Chapter 41; Merchant Of Death
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A woman in her early 30’s looked confused as she searched for someone. With the Booths lined up to each other, it is difficult to look for something. That's why she tried to look at the entryway above. The moment she spotted him, she headed that way. She wore a military uniform that is opposite from Evanslei. It is mostly black and red with gold accents. 

 

This place looked like a warehouse due to the towering aisles that contain necessary items behind each booth.

 

“Henrietta. I won’t go anywhere. Don’t rush.”

 

Belmare comforted and stopped her tracks with his arms. 

 

“The Guildmaster was looking for you earlier and left just before you entered this building.”

 

Henrietta reported after adjusting her cap.

 

“That’s strange. Old ma always calls me first whenever she visits. Perhaps the communication towers we had needed some repairs.”

 

Belmare hovered his hand in the air and looked like he was to grasp something. A magic circle appeared out of nowhere, and he twisted it. Using that same hand, he swiped it and showed details about the Communication Tower.

 

There are no abnormal states and don't need any maintenance for now. Belmare swiped again and revealed the Communication Tower from the outside. That tower is mostly composed of crystals and the primary source to make Call Magic and teleportation between towers possible.

 

“It doesn’t seem urgent or too important, but she has something to give for you.”

 

“It’s not 'give' but ask. That can wait. Knowing her, she might be dealing with far more important matters to step aside from our meeting.”

 

Belmare started walking, and his guests followed him as well.

 

“Thank you for reporting.”

 

Henrieta bowed as soon as she heard these words from Belmare. She proceeded to her booth.

 

Unbeknownst to Gevanni, Izuna already identified Henrietta as a male. He is not a 'she' but rather has mostly a feminine look. However, the name 'Henrietta' is misleading. Perhaps, his parents wanted to have a girl but couldn't have one. Izuna is the complete opposite of Gevanni when thinking about information. She always sees what's only in front of her. It doesn't matter if it doesn't benefit her in the long run, but if it's pretty, it's okay.

 

“Belmare, it doesn’t matter if you’d like to answer or not... Are you from the Holy Vecherienne Empire?”

 

Gevanni asked as he stopped for a moment.

 

“What made you think of that?”

 

“Evanslenian craftsmen are not fluent in the applications of weapons in close combat. Those sellers are adorned in uniforms that are unique to the Holy Empire. Lastly, their huge crest at the back of your uniform is a hint.”

 

The crest behind Belmare's back is composed of two eagles merged into one, spread-out wings, and shaped like a cross.

 

“As expected, you have a keen eye. I assume you didn’t just state the obvious.”

 

“I’ve been testing from the start to gauge how far Evanslei maintains its superpower after its independence and how its affiliation with me affects the relationship of each noble house and allied countries.”

 

“How bold of you to think of that loudly. But that pleases me the most. You deliberately create conflict, and with that in mind, commerce will boom. Being a business partner with me is not just a fluke, after all.”

 

Izuna came into the middle between Gevanni and Belmare to prevent this from going haywire. Belmare understood Izuna’s actions and left the scene. 

 

“You missed the chance to say it’s a den of pretty boys, Gevanni! Well, your face could count one if you weren’t sulking most of the time.”

 

Izuna teasingly said and slowly caught up to Gevanni, who is running away from her.

 

“I’m not bitter…” 

 

Gevanni bitterly replied to Izuna’s comment with a bitter expression. 

The booths here are categorized based on weapon and armor types. Each vendor sells according to their specialty. For example, a booth that specializes in selling light armors. All of the vendors like Henrietta are wearing the same uniform from the Holy Vecherienne Empire.

 

Belmare noticed it already, but it seems the vendor who’s supposed to be working at the Light Armor Booth is not present and might be on a break. He took the liberty of opening the crate that was waiting at the counter.

 

“This is the second package of the deal we made.”

 

Belmare declared as he carefully placed all items on the counter from the crate.

 

“This is a Pizaine and Gambeson. We enchanted it to withstood attacks from Grade III Lesser Somas and below 3rd sector of magic. Keep this in mind, if you approach a Grade V Lesser Somas such as Frost Drakes and Jivorrs, it’ll hurt a lot and break your armor, but it's not enough to kill you.”

 

Belmare explained as he watched Gevanni equipped the armor by himself. It is mostly strap ons.

 

“Belmare, isn’t it time for you to tell me how stats can be seen and the limits of weapons and armors?”

 

“Stats? Statistics? What are you talking about?”

 

Belmare asked with genuine eyes as if he truly doesn’t know about it.

 

“A piece of data to measure one’s capabilities to strategize which creatures they could take.”

