Chapter 11 Part II

“Hey! I think the two of us were here before this kid, Cater.”

A voice rang from one side of the shop. There, a skinny young man about the age of eighteen was staring at Cater and Arias with a frown on his face. Beside him was another man, big and tall, who seemed to be about the same age as him. This man was holding a mighty black club in one hand. The two of them were second and third-level acolytes.

“The two of you wouldn’t stop bargaining until there’s almost no profit for me. I’m running a business here, not a charity!”

Cater yelled in annoyance, his tone, and manner completely different from when he talked to Arias. The adept-level mage blasted his power, creating a pressure that made the two young men’s faces turn white. Pressured by a power higher than theirs, the two of them could only look down and go quiet. Cater turned to look at Arias, a smile was back on his face once again like he was a different man.

“Don’t mind those pests. Now, what are you looking for today?”

“I would like two hundred low-level magic quartz and a hundred mid-level magic quartz. Do you have enough for me to buy?”

Arias was not really bothered by the incident.

“You want that many of them!? Please give me a moment. Wait here and don’t go anywhere.”

Although he was shocked by the amount of magic quartz that Arias wanted, Cater quickly rushed back to the storage room at the back of the shop, his round belly shaking under the influence of gravity looking like a big bouncing ball.

“I think I have it somewhere…here it is! Luckily I have some in my stock.”

It took only a moment until he came running back with a dimensional ring containing the quartz. Although he had a heavy body, he was quite light on his feet. His movement might look like an ordinary movement, but Arias could see that there was a small wind that enabled him to move more quickly. If his assumption was correct, then Cater must be an Air-Wielding mage.

“One low-level quartz is a hundred Crystal Coins, and one mid-level quartz is a thousand Crystal Coins. That’s a hundred and twenty thousand Crystal Coins for everything. But I’ll make it a hundred and fifteen thousand Crystal Coins just for you.”

Cater calculated the price quickly and accurately, and he did not forget to give Arias a discount to please him as well. The man grinned from ear to ear. When he smiled like this, his eyes became so narrow you could barely see them at all.

“Good sir, I’m afraid there is some problem. It appears that the dimensional ring you’re currently wearing is but a low-level one, and it won’t have enough space for all this quartz. Do you happen to have another ring with you?”

The ring Arias was wearing was just a low-level dimensional ring. A low-level dimensional ring only had one square meter of space.

“No, this is the only one I have.”

“Hee-hee, then would you like to purchase a mid-level dimensional ring? I do have some of them here. I think it will be more convenient for you. Who knows? You might need it once you become a potion-brewer.”

Cater’s face moved closer with a big grin on it. His eyes were sparkling, his two hands were put together in front of him. Having done business with Arias twice, Cater knew that this brewer’s apprentice seemed to have quite a bit of money. So, he immediately took the opportunity to recommend another item.

“Uh…I’ll tell you once more! Don’t move your face too close to mine like this again. But you’re right. So, I’ll take the dimensional ring you’re holding there. No need to waste time transporting the items to another ring.”

When that round face moved closer, Arias unconsciously stepped back. He did not really like being close to another male.

“Errr – Sir, this one is a high-level dimensional ring.”

“I know. Add it to the total cost of the quartz. Hurry up. There’s still a lot of things I need to do.”

“Right away, sir! It will be one hundred and sixty thousand Crystal Coins for everything.”

Cater’s eyes which sparkled like a star were staring at Arias like he was a gold mine. It had been a long time since he’d seen a big spender such as this; spending almost two hundred Crystal Coins in a single day. This mysterious boy was certainly something more than just an ordinary person. Cater inwardly cried with delight, ‘This is truly a blessing from heaven. To be able to make this much money within a day…it’s even more than the overall profit I’ve made so far this year.’ His shop was something that had been passed down for generations. However, in his generation, it had been doing worse with every passing day. There was hardly any customer who would visit this place and when there was, it would only be someone who was here to create a ruckus like those young men who stood there staring at him. A person like Arias was truly a godsent customer.

“Uh…sir, may I have your name?”

Before Arias could leave, Cater hurriedly asked the name of his important patron. This name would be forever engraved on Cater’s heart. Although the other was just a neophyte, Cater would treat him with the utmost respect. If this gold mine were to slip out of his hands, he would be in so much grief he cried until there were no tears left in him.

“You can call me Las.”

Arias did not tell the other his real name. He still wanted to keep his identity a secret.

After Arias walked out of the shop, he could still hear Cater thanking him profusely. However, aside from Cater who watched him with an impressed look, there were others–a pair of men–who were glaring grudgingly at Arias.

“I think we’re going to be rich.”

The skinny man licked his lips. His eyes, full of greed, watched as the young man in a grey hood left the shop.

“Rich? Where do we get the money? Or do you have it already?”

The big guy stared at his friend curiously.

“For once, Nell, try and use your brain instead of your muscle.”

Seeing the stupid look his buddy had, the man could only rub his temple in exasperation. The two of them had been living together as friends since childhood. The big one called Nell was an Earth-Wielder. Although he looked big and strong, he was not very bright. The other one was Han, an Air-Wielder who would usually come up with a plan.

“Are we doing that again?”

“That’s right. The usual thing.”

A vicious smile appeared on their faces. The two exchanged a knowing look, acting like they had done this several times before. They were not a part of any guild, which meant they did not receive financial support from anyone. They used to hunt for beasts in exchange for money as other mages do. However, Han suggested not long ago that mugging money from lower-level mages would be an easier way to make money without having to risk their lives. Most of their victims were neophytes or acolytes with lower ranks than them. If the victim surrendered without a fight, they might just get away with a scratch or two. But if they fought back, the pair would take care of them without showing any mercy. There was one time that they accidentally killed someone who resisted.