Complete - (Black Friday Event) Shopping List | Page 2

Store 11

These were not people. They were some twisted force of nature. A living, pushing, shoving, and shouting tide of bargain hunting madness.

Ursula had only seen this sort of thing one other time in her life... A few days after the release of Treasure Quest she'd seen the tide of fanatics swarming at the courtyard near her house as they all swarmed trying to find virtual items in their phone apps. It had been madness then, but at least it was orderly. This... this was unsettling. At least this time, it wasn't her fault.

Alex tightened her grip on the parchment in her gauntleted hand. That sweet and innocent face that had beseeched her for aid would surely be trampled in a frenzy such as this. It was her duty to protect people, and while she could not save these shoppers from their commerce-induced frenzy, she could at least help that sweet shopkeeper from being drawn in to the madness.

When she'd looked at the parchment most of the images had seemed completely foreign to Alex, save one. A dark mess that to anyone else would have been a scribble, perhaps even something intended to be crossed out. Alex had known better! The distinctive curves and edges of that shape were not some nonsense scribble. They matched perfectly with an item Alex had been keeping her own eye on. Hidden among the many stores for the more common people, was a specialty store that catered to a very specific clientele. The fact that the likeness was so distinctive, clearly this horned merchant girl was a person of taste as well. It only made Alex more determined to assist her. After all, rock collectors had to stick together! If the meteor stone from the display window of Minerals & More was what she wanted, that is what Alex would get her! Now she just had to figure out how to get there...

Another armored individual had waded into the crowd. Alex had expected to see them force their way between and through people like all the other shoppers did. However, it seemed that the throngs had as much an appreciation as Alex did for a sensible fighter clad in clattering metal plates. People were quick to move out of the human woman's path and made room for her to walk through without hindrance. This display emboldened Alex, fully ensconced in her thick metal armor, and so she too attempted to stride straight into the mob.

“HEY! Watch where you're going!”

“Move it!”

“Outtta my way!”

“I'm walkin' here!”

“Get wrekt scrub!”

“Well EXCUSE you!”

Shouting, anger, shoving, pushing, and near trampling buffeted Alex within the mob and before she knew it she had been shoved entirely back to where she started where the coming and going of the people in the district was less dense. It seemed the shoppers only had an appreciation for human sized people in armor. Faerins didn't seem to matter.

Indignant, determined, and annoyed, Alex raised her shield and prepared to charge into the mob in retaliation of this injustice. Just before she did however, she caught sight of someone towing a child through the crowd. With a reluctant sigh she lowered her shield slightly and gave up on that idea. Maddened shoppers might deserve to be knocked out of the way, but a child could be seriously hurt. She would not be responsible for that, even if the burden of that guilt should lay with whomever had been crazy enough to bring a child to such a ruthless place.

Changing tactics slightly, Alex raised her shield and instead of charging into the fray, she slowly walked forward, cautiously and carefully making her way into the crowd. More angry shouts rained down over her but this time she was not shoved back. She had taken a wide stance to hold her ground and slowly forced her way forwards. Progress was painstakingly slow but eventually the armored faerin arrived at the doorstep of her intended store.

As she had expected, the specialty store for specific enthusiasts and hobbyists was relatively free of people compared to what went on outside. Unlike what she expected, however, nearly every shelf and bin in the store seemed completely barren. Glancing behind her Alex could see that even the window was vacant.

“Hello, Alex.” the shopkeeper greeted her with a voice laden with exhaustion. “I didn't expect to see you today. I was actually about to close up.”

“Mason! The meteor stone couldn't possibly have been purchased! I am in dire need of it for a most noble quest!” Alex's voice rang out of her helmet. Even the metallic, echoing, distortion could not hide the disdain from her tone.

“I'm sorry to say some gentleman purchased it hours ago.” Mason replied with a sad shake of his head.

“There is a fair maiden who was quite desperate for that stone, Mason. Do you have no other?” Alex knew the request was absurd but she asked anyways.

“It was one of a kind, you know that.” Mason frowned, furrowing his brow. “And I have nothing to offer you instead. My store has been cleared out almost completely. It seems that suddenly stones have become fashionable this year to more than just collectors.”

“Ha-have you nothing at all?” Alex's voice cracked a little both from upset and dismay.