 

“Ah. I get it… It’s called Attributes. It is separated into Physical attack, Physical Defense, Agility, Magic Attack, Magic Defense, Resistance, and Special. You’ll be able to see this once you learn Appraisal Magic or an item with similar effect.”

 

Belmare clarified while Izuna kept on looking at all sides to the armor Gevanni requested.

 

“What about Health Points and Mana Points? Did you miss that on purpose?”

 

Gevanni asked as he undid his armor.

 

“Hmm… This is the first time I’ve heard of those. Even if it exists, there is no way for you to know those from the enemy in this world. It could result in your eyes bleeding when seeing someone with extreme attributes like Demons. One exception is mana. You can easily…”

 

Belmare defined as he started to look at Gevanni intently. Both of their stares intertwined.

 

“You… Gevanni… How other nobles could remain arrogant when you possess this amount of mana! From the looks of it, it is unstable and can’t be turned off. Displaying your mana aura in the open means aggression.”

 

Belmare’s eyes widened at the ridiculousness and arrogance of the nobles presented at the throne room. Due to that scene, no one really had time to analyze Gevanni because of his provocative words.

 

With the amount of mana Gevanni has, it can be easily seen no matter how far you are. It’s like floating in the oceans with injuries that attract a group of sharks to swarm around you.

 

“It seems anyone can peek each other’s amount of mana if they stay still and focused on the target. You’re not exactly a magic user, Belmare.”

 

Gevanni mentioned and saw Belmare’s mana aura’s size being twice his height.

 

“The same can be applied to you. From the looks of it, you’re not sturdy nor possess enough strength. Most of your attributes are Agility, Resistance, and Special. I find this concerning since it doesn’t match your overflowing mana. It’s as if this is the attributes of someone who has a Limiter… I think you should be around 1500 benchmarks instead of 770.”

 

When Belmare peered through Gevanni’s attributes, he saw the following: 

 

Physical Attack: 50

 

Physical Defense: 50

 

Agility: 400

 

Magic Attack: 25

 

Magic Defense: 45

 

Resistance: 70

 

Special: 130

 

Total Attributes: 770/800

 

Belmare’s immersion through looking at Gevanni’s attributes stopped when there another attribute below with the name Unknown: ???. 

 

“How did you know that?”

 

“Here. You can borrow this ring. It’s called Ring of Tiamat’s Eye. Just point it to your desired target to see its attributes. It can only see a total attribute point of 800. If ever it exceeds that number, it’ll adjust the numbers in that capped limit.”

 

Belmare offered as he took off the ring from his index finger. Ring of Tiamat’s Eye has ornate decorations that resemble layered clouds that revolve around the Tiamat’s Eye encased in a crystal. Its overall structure would remind you of a Dragon's head if it were an object.

 

“Oh? You pretty have balanced attributes for defense, Belmare.”

 

After checking Belmare’s attributes mostly appointed to Defense and Resistance, Gevanni pointed the ring to himself.

 

“What the heck is going on!? It’s boring itself to my skin! Not that I complain, it looks badass!”

 

Gevanni shouted as the clouds became claws. It formed into a small ribcage of the Tiamat and wrapped itself on his finger. A cross slowly formed with the words ‘Serapheim Vios’ embedded and covered the crystal. At its rear is a tail connected to the neck of the five heads of Tiamat.

 

“Everything should be the same since it’s mass-produced! Why did Tiamat regain consciousness and changed shape?”

 

Belmare exclaimed while Izuna was walking slowly away from the scene.

 

“Za warudo!!! Time for Izuna’s fourth wall break! Yep, that fart sound is actually me playing with my mouth…. Tiamat is a Grade IV Leviathan class Soma. Just because when you kill their source and all doesn't mean they die! They multiply at their deaths. Even if they're mostly chilling at ruined castles, they're a threat to nearby Somas. However, they don't seem to mind being slain over and over by humans. It's truly a strange relationship indeed. Wait! That's just unnecessary exposition!... When crafting mass-produced equipment, most of the materials needed are mostly dead or unconscious. However, if that really cool-looking monster is exposed to someone who possesses a lot of mana, this is what happens… Time resumes!” 

 

The ring fell apart and exploded. However, the scar from the fangs of the ring remains on Gevanni’s finger.

 

“Uhh… I think I broke it.”

 

“Don’t worry about it. This is normal whenever enchanted items berserk.”

 

Belmare assured as he looked for a certain treasure chest with a certain lock around the booth. During this time, Gevanni and Izuna chit-chat.

 

“Izuna, do you know if there’s a limit of how many Attribute points can be seen in this world?”

