Star Citizen Online: Isekai Edition

Chapter 121 Imperial Conscription, Ziria and Shopping (2)

The Hammerlight Jewelry Store was the best on the entire planet. Though, as it was run by the Jewelry Master named Gotri Hammerlight, a Votann Forge Master and Jewelry Master who had very high prestige across the entire Eternal Empire of the Asurya.

The products that were crafted here were usually sold for astronomical prices, even if they were just ordinary pieces of accessories without any special effects to them; even then, they would be sold for many thousands of Universal Credits.

The jewelry store was a rather breathtaking blend of advanced technology, engineering, and luxury, where cutting-edge design meets the timeless allure of precious gems. The exterior of the store immediately captivates with its sleek, metallic facade.

Large, seamless glass panels reflect the city's lights, while soft, neon accents in shades of platinum and sapphire blue trace the edges of the structure, giving it a sophisticated, ethereal glow.

A sculptural entrance shaped like an abstract gemstone led customers into an environment that felt like a weird mixture of dwarven fantasy and sci-fi space opera; at least, that was the feeling that Arcturus was getting about this place. However, that was applicable to every single one of the Votanni establishments because, as the proud folk, they would put their heritage everywhere where they went.

Inside, the space opened up into a vast showroom with high ceilings and walls that shimmer with a holographic effect, subtly shifting colors as the viewer moves. The lighting was meticulously designed: invisible sources created a diffused glow that eliminates shadows, while thin beams of precision LED lights spotlight each display case, making every jewel sparkle as though suspended in the air.

The floor was composed of polished, translucent panels embedded with fiber-optic veins that pulsed gently, resembling the flow of energy through a futuristic circuit but with the typical Votanni architecture like the rest of the shop.

Display cases, made from crystal-clear glass and edged with sleek titanium, hover above the floor on nearly invisible supports. These cases use augmented reality technology, allowing customers to see detailed 3D renderings of each piece, including customization options, projected alongside the genuine items. Interactive touch panels integrated into the displays provide information about gem origins, craftsmanship techniques, and virtual try-on experiences.

A central feature of the showroom is a sculptural spiral staircase crafted from carbon fiber and glass, appearing to twist upward like a strand of DNA. It leads to a mezzanine lounge area where clients can relax in minimalist seating pods with built-in screens displaying personalized jewelry designs.

In the background, ambient music was playing. Arcturus recognized it as traditional Votann music as the crystalline tone filled the air, creating a serene and luxurious atmosphere yet with the feeling of the typical Votanni culture in this place, which gave it a bit more exotic feeling.

Arcturus looked around the jewelry store, which seemed more like some luxurious hotel or whatever, but despite everything, it had a really beautiful appearance from the inside. Arcturus understood that it was to provide a comprehensive experience for the customers visiting the place.

Zehal and Jeniael bolted away as soon as they entered the shop and went to look through the catalog of the items that were being sold there. This wasn't really a thing for him, as he wasn't the one who would be wearing accessories if they were just decoration.

While he would have no problem wearing some artifacts or something like that, when it came to the ordinary pieces of jewelry, no matter how expensive or luxurious they were, for Arcturus, they were just trinkets.

Nevertheless, he continued looking around at the pieces that were being sold here, and as he looked at the category of ordinary jewelry pieces, meaning everything that wasn't Artifact and providing some extraordinary effects, he noticed that everything was expensive.

Even the cheapest ring or necklace in hundreds of Universal Credits is staggering. For the ordinary piece of some random gem that was dug from the ground and put on a piece of metal, it was an extraordinarily high number.

This was really something because even 100 Universal Credits was a very high number... because all of the High-Level Civilizations and High-Level Star Nations were using the Universal Credits issued by the Cosmic Vaultbank as their form of currency to boost up the trade and eliminate some inconveniences.

This made the buying strength of the Universal Credit very high, so Arcturus found it ridiculous to pay 750 Universal Credits for a ring made from Staria Gold encased with Ruby...

