Chapter 104: Untitled

Perhaps because the effects of the low-latitude region made the other three seasons drag on for too long, winter in Hayton quickly reached its peak almost as soon as it began.

Thin snowflakes danced in the air with the north wind. If one looked down from the tall city walls or the spire of a Temple, they would discover the capital of Phoenix shrouded in a hazy white mist. Only the streams of warm smoke rising from countless households diluted the fog’s color. When these warm, gray-black breaths of air met the cold wind, the entire city became filled with a thin gray haze and a strong smell of burning.

The gray-black cinders of wood charcoal would always fall to the ground, making winter in Hayton even more filthy. In the slums, mud mixed with all kinds of household waste froze solidly together, forming ugly ice sculptures of various shapes. People dumped night soil and leftovers among these ice sculptures, and by the next day, new sculptures were complete!

However, this severe cold effectively cleared the large and small Rogues from the streets of the capital, those whom the Nobles saw as the biggest social trouble. Regardless of whether they were arrogant, cruel, and greedy bandits, or rascals who would draw a dagger for a piece of bread and kill for a prostitute. And those nimble-fingered “golden fingers,” as well as all sorts of crafty cheats… they all chose to hunker down on such cold days. Therefore, during this season, the people at the Law Enforcement Office also recited the name of the holy Cubest with joy while huddling around the fire. If the deity could hear these bandits’ and ruffians’ prayers, it would surely be furious to death by the sheer malice contained within them.

Of course, that’s not to say no one went out at this time… for example, the Black Robe boy strolling leisurely through the snow, slightly admiring the surrounding scenery.

Since arriving in Hayton, this was the first time the Sorcerer was able to wander around so casually. The first time he went out on a stroll, the Old Steward was with him, and halfway through, they ran into an assassination attempt, which thoroughly ruined the mood. After that, various incidents happened one after another. Combined with the affairs at the Magic Tower, he simply never had the time to properly enjoy the sights of this world’s big city.

On both sides of the main avenue was the concentrated area of Hayton’s shops. To summarize it with a term familiar to Constantine, it was a high-end commercial street. The buildings along this wide road were all various shops. However, these shops lacked the flashiness and noise of his memories, possessing instead a touch of simplicity and elegance. Shops hung curtains decorated with feathers from rare birds or displayed cleverly arranged bonsai made from plants. Amidst the swirling snowflakes, pedestrians in foreign attire passed by in twos and threes. At this moment, Constantine felt a sort of illusion, as if he had returned to his own Plane, strolling along an antiquated European-style boulevard just before Christmas.

Apart from shops selling terrifyingly expensive goods, there were also many restaurants with luxurious and elegantly arranged décor. The shops in this area were similar to the high-end counters of the big shopping malls from the boy’s memories. The staff did not approach unless spoken to, and browsing through shops without buying anything wouldn’t provoke dissatisfaction from the clerks. Thus, the boy’s familiar way of browsing from one shop to another was commonplace here too.

As a modern person, being able to blend into such an ancient city must be considered a rather pleasant experience.

“Can you walk any faster?” An impatient voice interrupted the boy’s leisurely pace. Clearly, not everyone appreciated this atmosphere. Although very fond of the swirling snowflakes, the slender physique and limited diet of Elves made it difficult for them to endure cold weather. Even though she was wrapped in an exquisite camel hair cloak and furs somewhat unseasonably, the young lady still couldn’t stand the feeling of cold.

“I thought Elves loved the beauty of nature? Don’t you find this snowy scene refreshing and pleasant?” Constantine smiled. Unlike the somewhat shabby previous outing, this time the boy had five or six people following him, giving him a bit of the feel of a young lord going out for a jaunt.

“Even if I wanted to admire something, I would choose the heavy snow in the Eden Forest! What’s so artistic about these gray ice particles stained with soot?” The Blood Elf shook off a few snowflakes from her light and warm, grassy green cloak and complained, “Besides, it’s so cold… I really don’t understand why you insisted on wandering the streets at this time!”

“Phoenix’s snow naturally can’t compare to the northeast’s. However, for Humans, snowfall that’s too heavy is just a disaster, Lady Venutil… Actually, with fewer pedestrians on the streets in this weather, there’s less likely to be trouble. It’s a very suitable time for an outing. Lord Constantine’s choice was quite well-considered…” Following behind the Elf, wearing a standard servant’s outfit, the former Mercenary captain smiled. Even while speaking, her gaze, hidden under the shadow of her hood, was sharply scanning every corner. As the boy’s attendant and bodyguard, this Mercenary captain was clearly working hard. However, she and her few companions were very experienced and had a solid grasp of skills from various professions.

