Following Mateo's advice, Apolo headed to one of the shops on the main street to get his eagerly awaited Gururis, hoping that the information provided by the tailor was a bit exaggerated and that his plans wouldn't be thwarted. As a consolation, the young noble knew he was in the Ring City, the city with the highest influx of traders in the entire empire. If something existed and was marketable, then it had to be in this city!
Just as his servant had indicated, one of the most important shops for exotic creatures in the Ring City was quite close to the tailor's shop he had visited. So, the young noble didn't take long to reach the store.
The exotic animal shop was truly enormous, occupying the space of almost ten stores combined. Its imposing size wasn't the only thing indicating its prestige, as the sign above the large store doors was written in blue ink:
> "Imperial Exotic Animal Store, owned by the Ministry of Fauna and Environment."
—The imperial family? I suppose the nobles in the capital really care about buying exotic animals for their gardens...—Apolo murmured, somewhat nervous. He didn't like encountering important people, although in reality, he would probably be attended to by some ministry official, who were generally citizens of the Ring City, in other words: "nobodies".
While Apolo struggled with his anxiety, the carriage arrived at the store's entrance and stopped. This caused the young man to get out without wasting a second. The instant he opened the carriage door, the curious gazes of passersby reappeared.
Summoning patience within himself, Apolo forced himself not to run and headed toward the store while scrutinizing people obsessively, as if he feared that at any moment, one of these people might jump and attack him.
Fighting his urge to disperse all these curious onlookers with a loud shout, Apolo entered the store and was immediately greeted by a handsome man dressed in an elegant suit and a pair of white gloves. The handsome man bowed without asking the young man's name, making it clear to Apolo that this person fortunately was not important.
The man, with a well-practiced and elegant smile, continued his formal greeting, saying:
—Pleasure to meet you, my name is...
—I don't give a damn what your name is— Apolo rudely interrupted—Now, answer my question: do you sell the precious Gururis? I'm looking for two newborns and one old one.
—We only sell exotic and high-value creatures— the employee replied with a smile, ignoring the young man's insult.
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—You don't seem very smart. I just asked if you sell Gururis, so answer my question— Apolo replied, uncomfortable with the employee's refusal. It was a bad sign, a horrible sign!
—No, young sir, we only sell Goros or Geros— the employee replied, not losing his patience, showing that he was a professional in dealing with rude nobles.
—By my ancestors, why the hell don't you sell Gururis?!—Apolo shouted, more desperate than angry. The last thing he needed was for the tailor's words to become a reality.
—Because they are not the type of creatures that nobles would buy— the employee replied, undisturbed by Apolo's shouts.
—I am a noble, the most important noble you'll ever attend to in your miserable life as a commoner: brother of a future king! And I'm here waiting for you to sell me three damn Gururis!—Apolo yelled, spitting out all his saliva at the employee, causing his shout to reverberate throughout the store, making some animals startle in fear. Meanwhile, the other employees began to look at the employee who was serving Apolo with empathy; it seemed that this time, a rather difficult customer to satisfy had arrived—Now, you useless lot, tell me before I send you to be impaled with your children's bones up your ass, where the hell can I get the three Gururis I'm looking for?!
—In the neighborhood of creature breeders and animals...— the employee replied without losing his smile, surprising the rest of the employees. The man was truly putting on a brilliant performance.
—So, they're still available for purchase?—Apolo asked, changing his tone dramatically, grabbing the man's shoulders, which, to him, were as small as those of a fairground dwarf.
—Yes, of course, Gururis are available, and they are quite common— the employee replied with a slightly more genuine smile.
—May my ancestors bless you, good sir!—Apolo shouted, hugging the employee tightly as if he had been reunited with a long-lost brother, while the rest of the employees watched the situation in astonishment. Meanwhile, the employee being embraced smiled like an idiot at the wooden door, not knowing very well what to do to get this lunatic to stop hugging him. Apparently, this turn of events had exceeded all his expectations—You have no idea how long I've been waiting to acquire these noble creatures! And now, my hopes of successfully completing my search have been rekindled by your kind words. You are truly a great person.
After lavishing praise from the bottom of his heart on this unknown employee, Apolo left the store under the stunned gaze of all the employees.
When the door closed, and the young man left the store, a plump man with black eyes, completely bald and wearing only trousers, began to emerge from the very rock floor of the store as if it were water. Upon emerging, the plump man said to the still-stunned employee, looking at the closed door through which Apolo had left:
—It was very wise of you not to mention to the young man that what he was saying was nonsense. More than wise, it was a stroke of genius that saved your life. People from the Black Forest are known to wither those who anger them too much. And believe me, the emperor only applauds when he encounters dissected corpses. For this brilliant performance, you are promoted, Paris.
—Thank you very much, Minister!—the employee replied, coming out of his stupor and avoiding crying. He couldn't believe that a nobleman had almost sent him to his death just for not having a few miserable Gururis in the store.