Red was at a loss at this change in attitude. Didn’t Emer tell him the Golden Hand would try to squeeze him dry of everything they could in this deal? Why now were they offering the Spirit Stones as a gift?
‘That Heryd must have told him something.’
The youth wasn’t stupid. After seeing the old man’s reaction and Gustav’s change of attitude, he realized it was all because of what he showed when drawing the talismans. His skills, however, weren’t anything out of the ordinary, as anyone with basic mastery over Arcane Scriptures could draw that talisman with the same ease Red did. It was clear then that he was missing something about the whole situation.
He couldn’t help but recall Aurelia’s words a short while ago.
“Are these arrangements not to your liking, Master Viran?” Gustav looked at him with an apprehensive gaze.
“No, they are fine.” Red shook his head.
He wasn’t certain who these people thought he was, but he wouldn’t be the one to correct this misunderstanding.
Gustav sighed in relief. “That’s good. Then may I ask if you already have a spot in mind to set up your store?”
“I do not.”
“Then may I make a suggestion?”
Red frowned. “Is it still free?”
Gustav chuckled. “The suggestion, yes, but Master Viran shouldn’t worry. If we had any demands of you, we would put it down into a contract.”
The youth nodded. “Then say it.”
“There is a store in the market district we recently reacquired after its previous owner couldn’t pay off his debts. It isn’t very large, but it is located in a rather prominent location near the main plaza. We can offer it to you at a reasonable rent price, and in the future we will give you priority if you wish to buy it entirely.”
“Tell me how much.”
Gustav nodded. “I’ll have someone bring the contract first.”
A few minutes later, a servant arrived carrying an ornate lockbox and a sheet of paper, as well as some ink and pen. He set the box upon the table before handing the contract over to Gustav.
“The rent is of 800 gold coins a month.” The merchant said. “There is a security deposit, but considering what Master Viran has already shown us, the guild is more than willing to forego that sum.”
He handed the contract over to Red.
“Here, feel free to read it.”
The youth did as much. Eight hundred gold was a substantial amount, and it was even more than what the Water Dragon Sect made in a month usually. Yet Red wasn’t clueless about the situation in the capital, a place where cultivators gathered en masse and where real estate was always in high demand, so the price was more than fair. Not to mention that a single good talisman sale was more than enough to cover that amount.
Red still went over the contract, reading every line to make sure he didn’t miss anything. He didn’t spot any strange conditions in the contract, other than the usual amount of responsibility one would expect from a renter.
“This is fine.” Red handed the contract back to Gustav.
“Good.” The man nodded.
They both signed the contract, and the merchant had the servant take it away before handing another signed copy to Red.
“Now, for the Spirit Stones.”
Gustav picked out a small key from his pocket and opened the lockbox. Inside, the soft glow of dozens of Spirit Stones hit their eyes as even the air seemed to be suffused with energy.
Gustav stepped back with a smile. “Master Viran can count them.”
A glance was more than enough to confirm the legitimacy of the stones and their amount in the box. Red nodded, and Gustav closed the box before handing it over to him with the key.
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“Then this should be the conclusion of our deal for now.” The merchant extended his hand towards the youth. “It has been an honor working with you, Master Viran.”
Red looked down at the hand but made no move to accept the handshake.
“Will you have someone show me the way to the store?” he asked.
Gustav retracted his hand with an awkward smile and nodded. “Will you go there now?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll have one of the Guild’s servants direct you there. If you require anything else, make sure to let me know. You may ask for me directly at the front desk.”
Red nodded. In fact, he would definitely need to contact Gustav again in the future.
After stashing the lockbox away in his bag, the youth left the guild under the guidance of a servant. The whole meeting with the merchant didn’t take more than an hour, and now he was leaving the temple with a veritable fortune.
It was still hard to believe how smoothly things had gone, but Red didn’t feel too happy about it. It was clear there was a big misunderstanding about the entire situation, and even though that was to his benefit, the fact he didn’t know what happened worried him. Was he now impersonating a new identity without even knowing about it?
He wanted to ask Aurelia what happened, but he could only wait until he wasn’t in the middle of the street.
