Chapter 66: The Baptism in the Commercial Nation
“Whoa, this rift is really something else!”
We were currently observing the rift from the side of the Commercial Nation Aresgute. The view was much better here, and the area was more spacious. They had even dug a hole in the ground to create stairs leading to a viewing platform on the cliffside, making it a popular tourist spot. We decided to pay the entrance fee, but there weren’t many tourists around. I also had the strange feeling that something had fallen from above during our visit, but surely it was just my imagination.
“…Shall we head out soon?”
“…Yeah.”
We hadn’t really done much sightseeing for the money we spent, and the thought of what might have fallen from above kept me distracted.
“Alright, let’s walk from here.”
We had rushed through the kingdom using high-speed flight, but now we were in the Commercial Nation Aresgute.
“Even though we just left the kingdom, I feel like the air has changed,” Shuu remarked.
As we walked south along the road, several carriages passed us by. After about half a day’s journey, we arrived at a reasonably sized town bustling with activity, being the closest town to the border. Once we entered the town, the first thing that caught our eye was the numerous street stalls. Delicious aromas wafted through the air from every direction.
“Oh, look! They have something that looks like sandwiches!”
“Really? And over there, is that a hot dog?”
In addition to the classic skewered meats and soups, this town had a variety of bread-based dishes. However, I noticed there were no fried foods in sight. I guess oil must be expensive.
“This is delicious!”
“It seems like we can’t go wrong here.”
As we wandered around, sampling various foods, I thought about selling our spoils at the Adventurer’s Guild in this sizable town.
“Step right up! We have plenty of hidden treasures! Come take a look! And they’re cheap too!”
While searching for the Guild, we were drawn to a loud voice coming from a larger street stall.
“A merchant.”
“Indeed, a merchant.”
The moment we saw him, we couldn’t help but think that. There stood a rotund merchant, looking like he had just crawled out of some mysterious dungeon.
“Hey there, you two! Interested in something? I highly recommend this! It’s an Elixir that supposedly even heals missing limbs! And it’s only ten million Fron!”
An Elixir? Another suspicious item had appeared. And what does “supposedly” mean? Healing missing limbs sounds incredible, but the fact that it was being sold at a street stall raised all sorts of red flags. The yellow liquid was contained in a translucent glass-like vial.
“Come on, don’t give me that doubtful look! I can’t vouch for its effects since I’ve never seen it in action, but I guarantee you this is an Elixir!”
“Really?”
Rio voiced her skepticism, but the merchant maintained his composed demeanor. I decided to appraise it, and sure enough, it displayed “Elixir.” While I couldn’t discern its effects, the name was undoubtedly that of an Elixir.
“No way…”
“Haha! I told you! This is an Elixir! So, what do you say? Right now, it’s just ten million Fron! I only have this one in stock!”
“Then I’ll buy it. I have the money.”
“That sounds good. …I think I have about two hundred million Fron in my wallet, so we should be fine.”
She whispered the last part so only I could hear. I didn’t realize she had saved up so much. I thought it had surpassed a hundred million, but this was quite a surprise.
“Thank you very much!”
I pulled out a platinum coin from my pocket and handed it to the merchant, receiving the Elixir in return. Now we would be safe in case of an emergency.
“Here, you hold onto this, Rio.”
“What? No way! You need to keep it, or I’ll be in trouble!”
“No, no, if something happens to you, I’ll be the one in trouble.”
“Ugh… Fine, I guess I have no choice…”
“Alright.”
After some back-and-forth, I handed the Elixir to a resigned Rio and turned my attention back to the stall to look for more treasures.
“Huh? Where did he go?”
The merchant had already packed up and vanished.
“Gahaha! Did you two really buy that Elixir?”
As we searched for the merchant, a hearty laugh echoed from the side. A muscular man in a tank top, with a bald head and arms crossed, was leaning back with a smug expression.
“Yes, we bought it. What’s it to you?”
“Oh no, you’ve fallen for a classic scam!”
The man placed a hand on his forehead, shaking his head as if to say, “What a shame.” Wait, what do you mean scam?
“But it clearly appraised as an Elixir…”
“Whoa, you can appraise? That makes you an even bigger target!”
“What do you mean by that?”
Confused, Rio pressed the man for answers, and I was just as lost. How could we be scammed after appraising it? What was the point of appraisal then?
“That guy has a special ability to name things,” the man explained.
“Huh?”
“Try transferring the contents to another container and then appraise the original Elixir’s vial.”
Following his suggestion, I did just that. Indeed, the now-empty vial still appraised as “Elixir.” When I appraised the yellow liquid I had transferred, however—
“Yellow Water.”
“Gahaha! You’ve been had! It’s a painful expense, but consider it a lesson learned!”
As we crumbled in disbelief, the kind-hearted muscle-bound man laughed heartily and walked away. I scanned the area for any sign of the merchant, but I couldn’t pinpoint his presence among the crowd.
“I can’t believe there was such a trap…”
“Ahahaha…”
And so, on our first day in the Commercial Nation Aresgute, we had already fallen victim to a scam.