Chương 40: Chapter 025 Nothing Worse Than A Haggler

"Where was that merchant's stall again?" Jack scanned the familiar market lanes as he searched for the woman who sold him his dagger.

"I'm sure it was around here…" He circled the area twice but found no sign of the stall. The woman who'd sold him the dagger had vanished, her battered awnings nowhere to be seen. Guess she closed down. Must've been doing worse than I thought. He remembered the faded colours of her clothes and the way her stall leaned as if it was held together by stubbornness. Adjusting the white oak bow and the rogue's bow on his shoulder, he moved on, his eyes searching for another weapons merchant.

He was selling off the rogue's gear while keeping an eye out for the five adventurers. He'd already sold the small leather gloves for 2 silver to a merchant. Next on the list were the bow and shortsword. He'd considered keeping the shortsword, but decided the coin would be more useful in the long run. The dagger, however, was still tucked behind his books at home as a backup weapon. After a few minutes of wandering, he spotted a shopfront.

A wrought-iron sign hung above the doorway, depicting crossed blades over a cogwheel. Beneath it, fading gold lettering proclaimed, 'Bragg & Sons: Weaponsmiths and Traders.' The display window was crowded with weapons: swords, axes, polearms, and even a few oddities such as a collapsible halberd and a spiked gauntlet. Some were standard military issue, while others were enchanted, nestled within velvet-lined cases with their runes catching the light. This looks promising.

He adjusted the rogue's cloak to cover his face while admiring the merchandise. The shopfront itself was squat and square, fashioned from soot-darkened sandstone and brass-riveted timber. A faint whirring buzzed from inside, the low churn of an aether-powered generator. As Jack pushed the door open, a mechanical chime let out a loud, metallic dring, sharp enough to make his ears twitch. The inside of the shop was lit, the glow coming from low-hanging aether-lanterns that didn't reach the entire shop.

Brass piping crawled across the ceiling like the roots of a strange metallic tree, releasing occasional puffs of spent aether-steam. Weapons hung from pegs on the walls, arranged by type. Display cases occupied the centre of the room, cluttered with enchanted throwing knives, miniature crossbows, and modular gear. The air smelled of oiled metal, old leather, and the faint tang of scorched aether. Jack stepped up to the heavy wooden counter and placed the rogue's bow and shortsword before the shopkeeper.

"I'm looking to sell these." The shopkeeper was a squat, broad-shouldered dwarf with a thick, plaited beard streaked with soot and grey. He wore bulky aether-goggles, the lenses glowing a faint blue, and a leather apron darkened with scorch marks and hammer oil. He grunted an acknowledgement without looking up. The dwarf reached for the bow first, holding it beneath the goggles. The lenses flared brighter as he turned it over in his hands.

"Poor quality, lad. The runes 'ave about 'ad it," he grumbled, tossing the bow aside with an audible clack. Then he picked up the shortsword and gave it a longer inspection.

"Better. Steel's decent, if unremarkable. Handle's worn but still serviceable." He looked up, giving Jack a brief but assessing glance.

"25 silver for the bow and… 45 for the shortsword." He placed the sword beside the bow, folding his thick arms.

"Take it or leave it." It was about what Jack had expected. Though both items were worth more than the offer, he knew the dwarf had to make a profit. Still, even with the price being fair, he decided to haggle.

"I was looking for 90 silver for the pair," he said in a casual voice. The dwarf scoffed.

"I'm sure you were, lad." He flashed a grin, revealing several gold teeth that glinted in the aether-light.

"70 silver is a good price." When it became clear the merchant wouldn't budge, Jack shook his head, retrieved the weapons, and made for the door without another word. As his hand reached for the handle, the dwarf called after him.

"75 silver, not a copper more." Jack paused and smiled. Without turning around, he replied, "80 silver." His hand rested on the door handle, ready to leave. There was a long, theatrical sigh behind him.

"80 silver… you're cutting deep into my profits, lad." Jack shrugged and turned back to the counter, his grin growing.

"Good doing business with you." He placed the two weapons down again. The dwarf muttered something in dwarvish under his breath, "Hjav eth halagstr jeg hathorth hagglers," and pulled out a heavy pouch and counted out the coins. Jack laughed.

"By the Gods, I agree, nothing worse than a haggler." He understood dwarvish and many other common languages. The dwarf had said, 'By the Gods, I hate hagglers.' The dwarf's eyes widened, and then he burst into laughter.

"What's a young lad like you doin' knowing the dwarves' tongue?" He handed Jack the coin. Jack grinned.

"In a past life, I spent many an hour drinking dwarves under the table. Well, we fell under the table at least." He wasn't lying.

"Picked up your language from drunk dwarves muttering in their sleep." If there was one thing to like about dwarves, it was their sense of humour. The dwarf gave a mighty roar of a laugh, making the other patrons turn to watch. He patted Jack on the shoulder like an old friend.

"I'd like to see a wee un like you try to drink a dwarf under any table." He grinned.

"The Hammer and Shield tavern off The Square. Anytime, lad." This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Jack laughed.

"Maybe I'll see you there one evening."

"Maybe, lad. Maybe," the dwarf replied, still grinning. Jack pocketed the silver and stepped out of the shop, 80 silver richer. I've got over a gold now. He walked back into the busy street with the hood of his cloak covering his hair, weary of being recognised by the rogue's friends.

"Should be enough for some basic armour. First, though, spell scrolls and then a temple." Jack entered the spell scroll shop wearing his sister's valet uniform costume that he'd borrowed again. He'd changed in a nearby alleyway, exchanging the hooded cloak for a silly hat. The same old shopkeeper stood behind the counter and looked up as the door chime rang. For once, the shop was empty of customers.