Mason said nothing for a moment, the man simply stared at the armored faerin with a look of pity in his grey eyes. Finally he answered in an apologetic tone as he procured something from behind the counter. “I have this bundle of roc down. Most people think its a fake. I tried to give them out as a promotion when we opened. 'A roc for every rock!' but it never panned out. You can have them if you like.”

Alex accepted the bundle of oversized feathers, bound together by a length of twine. She knew nothing of feathers and doubted they would be of much comfort to that friendly merchant who had put her hopes in Alex. “Thank you for your kindness. Mason.” Alex responded before turning, dejectedly towards the door.

“Be well, Alex.” Mason said in farewell as he closed the store behind her.

Defeated, Alex trudged her way back through the crowd, heading for the merchant girl with her poor replacement of a prize tucked under one arm.

 

Store 17

Magdalyn's frown deepened, and she stared more intently at the ratty piece of parchment in her hands. It was silly, perhaps, to believe that some semblance of understanding might come from squinting, or tilting her head. To the bystanders, she was far past silly - a blue-haired woman standing in the center of a crowded city street, scowling at some paper. But there was little more than she could do, considering the impossible game of Pictionary she found herself in.

Shopping was not her favorite activity, by a long-shot. In fact, she had only ventured to Stokbon with the intention of spending some quality time people-watching. Finding a bench on the outskirts to observe, that had always been her favorite way to spend Black Friday. Instead, she had managed to get roped into doing some actual shopping. Melvina's request had been straight-forward enough, and Mags always had a tough time saying no. Even more persuasive was the woman's illiteracy, which tugged at her bleeding teacher-heart. If all she had to go off of was a picture, Magdalyn would do everything that she could to help the horned stranger.

Instead, she found herself in another well-known teacher conundrum - she could not understand what had been given her. With her middle school students, it had been chicken-scratch convincingly passed off as intelligent work. Now, it was a very simple drawing that left Mags entirely clueless.

It is just a rectangle, she thought dumbly. Literally. A rectangle. There was nothing else to it, from what she could figure. What in the world did the woman want? A painting? A slab of wood? A magic carpet that could help her fly around? Mags heaved a great sigh, then scanned the nearest shopfronts. Only a few paces away, one store advertised materials. Could be a blanket of some sort, she mused, before admitting it was as good a place as any to start.

The store was filled to overflowing, and people oozed out through the open door like toothpaste from the tube. Immediately, the woman's anxiety pricked at the back of her neck. So many people. So many people. But Mags inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with warm air that reeked of whatever perfume the elderly lady beside her wore. Then, she shoved inside.

With many "excuse me's" and a few shoves, the player did a quick sweep of the store for anything that jumped out at her. Nothing did. It was not a problem of inventory matching the drawing. On the contrary, just about everything matched the drawing. That, it seemed, was the real problem.

So she resigned herself to standing in line, squished between women who were loaded down with bolts of fabric. And there, she waited. And waited. And waited. God, Mags groaned inwardly, its like being at home again. And people do this for fun?

When she finally reached the front of the line, the lady held out her hand instinctively. Only when her hand remained empty did the woman glance up. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes," Mags replied, "but not with buying anything. Or, not yet, anyway. I'm looking for a particular item. Maybe you could help me out?"

The woman glanced past Magdalyn's shoulder, surveying the line in a gesture that was as much for her benefit as Mags'. Then she gave a curt nod. "Yes, what is it that you need?"

"I know it is an odd request," Mags began, "but I have this drawing." Feeling more than a little foolish, she held it out for the older woman to read. Much to the player's surprise, she watched the shopkeep's eyes widen with first surprise, and then hot, devilish amusement.

"Marne," she called over her shoulder, motioning for her assistant to join her. "Would you please take over for me, for a moment? I have a customer I must speak with privately." She did not even pause for an answer before nodding toward a small door, located behind the front counter. Once Mags had been ushered through, she recognized the room as a sort of office. "Now," the big-eyed brunette began, "regarding your request-"

"I'm sorry, I know it's a long-shot," Mags interjected. "I have no idea what it is."

Much to Magdalyn's surprise, the woman grinned. "But I do. You're looking for spider silk."

"Spider... silk? Like, what spiders use to make their webs?"

"One and the same," she answered. "Though, these are incredibly large spiders. And incredibly rare. They only sell small quantities of their silk, and only to those whom they have business connections with."

