, brutal necessity of his judgments into a form that resonated with some ancient, art-judging entity?
"The cores..." Jack said. Interrupting Danny's explanation about a particularly famous winning piece from a century ago. A self-playing organ that allegedly played the life story of a forgotten hero. "How do they work?"
"Not really sure. Just use it as a part of the creation I suppose. Supplier says they help focus the 'tale-spark' from the crafter's mind into the object during creation." Danny explained.
He looked at the core vendors suspiciously, and continued. "Like a lens, they claim. Makes the intention clearer, stronger. Some people think it's just a scam. But nobody wants to risk not using one if it helps."
Jack eyed the cores again. Claims without clear evidence. Considering them scams was reasonable. Not that surprising.
But if there was even a chance it truly enhanced the 'tale' transfer, it was a necessary component. He wasn't going to risk on a possible chance for something as valuable as the Taleweaving Fruit.
"Well, I think I will need one." Jack stated as he made his decision. Blunt. Final. He would join the competition.
Danny didn't question it. "You want to join the fun? Sure. They're not cheap though."
"Do you want to join too?"
"Nah!" Danny quickly shook his head. "The only interesting story I have is that incident in Prehistoric Realm. And every other survivors, including my brother, will use that same story. I'll just wait five more years."
"Perhaps that is the better idea. I still want to try though." Jack commented.
He was already turning his thoughts to what he would build. It had to be an engineering feat. Something only a Steamrune Engineer with his specific skills could create in three days. And it had to embody his own tale. His purpose. His method.
He walked towards the stall. Danny followed. The vendor, a nervous-looking man, was brightened as Jack approached. Jack ignored the pleasantries.
"This Tale Focusing Cores." Jack said. His voice was low and serious. "Which one is best for focusing... dark tales? Tales of bad consequence?"
The vendor blinked. Taken aback by the specific request. "Ah... well, they're all good, sir! But some indeed resonate better with different... energies. For dark tales of consequence... perhaps one of the midnight sky types? They hold a certain... weight."
He gestured to a core. It was a small sphere that looked like compressed shadow and starlight.
Jack picked it up. It felt cold. Dense. And slightly humming with contained energy. It wasn't just a polished rock. It seemed to absorb the light around it.
"This one," he decided. "How much?"
The price was high, as Danny had warned. But Jack paid it without haggling. Money was a tool. Easily acquired through his mercenary work. This core was a potential step towards power. Worth the cost.
With the core secured, Jack's focus shifted. The mission board was forgotten for the moment.
The Tale Mansion competition was now the primary objective. He had three days. Three days to conceive. To design. To build. And to imbue his created object with a tale potent enough to compete for the Taleweaving Fruit.
He needed a concept. Something that screamed 'Jack Mystery' or 'Judge Jack' while being built by 'Jack Night'.
Something that encompassed his journey from death to rebirth. From spectator to active, brutal force for his own brand of justice.
He recalled his experiences. From the incident in the temple that brought him to this world. To his experiences in many places. In Lotogear, Asquall, Highcliff, Ironpile, Whitecoal, Calmcoast, Tideless Island, Sapphire City...
He recalled all the suffering he'd witnessed. All the guilty he'd punished. All the helpless situations he was not strong enough to deal with.
He thought of the things he could build. He recalled many impressive art objects from his previous life. A ship in a bottle? A music box? A snow globe?
Jack considered many things before deciding on a mechanical device. A complex, multi-component, steamrune clockwork contraption. Not a weapon. Nor a specific practical object.
It would be an artwork. Something without any practical function, yet impressive to view. Something that showcased the impact of his 'judgements'.
It would be a small clockwork creature. One that was powered with judgement. One that would change depending on the degree of its surrounding aura.
He would build a device that, when activated, would access the concentrated feeling in the surrounding. The device would have three forms. Depending on the strongest aura nearby.
It would have the balanced form for normal situation. A hell form for negative atmosphere. And a heaven form for positive atmosphere.
It would deliver the sense of oppressive wrath toward the guilty, the chilling indifference toward the normal people, and warm appreciation toward the kind ones.
It would be a stark, unfiltered representation of the judgement tales he wove. In dreams and, sometimes, in death.
He needed to get back to the workshop. He needed materials. He needed to plan the runic sequences. The steam circuits. And the energy resonance chambers.
He would use his rare Fusion rune to create the most suitable materials. For nightmare, dream, and perhaps a touch of supernatural inevitability.
The Tale Focusing Core would need to be integrated into the heart of the mechanism. The conduit for the raw experience he intended to pour into it.
"Alright." Jack said. Turning to Danny. The purchased core clutched in his large hand. "I'm building something for this competition. Just got a nice idea."
Danny nodded. Unsurprised by Jack's immediate shift in priority. "What are you making? A flying automaton? A clockwork puzzle?"
"Nope." Jack stated. His mind was already racing with schematics. "You'll see it later. I'll need your help sourcing some specific parts though. High-grade silverbolt alloy, refined blackriver wires, some stabilized nightmare dust, and some daydream crystals."
Danny grinned. His mechanical arm flexing slightly. Catching the coin purse Jack tossed at him. "Nightmare Dust? And Daydream Crystals? Sounds like an interesting creation. I'll get them and bring them to the workshop."
The prospect of the Tale Mansion, the unexpected artwork competition, and the appealing reward - the Taleweaving Fruit - had cut through Jack's usual routine. Just like a plasma torch cut through steel.
It was a new goal. A new type of challenge. Applying his human engineering skill to capture the essence of his spectral work.
It was unorthodox, perhaps even perverse. But the challenge and its potential payoff was too significant to ignore.
He had a tale to tell. And he possessed the unique skills to build the vessel for it.
The next three days would be spent crafting his 'artwork'. Turning vengeance and justice into tangible, extraordinary art form.