Eps 190
Infinite Mage
Eps 190 Nors Shelter (5)
Shirone threw the elixir at the merchant holding the drone.
The merchant's body trembled as he received it with both hands. He was so overwhelmed with emotion that he couldn't even hold it properly.
It was a White Elixir, not Red, Green, or Yellow.
Shirone flipped his palm and said,
"How about it, are we done here? Now give Canya her item."
"This is a problem. That Elixir needs to be mine for the transaction to be valid."
“Then why don’t you take it from this person?”
The merchant's eyes twitched, realizing Shirone's action was not just a mere provocation.
As if to prove it, Shirone looked back at the merchant who was fiddling with the elixir and asked.
“He said so, what are you going to do? Can you give it back?"
"N- No! Absolutely not, cancellation of the transaction is not possible!"
The merchant frantically waved his hands in refusal.
Of course, Mecca's drones are valuable. Just as long as the item is in a usable condition.
The drone he had hastily sold off was actually worth settling at Yellow Elixir value. Selling it for a White Elixir was the deal of a lifetime.
“Now, what are you going to do now? Are the heretics going to fight and hit each other nicely? I think that's your specialty."
The pharmacist's face hardened.
This was indeed a tricky situation. When it comes to bargaining with customers, they can be as shameless as they want, but there is nothing to gain from conflict between business owners. This was especially true among lower-community merchants who mainly dealt with daily necessities.
The pharmacist then carefully observed Shirone.
The pressure coming from him suggested he was definitely a Nors, and not an easy one at that.
Should he just accept one and hand it over? Exchanging Epiness for White Elixir is a transaction that will go down in history.
But it was a matter of pride. He didn't want to accept that things went according to a divine subject's wishes.
"Fine, I won't sell it. So be content with your toy. You know? You've cruelly trampled on this lady's hope."
The merchant declared a deadlock. Choosing the thrill of victory over money.
As a merchant, it was a failed deal, but he didn't think it would matter as long as he could see dicine subjects crying.
Shirone realized he had lost the game.
"No, you have to sell the medicine. Otherwise, it's a breach of contract."
"What? What contract am I breaking?”
"You said it. If she bring all the elixirs I have, you'd sell the medicine. Canya did that. But now you're suddenly cancelling the deal, that's a breach of contract. You know what happens to a merchant who loses their credibility, right?"
Not just knowing, it would be the end. At the very least, he would have no place in the community.
But he couldn't help feeling unjust. Shirone was the one being unreasonable.
"Be straight with your words. When I proposed the contract, you had two elixirs. And since I bought the drone immediately after the contract was made, I haven't breached anything."
"How would you know when I bought the drone?"
The pharmacist's pupils shook with shock. Though he had lost his reason, his long experience in trading alerted him.
He was at a disadvantage.
"I had already agreed to buy the drone. It's just that I hadn't handed over the Elixir yet. You call yourself a merchant, but you don't even verify such details before making a deal? You're still a long way off. If you have any doubts, you can check it out."
The pharmacist gritted his teeth. Things were going as he sensed.
The merchant who sold the drone will take Shirone's side under any circumstances. This is because proving their deal would transfer the ownership of the White Elixir to him.
Such things were commonplace in the mainland. He himself had exploited oligopoly for excessive profit, so he wasn't in a position to criticize others.
'Why am I at a disadvantage? Shouldn't it have been the other way around?'
Upon reflection, the pharmacist realized Shirone knew the drone's value was lower than expected.
How he had investigated that didn't matter; without such knowledge, the current situation wouldn't exist.
The reason merchants take Shirone’s side is because he made several times the profit.
An exclamation burst out. He had a deep understanding of human nature towards materials. Even among mainland traders, this would be considered a skilled maneuver.
"What do you say, sir? We had the contract first, right?"
"Of course, we were first. Before that girl started screaming, we had verbally agreed to exchange the White Elixir for the drone."
Even though he didn't ask for it, the merchant personally confirmed it.
Now there was no backing out. If another merchant had made a deal, it was the responsibility of the trader who failed to check the customer's limit.
Should he back down now? Although a White Elixir was a huge gain, it was a matter of pride.
He played the most despicable card a merchant could.
He threatened to cut his belly open.
"My mother was divine subjects. But she didn't receive the Ilhwa Elixir. Know why?"
When no one answered, the pharmacist tapped his head and continued speaking.
"She went mad. My father was murdered in heaven by some lunatic who was infatuated with my mother. But do you know what the punishment was? Guess what the punishment was? A reduction of 40 years of lifespan. And yet, he still had 40 years left. My father was dead. My mother cursed that man her entire life, kekeke. Ridiculously, the day for the Ilhwa Elixir was set. Together with the madman who killed my father."
Canya's eyes wavered.
Shirone didn't understand what that meant, but everyone else, excluding his companions, was shocked.
"So, my mother took her own life. Since the number of subjects for the potion decreased, I had to take on the remaining sin. That's why I fled from the law. Now do you understand? I hate divine subjects. Just seeing them makes me want to vomit! And you think I'm going to sell you the medicine?"
In short, it was an "if I'm going down, I'm taking you with me" statement.
Shirone responded with a snort.
People truly intent on self-destruction don't explain their reasons. In a "you die, I die" situation, the process is irrelevant.