Nevertheless, at least all of the pieces were certainly beautiful, and they were all handmade work made with the famous Votanni craftsmanship and care. He was looking through the things just to pass some time, because Zehal and Jenaiel were taking their time.

Obviously, Zehal had far more than enough money to spend on the various things, and she wasn't certainly going to save money in here. She came to this place mainly because she wanted to buy some pieces from the Votanni Jewelry Masters who came to live in Ziras IV after various precious gems were discovered at the colony.

For Zehal, it was also a form of investment because if she managed to snag some rare piece, then it would be raised on their worth several times over. So she came here with many tens of thousands of Universal Credits that were prepared to spend them on to buy some exclusive piece of jewelry.

Arcturus found it rather amusing that both Zehal and Jeniael were rather enthusiastic about this to the point where they stopped arguing and even chose some of the pieces of jewelry together.

What a most unusual sight...

She knew that Arcturus had far more money than her and that he also had a stable income from the licensing fees for the patents for which the Starlight Drive Yard Industries were paying rather hefty fees.

Ten thousand Universal Credits was an outrageous amount of money even for the average citizens of the Eternal Empire of Asurya. Even the Imperial Citizens who served in the Imperial Military made only something around 1,000 Universal Credits on average.

So, 10,000 Universal Credits was a lot... but for Arcturus, it wasn't actually that much money, and in the end, he felt that he would be stuck at the Ziras IV for the foreseeable time because things like this usually didn't really go according to the plan.

"Thanks..."

She silently thanked him as they then went to one of the managers because, surprisingly, there was a lot of staff there, and not everything was automated like one would expect. The Votanns were more traditional because they refrained from using advanced technology and other things when they were setting up their homes or personal spaces.

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They preferred to adhere to their traditions and old ways of life like their ancestor many, many centuries ago. The piece that Arcturus bought her was with too with the dragon motifs.

As soon enough, it was delivered to them by one of the members of the staff as Jeniael marveled at the necklace, this time for the real and not through the holo-projection.

In real, the necklace was even more beautiful than in the holo-projection as she looked at the necklace natively with a somewhat satisfied expression on her face as she received a really wonderful gift.

"Would you put it on me?"

She asked in a quiet voice as if she was ashamed of asking for it, though he could understand because, for Jeniael, this seemed to be a pretty intimate thing and not something that she would ask anyone.

For someone as proud, independent, and distant as her, this was a certain degree of trust and compassion if she asked for something like this, which she considered romantically intimate.

"Yeah..."

Arcturus said as he grabbed the necklace and put it over Jenaiel's neck. The young princess of the House Luxford observed herself in the mirror and how she looked with the beautiful necklace hanging from her neck.

"It really suits you... the Sapphires are going well with your eyes."

He stated that he noticed that there was indeed a specific correlation between the colors and how they went well together. The young woman in question seemed to be satisfied with herself at the moment, and thus, they waited for Zehal to finish her business.

The Heiress Apparent of the Mercantile Clan, The House Alvix returned rather soon as she went to buy the neckaclace for the staggering amount of 300,000 Unviersal Creits.

Obviously, she wouldn't be taking the necklace with her to the mission and the Arachnid Nest, but she ordered them to send it back to the House Alvix, where it would be added to her personal collection right next to her bed.

As it seemed, Zehal took rather great liking to the necklace from what Arcturus had seen, so he really doubted that she would sell it as she said, and most probably, she would just keep it.

However, who knows what the price of such an item would be in the future? These things were basically limited collector editions of the jewelry world, so the value would only go up in time and not down.

Who knows how valuable it would be in some fifty years or perhaps after a century or millennium?

Nevertheless, now that their shopping trip had ended, Zehal looked at the necklace around Jeniael's neck with suspicion; she frowned a bit, but sooner enough, her expression returned to normal, far before Arcturus noticed that Zehal was looking at Jenaiel a bit differently.

Obviously, the white-haired young woman noticed how Zehal looked at her as she shot her one victorious smirk accompanied by a grinning smile while Zehal grits her teeth in frustration.