Chapter 9: White Wick.

As Armand and the old man walked away towards their home, Saukel, the slave trader, continued to show off the captives that he considered as his property. In front of the crowd of nobles acclaiming him and begging for his attention to buy one of them, he displayed his merchandise.

Suddenly, a luxurious vehicle, black and adorned with gold, arrived from the center of the city. On one of its doors, a stylized symbol representing a capital "B" inside a sun was visible. The rear doors opened, revealing two men dressed in black, wearing round hats. They unrolled a small red carpet in front of the central door, where the same symbol was displayed.

An elderly man, dressed in a blue suit and wearing a round hat, stepped out of the vehicle. He stood upright, leaning on a gold cane that served no purpose other than to show off his wealth, walking on the carpet. The crowd parted, transfixed. It was obvious that this man was known by the nobles, who he arrogantly ignored. He approached Saukel and greeted him gracefully. The merchant, trembling and stammering, clearly hadn't expected such a prestigious visit to this modest, gloomy market.

This man is Edgar Baring, patriarch of the Baring family, one of the wealthiest in Primis. Creator of the world's one and only bank, he is an emblematic figure. His son, less famous, owns three casinos around the world, the most important of which is in Risoria, the city of festivities.

"This is... Edgar Baring? What's he doing in a place like this?" Questioned one nobleman.

"I don't know, but he's a lot more imposing than I'd been told," replied another noble from the crowd.

"'Sir... Sir Baring! What a joy to see you... here," Saukel exclaimed a little awkwardly.

"If I remember correctly, you're Sir Saukel, aren't you? It's been three years since my last purchase from you," said Edgar Baring in a calm, confident voice.

The merchant remembered that this man had bought a dozen slaves for his properties and family in the past. He wondered why he had returned after such a purchase, and asked him in an intimidated voice.

"What brings a person such as yourself here, Sir Baring?"

"I need new labor," he replied.

"Do you still have the slaves you bought last time?" Saukel asked.

Edgar closes his eyes and stands behind Saukel to examine what he's proposing. At the same time, he answers that he had to eliminate six of them: one was sick, and the others had the indecency, he says, to beg him to cure them instead of working. The crowd falls silent upon hearing this speech, while the two henchmen watch the scene, ready to intervene in case of trouble with Baring. Saukel swallows his saliva and tries to find other topics of conversation.

"I see. And how is your grandson? He's grown up by now, I imagine!"

"My grandson?" He chuckles, "you mean Hector? That brat's following in his father's footsteps. He spends his time at the casino in Risoria and uses his money only for fun. His gambling addiction will eventually be his undoing, but that won't be my problem. I've warned him many times before. The last time I saw him, he even told me he'd just bought a high-rise building and was moving in for some reason. He's also interested in financing an old Risoria event, which he says he wants to bring up to date. This kid has no concept of money."

The man approaches the cage where Saukel highlighted the two prisoners earlier. He stares at them with interest. The first has a sturdy body and seems endowed with impressive physical strength. As for the second, he wonders why her face is hidden beneath a hooded cloak. However, given her body, albeit very dirty and scratched, she could be useful.

"Tell me, Sir Saukel, can you remove this shabby cloth that hides her face? I'm very interested in these two oddballs," asked the banker.

Saukel flinched at Edgar's request and seemed reluctant to do such a thing. The man insisted, saying he wouldn't buy a property if he couldn't see her face. Meanwhile, the slave chained to the girl's side hears the whole scene and looks towards her.

He could see her eyes hidden in the shadows, petrified with fear and on the verge of tears, as if she were worried about what would happen if this man bought her. The chained man then has an idea, his left hand is close enough to her, and he begins to wriggle in all directions.

The crowd gets restless, and Edgar, ready to accept despite this detail, turns back to the cage to see what's going on.

"What the hell's the matter with that Arubaean bastard?" growled Saukel.

The chained man continued to struggle, his left hand gradually moving closer to the girl, who remained motionless in the cage. Saukel creates a whip with magic and orders the man to stop his craziness while striking him. Despite the blows, he continues to struggle like a fool. The chains stretch slightly, but far too little to break, which wasn't his aim anyway.

After a few moments of continuing to struggle, his hand finally managed to grasp the girl's cloak. With a jerk, he pulls back her hood to reveal her face to the crowd and the old banker. The girl seems to have a perfectly normal face: she's beautiful, with hazel-colored eyes and long chestnut hair, tied back to stay hidden under the hood that's now off her head.

But the crowd doesn't see it that way. Shocked by this revelation, most people back away, hiding their eyes or mouths. This girl has a peculiarity: a wick of her hair is completely white. Saukel hits the Arubaean harder, cursing him for revealing his face to a man like Baring.

Baring advances towards the cage, looking at it with a strange fascination. He drops his cane and stands at the bars to observe it more closely, his henchmen suggesting he stay away.

