Old One-Eye's Basement (2)

Green picked out a few more items, all of which contained Psychic Energy he could sense through the Graveyard. There were thirteen in total, a disappointing haul. The damaged magical items held varying amounts of Psychic Energy. By his rough estimate, absorbing them all would yield fifty or sixty points—enough to recruit another dozen or so Skeleton Soldiers, but not enough to unlock a new building, whether the Magic Guild or the crypt that produced Zombies.

Green was disappointed, and so was One-Eyed Kerry Jin. He had thought a fat sheep had wandered in and had even hoped to bundle up the entire cellar of junk and sell it off. Instead, after searching for ages, Green had chosen only a dozen-odd things whose value Kerry Jin could not discern: a broken ancient sword, a shattered bronze mirror, a stone carving from another race, and a pendant made of poor-quality stone.

But Old One-Eye was a businessman through and through. Though disappointed, he kept smiling warmly. At least he had thirty-nine Gold Pounds coming in.

With the goods paid for, the three of them came up from the Basement and found Cindy receiving a new customer.

The newcomer was a shifty-looking middle-aged man in leather armor, with a dagger at his waist and a grappling hook and rope—the very picture of a thief. A bulging cloth bag hung across his body, its contents unknown. Judging by the way Cindy received him, it was his first visit, and he was there not to buy but to sell.

A woman sat on the other side of the reception room. She looked about twenty and wore a noblewoman's long dress. Her features alone were ordinary, but she radiated a sultry allure that drew the eye even as she sat perfectly upright. Green also noticed a faint bluish tint to the whites of her eyes, a sign that she cultivated Fighting Aura. Her rank was high enough that he could not gauge its depths.

As Green studied her, she seemed to sense it. She put down her coffee and turned to glance at him. The instant their eyes met, his heart lurched. For a moment, he felt as though an Ancient Beast of unimaginable danger had fixed its gaze on him.

Green hurriedly looked away and marked her as extremely dangerous. She was the strongest person he had encountered so far, far beyond even Doctor Wilkins, an Advanced Apprentice Mage.

Could she be Formal Rank? Green wondered. His sense of urgency sharpened. Powerful Eerie incidents had been cropping up across the city one after another, and now a mysterious woman who might be Formal Rank had arrived. All of Landon City felt like a tower bracing for the storm, with wind already filling its halls.

"That woman is Elizabeth Franton," One-Eyed Kerry Jin murmured when he noticed Green's reaction. "They say she's a noble lady from Faerun City." His tone made it clear how wary he was of her.

Lola, meanwhile, whispered with a touch of gloating, "She's incredibly powerful. She looks all cold and aloof, but she's bewitched several of the city's well-known young noblemen. What happened to you just now? You were staring so hard. Don't tell me you've fallen for her too? Though it is strange. She usually has a crowd of admirers fussing around her. Why did she come here alone for coffee today?"

Green rolled his eyes, but inwardly he had already decided to stay far away from Elizabeth unless he had no choice.

Cindy's discussion with the thief was not going well. He apparently wanted to sell something, but her offer did not satisfy him. Green also noticed Old One-Eye's expression turn odd when he saw the thief. He signaled Cindy, after which she drove the price down even harder and took on a cold, unyielding manner. It was plainly a case of a big shop bullying a customer: sell it or don't.

The thief was no saint either. A vicious hatred flashed in his eyes, but Old One-Eye's fierce reputation and the shop's backing made him swallow his anger. Gritting his teeth, he snorted. "You're not serious about buying. I'm not selling these treasures." He began stuffing the items he had laid before Cindy back into his cloth bag.

Green was about to leave and happened to pass beside the thief. Still fuming, the man turned to go while packing up his things and collided with him, stumbling so badly he nearly fell. Already in a foul mood, the thief opened his mouth to curse, but Green's noble attire and the Magic Staff in his hand gave him pause. He swallowed the words.

Green's expression turned strange as he stared at the thief. When he had brushed against the man just now, a prompt from the Graveyard had sounded in his mind: Wild Undead creature discovered! Two options appeared beneath it: Fight / Recruit. But the Psychic Energy required for recruitment was nothing but a string of question marks.

"Huh?" Green had never encountered anything like this before. Besides, no matter how he looked at the man, he did not resemble an Undead creature.

Once the thief regained his balance, he realized Green was a noble. He held back his curse, apologized, and started toward the door again.

Green could hardly let him leave. He immediately tried selecting Recruit, but nothing happened.

Green frowned. He did not select Fight either, choosing to ignore the Graveyard's prompt for now. "Ah! Sir, wait a moment."

The thief was faintly surprised. No one had ever called him "sir." He looked back suspiciously and confirmed that Green meant him.

After calling the thief back, Green did not address him. Instead, he went to Old One-Eye and asked quietly, "Why won't you buy his things? Is there serious trouble attached to them?"

Old One-Eye gave Green a surprised look, unsure why he had suddenly decided to meddle. Still, Green was a Magic Apprentice with the Wilson Family behind him—a valuable customer worth cultivating. After a moment's thought, Old One-Eye answered obliquely, "Nothing wrong with the goods. It's the man. He has no living scent." He pointed at his nose. Though blind in one eye, his sense of smell was keener than a dog's.

An Undead creature disguised as a living person? Green thought, looking at Old One-Eye in a new light. He had not expected the man to have such an ability. But while Old One-Eye was wary of the thief, Green was not afraid. Nor could he ignore a prompt from the Graveyard. Smiling, he said, "In that case, I'd like to see what he's selling. You don't mind, do you, Old One-Eye?"

Old One-Eye was taken aback. He had just warned Green that the other party was not alive, but then he remembered that Green himself was a Necromancer. Dealing with the dead was precisely what he did. Old One-Eye hurriedly waved a hand. "Not at all. People are free to buy and sell as they please. We run an honest business here. We'd never dare bully anyone out of a deal."

"Thank you, then." Green gave a smiling nod and turned toward the false thief, who was almost out the shop door.

Green and Old One-Eye had spoken so softly that only the two of them could hear. The thief still had no idea his disguise had been exposed.

Green walked up to him and pointed at his bag. "I'll take everything you have. But I'm not carrying cash. Come home with me to collect the payment."

The thief's eyes lit up, a greedy, vicious gleam flashing through them. He quickly lowered his head, looking thoroughly humble, and agreed at once. Then he followed Green into the carriage waiting outside.