Leon's heart hammered wildly in his chest, and it felt as if all the blood in his body were rushing to his head. He forced himself to stay calm, slowed his pace, and strolled up to the shabby stall as casually as he could. The vendor was an old man curled up in the shadow beneath the eaves. He wore a patched gray robe, his hair was white and disheveled, and his face was lined with deep wrinkles. Eyes closed, he dozed without paying any attention to passersby, as if he didn't care whether he made a sale or not.
Leon's gaze fell once more on the dull, silver-white bracelet. Up close, it looked even more unremarkable. Its surface bore a few fine scratches, and its color was so lackluster that no one would have bothered to pick it up if it had been left by the roadside. Yet the strange magical quiver inside him had become clearer, like a lightly plucked string giving off a faint, steady resonance. This feeling was completely different from the fleeting quiver he'd sensed from the black book earlier. It was steadier, more... familiar?
He crouched down without reaching for the bracelet right away. Instead, he picked up a rough wooden talisman nearby and pretended to examine it, discreetly studying the bracelet from the corner of his eye. He couldn't tell what it was made of—it wasn't gold or iron. He cautiously extended a fingertip and barely touched it. It was cool, yet strangely smooth to the touch, not as hard and cold as metal. Its design was simplicity itself: a smooth ring with no clasp or joint, as if it had been made as one complete circle.
"Boss, how much for this talisman?" Leon shook the wooden charm in his hand and asked in a casual tone, trying to rouse the vendor.
The vendor didn't even lift an eyelid. He mumbled, "Two Silver Crowns."
Leon set down the wooden charm and picked up a dull crystal ore to examine. Then, as if it were an afterthought, he reached for the silver-white bracelet. The instant before his fingers touched it, the resonance abruptly intensified! It was as if a sleeping beast had stirred. The magic within him actually surged of its own accord, ever so faintly, as though trying to reach out to the bracelet! Leon's heart jolted. He hastily suppressed the disturbance in his magic and steadily picked up the bracelet.
The bracelet felt lighter than he'd imagined, almost weightless. But the moment he held it, an indescribable sensation traveled through his fingertips. It wasn't a feeling of coldness, but rather... as if he were holding a silent starry sky—deep, ancient, and touched by the faintest warmth. At the same time, he "saw" it! Not with his eyes, but with his newly awakened, faint Spiritual Sense! Beneath the bracelet's dull surface, countless silver specks of light, smaller than dust, seemed to drift and swirl like a tiny galaxy! They were so faint that he could never have noticed them if he hadn't been concentrating intently and resonating with the bracelet.
This was it! It had to be! Leon nearly blurted it out. The bracelet was no ordinary object! The power within it seemed to have some unknown connection to the Star Element he'd sensed—and even to the strange, shadowy veins deep in his soul! It perfectly matched the criteria of being "subtle" (reserved and unobtrusive) and "useful" (responsive to magic). Its color was silver-white instead of purple, but the imagery of the stars within it was closely linked to the moon and the night. It would be perfect for Elisa, who was obsessed with magic! More importantly, it was one of a kind. At least, Leon had never seen or even heard of anything like it!
Suppressing his elation, Leon made his expression as bland as possible, even a little disdainful. He shook the bracelet and asked the vendor, "Boss, how much for this iron ring? It looks old. What's it even for?"
At last, the vendor lazily lifted his eyelids. His cloudy eyes glanced at Leon, then at the bracelet in his hand. "That? Found it somewhere. Don't know what it's for. Ten Silver Crowns, and it's yours."
Ten Silver Crowns? That cheap? Leon could hardly believe his ears! Compared to the value the bracelet might hold, it was practically being given away! But he immediately grew wary. Either the vendor really didn't know what he had, or he was testing Leon. He couldn't look too eager.
"Ten Silver Crowns?" Leon frowned and weighed the bracelet in his hand, deliberately putting on a scornful expression. "For this piece of junk? It has no magical aura at all, and the workmanship's crude. Five Silver Crowns, tops." He began haggling out of habit. It was standard practice at the market.
The vendor yawned and waved a hand. "Take it or leave it. Ten. No haggling." His attitude was utterly indifferent, as if he didn't care whether he made the sale.
Leon was even more certain that the vendor didn't know what the bracelet was worth. Still, he kept up the act. "Eight! I'll take it for eight Silver Crowns. I could use a ring to hang things on." He tried to come up with a plausible reason for buying it.
