Warlock Apprentice

“Hey, Angor!” Fosah greeted Angor with a bright smile. “What lucky day! We meet again. So, are you going to study alchemy from Master Prome too?”

“Good day, Angor.” Laffitte also showed politeness.

Angor never figured out why Fosah suddenly changed his attitude, and he already believed that Fosah was planning something. Nevertheless, since the man was being polite, Angor decided not to respond with hostility for now.

“Good day to you too. I have something to ask of Master Prome. Did you just say Master Prome is taking students now?”

Angor glanced at Dave, who looked as puzzled as himself. They never heard anything like that.

“You don’t know? People have been saying that Prome is planning to accept a new student now. He’s been staying in his shop for a week just to find a potential apprentice.”

Dave realized something and spoke, “I was wondering why so many people came for apprenticeship these days. Someone’s been spreading the false rumor.”

“False rumor?” Fosah looked at Laffitte in surprise.

Laffitte was the puzzled one now. “Is it? But Mister Blackjack-”

“Ahem!!” Fosah interrupted him and turned back with a grin. “Mister Blackjack sent us here to buy an alchemy weapon. You know, the rapier we talked about last week.”

“It’s called a Tang Dao!”

“Oh. Right, Tang Dao.”

Dave went to unlock the door and spoke to them, “You two wait outside. I need to get something arranged with Angor.”

Fosah and Laffitte nodded. They had Blackjack to boost their ego last time. Now they had to stay put.

Inside the shop, Dave curled his lips. “You see that pimple man mentioning Blackjack? I guess Blackjack wants to be Master’s student too, but Master’s never going to accept that arrogant fool. I think Master said something about how Blackjack always refused to become someone’s student unless it’s Sunders. Why did he change his mind? Did you say something on that day?”

“No idea.” Angor did not really care. He did not believe he could convince such an obsessed man anyway, so there had to be another reason for it. “You’re not letting them inside?”

Dave removed the Tang Dao from the wall. “I need to ask you this, duh. So do you want to sell it at a higher price? If not, I’ll just agree to their offer.”

“Did something happen during the week?” Angor asked instead.

“Something? What exactly?”

“Such as… something that might raise the price?”

“Pfft. No way something like that always happens. The Moonfrost Passage is already a really rare chance.”

“Well, you told them to come back one week later, just do what you agreed then. It’s not like the weapon’s anything valuable.”

“See? Told you we have to accept that price. Man, I went along with you and said that the price would keep raising. That was embarrassing.”

Since it was decided, Dave called the pair inside and displayed the weapon to them. “You want this thing then? How much will you pay?”

“Price’s still the same, right?” Fosah chuckled.

Dave looked away. “Just give me a price already.”

Laffitte rolled his eyes a little and spoke. “Ten magic crystals.”

Dave slammed the desk. He would not accept the sudden decrease in profit.

Before he could say so, however, Fosah glared at Laffitte and dragged him behind. “It’s 15 crystals. His tongue slipped.”

Laffitte seemed pretty irritated and tried to protest.

“Stop it,” Fosah whispered to Laffitte. “The favor will cost more than five crystals. We don’t need to save the small money.”

Both Angor and Dave heard him.

“Funny,” Dave grinned. “You wanted us to hear that, didn’t you?”

Fosah waved his hands. “I’m just buying the weapon for my boss. Nothing else, really.”

Dave glanced at Angor and saw Angor still calm as ever, so he decided to strike the hammer. “Alright then, 15 crystals it is.”

Fosah smiled again at his success. Just as he took out the money from his pocket to pay, another voice suddenly came from the door.

“Hold it! I’ll take the sword! I give you 20 crystals!”

The visitor was wearing exquisite-looking jackets and pants. He also had a short sword decorated with gems hanging on his waist. It seemed that he came in a hurry since he was panting a little.

“Who the heck are you? We already took it!” Laffitte grimaced. They just “humiliated” Dave since the weapon’s prices did not change, and someone came proving them wrong so soon.

Fosah frowned and wondered if the shop just hired a shill. He glimpsed at Dave and did not notice anything that proved his assumption. Rather, Dave’s expression turned darker when looking at the newcomer.