"That wick... Finding an Arubaean at a slave market isn't that unusual, but this... what a marvel!" Edgar exclaims with fascination.

The man in chains widens his eyes, not understanding his reaction. He should be terrified in front of her, but the opposite has just happened: he's fascinated and even more intrigued than before.

"The White Wicks were one of the most ancient tribes of Primis. Your strength and your connection to magic are strangely superior to those of any other living being. But your naivety and passivity led to your downfall. I can even feel this famous seal that serves to restrict this fascinating connection to magic that you've possessed for generations. I never thought I'd have the chance to see one of them in my lifetime. There are so few of this species left. It would be a shame if I missed such an opportunity," Edgar explained.

He lets go of the bars, picks up his cane from the ground, then turns and walks towards Saukel. He asks him to reserve these two for himself, and offers a sum of one million pieces for the girl, whereas Saukel was about to offer him both for only one hundred thousand pieces. Mouth agape, Saukel once again swallowed his saliva, but said nothing and shook his hand, which was covered by a silk glove.

The two men then agreed to meet again next week to make the exchange. Edgar heads back to his vehicle, walking again on the carpet leading to his door. He is stopped by one of his henchmen, who asks him if it was such a good idea to spend so much on a White Wick.

The man pauses, his gaze cold, and begins to remove his glove from his right hand, careful not to touch anything with his hand. He approaches his servant, who doesn't understand, and grabs his ear firmly. The crowd, shocked by this scene, tries not to say a word, as the second guard is still watching them, despite what's happening and the man's pleas.

"Please... Please excuse me, Master Baring. I didn't mean what I said!" Implored the Baring henchman.

Just then, a golden aura illuminated Edgar's hand, and the man's ear began to glow with gold, before continuing onto his face and mouth, silencing him completely. His whole body and clothing turn to gold, until the man becomes a mere golden statue.

Edgar releases him and barely pushes him, enough for him to fall on his back, the statue shattering on the floor, scattering gold all over the noblemen's feet. Without a word, Baring puts his glove back on and climbs into the vehicle without closing the door, glancing at the crowd.

"This is what happens when you dare to question my decisions. Make of these unfortunate pieces what you will." Said Baring, annoyed.

His other henchman finishes rolling up the carpet, after cleaning it of the gold pieces. He puts the carpet back in the trunk of the vehicle and closes Baring's door. He, in turn, enters the vehicle through the rear door, his hand trembling on the handle. Once the vehicle is completely closed, he starts up and turns around, heading for the center of Auroria.

He leaves after a final farewell honk. The crowd, intimidated by what had happened, doesn't dare pick up a single piece of gold from the ground. Saukel's heart beats a thousand miles an hour, telling himself he'd better do what the banker has asked. He decides to put an end to his deal following this event.

Later, imperial guards come to clean up the scene, having heard what has happened. They keep quiet to avoid trouble with the Baring family. One of the guards notices that the head is missing, but one of them says it must have been taken by a nobleman, and they don't linger any longer.

In an modest little shop to the east of Auroria, filled with weapons, magic objects and other trinkets of all kinds, stands a merchant who has witnessed the whole scene. It's Like, leaning against the counter of his store, hiding for fear of reprisals. Indeed, he has just taken the head of the man's statue.

"Damn, these upper class people are freaks! I'll make it look like a work of art. I could get away with a good chunk of change if I find someone gullible enough. It's morbid, but business is business...," he murmurs to himself.

The day passes, and night settles in. Armand has just trained again with Master Kaka. After dinner, Kaka goes off to sleep as usual. As for Armand, he's been in the garden for some time now, sitting on the grass with a candle lighting the book on the ground. Armand sits cross-legged, with his aura of orange. He's stubbornly trying to create his magic gourd, but he just can't manage it. The structure is very complex, and he can't reproduce the necessary pump.

After a dozen attempts, he finally manages to create a gourd with a working pump and leaves it on the ground. His eyes turn yellow as he watches the flow of magic into the gourd, and everything seems to be working properly. He sighs with relief, but something is wrong. The gourd seems to have reached its limit, but it keeps getting bigger, pumping out more and more magic. It's far too big and looks ready to explode, which it eventually does. Armand shields his face with his arms, his green aura, and the magic gourd explodes close to him.

He then regains his senses and searches in the tree of the house. He sees Pica still asleep, thankfully. He lets out a sigh before collapsing on the grass, too tired to continue today.

"I'd forgotten that detail. Honestly, this stuff is hard to create. Even with my skills and all the indications in this book, it's difficult...," Armand thought aloud.

He got up, wiped his bottom and returned to the house, slightly disappointed, although he was almost there. As he lay on his bed, he thought about what he'd seen today and how it disgusted him. He refuses to believe that he too must save these kinds of horrible scoundrels like Saukel, unaware of what happened after he left.

End of chapter 9.