And in a shopping mall in Shibuya Japan. Just as they were picking out figurines to buy, their hands stopped.
"Found it.", they stare at a shop with an entrance made of gold, which was also glowing. But nobody seems to mind or notice it.
Throwing two very expensive figurines onto the ground, Nyarthotep moved quickly before anyone could come. They entered the store, quickly changing their form into a beautiful woman with dark purple hair and glowing violet eyes.
Everything inside was golden, glowing, gaudy, and probably every descriptive word starting with G.
"Welcome to the Golden Emporium!" the store owner was also golden.
"Marvilin.", Nyarthotep crossed their arms.
"Hmm~ I apologize, but that is not my name.", the X crosses in her golden eyes turned red, but she still kept her professional smile, "Adtirab Alhawam, it is a pleasure to see you again."
"Please call me Nyarthotep, as it is the name this world has given me.", they frowned, already not liking this.
"If only you would call me by my True Name, Adtirab Alhawam.", she shrugged.
Rolling their eyes, Nyarthotep groaned, "Fine, Qaeidat Dhahabia, The Golden Order. Did you sell anything destructive?"
The Golden Order felt insulted, as The Crawling Chaos just said something that would affect the reputation of her Emporium, "Sir... Madam... whatever you are, please know that this establishment does not sell weapons, only trinkets one would find useful in their daily lives or toys that child and adult alike would enjoy."
"So, did you sell anything?", they were unfazed.
"That would viote customer security, so I cannot let you know that.", she csped her hands together.
"You probably sold something dangerous, didn't you?"
"Customer, I can assure you nothing bad usually happens due to my Golden Emporium...", she gred at Nyarthotep, "And may I remind you that, all Nebus are permanently banned from buying items or even entering my stores."
"As someone who was given Authorities by The World itself, I have the right to inspect what may cause harm to human, lest the world itself."
The Golden Order smmed her hands on the desk, which made Nyarthotep surprised a bit. As she is not someone who would directly show anger.
"Excuse me! This establishment was APPROVED by the Ego of the World!! And may I let you know that this office pce is an Entrance of Welt Eam the World Border!! Directly connected to my Star! I have access to one hundred percent of my power here!!"
The Star of The Golden Order, Alpheratz, belongs to the Andromeda gaxy— millions of lightyears further from the Pilrs of Creation. Nyarthotep only have access to less than 0,001% of their powers here.
This was a tough case... if they escate anymore... this Avatar would die. And that also made them realize something. The Qaeidat Dhahabia in front of them was not an Avatar, but the genuine Eldritch God herself, The Fourth Harbinger of Life.
"Calm down now, Qaeidat Dhahabia. I will not demand anything unreasonable of you.", The Golden Order can still be reasoned with, as she did not reveal her true form yet.
"For your defamation of my good and honest business, I demand compensation!", she raised her hand towards Nyarthotep, "I would like one of your tentacle teeth thing, please."
"What would you need a piece of me for— don't bring out a knife!"
Qaeidat Dhahabia brought out a knife, golden and decorated with gems. She was smiling brightly.
"I demand compensation.", she kept smiling.
"We can talk this out, right?"
"I demand compensation."
They backed away, leaning against the entrance— it had already closed, "Just listen to me, instead of my tentacle... how about I give you some information?"
"We here at the Golden Emporium do not accept intangible goods.", her X-cross glows red once again, "I despise intangible goods."
Then steam began to fill the room... so much so Nyarthotep was unable to see...
"Not only do you have the audacity to come into my Golden Emporium..."
The steam began to clear out, and Nyarthotep found themselves in an arena... and in front of them...
"You dare trade with ME, THE GOLDEN ORDER, with information?! Something so utterly USELESS to me?!?!"
A giant golden biomechanical bat creature, with two pairs of wings with steam coming out of them. Three pairs of glowing red eyes stared straight down at The Crawling Chaos.
"TELL ME, Adtirab Alhawam!! GIVE ME ONE REASON WHY I SHOULD NOT END THIS AVATAR OF YOURS!!!", more steam erupts out of her body, hot burning steam in fact.
Just being near her already burns off the human disguise... a writhing mass of bck tendrils and purple mist.
"You can't exactly kill me, since once I'm dead all my knowledge will go back to the main body—"
"Hsssss..."
"Okay... how about I just leave and not come back, ever—"
—GAWL!!
Deciding not to listen anymore, The Golden Order took a bite out of Nyarthotep.
"OH FUCK THAT HURT!!", they retreated further away.
"A total of 45 tendrils! Thank you for doing business with the Golden Emporium! And fuck off!!"
Before Nyarthotep realized, they were at the entrance of a Dungeon in Korea. With people freaking out—
Quickly, they moved dissipated into mist, and ran away.
They appear in an alleyway once again, turning back into their humanoid form of a little boy.
"Fuck... this is why I fucking hate Harbingers of Life...", they breathed heavily, still feeling the pain of being bitten by The Golden Order, "But the fact that I appear outside of a Dungeon, the Construct of The World Border, another Harbinger of Life..."
There is something going on... they already know all Harbingers of Life have a good retionship with each other. But to link worlds is a whole other matter.
The World Border's Constructs are pocket dimensions themselves, filled to the brim with creatures that are so animated that they are alive, even if they are just dolls.
The best way Nyarthotep could describe The World Border is that they are a Gamer. They did introduce a fairly popur tabletop rolepying game called DnD to Earth, and for some reason made the designated healer the most busted css.
"There is a Conspiracy going on...", they sighed, "But it will not concern humanity, no matter what... I can't intervene in their scheme..."