Mags felt a bit faint. "Spiders... they sell their own silk?" Giant spiders, who were intelligent enough to farm out their silk? She had nothing against spiders, but she was struggling to wrap her head around this concept.

Seeing her customer was falling behind, the shopkeep fiddled with a large safe in the corner of the space. When it swung open, she reached inside, and withdrew a shimmering cut of fabric. It caught the light in a way that reminded Mags of sequins, but the material itself appeared almost see-through. "This," the woman announced, drawing closer, "is spider silk."

"How... how did you know that this was what Melvina wanted?" Helplessly, she dropped her gaze back to the paper in her hands.

"Melvina is a frequent customer," the owner answered. "I would recognize that style anywhere. Besides, can't you see the faint lines indicating the silk's shine?"

Mags gave a sheepish shrug. "I thought they were eraser marks."

Ignoring the struggling woman's answer, the shopkeep placed the folded fabric in Magdalyn's lap. "I'll give you a fair price for it, especially since I know it's going to Melvina."

A "fair price" ended up being everything Mags had saved up since the war had ended, but she was too far-gone to argue now. Instead, she merely played her role in the transaction, though her eyes were a bit dull and distant throughout. Giant... entrepreneurial... spiders.

It was only after the gold had been passed over, and Mags was on her way out, that she finally thought to ask the important question. "What is this silk used for, anyway?"

Something wicked flashed in the other woman's brown eyes as she beamed back. "It is incredibly strong," she stated, "not likely to wear out, or be torn. It is also very nearly transparent. It makes excellent lingerie."

 

Store 19

Lucia glanced around idly, she'd tried her best to keep track of the things she the woman was looking for, but at the same time the crudely drawn works made her frown, it was like trying to decipher a child's drawing. To an extent it was slightly worse because she wasn't as simple as a kid it seemed. With the list in hand, she glanced to the few others around her. Her undead were with her like always. In this sort of situation, it was undoubtedly an advantage.

"...Can anyone decipher this?"
"Miss, this is worse then usual."
"Nyeh heh heh, it looks like a... wait what is this? It's a saddle?"
"Matriarch, it looks like Sans fell asleep again."
"..."

There was a new addition to her usual team of four undead, a young girl a short head of golden blond hair. She had a blank and dazed expression, as if oblivious to everything happening around her. Her skin visibly crawled from time to time, visibly unstable, but she at least held a relatively human shape as she gripped a small Skeleton in her arms. The skeleton was one some people might think of as a doll, but in truth was the smaller counter part of the flashily dressed skeleton gazing over the list puzzled over the identity of the items. The sleeping skeleton being dragged by the small girl through the chaos, the group proceeded with the help of Sylvanas, pushing people away here and there to make way through the store.

Naturally, Lucia was trying her best to find the tools the girl wanted, but it was tough. Looking through the shelves, people rushed here and there ripping things from the walls and hooks to try and make off with the goods for the cheapest price during this rush. For a long while, Lucia hesitated before finally gesturing with a hand. "Alright, everyone, grab things off of the wall, we're going to try and find as much as we can and see what fits the descriptions-- No hurting people." She spoke firmly letting it be known that they couldn't cause any kind of injuries or make anyone suffer for no reason. It was a sudden and firm demand, but it made the blond haired girl quiver briefly. Drawing her gaze for a moment in question, but without any kind of answer, the girl could only begrudgingly accept the rule of not harming people as the undead tried to help Lucia acquire what she needed.

 

Store 23

Hot and sweaty people gathered about in an array of disorder as they argued over who would get the best deals. Throughout the whole hustle and bustle of the sale street, all of the voices merged into one. Ilya was picking her way carefully around each individual person, trying her best not to bump into them. Despite her considerateness she could not help bumping into at least one person as she weaved in and out of the blocked up streets. Ilya herself was not one for Black Friday shopping, yet here she was. In the most busiest street in Terrasphere. There was one loud voice could be heard over everyone else's. From what Ilya could tell, it was a voice seeking help. Ilya's eyes landed on a beautiful girl with two curly horns on either side of her head. Weird animal-like humans were common around Terrasphere, however this was the first 'ram' that Ilya had seen among all of her travels. Ilya's cat ears perked up as she began to listen to the girl's proposal along with her introduction. With a flick of her tail in excitement, Ilya replied almost immediately. "Of course i'll help! I will be back when I get the items on the list.." Nodding her head ever so slightly, the 'ram' had handed the list over to Ilya (Along with sending a formal trade request so that it wouldn't disappear into the 'ram's' inventory as soon as Ilya walked away). After having recieved the list, Ilya opened it without much hesitation. Seeing the drawings on the list was like seeing a finished product of a five year old who had just drawn something for you as a gift. Alright.. let's see if I can figure this out.... Not wanting to insult the young 'ram', she scanned the sheet of paper. I can make this work.. I think. Deciding to take a gander before all of the sales ran out, she started to walk into the street that was ever so clearly getting filled with even more people (thus getting much more rowdy) as time continued to pass.