This meant it was someone not welcomed here. Also, the man used the word “sword”, which further proved that the visitor was not with the shop.

But why the heck would he offer more?!

“Get lost from my sight, peasants.” The visitor taunted and tossed a money bag onto the counter. “Twenty magic crystals. It’s mine.”

He proceeded to take the Tang Dao.

Fosah held it down.

“What the f*ck’s wrong with you, peasant? Get your filthy hands off!”

Fosah grimaced harder. This man was obviously stronger. But he already agreed to bring the weapon back to Blackjack, and he could not back out now.

“The shop already agreed to sell us the weapon. Do you know what ‘manner’ means?” Fosah spoke with a hint of uncertainty. He needed Dave to back him up on those words. Otherwise, he would absolutely lose the weapon.

“You? You want to pay 15 and you haven’t, while I ALREADY paid 20. Use your brain. Do you think he’s going to choose an inferior offer?” The sumptuously-dressed man taunted and pointed at Dave.

Fosah also knew that the wizarding world did not go around “manners”. He still needed to wait for Dave’s decision.

Both of them gazed at Dave, whose shifting expression suggested that he was also hesitating.

Twenty magic crystals meant big profit. But this man… he was the one walking alongside ‘Raging Blade’ Naru back at Bartterfly Pub. Dave was not hurt during the small conflict, and he probably would forget it in a day or two. But the incident just happened a little while ago, and Dave was still angry about it. Looking at this man instantly made him feel disgusted.

However… that was not a reason to reject money! Sure, Dave wanted to humiliate the man. But Angor, who was the owner of the weapon, happened to be watching nearby.

Fosah grew more and more embarrassed since Dave did not answer him.

The visitor pushed Fosah away. “Money talks, you know? Only poor bastards depend on reasons. Don’t expect others to be kind. Yeah, I’m talking to you, peasant! When you earn enough money, you’ll find it a joke reasoning with people.”

The words struck the vital point in Fosah’s mind. Before coming here, Fosah was the son of the minister of economy in a nation, and he never experienced a shortage of money. At that time, he regarded the world just like how the man in front of him did. Now that he no longer had money in the wizarding world, he began to seek “reason”.

Fosah’s face blushed in frustration, while Laffitte glared at the intruder in rage.

“What? You have a different idea? Prove me wrong with your wallet then,” said the man as he kept lecturing them.

“Why you-” Laffitte bellowed, but Fosah quickly dragged him back. They only brought 15 magic crystals. They did save up some money by doing quests together, but five crystals was not a small number to them.

When the brightly-dressed man scoffed, another person entered the shop.

It was a woman with curly hair in a wild style which covered half of her face. The exposed features gave her an attractive look. She was wearing a tattered black robe. Several holes on the robe revealed an armor on her body and a pair of charming, white thighs.

“What’s the problem, Tesla? Grab the weapon and let’s move!” She approached the man on pigeon steps.

“Tell you what, Queena, a peasant is trying to teach me manners,” Tesla sneered.

Queena glanced at Fosah and Laffitte, then at Angor and Dave. She tried to speak, but her attention was attracted by something shining with an arc-shaped light.

“What… is that?” Queena pointed at the tool bench behind Dave.

Everyone looked that way. There were all kinds of miscellaneous objects scattered on the bench. At a corner, there was a glass case which contained a crescent-shaped object that glimmered with a cold aura.

…

“Hey, boy. Can I check that out?” Queena pointed at the object.

Dave also recognized this “Queena” as someone who accompanied Naru, but he showed them the glass case anyway.

He placed the case on the counter which drew everyone’s attention.

Inside the case was a short-bladed scythe with inconspicuous patterns on it. The elegant arc of the weapon was releasing a faint blue light which was reflected on the glass and gave them the delusion of seeing a moon.

“It’s a tiered alchemy weapon!” Queena sensed the power of runes on the blade and revealed wild excitement.

Every new item created by Prome would attract countless people to the shop to fight over it. A stock of tiered alchemy weapons would get sold out in a matter of minutes. They were not expecting to see an available one here at all.

As people inspected the scythe, Tesla tossed an even bigger money pouch onto the desk without a second thought. “I’m buying it!”