The Golden Hand servant led him through the streets of the capital, and after a long walk, they finally arrive at the market district. Red didn’t think that things could get more cramped within the city, but he changed his mind once he arrived in this place.
‘This is… ludicrous.’
The place was packed with people, so much so that it seemed almost impossible to walk without bumping into other people. In fact, even as sunset was nearing, there were still plenty of barracks and streets vendors that made the transit through the streets even harder.
Cottons, clothing, food, jewelry - almost anything one could think of could be seen in the stalls, and that was only on the sidewalks. Stores could be said to have even more traffic, and in some of them bodyguards stopped people from coming in until the building was emptier. Red even saw a few stalls claiming to sell books about martial arts, which made him curious, but he didn’t stop to see them now.
There was plenty of time for that later.
Eventually, the servant led him to a corner of the main plaza, a wide open area with a large stone statue of what Red could only assume to be a past king. The man pointed at a small store with a fine wooden facade and a glass showcase that let one take a peek into the empty shelves inside. Despite the layer of dust that could be seen around the store and the bolt shut wide door, it seemed as if the building was still in good condition.
“That is the store, my lord. It’s just that…”
The servant trailed off.
The problem was obvious, of course, and that was the fact that right in front of the store there was a large stall blocking the way. A rough, large man wearing an apron shouted at the surrounding people as he cooked some type of meat skewers at an open grill.
“Come ‘ere! Legitimate monster meat skewer, the finest you can eat for just a few gold coins!”
His attempt to attract customers seemed to find moderate success, as some people stopped by before handing him a few coins and leaving with a skewer. Smoke rose to the sky as the man continued to advertise his products with a rough smile.
“I did not know he was there, my lord.” The servant looked at Red with a frightened gaze. “I will call the guards at once.”
“It’s fine.” Red cut him off. “I don’t want to make a commotion.”
It was obvious why the man would pick this place to set up a stall. No one used the building for quite a while, it seemed, and its location right by the main plaza was the perfect for attracting costumers.
If Red wanted to set up a store here, though, he obviously couldn’t afford to have someone blocking the view.
He approached the food stall with the servant in tow, and the man looked at him with an ugly smile that seemed to be missing quite a few teeth.
He laughed. “Masked brother! Do you want a skewer too? Finest meat in the city, I personally guarantee!”
“I don’t want a skewer.” Red shook his head. “I’m the new owner of the store behind you.”
“Ah, is that so? Well, I can… W-wait!” The man’s expression changed. “What did ya say?”
“I have rented the store behind you.” The youth said. “I am going to be using it from now on to open my shop, so I need you to move your stall.”
The street vendor’s expression continued to pale, and he looked behind himself and back at Red in confusion. A dozen different expressions crossed his face, and he seemed to examine the youth before noticing the swords at his waist, which in turn made him reconsider some brief ideas that seemed to cross his mind.
“I-I understand, sir!” The man nodded. “Can I just ask ya one thing?”
“What is it?” Red asked.
“Ya don’t intend to open your shop today, right?”
“No.”
“Then could I just stay ‘ere for the rest of the day? I promise ya I’ll be gone by the morrow!”
Red sighed and nodded. “Fine. Just make sure to be gone by then.”
“Great! Thank ye kindness, my good sir!” The man picked up a skewer and offered it to Red. “Here, take one for free!”
The youth stared at the food with a frown before turning around and walking away. The vendor didn’t seem to mind, as once Red was gone, he began shouting to attract customers again.
The servant followed behind Red towards the store, looking back at the vendor with a weird expression.
“My lord, are you sure you don’t want to call the guards? These kind of people are-”
“It’s fine.” Red cut him off. “If he doesn’t go away tomorrow, I can deal with it then.”
He wasn’t scared to deal with a mortal, but he didn’t want to use force either, which was why he was satisfied the man agreed to leaving so easily. If he was still here by tomorrow, though, then Red might change his mind.
“Now open the store.” Red said.
“As you wish, my lord!”
The servant stepped forward before removing the barred door and unlocking the chain. He opened the entrance to the store, revealing the place that Red would be working out of for the foreseeable future.
‘This is it, then.’