"Brother Lu, can you tell me a story?" she asked.

"A story, huh? Hmm... alright," I replied. "But don't forget the rule: you cannot comment until the very end of it. Alright?"

"Hmm-hm!"

...

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Once upon a time, in a far and distant land, lived a renowned merchant, known by everyone in the richest and most vibrant cities in every corner of the world. However, even though he was known by everybody, nobody really knew the kind of person he was.

"Hey, old man, I'm buying this tiara," an adventurer, intended to buy an item from his stall, regarded, pointing at it.

The merchant looked at his item, and grabbed it. "It's five gold coins," he murmured.

The adventurer took the coins and tossed them at his hand, she then reached for the desired item.

"Old man?" the adventurer suddenly found herself confused, trying to pull the item away from the merchant's grasp. "Old man!" she yelled, pulling with all her strength.

At last, the item eluded the merchant's grasp, and the adventurer got her paid, desired tiara, though she almost fell to the ground due to the resistance.

"Jeez," she exclaimed. "Monsters are less stubborn..."

With that, the adventurer went her way, and the merchant sighed.

This was the problem of this merchant: he held his goods too dearly. However, he had to sell such treasures, both to obtain bread to feed his hunger, and because it was now his job. The glorious days as adventurer were over, and he had collected a lot, but given up on nothing.

"Today as well, I lost my precious items..." he sighed at the end of the day.

It was a profitable day for him. And yet, his heart felt emptied of joy, his mind drifting on what he had lost.

Dragging his feet toward the bed, he slept.

The next day, his job continued...

"Hmm..." in front of his stall, a pensive adventurer looked at the goods.

The merchant was sweating cold. His mind could only think about what he would soon have to say goodbye to.

"Damn, this is hard..." the adventurer was taking his sweet time to decide. Each passing moment only worsened the merchant's heart.

Minutes passed, but the adventurer still couldn't make up his mind. And the merchant's anxiety only increased, making him look older than he actually was.

"You know what?" the adventurer said at some point. "I can't decide... Have a good day."

With that, the adventurer went away. The merchant released a heavy sigh of relief. At the end of the day, he went home, and decided to calm himself, drinking wine, until he passed out.

But, alas, that was not the end. Another day knocked at the door, and his job continued...

"This jewel looks wonderful!" an adventurer exclaimed before his stall.

The merchant looked at the jewel, the memory of how he obtained it crossing in his mind. "Are you interested in it?" he asked, hoping for a negative answer.

"Yes, I'll buy it!" the adventurer exclaimed, utterly shattering the merchant's hopes and dreams.

Reluctantly and trying to look away, the merchant handed over the item. And so, another day ended, and the merchant looked even worse than the day before, burying his face in his pillow. But the world allowed him no rest, and a new day dawned...

"Oh, this ring would be lovely on you, Susanne!" a guy exclaimed, looking at the goods.

The merchant looked at the ring, mentally preparing himself to bid it farewell. It was a lovely ring indeed, coated in gold with a crimson pearl in the middle. No wonder he grew attached to it.

"You think so?" the girl asked the guy, blushing as her hand reached for her cheek.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Absolutely!" he exclaimed, turning toward the merchant. "Old man, I'd like this ring."

That night, the merchant cried himself to sleep.

"I can't go on like this..." he said in the morning, looking at his reflection in the mirror as the water he used to wash his face hid his tears. He then released a heavy sigh, and went back to selling his goods, his eyes tired and red from the shed tears.

"Wow, what a beautiful necklace!" a guy exclaimed.

The merchant was not even looking at it, his gaze fixated on the ground, but he knew too well he was referring to one of his goods.

"Excuse me, may I draw it?" the guy added.

The merchant raised his head, looking at the guy; he held a drawing board in one hand, and a brush in the other.

"Draw it?" the merchant asked, tilting his head.

The guy nodded. "You see, I'm an artist. Lately, I've been running low on inspiration. But this..." he said, pointing at the necklace. "This is beautiful! I've never seen such a wonderful accessory. I would like to draw it, to imprint it forever in my white pages, so I can look at it from time to time, and remember this encounter."

"Oh..." the merchant let out, blinking at the guy. "Well, sure... Go ahead."

The merchant was not entirely interested in the guy's motives as long as he didn't take the necklace away with him. So, he let the artist sit next to him, and he meticulously began drawing on the white board he held, his hand deftly going left and right, up and down.

It took the artist half of the day, but eventually, he finished, and outstretched his hand to show his work to the merchant.

The merchant's eyes fell upon the board, making them widen. "This..." he managed, his mouth agape. "This is beautiful!" he exclaimed, grabbing the board in his grasp to admire it more.

Astonishingly, the necklace's splendor seemed even greater on that white paper than in reality; the merchant had never seen such a piece of art.

"You're incredible, boy!" he exclaimed to the artist, his eyes still focused on the drawing, his arms trembling in awe.

The artist chuckled, scratching his head. "Thanks, I'm happy to hear it."

In that precise and fleeting instant, the merchant had the brightest and smartest idea that could ever cross his mind. "Young artist... may I interest you in a deal?"

Since that fateful day, time passed...

"Should I draw this now?" the artist asked the merchant; he had accepted the deal.

"Yes, thank you," the merchant replied with a smile.

From that moment on, never once did the merchant fear selling his goods. At first, he was afraid of it, not because he valued them greatly or out of selfishness, but because they reminded him of his past. This is why he was fond of them... he was attached to the memories, he loved them, and couldn't bring himself to give those items away, as it would mean to give away a part of himself.

However, thanks to the artist, he found his workaround by transforming those items into beautiful and everlasting pieces of art, so he could always look at them from time to time and remember his cherished past as an adventurer. After all, it's not the possessions that define someone, but their memories...

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...

"And that's the end," I whispered, finally ending the story.

"She's already sleeping," Nick pointed out.

"I'm aware," I replied, glancing at him. "But a tale must be told all the way until its very conclusion, even if there are no admirers left to witness it."

Nick yawned. "Yeah, yeah... Come on, we should go back to sleep as well."

I nodded, before leaning in toward Bernadette, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Good night, Bernadette."