Lola

Three days after returning from the Mages Association, Green had moved into Wilson Castle, where he received treatment second only to Doctor Wilkins.

When Viscount Paul learned that Green had earned recognition and registration from the Mages Association at such a young age, he was delighted. He immediately promised to find an opportunity to restore Green's Lineage's honor and gave him two hundred Gold Pounds in congratulations.

Green understood that Viscount Paul was trying to win him over. Two hundred Gold Pounds was enough to buy a respectable house in a good part of Landon City. Well pleased, Green accepted the money, tacitly agreeing to serve as an Attendant to the Wilson Family.

At afternoon tea, Green sat in the Peony Cafe beside Landon Street. Across from him was a mature woman with a fashionable charm.

"Mr. Wilson, I guarantee on my reputation as a merchant that this antique contains Magic Power. Thirty Gold Pounds is the best price I can offer you."

The woman looked pained as she held a hand over the Wooden Box on the table. Inside lay a pendant carved from amethyst.

Green chuckled. "Beautiful Ms. Lola, don't forget that I'm a registered Magic Apprentice. I'm better qualified than you to say whether an object contains Magic Power."

The beautiful woman's face darkened. Her full name was Lola Claudi, an adventurer and Underground Black Market merchant—a money-grubbing swindler. Still, Lola had a good reputation in business and plenty of connections. She could always get her hands on something worthwhile. Green had sought her out through Vincent to buy magical items from which he could extract Psychic Energy.

Now Lola's lovely face tightened with regret. Clearly, she had made a mistake this time and taken an ordinary antique ornament for a Magic Artifact.

It was an understandable mistake. The amethyst pendant was convincing enough to pass for the real thing; it even bore a faint magical glow. If the Graveyard had not failed to react when Green picked it up, he would not have known it was a fake.

"Damn it! That bastard Roddick dared to sell me a fake!" Lola muttered. A dangerous gleam flashed in her narrow eyes.

The antique dealer named Roddick was probably in for trouble. The revolver and dagger at Lola's waist were not there for decoration.

"No need to be angry, beautiful lady. Do you have any other Magic Artifacts or objects containing Magic Power?" Green had sought Lola out through Vincent to collect magical items the Graveyard could convert into Psychic Energy. Vincent had sworn that Lola's connections reached far and wide and that she would not disappoint him.

Last time, the Psychic Energy from the Wind Blade Bracelet had let him recruit five Skeleton Soldiers. They fought well, but they were nowhere near enough.

By Green's estimate, even if he summoned all five Skeleton Soldiers, he could handle two or three Intermediate Magic Apprentices at most. Against an Advanced Apprentice Knight or an Advanced Apprentice Mage, he would surely be flattened. He needed more Psychic Energy to unlock Graveyard buildings and recruit more troops.

Lola snorted, then took a dark object from the leather bag at her waist and set it on the table with a huff. "See what you think of this. If this won't do either, forget it."

Green picked it up. It was a silver ring, its surface oxidized and engraved with simple magical patterns. It bore no magical glow, and nothing about its appearance suggested it was a magical item. But the moment Green touched it, he smiled. "This one's good."

"Fifty Gold Pounds!" Lola's eyes lit up as she named her price.

Green gave a dry chuckle and shook his head. "Fifty is out of the question. I'll offer five Gold Pounds."

"Are you joking? It's a magical item!" Lola's eyes widened, and her voice rose sharply.

"It is a magical item, but it's damaged beyond repair. No one else in Landon City would want it, so it's worth five Gold Pounds. If that won't do, never mind." Green smiled, certain Lola would find no other buyer.

"You..." Lola nearly rose to her feet. She glared at the hateful young Undead Apprentice across from her, cheeks puffed with anger. But she knew her own situation: the broken magic ring had sat unsold in her hands for almost half a year. Selling it to Green for five Gold Pounds would bring no profit, but at least she would recover her costs.

"Seven Gold Pounds. That's what I paid for it!" Lola made one last bid for a profit.

"Five Gold Pounds." Green did not budge.

"Fine, you win, miser." Lola accepted with a huff.

Green paid without hesitation. He had received two hundred Gold Pounds, a sum roughly equivalent to a million yuan back on Earth.

With the deal done, Green took the ring and casually slipped it into his pocket. The instant he did, he extracted its Psychic Energy, and the Graveyard's Psychic Energy value jumped from [0] to [7].

There was no unexpected windfall, but it was not a disappointment either.

"A pleasure doing business with you, beautiful lady." Green stood and offered his hand. "Contact me if you find more. I'll give you a fair price."

"Hmph." Lola shook his hand reluctantly. Failing to make a profit on the deal had left her in a poor mood. But as Green was about to leave, she remembered something and called him back. "Do you need a lot of broken magical items? I mean ones so badly damaged they can't be used at all."

Green smiled. "Of course. But I'd need to examine them first. Not every fragment is useful."

"I know someone who should have quite a few." Lola wore the look of a sly little fox. "But if you want me to take you to him, you'll have to pay a finder's fee."

Green smiled. "How much?"

"Not much. Two Gold Pounds!" Lola declared, chin raised. One way or another, she meant to earn two Gold Pounds from him.

"Fine. Let's go now." Green paid the fee without hesitation. Lola knew Landon City inside out and had connections everywhere. With her help, collecting magical items that contained Psychic Energy would take half the effort for twice the result.

"Now... all right!" Lola hesitated briefly, then nodded. She rose, left the cafe with Green, and climbed into the carriage beside him.

In the carriage, Lola warned him, "The place we're going is unusual. Watch what you say and don't cause trouble. I know you're Vincent's younger cousin, but the Wilson Family's name won't protect you there. Still, you're a Necromancer. That fellow respects status, so he should be polite."

"You're not taking me to the Underground Black Market, are you?" Green frowned. Vincent had told him about Landon City's Underground Black Market, a place steeped in blood and deceit. Its denizens were either desperate outlaws or murderers, and not one of its goods was sold legally.

Lola smiled mysteriously. "You're talking about the paupers hawking wares out in the open. I'm taking you to One-Eyed Kerry Jin."

Green had never heard the name, but from Lola's expression, Kerry Jin must have been a powerful figure in the Underground Black Market. Green was not afraid. With his current strength, he could hold out for a while even against an Advanced Apprentice Mage. In Landon City, an Advanced Apprentice Mage counted among the strongest fighters, and no one of Formal Rank had been confirmed there in more than a decade.

At Lola's direction, the carriage traveled west along Landon Street. A few minutes later, rain began to patter down.

Green was about to look out the carriage window when surprise caught him. It was sunny a moment ago, and now it's overcast and raining? What kind of weather is this?