 

“Those silly things humans created are so primitive. It’s efficient to make it into a passive trait, and on top of that, you can see a max limit of 3000 total attribute points.”

 

“This is a game-changer if I have it.”

 

That conversation ended when both Gevanni and Izuna’s attention drifted to the armor being placed on the counter.

 

“This is the prototype armor you specifically ordered.” 

 

Before Belmare could utter these words, Gevanni already felt the armor and its curves. However, for Izuna, she stayed quiet. In her mind, that armor resembles the previous Demon Emperor that was assassinated. There’s no way for this to be a coincidence, nor Gevanni could know about his existence. It dates back beyond the mythical age and before the Heavenly War even began.

 

“I suggest you have a weapon such as a mace or any blunt weapons. They are highly effective against the heavily armored. You don’t need the knowledge to use it. You whack enemies.”

 

Belmare suggested after packing everything Gevanni needed into another crate. He then proceeded to a nearby booth.

 

“For starters, those who prefer long reach and power, you need this.”

 

Belmare said as he handed a weapon to Gevanni. It has rough and zigzag edges that look like a pinecone at its tip. Its Haft is covered entirely by white threads, and its spec of dust and brownish spots determined it was used before. With just a single look, this weapon looks menacing enough for both Somas and humans alike to be scared of being hit at.

 

“If you press the trigger near your thumb, it will extend and retracts its spikes a bit.”

 

Before Belmare could even say that, Gevanni already pushed the trigger due to his curiosity. It wasn’t that hard to spot the trigger since it's obvious there’s a strange button near the handle.

 

“It’s not bad, but it’s uncomfortable for me to use polearms. Also, it’s heavy and slow.”

 

Gevanni casually said as he swung and smashed the booth with the weapon. Belmare chuckled at this event since it was his first time seeing a newly summoned hero act this way. Unlike the previous summoned heroes, he interacted before.

 

“Psst! Common sense, Gevanni! Common sense! Why would you destroy that?”

 

Izuna pointed to the damage Gevanni caused.

 

“Look, Izuna. Didn’t you notice already that most structures here in Evanslei could repair themselves? Except for damages done by magic.”

 

Gevanni assured her as the pieces of wood and metal start to connect each fragment and turn into a bigger one. Eventually, making the booth good as new.

 

“That’s no problem, Gevanni. You can craft an Essence and embed it into the weapon. You need Tyrant Steel for flexibility, Gelatinous Cube to reduce weight, and Siren’s Tail for accuracy and speed. It’ll save you a lot of time and hunting if you buy the materials.”

 

“That sounds a lot of money to me.”

 

Gevanni said as the atmosphere around them changed.

 

“Don’t tell me what I’m thinking… Please…”

 

Belmare pleaded as he clasped his hands.

 

“Huh? What is this? The King himself granted me an unrestricted purchasing power with an expiration of one month. I can buy anything with this. While we’re at it, I’ll buy you!”

 

Gevanni said as he let out a card in the open.

 

“Gevanni, your face! Your face reeks of a villain!”

 

Izuna commented while hiding behind Belmare.

 

“Surely, there must be a limit. Please hand over me that card.”

 

“I refuse. Come over here and inspect it with me.”

 

Gevanni commanded. It took a while before Belmare took a step and continued forward.

 

“Phew. That’s a relief. You are only limited to physical goods. Services don't count. I was petrified you could’ve crashed the economy at this moment. Good thing King Nicholas limited your monthly allowance to 100,000 gold.”

 

"One... One hundred thousand gold!? That's enough to buy land as big as the lesser nobles!"

 

One of the customers nearby overheard the conversation and exclaimed before fainting.

 

“It doesn’t change the fact I could still buy materials and every weapon and armor in this place.”

 

“You could’ve fooled most merchants but not me. While they may be physical goods, those equipment are created through various services. The equipment here is custom-made and far exceeds the capabilities of the vanilla ones. Surely, you’re not a fool for not knowing what Blacksmithing means.”

 

“You're a hard one to crack. I commend you for having an equal footing with me. It’s no surprise I’m after you, Belmare.”

 

Gevanni said as he invaded Belmare’s personal space.

 

"Don't take my title 'The Merchant Of Death' lightly, kid."

 

"It is exactly why I'm taking it lightly. I know I can take it."

 

"Interesting... I won’t fall down that easily.”

 

Gevanni and Belmare stood there laughing as everyone, both vendors and customers alike, stared at them.

 

“What’s with this dark air. It’s like two villains casually laughing!”

 

Izuna pointed out while she’s crouching at the corner of the booth.

 

“Jokes aside. Please prepare the practice range for us, Belmare.”

 

“I will.”

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