Chapter 106: Untitled

“No, Little Borkin, I want this ring. I must study its crafting technique. This style is very rare…” The Dwarf waved his hand dismissively, not caring at all… or perhaps he simply didn’t notice the shopkeeper’s face turning somewhat pale.

This statement immediately drew ridicule from his companion. “What craftsmanship could that barrel head of yours, filled with rocks, possibly study? Work like this naturally falls to a master such as myself, Master Jinbao… Hey? You… give that back!”

Before the Gnome could finish speaking, he discovered the small box that had been in his hand had changed owners—the ring was now held between the fingers of a man approaching middle age. He gave Constantine an amiable smile. “Eight thousand gold coins, if you agree, sir. However, I don’t happen to have that much money on me at the moment. Might you be able to wait a short while? Not long, half an hourglass’s time at most would be more than sufficient… Of course, if needed, I have two thousand five hundred gold coins on hand which can serve as a deposit…”

“That should… be fine. I can wait here for a bit. It will also give me a chance to converse with you two masters.” Constantine smiled. Looking into those eyes that seemed to hold sparks was enough to remind him of the man’s identity… Several days before, during that assassination attempt, he was the one who single-handedly killed the Spellcaster controlling the undead, playing a significant role in the battle’s outcome.

In fact, the earlier argument had already made Constantine consider taking the ring to auction. But now, that thought turned over in his mind and began to change—even if auctioned, it would only mean a few thousand extra gold coins. It might be more interesting to gain a favor instead.

Moreover, the Gnome and the Dwarf before him were also excellent conversational partners. Especially the Dwarf, whose standard blacksmith attire reminded the young man of many things from his memories that needed completing.

“Then thank you, sir. I will definitely return within one hourglass’s time.” The middle-aged man paused, then showed an appreciative smile. He raised his hand in a simple gesture of courtesy common among nobles. Thus, a transaction impressive enough to shock commoners for a long time was half-completed in the blink of an eye. Placing a sheaf of Empire gold notes in the youth’s hand, the middle-aged man hurried away. Constantine remained seated and began chatting with the two non-Humans referred to as masters.

Although the Gnome and the Dwarf didn’t get their wish, they refused to let go of this chance to study the craftsmanship before the real buyer returned with the money. They immediately sat down, preparing to examine it closely. Only the shopkeeper stood off to the side, looking exceptionally frustrated—this direct transaction effectively cut him out, and the considerable commission he would have earned was now gone… But there was nothing he could do to salvage it. He could only curse himself for deciding to haggle earlier… How perfect everything would have been if the deal had been finalized just a moment sooner.

“Mr. Borkin, please bring out your shop’s latest product catalog. We wish to make some selections.” A voice sounded at the shop entrance just then. The dejected shopkeeper was startled for a moment before remembering he still had customers to attend to—but before he could step forward to greet them, the other party had already walked in first. “Hmm? How unusual… Is today a day blessed by the Three Gods? Master Dorn, Master Jinbao, you are both here?”

“You idiot barrel, stop touching it! The Gemstone’s surface is getting scratches from your rock-smashing hands!” “You greedy little fool, what do you know? A fire diamond could never get a scratch! You really…” This polite greeting received no proper reply. The two short-statured Humans scrambling for the ring had no interest in anything else. Constantine, however, slightly lifted his gaze to glance at the few people who had now approached—a well-dressed, smiling young man, clearly another Noble, with a finely dressed young Lady clinging to his side. A butler-like figure followed behind them.

Although he received no response, it didn’t stop him from giving a refined bow to the two masters. Clearly, he was a regular patron of this place.

“How beautiful…”

The two short fellows’ scuffle had undoubtedly turned the ring into the center of attention, immediately drawing an exclamation of admiration. Women typically had little resistance to beautiful jewelry… With just a glance, the Lady who had been accompanying the young man could not take her eyes off the ring in the box. Her watery eyes seemed to sparkle with its fire. She was clearly very skilled at expressing her desires. With her gasp of admiration, she also tightly pressed the young man’s arm into the softness of her chest… As expected, the sharp eyes of that young gentleman turned to the shopkeeper. “Mr. Borkin, I wish to purchase this ring. Please state your price.”

A look of helplessness flashed across the poor shopkeeper’s face. By Lady Waukeen’s grace, what kind of day was this? Why did troublesome figures all converge at once? But these complaints had to stay in his heart. Forcing a professional smile, the shopkeeper could only speak truthfully. “That is… while I regret it immensely, if you wish to discuss the price, you must consult these two gentlemen… For this ring does not belong to my humble shop. This gentleman has not yet transferred it to us.”

“Oh? Then, this young Lady?”