“I just happened to have some free time. I wasn’t considering anything. But talking about trouble, we look more like the ones looking for it.” The boy forced a bitter smile. His gaze swept over the few people behind him. The female Mercenary dressed as a servant but carrying a longbow was one thing. But the towering Gordo, whose height was far beyond normal, was already very eye-catching. And next to him, the one in white priestly robes even more clashed with the surroundings. Not to mention there was someone who couldn’t seem to shake off their occupational habits… That individual, who had vanished from the group’s line of sight, had just swept past a shop entrance and mischievously plucked a piece of gold leaf from the shop door!

“Honored master… Rabi listens, Rabi doesn’t look for trouble…” A sound somewhat like a bark came from beside the boy. The small, not-tall fellow wore simple black clothes, his entire form shrouded in a black cloak. Without looking closely, he resembled a slightly hunched, short-statured Human. Only upon getting closer could one notice the red lizard head in the shadow of the hood.

This was Job, the Kobold Sorcerer capable of using Illusion. After the battle that day, he became Constantine’s follower… well, more like something akin to a pet. Compared to the usual Kobold, both his intelligence and Magic abilities were quite remarkable. Although suffering the same Curse as the Blood Elf, the timid Kobold had absolutely no intention of testing the Soul-worm’s effects again.

Perhaps some kind of mutation had occurred within his bloodline, or it was a Dragon ancestry atavism. In any case, this little creature displayed surprising intelligence. After only some basic training, he could already serve Constantine like a proper servant.

Although clearly, this fellow’s comprehension skills were enough to give anyone a headache…

Strolling wasn’t Constantine’s main goal. Solving the shortage of funds was.

You had to admit, the Mage Tower was an excellent place for burning money. Someone once said the daily luxury expenses of the Empire’s Nobles combined couldn’t match the cost of a single Mage’s experiment. That statement certainly wasn’t without basis. Even though Constantine was just a Warlock Apprentice, the costs for scroll parchment, ink, materials for fixing them after writing, and lately, the material costs for potions he was studying, plus book borrowing and copying fees… these things easily consumed several hundred gold coins, which was a trivial, insignificant matter. Yet it was enough to bankrupt a wealthy small merchant.

The high-ranking Mages in the Mage Tower weren’t exactly poor. They each received a considerable monthly stipend and could earn large commissions by serving some Noble… But an Apprentice like Constantine didn’t have such privileges. The bit of money the Magic Tower gave him in his first month wasn’t even enough to cover the cost of making low-level scrolls. And what was even worse, his scrolls had no market…

After all, scrolls were bought to save one’s life when necessary. Who would trust an alchemy Apprentice in that regard? Moreover, in terms of effectiveness, Constantine’s scrolls couldn’t even be compared to those made by Formal Mages. A Magic Missile scroll from someone else could fire four or five missiles; his only produced two. And that was the result of diligent recent practice.

Previously, he could have still considered himself loaded with money. But once the funding agreement with the Greenwich family was fulfilled, gold coins would flow away like the tide at once. At the next tide, the boy might have a substantial return waiting before him. However, that required at least several months to a year’s buffer…

Therefore, Constantine could only find a way to sell off the assets he had on hand.

What he could offer were those Gemstones, of course. Selling them directly was not an option. He didn’t want to be taken for a chat by the Law Enforcement Office guards. Moreover, the relatively crude techniques of this era, in his view, were also a waste of the value of gold, silver, and Gemstones. So he had been pondering ways to alter their appearance. And recently, after becoming the mainstay of the Black Robes, this wish finally became a reality.

Using tools from Vernal’s laboratory, he modified several gold and silver pieces of jewelry. As someone with a bachelor’s degree in craft design, and a transmigrator to boot, he had some experience in making gold and silverware. This was thanks to a certain professor from his university days, that old fellow who tirelessly instructed a group of bright students: “You must master more practical skills, so when you enter society, you won’t be unable to adapt…”

Back then, Constantine and his classmates cursed the old fellow for scaremongering after they entered society. But now he silently thanked that memory: having many skills is never a burden.

After walking half the length of the commercial street, the boy finally found his target.

This was also part of the commercial street, but what made it special was that starting from a certain section, none of the shops here had the massive signs he remembered. There wasn’t even a single sign of explanation. No matter how you looked at it, they seemed like ordinary apartment buildings. But anyone with brains would know that on this stretch of land, where every inch equaled a gold coin of the same size, there couldn’t possibly be ordinary apartments.

This was the location of the most upscale shops. They didn’t need signs. Generally, the customers who came here were the refined among the Nobility. Their connections naturally told them what goods were available inside the shops.

Constantine stopped in front of the seventh number plate.

This shopfront wasn’t lavishly decorated with gold trimmings or gilding. It didn’t even have a doorman standing outside to greet customers, appearing somewhat quiet and cold amidst all this prosperity. The path in front of the porch was paved with cobblestones, and the porch floor was laid with ordinary blue bricks. It looked more like a residence than a shop. But Constantine wouldn’t let the ordinary appearance of this villa give him the slightest feeling of contempt.

