For the next two days, Jax did what he always did best.
He listened.
While most adventurers would have spent their downtime drinking or training, Jax walked the streets of Frostveil like a visiting diplomat. He spoke to fur traders, frostgrain farmers, ice crystal refiners, blacksmiths, innkeepers, even carriage drivers.
He asked questions.
What sells best?
What doesn't?
Where do your goods go?
What do you struggle to acquire?
He had not traveled this distance into the mountains to miss opportunity.
From the dimensional storage within the caravan, he brought spices from Solmere, preserved meats from Crystalshire, exotic dried fruits, and small crafted goods that had already proven profitable in warmer cities.
The reaction was immediate.
Mountain cuisine tended to be hearty, heavy, functional.
Jax's additions were… vibrant.
Within hours, he had secured three trade agreements and two warehouse partnerships.
And then he built.
The Gate of the North
Near Frostveil's commercial district stood an underused warehouse—thick stone walls, reinforced beams, ideal for magical infrastructure.
Jax rented it without hesitation.
The circular structure rose quickly—forty feet tall, reinforced staging platform, mana crystal core, dimensional stabilizers.
Now he moved like a seasoned architect.
Hours later, the gateway flared to life.
Living water.
Liquid light.
Rotating mana currents within the ring.
Jax gestured to the Frostveil warehouse manager.
"After you."
The man swallowed and stepped through.
He walked across the vast dimensional corridor—wide enough for caravans, lit by floating mana lanterns.
On the far end, another door opened.
And he stepped out into Solmere.
"Welcome back, Mr. Darquebane," said one of Jax's logistics supervisors.
The warehouse manager nearly stumbled.
It was impossible.
A month's journey.
In less than two minutes.
They returned to Frostveil in stunned silence.
The deal was signed immediately.
Workers from Solmere crossed through to begin infrastructure setup.
They stepped into the warehouse—
—and instantly began shivering.
"Are we really in Frostveil?" one muttered.
"Yes," Jax replied casually. "You'll want heavier coats."
Meanwhile… Shopping
While Jax reshaped mountain commerce, the Vixens were engaged in their third favorite activity.
Shopping.
They were wealthy now.
Not comfortable.
Wealthy.
Fur-lined cloaks.
Silver-threaded scarves.
Mountain-cut jewelry carved from ice crystals.
And boots.
The boots were the highlight.
Thick, fur-trimmed, reinforced, stylish.
"These," Bunny declared, stomping proudly, "are coming back to Solmere with me."
Nyxian spun dramatically in hers. "Fashion survives climate."
They returned to the inn—where Jax had already rented the top suite.
The innkeeper had quietly replaced the two smaller beds with one massive custom frame.
Workers muttered while assembling it.
"One man. Four women."
"Living the dream."
They did not realize those women could break mountains.
Scaling Commerce
When Jax saw the boots the next morning, he paused.
"Take me to the shop."
He purchased nearly the entire fashionable inventory the Vixens approved of.
Bulk discount negotiated.
Delivery arranged to the warehouse terminal.
Distribution plan outlined.
Frostveil fashion was about to reach Solmere.
By the end of the day:
• Frostveil merchants were paying gate fees to ship goods south.
• Solmere traders were arriving in shock at the snow-covered plateau.
• Tourists—actual tourists—were stepping into a city once considered unreachable.
The older generation watched uneasily.
Frostveil had always been quiet.
Self-contained.
Survival-first.
Now it buzzed.
To many merchants, it felt like rebirth.
To others, like disruption.
To Jax, it was inevitable.
Restaurant Acquisition #17
Jax purchased one of Frostveil's long-standing taverns.
He didn't change its identity.
He refined it.
He kept the ten-year-old signature dish—but adjusted plating.
Introduced Solmere spices.
Added Crystalshire herb blends.
Improved presentation.
By dinner, the room was packed.
Steam from rich stew rose into the air.
The scent of roasted mountain elk mingled with citrus-spiced glaze.
Warmth replaced austerity.
Frostveil had never smelled like this.
Billy Arrives
Guild Master Willvard Stonehorn—known locally as "Billy"—entered the restaurant that evening.
Billy paused just inside the door.
The noise.
The laughter.
The layered scent of spice.
The sight of Frostveil citizens seated beside Solmere merchants.
It felt… different.
Alive.
He approached Jax's table.
"Kaelor warned me," Billy said dryly. "He said you were part adventurer, part merchant."
He glanced around.
"Do you bring prosperity to every town in a single day?"
Jax leaned back, smiling faintly.
"No."
Billy raised an eyebrow.
"Sometimes," Jax continued, "it takes a few days."
Billy snorted.
He joined them for dinner.
Drinks flowed.
The Vixens laughed.
Merchants negotiated across tables.
Billy watched.
He had lived his entire life in Frostveil.
He had defended it from avalanches, beasts, starvation winters.
He had never imagined this plateau would feel connected to the wider world.
Outside the gates, the mountains were still brutal.
Inside?
Frostveil was no longer isolated.
It was part of something larger.
Billy looked at Jax across the table.
There was something about him.
Not loud.
Not boastful.
But deliberate.
Controlled.
As if he saw ten years ahead and simply walked there.
Billy did not say it aloud.
But he understood.
This man was not just building trade routes.
He was building a network.
And Frostveil had just become a node.
On the Eve of the Hunt
By the final last call of the evening :
• Trade contracts were signed.
• Maps of the eastern ridge were secured.
• Reports of the Frost Giant's sightings were compiled.
• Side quests were logged.
The town buzzed with commerce.
But tomorrow, business would pause.
Tomorrow, they hunted.
Jax stood outside the restaurant late that night, watching snow drift gently under lantern light.
Behind him, laughter echoed.
Ahead of him, mountains waited.
Frost Giants.
Raid cave.
Ice crystals.
He smiled faintly.
"Two days," he murmured.
"And we've already changed the place."
Behind him, Nyxian's voice called out.
"Are you brooding again, or are you coming back inside?"
He turned.
"Coming."
And Frostveil—once a distant, isolated plateau—glowed beneath the stars like a city reborn.