The young gentleman turned elegantly, fixing Constantine… or rather, the Blood Elf beside him with a condescending stare. “I assume you came here to sell it as well. I will certainly pay an appropriate price, for my friend is very fond of such things. How does fifteen hundred gold coins sound?”

Clearly, those who could enter this shop were no ordinary people. This twenty-five or twenty-six-year-old young man’s tone was not sharp, but the air of entitlement in his voice was obvious… He was clearly accustomed to a high position. His attire was simple yet tasteful, exuding an air of nobility. Like Constantine, he wore no family crest or similar insignia, but some of the finer details were extraordinary… For example, the brooch on his chest was set with a high-quality ruby, its deep red hue as warm as pigeon’s blood, displaying a depth no minor noble could match.

But the most striking thing about him was the weapon at his waist—unlike the Scimitar Constantine wore at an angle, it was an exquisitely crafted Rapier—with several flowing golden patterns extending from the hilt down a third of the scabbard. Its gleaming luster made it look like a legendary Magic weapon, though Constantine’s eyes sensed no magical fluctuations, meaning the patterns served no special purpose and were purely decorative.

However, Constantine’s trained eyes noticed the scabbard was over half a foot longer than a standard Rapier’s and seemed disproportionate to the man’s height… A thought struck him; the weapon inside was likely not just for show.

A weapon could, to some degree, reveal the wielder’s personality and preferred combat style… For instance, Mercenaries favored greatswords—versatile weapons with great power—while thieves favored daggers and crossbows, nothing deadlier when delivered from the shadows.

The Rapier was a standard Noble accessory, but if actually used as a weapon, it was a vicious thing. Not only was it light, but it was also hard to defend against. Once it pierced, it left a hole. While such a wound might not be immediately fatal, in combat, a small hole in the neck was little different from a mortal injury. The injured could only clutch their throat to stop the spraying blood, unable to do anything but desperately seek treatment. However, they were not sturdy and could only be used against fragile creatures… like Humans themselves.

Hmm, from this perspective, perhaps the Rapier was the most unvarnished expression of nobility among Nobles.

“Mr. Grant… please forgive my rudeness.” The Blood Elf, mistaken for the decision-maker, hesitated. At that moment, the shopkeeper interjected. “This ring is a Magic Item with the effect of a Gust of Wind spell. Therefore, regarding the price…”

“Oh? Then I truly have been rude. How about this: three thousand gold coins. I offer three thousand gold coins to purchase this magic ring. How about it, beautiful Lady?” Grant’s eyes lit up. A Magic Item ring, especially with such fine craftsmanship, would naturally double its value and further fuel his desire to buy it.

“Mr. Grant, I admire your discerning eye…” Constantine suddenly spoke up, interrupting him. He had noticed the other’s gaze change slightly when it swept over the Elf. However, that gaze, resembling a predator locking onto prey, was enough to make the youth feel somewhat displeased. “However, unfortunately, this ring’s transaction was just finalized. We are merely waiting for the other party to return with the remaining balance beyond the deposit…”

“How much did he pay?” The young man frowned. His eyes flickered over the youth, perhaps taking the suddenly speaking boy for a high-ranking servant. He asked indifferently.

“Two thousand five hundred gold coins.”

“Then. I’ll double it! And I’ll pay in cash. Is that sufficient?”

“That’s so much money, perhaps we should just forget it. It’s not worth it…” The young man doubled the price without a second thought, but the Lady beside him seemed to hesitate now—five thousand gold coins, while not causing the same sensation as an Elf in the slave market, was still a sum beyond imagination… This Lady might not have been sincerely refusing, but her current reaction—a mix of excitement, gratitude, and embarrassment—was precisely the expected best response.

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that this ring truly suits you. That reason alone is enough for me to pay double its value to obtain it…” The young gentleman’s words were gentle and elegant, his demeanor gracious, almost the epitome of a lady-killer for all ages. But Constantine caught sight of… his gaze was not on his female companion. His contracted pupils held a fierce intensity, making him seem less Human and more like a predator.

This tilted the scales in Constantine’s heart further towards disgust…

“Here are five thousand Empire gold notes! There, now, may I trouble you two masters to hand over the ring?” The young man took a stack of gold notes from his butler and offered them to the Blood Elf with an elegant gesture.

Unfortunately, the latter showed no intention of accepting them, not even granting him another glance.

“You’d better put that money away… sir. Because the two thousand five hundred gold coins I mentioned earlier were only the deposit. The selling price for this ring is eight thousand gold coins.” Constantine smiled and spoke coldly, adding a hint of mockery to his voice. As expected, he witnessed something interesting.

