Quite the Scene Change

After bidding farewell to Tighnari and his companions, Xingsu followed a secluded, winding trail through the rainforest for a long time, finally finding the inconspicuous wooden hut hidden behind a giant mushroom.

A guard wearing a gray-green forest ranger's cloak stood at the entrance, his face concealed beneath his hood, his expression impossible to make out.

Xingsu slowly approached him, and the guard spoke first, giving the first password:

"Before my bed, the moonlight shines."

Xingsu calmly replied, "May Mora come rolling in."

The guard paused briefly, then offered the next password:

"Red beans grow in southern lands."

"May Mora come rolling in."

"Have you eaten today?"

"May Mora come rolling in."

Then came the final round of passwords:

"May Mora come rolling in!"

"May Mora come rolling in!"

"We're all friends here." The guard extended a hand to Xingsu.

"May Mora come rolling in."

"..."

"May Mora come rolling in."

After several rounds of passwords matched word for word, the corner of the guard's mouth twitched. He raised a hand to move aside the wooden bar blocking the entrance, stepped aside to let him through, and reminded him quietly:

"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, don't touch what you shouldn't touch, and don't stay too long."

Xingsu nodded slightly in thanks, bent down to pass through the low stone doorway, and entered the secret storeroom hidden from outsiders' sight.

Wooden storage crates were stacked throughout the room, and the air held a mixture of scents from herbs, mechanical parts, and ore.

Dori was counting Mora with her legs crossed. When she saw Xingsu enter, a warm yet shrewd smile immediately spread across her face.

"Oh my, isn't this Mr. Xingsu, who's been rising to fame lately and causing such a stir at the Akademiya? Having someone as important as you visit my humble shop truly brightens the place! Rest assured, Dori's shop has everything you could want, at affordable prices, with fair dealings for young and old alike. Your satisfaction is guaranteed."

Xingsu walked up to the counter, his words without the slightest unnecessary concealment.

"I need a batch of components, including signal filters, alloy plates, and a few Akasha radio-frequency chips."

Dori's smile, which had been calculating a price, faded slightly. Her fingers unconsciously toyed with the Mora in her hand, and a hint of difficulty entered her expression.

"Filters and special alloy plates aren't exactly hot goods. I have some in storage right now, so putting together a batch would be easy."

"But..." She abruptly changed tack, her tone growing considerably more serious as she deliberately lowered her voice. "Akasha radio-frequency chips are different. Those are subject to the Akademiya's highest level of restrictions. Even scrapped fragments are collected and destroyed together. Private circulation is strictly forbidden."

Xingsu said nothing. Holding his shoulders square, he stared at the merchant before him and quietly waited for her to continue.

"Getting hold of something like that really means taking a ve~~~ry big risk. You'd either have to search deep within King Deshret's ruins for first-generation Akasha experimental parts left over from the early days, or make connections with insiders at the Akademiya. The risk is so~~~ much higher than with ordinary components."

Oh, so she could get them. It would just cost extra.

"One month of my salary."

!!!

Hiss... Big shots at the Akademiya like him started at 500,000 Mora a month. A scholar who could cause a stir throughout the entire Akademiya would only earn more!

And his very first offer was already this generous!

"Oh, sir, this isn't a question of money~"

"Two months. If that still won't do, I'll go look for the parts in the desert myself."

"Deal! Ah, no, I mean, I'm a good, law-abiding citizen. How could I possibly do something like that?!

"I just happen to know a place where a few things respawn underground at set times. Here, keep the address."

Dori hurriedly agreed to the deal, partly because the returns had more or less met her expectations, and partly because the man before her might really head into the desert to look for components himself.

Xingsu nodded slightly and reached into the money pouch he carried to take out a heavy bag of money. With a clatter, exactly 160,000 Mora were neatly laid out on the wooden counter, the coins ringing crisply as they struck one another.

"I'll give you this money first."

Was this actually a deposit?! She never imagined she would get a deposit doing business with an Akademiya big shot this time!

Those Akademiya people in the past never paid deposits, and they even dragged their feet for ages over the final payment. She hadn't expected to meet such a straightforward customer this time.

Just as Dori narrowed her eyes, happily calculating her returns and feeling touched, Xingsu reached out again and took back 5,000 Mora.

Dori's rising smile froze. Confusion covered her round face as she tilted her head to look at him.

Xingsu put the 5,000 Mora away separately and explained with complete seriousness, "I still want to buy a shawarma on my way back. If you're interested, Boss Dori, you could give it a try. It tastes quite good."

Dori looked at the small pile of Mora he had separated out, then at the perfectly serious young man before her. The corners of her mouth twitched despite herself, and she hurriedly swept the larger sum into the storage box beside her and locked it.

"Thank you for your patronage, boss! Dori's shop looks forward to your next visit! If there's any deal you need to make, you can always come to Dori for help..."

"What a pity. This should have been a mutually beneficial transaction, yet your ridiculous stubbornness ruined it," the masked man said coldly, his fingertips tapping lightly against the stone tabletop. His bone mask concealed the darkness churning in his eyes, and his voice carried undisguised disappointment and pressure.

Arlecchino stood where she was, her crimson eyes not wavering in the slightest. The House of the Hearth Harbinger's cloak hung straight in the hall's biting chill, and there was not a trace of concession in her bearing.

"Mutually beneficial? Doctor, your so-called mutual benefit is nothing more than trading the lives of lonely, helpless children for improvements in your experimental data."

"Crucabena could disregard life and tacitly allow you to take those vulnerable children away as you pleased, but I will not. I took the position of 'The Knave' and overturned the rules of slaughter she established precisely to end these transactions paid for by sacrificing the weak."

Dottore chuckled softly, his hoarse, icy laughter echoing through the empty side hall.

"You're creating unnecessary obstacles for yourself, Arlecchino. Personal compassion is far too cheap in this cruel and hypocritical world."

"This isn't compassion. It's a promise." Arlecchino's tone did not soften in the slightest. "If the world must tread upon these children's corpses to move forward, then I would rather refuse this transaction forever. Out of consideration for our shared status as Harbingers, I can pretend you were never here. Do not approach me to discuss this matter again, or don't blame me for showing you no courtesy."

Dottore gave her a long look, made no further attempt to persuade her, and turned toward the door. Before leaving, he tossed out a veiled warning, which dissolved into the sound of wind and snow sweeping through the hall.

"Then let us wait and see just how long that so-called conviction of yours can keep them safe."