What he wanted was an emotional victory, and Shirone had no intention of granting it.
"So, are you going to sell the medicine or not?"
"I won't sell it. I won't spit out the elixir either. I've made my decision, so do as you please."
"Then I'll have to take it by force."
"Do that if you must. But are you okay with that? If you resort to violence, you won't be able to live within the community. You'll have to wander for life."
Shirone held out his hand. The white sphere vibrated as the photons were compressed.
The pharmacist was horrified. Such magic was impossible. If it were possible, only those contracted with the spirit of light on the outskirts of the community could perform it.
"Are you... a boundary person?"
"The Whirlwind Serpent was quite strong. Thanks to it, I got three White Elixirs."
Shirone showed no emotion.
And the pharmacist knew, a mage becomes the most cruel and ruthless when stripped of emotions.
"What kind of elixir is in your body?"
Everyone knew the pharmacist's survival depended on his answer.
The pharmacist was in conflict for a long time. It was the point where we had reached the final stage of the crisis. Realizing that he could not win in the end, he raised his hand with a bitter smile.
"There's none. I have no elixirs in my body. So, please spare me."
Shirone fired the Photon Cannon. A flash of light grazed the pharmacist's nose and struck a pillar of the ruins.
There was a loud noise and the pillar exploded.
The pharmacist looked back at Shirone with a face devoid of smiles.
"Don't laugh. You might be bluffing, but I'm serious. I don't care about the law or the community. If you pull another vile move, I won't forgive you next time."
"Okay, got it. I knew. Calm down."
The pharmacist realized the seriousness of the situation.
Shirone, without resorting to physical violence, had shown maximum hostility. Like a swordsman drawing his blade or a wild beast baring its fangs.
The pharmacist, realizing that there was no concession beyond this, threw Epines at Canya.
"There, is that enough? The contract is over."
"One more thing. Apologize to Canya."
"Why should I do that? You have no right to interfere with my personal feelings."
“But you also have a painful past, right?”
"What does that have to do with apologizing?"
"I'm not saying you must apologize if it's not sincere. A word without sincerity is worthless. But didn't you also want someone to know? Your wounds of the past.”
‘Really? Am I... still not over it?’
The pharmacist looked back at Canya, who had a pitiful expression on her face. She said that the person waiting for Ilhwa's drink was his mother.
His mother was out of her mind at the time. She screamed daily and harmed herself. The terror she felt was even more terrifying to him as a child.
"Che, who said I was going to apologize?"
The pharmacist snorted and began packing up his stall. He put the bottles in his bag, rolled up the blanket, placed it on his backpack, and stood up to leave, then threw a purple potion to Canya.
"It's called Corphin. It's a potion that strengthens the nervous system. Since I've made a good profit, consider it a service. It might be effective if used with the Epines. But it's all in vain, anyway."
As the pharmacist walked towards the tent village, he looked back at Shirone and said.
"And listen, boy, everything I said was made up. It's impressive that you defeated me, but if you can't even detect that much, you'll be harshly dealt with in the mainland."
Arin spoke through Psyche Channel. (I forgot that it was Psyche Channel, not Physic)
- Shirone, would you like me to check if it’s false?
- No, it's okay.
Shirone looked at the back of the pharmacist, who was moving away forlornly.
Nors Shelter.
A place where wanderers in Purgatory rest.
Perhaps what they lay down here isn't their weary bodies but the wounds of their hearts.
The grand shopping spree came to an end.
Shirone comforted canya, who could not hold back her tears. Beside him, Lena was watching, puffing out her cheeks.
Amy and the others began a meeting without Shirone.
The items bought with three White Elixirs were the spirit of fire, the drone, and Epines.
Even though it was the best decision under the circumstances, they couldn't help but feel a loss. Tess, in particular, couldn't hide her sorry feelings.
"I shouldn't be the one to say this since I begged for it, but are you sure it's okay? There were items that could have been helpful in combat. Especially Epines, we paid an absurdly high price for it."
"What does it matter? If we need to, we can just go hunting. There's no need to dwell on the past."
“Rian is right. And not all losses are monetary. Shirone made the most efficient use of the Elixirs, and that's what matters."
Comforted by Amy's words, Tess looked distressed.
"What's the use of efficiency if the situation was a mess? I support Shirone's decision, but if the pharmacist hadn't pulled those strange tricks, we could have halved the price of the drone."
Canis said with a sneer.
“That’s not what Amy meant. In reality, Shirone didn't suffer any loss. He bought something priceless, even if he had given all the White Elixirs."
"What? Was the spirit of fire that expensive?"
"No. The most expensive thing was Epines."
Tess thought Canis, whom she was not even close with, was joking.
But considering they bought something that could be purchased with Red Elixirs for a White Elixir, it was infuriating enough to wake one up from sleep.
Rian asked as if he couldn't understand.
"Why is Epines considered the most expensive? It's a common medicine."
"It is, but its value today was beyond imagination. Most importantly, it's about who owns the item. Canya and Lena. Meaning, divine subjects."
"Ah..."
“Do you understand now? It's not about Epines. Shirone basically bought a ticket to Heaven with a White Elixir."
Indeed, that was the case.
If you think about it, there was a long way to go to heaven. But now they also have a corner to fight against. If they borrow Canya’s help, they can enter heaven.
|Note
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