First it seemed as if most of the shops were of lower-tier quality. None of these will work.. I need something that looks promising... Most of the shops had a shabby rustic look to them, with bannisters that were falling apart and decayed wood along the exterior. One in particular looked as if it was a murder house. Now that I think of it. I bet they have a prostitute shop somewhere here. Better not stick around too long to find out. Along with the list of items that Ilya could pick through came a list of forty different shops. Each item had a number and each shop had a number as well. It could only be evidently clear that each shop was paired up with the item that shared the same number.

Scanning the item list again, Ilya's eyes landed on nothing too special. There was a bit of scribble here and there along with dashes of color across the page. With a shrug of her shoulders, Ilya decided that if she passed by a shop that look promising she could then check to see if it was on the list and go from there.

It was as if Ilya had entered a whole new world as she exited the lower-tier shops and into the middle-tier. Maybe I should pick one here. They look more promising..
As Ilya continued to walk down the cobblestone lined street, she stopped abruptly. In front of her stood a smaller buidling when it came to the width of the store front. From what Ilya could see, the building was quite long. It had dark grey brick walls and an even darker grey wood roof. The bannister that stood proudly in the front of the shop was a dark grey that matched the roof. It had a small platform that raised the door off the ground and stairs the color of obsidian. The door was more fanciful delicate than the walls and the roof, as it was a light grey in color with several dark grey swirls along the outside. In the single window of the shop front was a sign that was hung. It read 'Open' in black cursive-like font. Behind the sign, from the inside of the shop there were black curtains that hid whatever was inside of the shop. As Ilya walked closer to the shop, she paused on the staircase to read the small sign that was posted just outside the door. 'Marine's Goods. Just what you need, when you need it. No pets allowed.' Ilya's hand rested on the doorknob as if she were about to open it. This store was on the list, so I am good to go! However before she could so much as move another muscle, the door was opened for her as a sale's attendant welcomed her in. Her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit "palace" as the scent of various herbs and medicinal potions wafted through the air. Ilya blinked twice, a habit she had displayed quite a lot. Her eyes scanning the fellow man in front of her. Almost every sale's keeper
I have met have been guys. The man that now stood before her was an elf of sorts. He had grey strands of hair all over the place, not one hair seemed to be in place. Ilya walked inside the small cavern of a store, and looked around. Among the shelves were herbs and potions. All being scanned as people crowded around various items. Ilya looked back at the list in her hands as she matched the store name with the item.

The item on the list resembled that of a vial of sorts. Reading the single word written, Ilya's eyes widened slightly. Why did I have to pick this one? The colors that were swiped across the image resembled that of a deep redish hue and a pale pink. Ilya looked back at the short elf and walked to him, "Hey. I am looking for this item.. Can you help?" The man grinned as he looked at the list. "Y-you want THAT? One second.." The man seemed to go behind a tall oak wood door before reappearing with a taller human man. "I hear you are looking for blood." The taller man spoke this time. "Yes, I am." She handed the man her list of items. His eyes lightened with recognition at the writing at the top. "Ahh, you are on an errand for Melvina.. In that case. Follow me." Ilya's tail twitched as she followed him into the back of the store.