“You!” The young gentleman’s elegance distorted instantly. Five thousand gold was an astronomical sum for an ordinary person. Doubling that to sixteen thousand… by the Three Gods, no one carried that much gold around… And while Constantine’s earlier statement seemed flawless, it felt like it was making a fool of him!

“Sir, you may not be aware, but Mr. Grant is the son of the president of the Cloverleaf Merchant Guild… The Cloverleaf Merchant Guild has always been known for its excellent reputation. This… this…” The shopkeeper suddenly interjected urgently. Constantine noted beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his entire expression becoming somewhat comical. Constantine frowned. He knew the shopkeeper wasn’t emphasizing the young man’s reputation but was subtly warning him that the other party had powerful backing and shouldn’t be offended lightly!

Of course, as a Noble not deeply acquainted with common affairs, Constantine hadn’t heard of this so-called Cloverleaf Merchant Guild. But if it made the owner of Hayton’s most famous jewelry shop so cautious, the backing was likely substantial… However, the youth’s subsequent reaction showed no difference. He just gave a slight nod to indicate he had heard. As for backing, he had never factored that into consideration… How big could this backing be? Bigger than Duke Connalyvis? Bigger than the King? Or perhaps bigger than a mysterious Deity?

“Then… I assume this transaction should proceed without any issues?” The young gentleman thus smiled triumphantly again, his voice brimming with the confidence of victory.

“Although I am not a merchant, I understand that the foundation of a transaction is integrity… Since I have accepted the deposit, I naturally must complete the transaction…”

This display made Constantine’s mouth twitch slightly… As a modern person, he was never comfortable with things like breaking contracts. He deeply disliked those who didn’t keep their word, those who bullied others and disregarded rules. He had seen and endured too many of them in his previous life. “I’m afraid you will be disappointed…” He paused, then delivered a gentle but firm refusal before turning his head away, no longer looking at this irritating fellow.

“You, you…” The young gentleman trembled slightly… This clearly underage child had not only clearly rejected what he considered a generous offer, but the trace of a smile on his face seemed full of mockery, making him feel very uneasy—in fact, had he not been accompanied by a lady, he might have tried a different tone of conversation. So, this so-called merchant guild scion looked back at the shop owner, took a deep breath, and said coldly, “Mr. Borkin, your customer here is truly unimpressive.”

The response he received was a loud, derisive snort.

Of course, a snort couldn’t be loud. A loud, derisive snort… was usually deliberate, filled with contempt.

Mr. Grant, the young gentleman, flared up in rage. He lunged forward but then stopped abruptly… The other’s otherwise unremarkable face held deep blue eyes so profound… The small spots of black within them, when met directly, caused his heart to tremble slightly, as if staring into a deep, dark, cold slab of ice. He felt momentarily dizzy and his body involuntarily shuddered.

This moment of cowardice, in fact, went unnoticed by anyone. Only afterwards did the young gentleman’s face burn as if he had been slapped. His features even contorted with fury.

“Rob, handle this!” The young gentleman roared, grabbing his companion’s arm and turning to leave, while the butler behind him stepped forward.

“Sir…”

This man wasn’t tall, only about half a foot taller than Constantine, which was quite short for this Plane. But his body, hidden beneath standard servant attire, was as rugged as stone. Bulging muscles couldn’t be concealed even by loose clothing, especially on his neck, where corded muscles almost entirely obscured his jawline.

“Sir, if possible, I would like to speak with you outside.” The man bowed his head slightly in a standard gesture of courtesy, his tone polite and reasonable.

But politeness did not imply a lack of strength. As he bowed, his muscles tensed and swelled. The high-quality fabric of his clothes emitted faint tearing sounds, and the air around them trembled slightly.

“It’s quite cold outside… and I’m waiting for someone here…” The youth ignored this. Times had changed; there was no need for him to handle such matters personally anymore—the previously outside Miss William had now stepped forward, blocking the space between the two men!

Thus, the other party’s intended movement halted abruptly. Her outfit—a butler’s attire combined with a longbow—made Lady William’s current appearance quite eccentric, but that alone wasn’t particularly intimidating. The key was the large, silver-thread-embroidered insignia on her lapel.

Actually, if he also displayed his own insignia, this matter could be resolved directly, couldn’t it? Having lived as a commoner for so long, he seemed to have forgotten the Laws of the Nobles on this Plane again…

Hmm, or perhaps he hadn’t forgotten. The corner of the youth’s eye twitched—he realized he had probably instinctively avoided this simplest solution because he wanted to directly teach this fellow he disliked a lesson. Recalling his earlier attitude towards the Blood Elf, he shook his head slightly again… Had recent events made him somewhat cruel? Or had that damned Deity’s influence over him deepened once more?