The vendor closed his eyes, seemingly ready to fall asleep again, and mumbled, "I said ten, so it's ten. I won't sell it for a penny less."
Leon was secretly delighted, but he put on a reluctant, disgruntled expression. After dawdling for a few seconds, he "reluctantly" counted ten gleaming Silver Crowns out of his purse and tossed them onto the vendor's coarse cloth. "Fine, fine. Ten it is. My loss."
Without even opening his eyes, the vendor groped for the coins, swept them into his robe, and waved Leon away.
Suppressing his excitement, Leon gripped the bracelet tightly in his palm. The strange resonance and warmth grew even clearer. He stood up as if he'd just finished an insignificant transaction and hurried away from the secluded corner. Only after turning the street corner and making sure he was out of sight did he lean against a wall and let out a long breath. His back was already soaked with sweat.
He'd done it! For just ten Silver Crowns, he'd bought a mysterious oddity that might be connected to Star Magic! It was like a gift from the heavens!
But after his elation came a swift return to reason. The bracelet was mysterious, but it looked so ordinary and dull. If he gave it to Elisa as a Coming-of-Age Ceremony gift just like this, she might take it as an insult. He had to "dress it up" and "activate" it to make it look worthy of its value—or at least spark Elisa's interest.
He needed to find a trustworthy, highly skilled artisan, preferably a master proficient in maintaining and enchanting magical objects, to clean and polish the bracelet. Perhaps... they could even try to awaken the power it might contain. At the very least, he had to make it look like a true magical artifact.
But whom could he ask? The artisans in the Imperial Capital varied greatly in skill, and this object of unknown origin might hold secrets. Handing it over to someone he didn't know was too risky. If they discovered its value or tampered with it, the loss would be too great.
The first people Leon thought of were the Gilbert Family. As the empire's military-industrial heart, the Gilberts must have the finest smiths and enchanters. And thanks to the long-standing ties between their families, perhaps they could be trusted. But there was the question of how to explain where the bracelet had come from. Would anyone believe he'd found a bargain at a street stall? The useless second son of the Hohenzollerns had stumbled across a treasure? That would only raise suspicions, and if word got out, it would cause more trouble.
His second option was to ask Aunt Margaret for help. She was a Grand Archmage in her own right, widely learned and experienced. Perhaps she could identify the bracelet, and might even be able to handle it safely. But again, how could he explain it to her? Should he say he'd impulsively bought a piece of junk from a street stall and thought it might be a treasure? Given how astute Aunt Margaret was, she'd surely investigate further. If that led her to discover the abnormalities in his magic... the consequences would be unthinkable.
After turning it over in his mind, Leon realized he couldn't find a single person he could ask for help with complete confidence. For the first time, he became acutely aware of just how alone he was in this world. He had no allies he could fully trust, no power to rely on. He could only take risks and explore on his own.
"Looks like I'll have to handle this myself..." Leon clenched the bracelet in his hand and felt its faint resonance as he made up his mind. He couldn't casually expose this potential treasure—or his own secrets—to anyone.
He decided to return to the Count's Mansion first. At least there, he'd have a relatively safe place to study it at his own pace. As for cleaning and treating it initially... perhaps he could try gently nourishing it with his magic. Or he could find some basic purifying potion for maintaining magical objects and do it himself. It would be risky, but still better than handing it to an outsider.
Once he'd made up his mind, Leon carefully slipped the bracelet into his inner pocket, close to his body. The strange resonance seemed to fade a little, but it didn't disappear, like a sleeping seed waiting for him to awaken it.
He looked up at the sky. The sun had already set, and night was beginning to fall. More magical lamps had lit up across Starlight Plaza, but the crowds were thinning. He'd achieved half of what he'd set out to do that day: he'd found a potential gift that might far exceed his expectations. But the greater challenge still lay ahead: how to bring this treasure out of obscurity and make it a bridge between him and Elisa.
This wasn't merely a gift. It was a gamble—a gamble on his judgment, on the bracelet's value, and on whether he could seize this opportunity.
He took a deep breath, wrapped his coat tighter around himself, and joined the stream of people heading home, walking toward Count Strauss's Mansion. The bracelet rested against his skin, sending out the faintest trace of warmth, as if silently telling the story of something long forgotten. And because of this unexpected find and the many challenges it brought with it, Leon's heart was both uneasy and filled with more anticipation than ever before.
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