A large black door was now visible in Ilya's point of view. "Right beyond this door." With a small whisper of a foreign language that Ilya had no idea of, the door opened. A chilly breeze flew through the room upon the doors opening. Not expecting the chill, Ilya shivered for a few seconds. Once she took a step inside, the mand closed the door behind her. "This is where our supply of rare bloods is. The one you are l--" Ilya's mind had toned the man out as her eyes were drawn to the shelf in the far back of the cool room. Only slightly remembering that the sale's clerk had been talking to her, Ilya shook her head slightly. She pointed with her finger, "I-Is that where it is?" She didn't know why she asked.. Maybe it was the fact that the sale's attendant had the list. "Yes... This item is worth more than a million gold piece.. But, since you are Melvina's errand girl, then I guess I can lower it to.. Half a million?"

Ilya's eyes widened out of shock, "HALF A MILLION? I don't have much gold at all. Is there any way I can obtain it for Melvina it's what she really wants.. What is it anyways? Why is it so pricey?" Her own words were stumbling over each other as she continued to be dumbfounded by the pricey object that she was required to obtain. Ilya took a few steps forward to examine the object that had caught her attention. It was a vial of 'blood' that seemed to glow of superstitious power. The glow was not faint but obvious. Upon further study, Ilya noted it was the content's 'aura'. With an aura so powerful to be this visible.. This item must be extremely rare and powerful itself.

​

The sign below the vial read, "Alicorn Blood. Handle With Care." Ilya's eyes looked back at the man who had given her the price. Their own exchange of expressions and words were interrupted by the old elf who had opened the door for Ilya. He had somehow managed to make the door seem to be closed, when it really was not. He raced for the sale's keeper who had taken Ilya into the back, and knocked him to the floor. His own frail hands snached up the potion in a flash. It was all so fast that Ilya hadn't noticed what was happening until the old man barged past her. Shaking her head out of the daze she lashed her tail in anger, "Oi! Get back here!" Ilya leapt at the man who had previously been kind to her. She drew back her fist and punched the thief square in the face. He got knocked backwards and hit the oak wood door, sealing it for real. Ilya raced towards him and noticed that he was unconcious. She reached in his jacket pocket and grabbed the vial of Alicorn blood before returning back to the sale's keeper who had assisted her. She held out the vial, "Such an expensive vial must be held under lock and key." The man before her started to laugh, "It would probably be better under your care. Keep it. You earned it. Besides I owe Madame Melvina quite a bit. Just let her know that this makes us even." Ilya's eyes almost popped out of her head as she thanked the man. She opened her inventory and set the potion inside. Heading out the shop she swore to herself that she would go back often. She headed down the now deserted streets and over to where she had last seen Melvina. Now then.. Hopefully this is what she wanted.

 

Store 28

Alkaid could hardly believe the size of the city. The hustle and bustle was something she’d expect in a real world mall, and yet amidst the flooding crowd, the horned woman had still managed to pull her aside and ~coerce~ convince her to gather some materials for her. Not that Alkaid was about to dismiss a good deal anyway, especially when her preparedness equipment-wise was, well, zero.

In hopes of finding something decent, she’d gone to an area that seemed slightly upscale, but not too much before finding a safe spot to finally look at the list and…

“Pft...” Trying to keep the noise down, Alkaid started to giggle. And then failed. “Oh my God! And here I thought she looked so professional and...”

Even when someone glared at her, she did not stop laughing. She didn’t know what exactly she was expecting, but it was not a work comparable to Modryn Oreyn’s masterpiece.

By the time she’d regained her composure, she took another glance at the list, snorted again, and then finally studied the list as seriously as she could. From what she gathered, one of the items looked like a black and white tail of some sort, so she decided to look around the stores, some more stores, and then some even more stores, until she’d finally found something that looked close to what she was looking for.

“A...winged lemur’s tail?” Well, at least it sounded like a crafting material.

Hidden: continued...

As Alkaid reached out for it, however, another hand clamped around the tail. She looked up to find a maid. Not just a person in a maid’s outfit, but an actual maid, standing in front of a fancily dressed young man with blonde hair – undoubtedly some aristocrat.

It took her a moment to register the man was also breathing heavily. “Phew! We finally caught up to you. For a moment there I’d thought we’d lost you in the crowd. Don’t look at me like that! I promise we don’t mean any harm. What kind of gentleman would do such a thing?”

Alkaid was tempted to ask what kind of “gentleman” sent his servant to snatch what someone else was looking for when the maid spoke up, “I believe you should get right to the point, milord.”

“Ah, yes, yes. Of course. You see, I would ask that you read my fortune, my lady, in return for my buying this item for you.” Alkaid rose a quizzical brow, prompting a polite cough from the young man. “Assuming, of course, I’d gathered correctly, given your garb...”