He opened the door and walked straight inside the villa. The interior also seemed very ordinary. The spruce wood floor, painted with varnish, was waxed. The walls on all sides were painted milky white. A bronze chandelier hung from the ceiling. There was a staircase beside the door corner leading to the second floor. A tea table stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by a circle of sofas. A fire burned in the fireplace on the western side of the room, making it quite warm. The surrounding space was tranquil and peaceful; for a moment, only the faint crackling of the fire could be heard. It was entirely the picture of an ordinary household.

But Constantine’s vision allowed him to notice immediately that beneath the room’s carpet, faint strands of Magic Power fluctuations formed a small Magic Circle. The sounds from inside and outside the room were completely isolated beyond the boundary of the Magic Circle. That’s why it was so quiet and elegant. He smiled slightly. The cost of maintaining a Magic Circle was high, even for a small, simply-functioning one like this. It seemed the jewelry business maxim, “Half a year without a sale, then one sale feeds you for two years,” was true across any Plane.

Seeing someone enter, an elegant middle-aged man came forward. He didn’t look like an ordinary shop assistant. His round, slightly flushed face held a quite cheerful expression, appearing somewhat shrewd yet also seemingly not too clever. But this was obviously a disguise. To establish oneself in the most prosperous shops, being clever and knowing how to cater to customers was the most basic requirement.

“Noble… Lady, what would you like to see? I have the best diamonds in all Phoenix. They all come from the Zayi Mine in Namiya. You must have heard of it; the quality of diamonds from there is top-notch. As for gold and silver jewelry, we have Dwarvish and Halfling craftsmen whose skills rank in the top ten on the entire Continent. They can fulfill all your needs. We also provide comprehensive gemstone appraisal certificates.”

While fluently presenting this introduction, the shop manager discreetly sized up the two guests. The young lady shrouded in a thick cloak… even just by looking at that delicate, somewhat proud chin and beautiful thin lips, one could judge she was a young lady from a distinguished family, at least a Count’s daughter. The other boy’s attire wasn’t particularly outstanding, but he was clearly also either a noble child or a high-ranking servant.

This pair made the shop manager instantly reach a judgment, so he directed all his attention to the Elf lady.

“If this were to be sold, how much would it be worth?” Constantine reached out and took out a small box, handing it to the manager. He asked casually.

“Well, sir, primarily, our shop doesn’t often accept items for sale…” The clerk habitually replied, but his eyes made another circle around the other’s not-so-luxurious attire. A poor soul from a fallen family? Couldn’t be anything good, could it? He speculated privately.

As a merchant, though, this manager was obviously quite competent. Even though using a dismissive tone, he still opened the small jewelry box with a skillful motion. Then, a feeling of shock choked the words that followed back into his stomach.

Inside the box was a ring. It used the common combination of gold with a single Gemstone. But it was this ordinary style that now looked extraordinarily… dreamlike.

Compared to the whole, the round diamond serving as the main piece seemed a bit too large. But the designer used some techniques to compensate for this shortcoming. The gold was crafted using some method into over a dozen strands of fine wire, then cleverly interwoven using an unseen technique into an indescribable form. Gold-red mingled with flecks of Silver Light, and the intertwining seemed perfectly natural. The longer one’s gaze lingered, the more refreshed one felt. It further highlighted the perfect, fine facets on the large central diamond. From any angle, the entire gem seemed to emit little points of starlight.

Having been in the jewelry business for over a decade, the manager naturally could judge at a glance the approximate value of this little item in his hand. Not to mention the gleaming ring itself, just the weight of the diamond set upon it was enough to make its worth exceed one thousand five hundred gold coins! And if you added in this unprecedented craftsmanship… He carefully closed the box, returned it, and nervously rubbed his hands. “Sir, this ring seems to be of considerable value. May I ask what price you are hoping to receive for its sale?”

“Please, your judgment will suffice,” the boy responded with a polite smile.

This ring was originally part of Mr. Feesman’s collection. But now, even if that Count examined it face-to-face, he probably wouldn’t recognize it as his own. The original gold band had been re-smelted by Constantine, with modern design elements incorporated using a wire-pulling technique. And that red diamond? It had been re-ground by Constantine using a wheel coated with diamond powder. The effect of fifty-eight facets was enough to bring the diamond’s fire to its peak, utilizing a method nonexistent in this Plane.

“This… this…” The plump manager struggled to swallow a couple of times, unable to give an accurate price. He originally thought the young man before him was just an ordinary little noble kid. But now he couldn’t determine the youngster’s actual background. After all, ordinary Nobles didn’t personally sell jewelry; they usually entrusted their subordinates to handle it. Yet this ring’s value was so high it could serve as a heirloom for a minor Noble. If one wanted to sell it, being the grand finale at an auction would best match its value. Selling it off so casually like this… This young lady who didn’t show her face and whose attire wasn’t especially remarkable, what kind of wealthy and powerful family could she possibly belong to?