When Aurelia woke up the next day, it was already noon.
Inside the narrow attic, sunlight slanted through the small, clean window, casting a bright spot of light on the wooden floor.
The soreness throughout her body was clearer than the night before, especially in her right wrist.
Although the swelling had subsided slightly, it still stung whenever she moved.
She propped herself up and moved to the simple partition in the corner of the attic — a space so small she could barely turn around.
She hastily washed her face with cold water, the icy liquid stinging her skin and dispelling some of her lingering drowsiness.
After taking a cold shower the previous night, her physical condition had predictably resulted in a slight cold.
She rubbed her nose and coughed a few times before changing into a set of clean, gray-black long skirts, putting on a thin black-and-white shirt, and finally throwing on an old, dark blue coat.
It was simple and unremarkable, but at least it was clean and tidy.
‘With my physical condition, fighting with a sword is unrealistic no matter how I look at it. I need to find another way to augment my combat strength. Hmm…’
Aurelia pondered for a moment.
Finally, she thought of an offensive technique with a lower learning curve than archery.
Long-range Throwing.
Relying on precision and the element of surprise might be more suitable for her current situation and could compensate for her lack of frontal combat power.
She needed weapons, she needed training, and she needed to master even a sliver of self-defense as quickly as possible.
As a trade hub, magic item shops were not rare in Twilight City, but most were concentrated in the Inner City or the Prosperous Commercial District, where prices were exorbitant.
Aurelia knew that the purchasing power of her single silver coin was extremely limited.
She didn’t need a glamorous major shop, but rather a small store hidden deep in the alleys that might deal in gray-market goods.
Relying on her memories from yesterday’s exploration and the instincts of this female body, Aurelia navigated through the complex, intersecting alleys of the Outer District.
She found a hidden shop inside a narrow building on one side of the main road.
The shop had no conspicuous sign, but Aurelia noticed a suspicious-looking person entering and leaving with a primitive wooden box that was poorly hidden.
She slipped inside immediately, standing by the door as she scanned the environment.
The display window glass was covered in a thick layer of dust.
Behind it, one could vaguely see piles of strangely shaped bones, weirdly colored ores, several old books with damaged covers, and some small metal objects of unknown purpose.
Overall, it looked more like a junk yard than a magic item shop.
Aurelia hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open.
The bronze bell above the door let out a dull ring.
The interior was even more crowded and dim than the outside suggested.
The air was a mix of old parchment and dried herbs, along with a faint, peculiar ripple.
Although Aurelia couldn’t feel it properly, that was likely what people called Magic Power.
Behind the counter, a young man with hair as messy as a bird’s nest lay lazily in a rocking chair with his legs crossed high.
He was reading a book with an explicit cover.
Hearing the bell, he didn’t even look up.
He merely muttered, “Look for yourself. There is no haggling for items with price tags. Don’t touch the ones without tags, or you’ll pay triple the price in compensation.”
Her gaze quickly swept across the crowded shelves and stacked clutter.
Just as she had seen from the outside, this place was like a warehouse for miscellaneous goods.
However, she noticed that labels were attached to items that seemed to be placed randomly.
The price units were mostly silver coins or even gold coins, far exceeding the purchasing power of the lonely silver coin in her pocket.
There were several weirdly colored, faintly glowing stones.
A few small metal boxes were engraved with complex runes.
There was even a glass jar containing an unknown creature’s tentacle that was still slowly wriggling.
She forced herself to look away and focus on her original goal.
On the bottom shelf of a dusty wooden rack near the corner, she saw several weapons that looked normal.
Unlike the exaggeratedly decorated items outside, these pieces looked exceptionally plain, even a bit old.
Carefully avoiding the clutter scattered on the floor, she crouched down.
There was an open, old leather sheath containing several throwing knives.
The style of the throwing knives was extremely simple.
The blades were a matte dark gray with the sharp texture unique to Obsidian, and the handles were wrapped in worn, dark leather cord.
Scattered nearby were several blades of the same material but smaller and thinner, seemingly meant for throwing.
There was also a leather leg strap that looked quite old, featuring multiple slots.