Alkaid let out a gasp of mock offense. “Are you saying something is wrong with how I dress?”

“No. No, I just meant that you looked so...”

“So…?”

“Bohemian. And beautiful, might I add.”

“Ha. For that you get a pass. Alright.” Alkaid drew out her cards, performing a few tricks she’d practiced with shuffling them as they floated in the air. She spread the cards out in the air in front of her. “We’ll use a fairly standard method of divination. Please pick out one card.

“Ah, I see. It seems you have been stubborn about something recently. Are you perhaps holding onto your anger about a past conflict instead of letting it go?" A flash of trepidation appeared on the man's face. "Nevermind, let’s continue. Draw another card.”

The man did as asked. “The Moon. Hmm, yes, things are becoming clearer. You are pining for something you do not currently possess. Some thing? Or perhaps...someone. For you this seems out of reach, but in your yearnings you slowly build support. Last card.

“Ah, good for you. In the future, you will succeed in achieving your goal.” At that, the man beamed. “Additionally, you will make true friends and be able to reward them accordingly. Though at first you will revel in this glory, you must be careful, for new obstacles will arise. You should be careful of those who use you, and thankful for those closest to you. I would not take them for granted in your shoes.”

Taking a deep breath, Alkaid made it clear she was finished. “I hope that was useful, my lord.”

“Quite so, thank you! Most excellent news, wouldn’t you say, Anabelle?”

“Indeed, milord,” stepping forward, the maid handed the lemur tail to Alkaid. “I believe you’ve earned this, milady. If you will please excuse us, we will take care of your payment before attending to other preparations.”

Following behind the maid, the young man bowed, thanked Alkaid once more, and then headed over to the counter. Once they were a good distance away, Alkaid sighed. “Oh God. I haven’t done that in years.”

In truth, she did hope for the best for the pair. Some part of her also wanted to hope that somehow her divination had some effect in this world, as she never really believed in it in the real world, but who knew. In any case, she also needed to hope that she’d gotten the right item.

Just when she’d left the shop, however, some of her hope had been dashed.

Coming from the more expensive shops was a group of high class citizens dancing a...vaguely familiar dance. It took a couple seconds for Alkaid to recognize the beat after decades of being on the web but sure enough, she did.

Along with that came the full dawning that this was truly a virtual society. And to that society someone had introduced memes.

 

Store 37

No matter if he was in New York or Terrasphere's Stokbon, he really disliked Black Friday for the crowd and the superficial nature of it. In his honesty, he can't understand what was the real point of buying items just to prepare for the holidays. For him, he felt it would be better if he could try giving out homemade gifts and spending it with his family. Although compared to the greedy holiday in New York, this was a little more complex. Besides, he was trying to help an NPC doing her shopping list.

But there was one problem. He didn't know whether to try asking some NPCs to translate this poor writing or just question the NPC who drew it. Either way, he still needed to try to buy a required item from the list that he was given while trying to pass through the crowded streets of Stokbon.

With that, he went to a high-end shop nearby to escape the crowd while hoping to find one of the items on the list. Although, a new problem right now was not only on what kind of item he will try to get while still making sense on the girl's handwriting, but also the prices to them and the aggressiveness of the other customers trying to get their needed item.

"Of course, I had to deal with these greedy crowd as well. I really don't have time for this," he sighed while nodding his head in disapproval. While he did, he calmly passed through the crowd, not bothered by the bumps and the others' attempts to push him off. It managed for him to calmly get to his desired shelf, though it did give him some enemies.

"Hey, you're in the way!"

That was the only thing he heard before he was pushed off by a man dressed as a gladiator to get on the shelf. Needless to say, he wasn't happy about it. "I would say the same thing, though I doubt I can reason with your think head of yours." Verity then got up from the ground, recovering from that push he endured as he glared at him for his action. "Regardless, I feel that you should move. I'm afraid pushing me aside would give you any more problems down the line."

"What do you know?! It's finders keepers, losers weepers! Unless you want to fight for it..." The man said as he reached to his hip, hoping to draw out his shortsword. Yet despite the threats, Verity did nothing but to sigh in frustration.