"Good morning, young man," the shopkeeper greeted him with a smile.

"I pray you've brought more [Chronos Sphere] scrolls… we've run out again, and we have another rush order to fill for a dozen of them," he added, shaking his head.

"So much lost profit with the army requiring Apprentice Scribes. We might have to raise the prices soon." [Chronos Sphere] spell scrolls are popular. Why does that feel important? Having no answers, Jack returned the smile.

"Sure have." He emptied his pack of spell scrolls onto the counter. The old man adjusted his silver-framed glasses and examined the scrolls, sorting them into several neat piles.

"Excellent work again. Hard to believe these are the product of a new Apprentice Scribe." He peered at Jack over the top of his glasses and smiled.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think these came from a Journeyman. Or even an experienced Expert Scribe." His tone was light and playful.

"Maybe even one talented enough to work at the Royal Library in the Ancient Texts Department." He grinned. Jack's mouth fell open. Does he know something? How could he? He scrambled for a reply but came up blank. The shopkeeper chuckled.

"You might want to work on your disguise, Jack." He pointed to a lock of hair poking out from under Jack's hat.

"Changing your hairstyle or throwing on a hat doesn't change your face, son." Jack froze and considered his planned escape route. No, I haven't done anything wrong… Still, he wasn't sure what to say. The old man's tone softened.

"If your father wishes to sell scrolls anonymously, there's no need for all this effort." He tapped the side of his nose and leaned in closer.

"At Harker and Barker, discretion is a cornerstone of doing business with Expert Scribes like your father. He's not the only one who sells scrolls on the side." He nodded in understanding.

"With a new baby in the house, and your mother not working at the restaurant, you can never have enough coin." Jack let out a silent breath of relief. That explains it, he thought. But how does he know who my father is? Or me? Or mom? Playing along, Jack said, "I'm glad to hear that." Then, with a nervous smile, he added, "My, erm… master would be quite embarrassed if you mentioned this to him." He hoped the hint would be enough to dissuade the shopkeeper from ever bringing it up in conversation with his father.

If questioned, Jack could always claim the old man had made an assumption he never corrected.

"Of course, of course. You were never here, Jack." The shopkeeper chuckled.

"I would've said something sooner, but the shop's usually too busy." He gestured at Jack's valet uniform.

"While I do appreciate the theatrics, there's no need for all this in future." Jack flushed.

"Thank you. It's been a bit inconvenient." He sighed.

"Think nothing of it, Jack," the old man said.

"We're very grateful for the [Chronos Sphere] scrolls. We have regular orders from half a dozen noble houses. We can never get enough of them. Please tell your fath…" He was cut off by the shop's door chime as a small group of adventurers entered. Without missing a beat, he corrected himself.

"Please tell your young master," he said with a wink, "that we value his business and look forward to more of his excellent work." Jack gave a polite nod and a smile. The shopkeeper returned to counting.

"Now, where was I…" He glanced at the scrolls Jack had brought in.

"That's ten [Chronos Sphere], two [Fireball], and two [Frost Breath] unimbued spell scrolls. For a total of 80 silver." He gathered the scrolls, placing them beneath the counter, and handed Jack the coins. Jack added the coin to his purse and thanked the old man. Still not enough for decent armour. He had just over 1 gold and 60 silver, but quality armour would cost several gold at least. He could buy something basic, but it made more sense to save up and invest in better quality gear.

His current plans were to train at the Adventurers Guild, and he didn't need armour to train in one of the safest buildings in the city. The looted rogue's arm guards would be enough to protect his arms from the bowstring. Still, the close calls with the goblin and the rat-faced rogue played through his mind again. I should at least buy a [Chronos Sphere], a [Fireball], and a [Frost Breath] scroll for emergencies.

He browsed the displays and selected an imbued [Fireball] and a [Frost Breath] scroll, handing over 13 silver and 50 coppers.

"Is it possible to reserve an imbued [Chronos Sphere] scroll?" he asked the shopkeeper. Although he'd just delivered ten [Chronos Sphere] scrolls, they were unimbued, useless until an Apprentice Time Mage infused them with magic.

"Of course. Just the one?" the shopkeeper asked. Jack nodded.

"That'll be 18 silver and 90 coppers," the old man said, smiling as he accepted the payment.

"It will be ready first thing in the morning. Is there anything else?" Jack shook his head while paying.

"No, thank you." After changing back into his normal clothes and cloak, he headed towards a temple with over a gold in coin, and his pack stuffed with the valet uniform. At least I don't need a disguise anymore he thought as he made his way to the nearest temple dedicated to Hermes, the God of travel, trade, thieves, and scribes. As Jack made his way to the temple, he spotted a small group of young male nobles exiting a high-end restaurant. That's where Mom worked before Richard was born.

He watched the young nobles stride down the road with mechanical canes that could extend into umbrellas with the twist of a gear. One of the nobles, a tall hawk-faced young man with blond hair, carried a small automaton monkey on his shoulder, its eyes glowing like tiny rubies.

"Isn't that House Greaves' colours?" Jack muttered as he continued to watch them. He'd noticed the young man's waistcoat; it looked a lot like the one Baron Greaves wore. Nobles, of course, stood apart with their tall top hats, silk-lined coats, and colourful waistcoats. The waistcoat colours were normally related to their noble houses. He had always found their top hats absurd. He shook his head and continued on his way as the nobles vanished around a corner.

A few minutes later, Jack took a deep breath as he looked upon the same temple where he'd chosen his scribe class a lifetime ago.

"Time to choose a new class."