“Why are you staring at that dagger, boy? Hmm, that grin is suspicious,” Jareth questioned, raising a brow at his reaction “Is there something new you’ve learned?”

“No, why are you looking at me like that old man?” Elysian chuckled, glancing at him for a moment before shifting his attention back to the relic. “I’m just happy. I'm glad that I’ve been able to use this piece of trash,” he quipped, smiling at the mercenary’s confusion. Studying the relic more closely, he noticed that the rust had diminished noticeably, and even some of the holes on the blade were gone. “Surprisingly, this hasn’t been useless after all.”

“Whatever, kid,” Jareth said, shaking his head at the boy’s deflection before returning to his drink again.

“Drink as much as you want, it’s my treat,” Elysian remarked softly, resuming his meal.

“Huh?” Jareth glanced at the boy, suspicious of his action. Slowly arching a brow, he inquired, “What do you want, boy?”

“What do you mean? Huh? No way! Are you accusing me of something, old man?!” Elysian questioned, acting offended by the mercenary’s insinuation. “I’m feeling hurt by your suspicion. Isn’t it enough reason that I’m treating you out of the kindness of my heart?”

“You, kind?” Jareth scoffed at the very notion. “Don’t make me laugh, boy. Look at what your kindness did to those poor thugs earlier.”

“You’re now pitying those bastards! And painting me as the bully, Tsk. Old man, you’re cruel and ungrateful,” Elysian snorted playfully. When the mercenary kept frowning, he suddenly grinned and conceded, “Okay, okay, you’re right. It seems I can’t fool you. I do have something that I wanted to ask you. However, I won’t change my words just now. You’re cruel and ungrateful.”

“You think insulting me is wise if you wanted to ask a favor, brat?” the mercenary questioned, scowling at the gall of the child. When the boy continued to grin at him, he sighed and curiously asked, “What do you want, boy?”

“I want to commission an accessory, preferably a bracelet that can increase the weight of a person considerably,” Elysian stated, studying the reaction of the mercenary.

“What will you do with that?” Jareth inquired curiously.

“Take a guess,” the boy replied, smiling knowingly.

“Hmm, don’t tell me you’re going to use it to improve your training?” the mercenary responded after pondering for a moment.

“Bingo!” Elysian exclaimed, nodding at the old man’s correct guess. “You’re correct. I need that to quickly and efficiently improve my physical condition. My body is in bad shape right now.”

“Well, I’m not going to argue with that,” the mercenary said, looking him up and down and shaking his head. “You look like sh*t, kid.”

“Is that an insult I just heard?” the boy questioned, raising a brow before sighing in agreement. “You might be right about that. However, how does it feel to lose to a kid, old man?”

Bursting into laughter, the mercenary shook his head from amusement and said, “I’m starting to like you, kid. You’re not like your father who’s always brooding and serious. Now, I see why both of you don’t get along.”

“Since you like me, does that mean you’ll do what I asked?” Elysian inquired, looking at him expectantly, trying to nudge him a little to agree.

“Hmm, I’ve got to ask though, why don’t you do it yourself?” the mercenary questioned, studying him curiously. “You seem to be quite versed in formation. What you did earlier is quite complex stuff that it even fooled me. I’m very impressed with that.”

“Ah, that. Well, I only know a little. What I did earlier seems complex, but in truth, it wasn’t,” Elysian stated, sighing after admitting the truth of what he did. “Sure, the formation itself is sophisticated, I’ll admit that, but it only worked because of the misdirection that I did, on top of impairing your senses.”

“Huh? Ah, that’s why you keep attempting to obscure my vision,” Jareth said, realizing the strategy employed by the boy. “Your main objective wasn’t to blind me but to make me think that’s what you’re doing.”

“Yes, you’ve got it,” Elysian admitted, grinning at the astonished expression on the mercenary’s face. “I already know that blinding you temporarily is very hard, next to impossible even. What Bran and Osric did to momentarily impair your vision was a great accomplishment. However, even with that, it wouldn’t be enough to secure our victory. With your level of cultivation, even without your vision, you can still sense everything around you very clearly.”

“Very astute,” Jareth acknowledged, chuckling at the young noble’s assessment. “Yes, the dust and soil on my eyes wouldn’t have made a major difference.”

 Nodding in agreement, the boy continued, “My primary objective wasn’t to impair your senses. If it did that—fine, it would be a big help for us. However, I wasn’t pinning our success on that slight possibility. My goal has always been to direct your focus into things, shifting your attention away from the formation in front of the hourglass, preferably invoking some negative emotion out of you.”

“Is that why you keep flicking your peanuts on my knees? To get me irritated?”

“Yes,” the boy responded, grinning at him upon remembering the misery he went through. “I’ve got to say, you're one sturdy bastard, old man. With my last attack, I already knew it wouldn’t cause any serious injury to you but I didn’t expect that I couldn’t even pierce your skin. What are you even made of?”

The mercenary snorted and remarked, “Brat, what you did hurt like hell! Even without my aura and our level difference, someone would find it difficult to hurt me like you did. Not only did you bruise my knee, you also made me kneel.” He scowled at the boy before sighing and taking another drink from his mug. “What you did was pretty impressive, brat. What is your level of cultivation now?” Jareth asked. When he was met with a raised brow from the young noble, he added, “What? Do you even want to hide that?”

 

‘Well, not really, since he likely has already guessed my cultivation level.’

 

Sighing, Elysian took another bite from his food and stated, “I just recently took my first step into the world of cultivation. About a few days ago.”

