“Boss, do you buy junk... no, spoils of war?” Sophie asked.
Clang—clatter—
Several iron longswords smelling strongly of blood, a few iron scepters engraved with eerie runes, a stack of punctured and blood-stained priest robes, and a large bag of constantly jumping fleas were all pushed onto the table at once.
The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed through the dim shop.
The general store owner’s eyelid twitched violently several times.
He looked up at the strange woman before him.
She was wrapped tightly in a worn, grayish-brown linen cloak, and a hideous wooden mask was strapped to her face—the carving was extremely crude, with even the eye holes being asymmetrical.
Does she not even wash off the blood?
These are all stolen goods.
And what is with the bag of fleas? I am not an alchemist.
The owner silently picked up a defensive short club and took a deep breath. “This is a legitimate general store; we do not take stolen goods of unknown origin. I suggest you check the black market on the west side of the city. However, for your hard work, I will give you a quote for these scraps of iron—five copper coins, how about that? As for the bag of fleas, you should keep those for yourself.”
Sophie, who was browsing the items in the shop, was stunned.
How can he refuse some items and then lowball me on the rest?
Though Sophie was not clear on the specific prices of this era, she could infer from the world-building that five copper coins were probably only enough to buy five loaves of black bread.
These iron swords looted from the New Moon Cultists' corpses were at least solid metal weapons. Even the scepters could be melted down to make a few hoes. This owner was clearly trying to rip her off, treating her like a bandit desperate to offload hot goods.
If she wanted to change her outfit, this amount of money was nowhere near enough.
The Hero had only left her three gold coins in total, and Sophie did not want to spend them all at once.
But she quickly realized something.
The general stores in games were system shops with infinite stock, infinite money, and would buy anything; this place was not.
In that case...
Should she try bargaining with the owner?
Sophie decided to apply a bit of “commercial influence.”
She pulled the mask down slightly, just enough to reveal a small portion of her cheek.
Snow-white hair cascaded down her fair, translucent skin, and her ruby-like eye—brilliant and reflecting a vast galaxy—blinked once.
Sophie curled her lips into a slight smile, revealing a tiny hint of her canine teeth, and lowered her voice.
“Boss, considering these weapons are in decent condition... do you not think you could offer a better price?”
With my Charisma, a price hike should not be a problem, right?
The store owner nodded. “I see.”
Hmm? Is that reaction a bit flat?
Or do I have to show my whole face? Sophie wondered.
“In that case, I will give you the entire shop,” the owner said, a sunny smile blooming on his face.
Sophie: “...”
It seems I overdid the price hike?
“Whether it is weapons, equipment, items, gold coins, or even the land deed—just take whatever you like, as long as...”
Sophie: “As long as?”
“As long as you, my Goddess, stay and spend the rest of your life with me...”
Sophie: “...”
“What do you think? Though I do not mean to boast, I have already raised five children with my wife. I am very healthy, and I am sure I can smoothly...”
“Boss, look behind you! It looks like someone is singing, dancing, rapping, and playing basketball!”
“What?” The owner, possessing infinite trust in Sophie, immediately turned his head, even though there was nothing behind him but a wall and a door.
“Great Memory Erasure Technique!”
Sophie immediately equipped her Oil-paper Umbrella and brought it down on the owner's head.
Thump.
“My Goddess, you...”
Thump.
“Ugh...”
Thump.
【Log: Because you used a non-lethal weapon, General Store Owner Damian has fallen unconscious.】
Sophie bared her teeth, bit her finger, and dripped a few drops of blood onto Damian's face.
【Log: Due to absorbing vampire blood, the General Store Owner's health has been slightly restored; unconsciousness cleared.】
“Do you think I am beautiful?” Sophie asked.
“My Goddess, you...” Damian opened his eyes in confusion.
Thump.
【Log: Because you used a non-lethal weapon, General Store Owner Damian has fallen unconscious.】
【Log: Due to absorbing vampire blood, General Store Owner Damian's health has been slightly restored; unconsciousness cleared.】
“Do you think I am beautiful?” Sophie asked.
“Goddess...”
Thump.
...
“Do you think I am beautiful?”
“Goddess above! Customer, why are you holding that umbrella like...” Damian opened his somewhat swollen eyes and looked at Sophie, who was holding her Oil-paper Umbrella high. He instinctively pulled his neck in.
“Oh my, I just walked in and saw you fall, sir.” Sophie immediately put the umbrella away and helped Damian up, while inconspicuously smearing a drop of crystalline blood onto his skin.
【Log: Due to absorbing vampire Blood Essence, General Store Owner Damian's health has been fully restored, all hidden injuries and disabilities have been removed, and his Physique has increased by 1 point.】
“Is that so? I fell? My head feels a bit blank...” Damian stood up unsteadily.
For some reason, even though his recent memory was a bit of a blank, he felt his body was better than ever. His waist did not hurt, his legs were not sore, and he felt warm all over.
“Dizziness is normal,” Sophie nodded, pointing to the junk on the table. “You were just talking price with me. You said you were willing to offer a very fair price, and then you suddenly fainted.”
“These...” Damian looked hesitantly at the weapons on the table, then at the strange mask on Sophie's face.
Both the goods and the customer felt a bit off.
But an instinct from deep within told him that the person in front of him could be absolutely trusted.
“I believe 5 Silver Moons and 3 Copper Shells would be a fair price,” Damian said seriously after a moment of thought.
“Then it is a deal,” Sophie agreed decisively.
As if afraid the owner would change his mind or go into heat again, Sophie grabbed the coins from the counter with lightning speed and bolted out of the shop.
Did my fainting scare her?
Damian stroked his chin, watching the grayish-brown figure quickly disappear down the street.
For some reason, since just now, his body had felt a bit strange.
It was as if... he had returned to his twenty-year-old self.
Damian's whole body shuddered.
This uncontrollable heat and thumping sensation? Could it be?
After entering middle age, this unprecedented...
Damian puffed out his chest and rushed to the shop door, flipping the “Open” sign to “Closed,” then hurried toward the living quarters at the back of the shop.
“Wife! Wife! Hurry, come help me out! I want my back stepped on...”
...
Rate on N.U.
