---

「Um... what is this silver cone topped with a fluffy ball?」

「Oh that? It's a Pyrrette. One of the fashion staples of the last decade. A little out of style, but many still rock it.」

「So... it's a hat?」

「Heavens no! You cover your junk with it!」

Nago's bijou general store was bursting at the seams with people. The near-tumultuous line was so long, it bled over to the neighboring district.

The information broker looked ever so lively dealing with so many customers.

「My goodness, what might this be? This shirt leaves far too little for the imagination!」

「Ah! That brings back memories! Fishnet tops! You've got a keen eye for the classics!」

Many turned away from the avant-garde fineries on display, while others were crazy enough to buy them. Nago wasn't the only one with a poor sense of style.

Melyn and I—sat at the table behind the counter—watched quietly as hideous garment after garment went flying off the shelves. It was a spectacle to behold.

More accurately... the two of us tried to stay quiet.

We were on the verge of laughter. Each article of clothing was even more ridiculous than the last.

Nago's cheery explanations didn't help in the slightest.

「Oi, the 'ell's this sharp purple crap?」

「Pasties, good sir. Nipple coverings.」

「What.」

「I said they're pasties, good sir! Nipple coverings for your... well... you know..!」

「I HEARD YA TH' FIRST TIME!」

I buried my face into my arms, stifling my laughter.

Melyn also struggled to maintain her composure—she punched me repeatedly as Nago continued making bank off of these morons.

My sides hurt... for more than one reason...

Hundreds of people came to visit. The store could only fit about twenty people at a time, so Nago had to be snappy with the transactions.

And he was. A seasoned merchant like him was adept in handling the bustle.

A few long hours later and the shop finally closed. Not a soul remained afterward. Almost all the items were sold out.

The thief girl and I collapsed in our seats with faces redder than the sunset outside.

「N-Nago... what the hell is up with your hometown's fashion line..?」

「Fabulous isn't it?」

「How come only your city finds it acceptable to walk around half-naked..?」

「Tsk, tsk, tsk. Don't go dismissing us as perverts now. My city's at the forefront of counter-culture. We take a stance against the norm and creatively express ourselves through our clothing.」

「Ah... so you're a community of hipsters. Got it.」

「Hip... stirs..? Is that a Merulean word? Actually never mind... more importantly...」

As Nago approached us, his eyes glinted excitedly.

「Vel almighty! What was that?! Money made from today's sales alone can pay off my debts and cover the restocking costs! Just how did you manage to rake in all those customers?!」

I took a deep breath and recovered from my fit of laughter. Nago seemed ready to dump a bunch of questions on me.

「I told you. Profit margins through the roof remember? I never embellish my feats.」

「Well, sorry for ever doubting you. You just saved my business—I thank you for that. But I have to wonder...」

「Here it comes...」

「What did you do?! You mustn't be an ordinary child. Do you have ties with nobility?! Is that how you were able to gather so many people here?! Or... don't tell me... you used a high-level illusion spell like the rumored Silent Illusionist?! Did you make any enemies for me then?! I thought I explicitly told you not to! Right?! I did tell you right?! I can't be—!」

「Slow down, windbag. I didn't do anything of the sort. I simply hijacked a sales pitch and got the crowd to come here.」

The information broker raised his brow at my reply.

「H-hijacked a sales pitch? You mean you took over a presentation on the marketplace stage?」

「Yep. Rallied the audience against the poor sap and plugged your store. Smart-thinking right?」

「Isn't that the very definition of making enemies for me?!」

「Let's not stress the details. Now, regarding your side of the deal...」

The information broker sighed and walked towards the window. He peeked through the blinds to check for any unwanted listeners outside.

Whatever tips he had on hand must've been sensitive.

「I'm a man of my word. Since you singlehandedly saved my business...」

「I helped Zozo too you know?」

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

「I'll lay everything on the table to clinch our agreement.」

After dimming the storefront lantern, he joined us at the table and leaned in closer.

「Lower your voices when speaking. What I'm about to tell you should be taken to the grave with you. If any public official caught wind of this discussion, we'd all be dead by sunrise. Understand?」

We gulped and nervously nodded at Nago's warning. His dire expression frightened me to the core. His life truly did hang in the balance.

To trust a couple of kids he'd just met today must've been terrifying.

「With that out of the way, I suppose I'll start with the most important insider information I've uncovered thus far...」

「Right off the bat eh?」

「The Church is 100% involved.」

A lengthy lull in the furtive conversation followed.

Seyna wasn't talking out of her ass then... they really are behind things.

Melyn shuddered at the mere mention of the religious body. If all slum dwellers in the hamlet were wanted by the Church, then Melyn might've had some history with them.

Was it tied to her past trauma? I had no way of telling.

But the revelation did put a crimp in my chance to distance myself from them.

「W-what do you exactly mean by involved?」

「From the way things look, they've been orchestrating the whole drug peddler situation since day one. I've written up an entire list of people in the know based on the testimony of an ex-Church member.」

「And the head honcho? Any standout names from the list?」

「Biggest fish has to be Kenig, archbishop of Jazga, followed by the head of Yarzon's church, Bishop Jyla. Wretchedness runs deep in the Jazgan denomination it seems.」

I scratched my head over the news.

It was one thing if we were up against a single corrupt priest, but the entire branch in Jazga? There were enemies in every corner of this small sky island country.

Fighting a force like that would be impossible, even with the District Masters on our side.

「If the Church is going through all this trouble to pump the slum dwellers with narcotics, they must have a motive right? Find anything on that?」

「Well... it's purely speculation on my part but...」

「I'll entertain your theories.」

「I believe they're trying to increase their Yarzon follower base.」

I thought about it and figured out what he was implying.