They sat down on the dirty floor, frustrated of what to do now.
"It will be okay... just don't worry about it. My siblings will take care of it."
=0=0=
With her elbows on the desk, Qaeidat Dhahabia sighed.
"I now have to close shop earlier than expected. All because of that stuck-up Nebu...", then she walked out to the entrance—
But suddenly, she heard Wild West music coming near her as if a duel was about to begin. Instinctively, she pulled out a golden gun from her coat and pointed it behind her.
A scythe nearly touched her neck just as she pointed at a skeleton in a bck cloak, wearing very swag shades and smoking a cigar. He is absolutely huge, towering over her with his form and presence.
"I never expected you to come here, Watafan Mawsil.", she smiled, putting her gun away.
He also retracted his scythe, "..."
"What's wrong?", she tilted her head.
"Nothing is wrong.", his voice is ominous, coming in like whispers but you can hear it clearly, "I just need more material."
"For that project of yours and Lichtma Balisk?", she asked, putting her hat down.
"Need a few more tendons and...", he took out a note, "A Giant Death Lazer."
"For tendons, I got some fresh product!", she reached into her hat, pulling out a bunch of bck tendrils with purple smoke leaking out of them, "As for A Giant Death Lazer..."
She think about it for a bit, "Ah! Right! Ask Pacmalinn Emvist for that! I'm sure they have one lying around somewhere!"
"What will be the price this time?", Watafan Mawsil asked, floating around Qaeidat Dhahabia.
That made her smile, as she began to calcute, "Well, accounting for how fresh the tendrils are, combined with the rarity. Then comparing to the universal market trend and the bck market managed by The Numeral Equal. Oh! Taking into account the condition, durability, plus usage..."
She shrugged, "Either a Category-10 Void Beast pelt or a Brown Dwarf would suffice. That's not including the fee for The Interstelr Revenue Security, which would cost as much as a Category-3 Void Beast pelt."
Watafan Mawsil just stared at Qaeidat Dhahabia, he did not understand a thing The Golden Order just said.
"You pay taxes?", that was the only question that came out.
"Yes! I am an honest businessman! Of course, I pay my taxes! I am not going to get my business hounded by The Interstelr Revenue Security! They have three sylbles!!"
"Uh... okay... then can pay ter? I don't have much with me."
"Of course! But that would include an interest of 0,5% per thirty business days!!", she cpped her hands, "So, would you like to buy these tendrils?"
The price was steep, but he decided to buy it anyway, "I will take it... how about I pay next Awaken?"
"That will be three Category-10 Void Beast pelts or two Brown Dwarf! Gd to do business with you!!"
Both of them shook their hands, making the Deal.
As Watafan Mawsil took the tendrils, he felt something odd was up...
He was scammed.
But seeing that business-perfect smile of Qaeidat Dhahabia made him faltered, it was pretty intimidating.
"Oh, and take care of them for me.", from under the cloak, a jiggly green slime rolled out.
Plop.
It plopped on the ground, rolling towards Qaeidat Dhahabia, while both Harbinger of Life just watched.
"Uhh... the exit is that way.", she pointed at the entrance.
The Slime vibrates a little and then heads through the entrance.
"Sorry, but there is a no semi-solid pet policy here.", Qaeidat Dhahabia said, looking at Death himself.
"That was The Pgue Garden.", he said, staring back at The Golden Order.
"..."
"..."
"WHAT?! Why didn't you mention it sooner?!", she screamed.
"I thought you knew!!", he retorted.
"Of course I didn't! Mard Awan looks indistinguishable from their Children! Especially in that form!!"
As both of them started to panic, they both soon realized something.
""Shemiss Aluqdim!!"", both of them yelled at the same time.
"Well, goodbye. See you ter.", and Watafan Mawsil, The Starlight Psychopomp, the Eighth Harbinger of Life, Death himself, ran away.
Leaving Qaeidat Dhahabia to deal with the fallout.
"Dammit! Welt Eam, where did Mard Awan exited?!"
A blue screen popped into existence, and words began to appear on it.
[The Pgue Garden exit location: Bukkhansan]
[There is no need to worry]
[The one with the designation
That was a message from The World Border, the Sixth Harbinger of Life.
"No idea who that is, but as long as they are secured then it is fine.", she let out a sigh of relief.
Out of all the Harbingers of Life, The Pgue Garden is the most gentle... yet also the most destructive. The Mother of Life is what they went by, despite their true form capable of killing entire systems with just their appearance alone.
Their power will not decrease, no matter how far their Star is. As their body is disease itself, carrying countless pathogens, not connected to the power given by their Star.
A blue screen appears once again.
[Is there anything else you need to know?]"Oh!", she smiled slyly, and steam began to emit from her body, "There is something that Watafan Mawsil did before that I found interesting."
[What is it?]"He made a contract with the Record of Mankind...", she snapped her finger, "I should try to make one for myself... Charlotte is an interesting girl."
As a businessman, Qaeidat Dhahabia knows Charlotte is interested in something. Due to privacy policy, she cannot inquire unless her customer explicitly mentions it.
But remembering back to those haunting azure eyes, they cannot hide her curiosity. Especially when The Golden Order showed her the ticket for the heart of the Grand Array.
What made that girl so curious? The Golden Order knows very well...
"I can give her the secrets of Alchemy. That would be a fair trade for a Contract."
As an Eldritch God of Exchange, her entire being and motive are fueled by exchange, trading, and transforming one matter into another. In other words...
Alchemy.
Rhaps