Upon confirming his assumption, the mercenary nodded and remarked, “I suspected as much considering how young you are. Just being a cultivator at your age is impressive enough.” Pausing for a moment while studying the boy, he continued, “By the way, if you can’t do the glyph, how do you even know I can do it?”

“Hmm. Well, the truth is I’m not certain,” Elysian admitted honestly. “What I do know, from observing your formation, is that you're quite skilled with it. If I’m not wrong, you’re at least an Apprentice Tier and likely even higher.”

All of a sudden, the mercenary burst into laughter without saying anything.

“Did I get it right?” Elysian questioned curiously. When the old man didn’t answer, he continued, “With your level of skill, I’m eighty percent certain that you can make the accessory that I requested. With your age and considering it’s one of the most common ones, the chances are high that you’ve come across and mastered it.”

“I must say, I’m quite impressed with your analysis, kid,” Jareth praised, chuckling in good spirit. “Alright, I’ll admit that I can do what you requested.” He regarded the young noble seriously for a moment before a mischievous grin spread across his face. “But tell me, why should I even make you a customized accessory?”

“Well… Perhaps because you like me, and I’m treating you?” Elysian answered, acting cute with round eyes and an innocent smile.

“Ah, stop that!” Jareth exclaimed, appearing repulsed by what he’d seen. “You think you’re cute? You’re just making me more irritated by acting like that.”

“Tsk, I thought it would work,” Elysian said, sighing as he returned to eating his food. 

“So, you’re just going to give up just like that?” the mercenary questioned, expecting something from the boy. “Aren’t you going to try convincing me with that brilliant brain of yours?”

“If you’ve already decided that you won’t do it, what can I even do?” the young noble questioned, acting nonchalant about it. “However, if you’re just messing with me, let’s cut to the chase. What do you want, old man?”

“Tsk, you’re no fun,” the mercenary stated, frowning at the boy’s reaction. “For that item, I want one gold coin.”

 

‘A little on the high end, but still within the range of what I expected.’

 

“What?!” Elysian exclaimed, pretending to be shocked by the amount. “Are you kidding me, old man? I’m not asking you to make me some high-tiered magical item. Increasing the weight of the object is the most common glyph used on weapons, not because it’s powerful, but because it’s cheap and simple to inscribe. Now, you're asking me to pay you one gold for that? Are you nuts?!” he said loudly, acting quite emotional by the absurdity of the cost of the item. Pausing for a moment to cool his head and regain his composure, he continued, “Let’s do it like this: I’ll agree to pay you one gold coin in exchange for thirty items. One silver for each item is more than enough. You can get a new sword with that effect for just under fifteen iron.”

“Then, why don’t you procure it from other people?” Jareth questioned, raising a brow in challenge. “Why are you bothering me with it?”

The young noble sighed, and responded, “Why do you even ask? You already know it, old man. There’s no [Artificer] here in the barony. You know they can only be found in the capital.”

“It means you don’t have any other option. You have only me here. You don’t have a choice,” the mercenary stated, smiling as if he’d won. “Why are you even hesitating? It isn’t like you’ll lose something. You’re just returning what’s mine,” he said, suddenly pretending to be surprised when he realized something. “Wait, you already shared the gold coin you’ve won from me with everyone. Tsk, what a good leader you are. I’ve got to applaud your kindness,” he stated. Clapping in mockery, he smirked and continued, “So, tough luck, kid. You’ve gotta give me that one gold or you won’t get that item.”

 

‘You think you can cheat me out of my money, you old fox? You better think again!’

 

“Wrong, I can easily send someone to the capital, or better yet, ask a merchant to buy it for me. I’m not that desperate, old man,” Elysian remarked with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I only ask you that request, to save some time for me, while allowing you to earn back what you’ve lost. Given that you’re my father’s master and I’m growing fond of you, I was giving you that opportunity. Instead of cooperation, I find you attempting to swindle me right before my eyes. Truly, I expected better from you, old man.”

The mercenary snorted at his words and retorted, “Quit the bullsh*t, brat! If you send someone or ask a merchant, it would cost you a considerable amount.”

“Maybe, but it’d still be far cheaper than the outrageous amount you’re demanding,” the boy countered, lifting a brow in challenge.

The mercenary just shook his head and explained, “The glyph used in those weapons you mentioned earlier differs significantly from the one you’re asking me to craft. While they may appear similar at first glance, they are completely different. The former is used in the weapon itself, increasing its weight; whereas the latter is intended for the wearer, not the bracelet. There isn’t any readily available glyph for this specific purpose. I had to improvise, modifying certain runes within the glyph, a process that is both intricate and difficult. Also, I can’t just do it haphazardly because it can be dangerous to the wearer. And yet, you’re telling me to accept a mere one silver for each? Are you kidding me?!”

 

‘I know, that’s why I’m trying to make it absurdly low so that I can increase the price later to make it appear you’ve won.’

 

Pretending to have lost the negotiation, Elysian let out a resigned sigh and acted as if he was ready to compromise. “Okay, I understand what you’re trying to say. Also, I hope that you understand my situation. I’ll be honest, one gold for one item is just too expensive for me. I’ll be needing a couple of accessories for my people, I can’t afford it at that price,” he stated, pausing a little to gauge the mercenary’s reaction. “To make this deal a win-win for both of us, I’m willing to step back and increase the payment to three silver per item. That means ten accessories for one gold. This is my last offer; I can’t go any higher. I’m really at my limit here. So, do we have an agreement?”

Jareth looked at the boy, observing him closely. After a moment, he exhaled deeply and replied, “Fine, I’ll agree to that price.”

 

‘Good.’