「The miserable and dreary tend to cling to ideas of religion more...」

「It's particularly rampant in the Lakua District. Since the Ashen Thief rarely pays attention to the slum dwellers in the city, it's safe to assume they're a prioritized target.」

Melyn shot up, knocking her chair down. She pulled out her cudgel and aimed it towards Nago.

「You keep saying that, but what do you mean he rarely pays attention to the slum dweller in the city?! Why else would he station Sentinels from the guard division here?!」

I grabbed the thief girl by the arm and shushed her. The information broker turned paler than a winter morning.

「G-girl... can you please use your inside voice. The watchmen should be making their nightly rounds about now. Also, I'd appreciate it if we kept things civil...」

「Oh s-sorry...」

Melyn lowered her cudgel and sat back down. She just couldn't tolerate her master being disparaged behind his back.

「Ahem... on the topic of the Sentinels, I regret to inform you their surveillance is plain ineffective.」

「I-ineffective? How so..? Every night they watch over the streets from the rooftops. Nothing escapes their field of vision.」

「And therein lies the problem, girl. These illicit transactions take place inside the buildings—below the feet of those unsuspecting Sentinels.」

「N-no way... Then what does Lia's division train for every day..?」

The thief girl drooped over. Her crimson eyes reflected a troubled spirit.

From Nago's explanation, it appeared as though the Lakua District had a myriad of problems with its management.

Holes in the system had become apparent, and third parties were finally taking advantage of it.

「About these buildings... I assume you have a lead?」

「I do... but it's timed you see...」

「Timed?」

「I have knowledge of a deal that's slated to take place tonight, seven o'clock. Which means...」

I glanced at the window and took note of the pale blue light shining through.

「We have less than an hour to get there huh? I expected you to have a lot more intel on the dealings. It was why I went through the trouble of revitalizing this sorry establishment.」

「It pains me to admit it, but I genuinely didn't think you'd be able to follow through with your outlandish claim... Getting hold of transaction hours is hard, especially as somebody from outside the slums...」

I rose from my seat in disappointment. It was my fault for pinning my hopes on him, but an information broker with lackluster info was hardly a worthwhile acquaintance.

His tip-off on the Church's involvement and the drug pushers' modus operandi was illuminating, but not exactly helpful.

Without an accurate schedule of multiple transactions, we couldn't ever hope of tracking down their base of operations.

There was a fine line separating information that sated knowledge and information that aided action.

On the other hand, I could turn this mishap around in my favor...

「One gold coin.」

「H-huh..?」

「Your incapability in providing ample information demands some reparation, am I correct?」

「Woah, woah, woah... I never promised you anything beyond all the intel I possess remember? Misunderstanding my offer is a blunder on your part.」

「Then think of it this way Nago: you still owe me for saving your store. Incurring such debt from a mere child would hurt your reputation as a merchant, wouldn't it?」

Hearing my ultimatum, the information broker paused. The way I phrased it was purposefully threatening.

When it came to pride, merchants were an obstinate bunch. I had him quaking in his pink polka-dotted short shorts upon bringing up his public image.

「Tell me, what was today's net profit.」

「Net profit..? I hadn't the time to calculate it...」

「Give me a rough estimate. And don't lowball me, I'd somewhat kept track of the sales and can smell bullshit from miles away.」

An obvious bluff, but convincing enough to spur him on—Nago sweated buckets as he silently tallied up today's earnings.

Melyn was completely nonplussed at my sudden aggression. All she could do was watch in awe as I subtly goaded Nago into giving up the goods.

「One hundred and forty-eight gold coins. When taking taxes, debt payoffs, and restocking expenses into account... around sixty gold coins remain.」

「Isn't that something? Making six thousand bronze coins in a single day is up there with the popular stores. Now... do you honestly believe the valuation of my work today is worth a mere two gold coins? Even then, I could hardly call your information worthy of such a hefty price tag.」

The information broker was beginning to crumble. It would only be a matter of time before...

「Fine. I will cop to undervaluing you. But a whole gold piece..?」

「I'm being quite generous you know?」

「There's no guarantee my store will fully rebound tomorrow. The boom in my business today could be a fluke for all I know.」

Damn is he stubborn. Those skilled in the art of the trade sure are penny pinchers...

「Tell you what, five silver pieces as compensation for my lack of vital information. How does that sound?」

「Nine silver pieces.」

Here was where haggling came into play. Years of hustling money from unsuspecting players all led up to this.

And no, I was not a loser for thinking that.

「Let's bring it down to six silver pieces boy.」

「Eight coins.」

「Seven?」

「Eight coins, take it or leave it. I'd be happy to assist a rival of yours you know?」

He exhaustedly scratched his head and extended his hand in agreement. The thief girl could hardly contain her astonishment.

As eight silver coins made their way into my coin pouch, a once lost emotion rekindled in the pits of my chest.

Welcome home, greed...

The noise of clinking metal pieces and the sight of a bloated coin purse enraptured me to no end. One full gold coin worth of moola had fattened my pocket considerably.

In the end, becoming the richest man in the world was a dream suited to me. Proving myself to God came later. Even hell couldn't keep me from this gratification.

I shifted my attention back to Nago and conveyed my final requests before Melyn and I would inevitably leave.

「So, this deal that's supposed to happen in half an hour...」

「Oh right. In addition to the aforementioned list of implicated Church members, I'll also write down directions to the meeting location. If I were you, I'd refrain from openly carrying weapons around the dealer...」

He shot a glance at Melyn, who proceeded to chuckle and magically dissolve her weapon entirely.

Nago had his eye on the neurotic thief girl the second we got here.

「Noted. Melyn, let's get moving. I'm not going back to Rysef without an inkling of valuable insight on these Church-backed criminals.」

---