"Sorry, I don't have time and I really need to get the Scale Powder immediately. I'm not interested in needless violence over a product in a shelf. Especially to a muscle-headed idiot like you." To be honest, he really didn't want to instigate a fight in a high-end shop like this, lest he wanted to be charged for damages. So without drawing his blade, he calmly walked towards the shelf as he tried to shove the rude gladiator away.

Unfortunately, this made him more enraged as he quickly pulled out his sword and aimed it at the Alchemist. "Why you son of a-"

But just as he swung its blade to his face, a great gust of wind blew behind Verity, causing the man to fly off from the store before crashing to a nearby cart, much to the players and NPCs' shock. Verity on the other hand just calmly grabbed a jar full of scale-like powder and purchased it through the UI. Though just as he left the store, he hated to wonder not only if this would be the right item on the list, the fact that he used Breeze Shroud to stop the rude gladiator was a little too much as a punishment. At least it was better than using his sword to shut him up.

 

Store 31

Only the greatest and grandest was good enough for Seigi. Was good enough for the terrible capitalists that abused the heroine's innocence. At the very least, if she were to ever look back at this, she could justify her behavior by taking from the rich and giving it to the... Melvina wasn't poor, was she?

Nonetheless! Seigi decided to screw the weird drawings and simply listen to her gut feelings as she walked along the streets that belonged to the aristocrats. Totally out of place.

"You call this piece of scrap worth a fortune? My daughter makes better wax-figurines that are more worth than this!"

"Hah?! Your daughter's wax-figurines? What kind of peasant has her daughter pursue such a hobby? My son is being taught, by The Alchemist, how to turn a dead person's ashes into a diamond! See this 5 million gold ring? That's my father. Always with me."

"5 million? For your deceased father? Are you insul- oi, what's this brat doing here?"

What turned into an initial attempt of silly bargaining and quickly changed into a dick-contest between the on-lookers of this particular stand, gave Seigi enough room to actually get close enough without being shooed away!

"What this?" Seigi asked as she touched a black, weird, piece of... "Don't you dare touch it with your filthy hands, peasant! This is a rare Lump of Dragoncoal!" One of the rich people slapped it out of Seigi's hands as it fell to the ground. "OOHHH NOOO!" The three nobles cried out. "Ruined! It's ruined! All your fault! RUINED! She has to pay for it, right? She has to pay for it!"

"How much is it?!" Seigi asked. She didn't want to inconvenience anyone. "A piece of coal shouldn't be too expensive, right?" The small hero could swear she saw some of them starting to foam. "IT'S NOT JUST A MERE PIECE OF COAL! How...how could you...." One fainted.

"OWNER!" Another noble demanded answers. "Make her pay! Call the guards!" The owner, who looked suspiciously shabby and like someone that swindled people out of their money, tipped his fedora as he adjusted his sunglasses. "Well, the way I see it, my precious good is ruined. Not because of that little girl here, or do you see a do not touch sign somewhere? So, considering the true culprit, how about you pay for it?" A smile formed on his face as the noble's head changed the color to red. "That said, I'm surprised you don't recognize this little star. The Great Carbuncle? Genius Detective?"

For a moment, both of the still awake nobles seemed confused as they studied Seigi's face closer. "She... she... INDEED! I-I am so, so sorry for what I did! I haven't realized that behind the mask of the great Sherdock Bones is just a girl of pure origin!" Seigi opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the very charismatic shop-owner. "Well, well. No harm was done, am I right, Bones? I'm sure she will forgive you if you pay for that piece of Dragoncoal. How about something else while at it? I just so happen to have this very rare example of a real and authentic golden-fake-coin, too! From none else than the Legendary Crime lord Jimmy the Slinger! It's only half a million, even!"

"Yes, Yes, take the Dragoncoal, I pay for it. Don't worry my dear actor. I hope to see you on the stage soon again!"

Seigi, by now, had taken a few steps back already. These people were weird and scary. Scary in a sense that her heroic heroism couldn't... comprehend. They were also different from the bootlickers she knew from the places her father dragged her along. Nonetheless, even now she had a hard time dealing with rich and weird people. But... this piece of coal? No, Dragoncoal, was hers now, wasn't it? It didn't look shiny or expensive but if one of them literally fainted... hopefully they were okay.

Nonetheless, with a lump of over-priced coal in her hands, Seigi fullfilled the mission! Hopefully.