The leather was dark and the texture was sturdy.
What caught her attention most was a separate knife placed next to the leather sheath.
It was slightly longer than the throwing knives and made of the same material, but it lacked any decoration.
The scabbard was made of old, heavily worn dark leather, yet the whole thing radiated a steady aura tempered by time.
Aurelia gently pulled it halfway out.
The blade’s lines were smooth.
In the dim light, the fine ice-crack patterns characteristic of Obsidian Mixed Forging were faintly visible, and the edge was incredibly thin.
Holding it in her hand, the weight felt moderate and the balance was perfect.
She wouldn’t feel the slightest strain while wielding it.
‘It’s exactly what I was looking for. Isn’t this perfect for my plan?’
“Tsk, have you seen enough, brat? Those broken knives are all that’s left.”
At some point, the young Shopkeeper had put down his book.
He tilted his head, sizing her up with green eyes that looked like he hadn’t fully woken up.
His gaze swept over Aurelia’s pale, sickly complexion, her bandaged neck, and her simple clothing.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
“Hey! The things here aren’t cheap. Are you sure you still want to touch them? You couldn’t pay for them even if you sold yourself!”
His tone was a bit aggressive.
He didn’t seem to think this destitute-looking girl, who couldn’t even afford to treat her injuries, could buy anything.
Aurelia slowly sheathed the knife with steady movements.
“How much for this knife, these throwing knives, and that leg strap?”
She asked directly.
Her voice was somewhat raspy from the cold, but it remained clear.
The Shopkeeper raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by her directness.
He stood up slowly from the rocking chair, dragging his broken boots across the floor as he walked over.
He leaned down to look at the items Aurelia was pointing to.
“Just a few knives forged from a mix of Silver-grade Magic Crystals and various materials. Because the main body is mixed with Obsidian, they’re a bit sharper than ordinary knives.”
He kicked an empty can on the floor with his toe, his tone remaining lazy.
However, his grayish-green eyes scanned Aurelia’s face back and forth, appearing to evaluate her reaction.
“But well, seeing how serious you are…”
He rubbed his messy chin, dragging out his words.
“The main knife, a set of throwing knives, and the leg strap. For the whole package —”
He held up two fingers and said slowly, “Two gold coins.”
‘What?! Two gold coins! Why don’t you just rob me?! Is this how you sell magic items?!’
Her fingers tightened slightly around the knife.
She looked up and calmly met the Shopkeeper’s playful green eyes.
“Shopkeeper, I cannot afford this price.”
“Oh? You can’t afford it?”
The Shopkeeper seemed to be waiting for those words.
Instead of being disappointed, his interest grew.
He sat back in the rocking chair and crossed his legs, his broken boots swaying.
“You really don’t look like someone who has two gold coins.”
Seeing Aurelia rise to leave, he changed the subject and leaned forward, his grayish-green eyes locking onto hers.
“I can give them to you for free.”
However, Aurelia waved her hand without a moment’s hesitation.
“There is no such thing as a free lunch. I am not for sale, nor am I some noble young master or lady out looking for fun. Thank you for your kindness, Shopkeeper, but I cannot bear the price behind ‘free.’ Let’s leave it at that. Sorry for the intrusion.”
She gently placed the knife back in its original spot, her movements light for fear of accidentally damaging it.
Then, she stood up, brushed the dust off her skirt, nodded slightly to the Shopkeeper, and turned to walk toward the door.
“Wait!”
Just as Aurelia’s hand was about to touch the door handle, the Shopkeeper’s voice rang out again, sounding less playful and more hurried.
Aurelia paused.
She didn’t turn around, but merely tilted her head to look toward the counter out of the corner of her eye.
“Tsk, what a stubborn brat, refusing to take even the slightest advantage.”
The Shopkeeper clicked his tongue.
He stood up from the rocking chair and hurried to the spot where she had been crouching, his boots scuffing the floor.
He leaned over to pick up the main knife and the old sheath, along with the leg strap, stuffing them all into a coarse burlap bag.
Then, carrying the bag, he stepped in front of Aurelia and shoved it into her arms.
“Take it! It’s not for free! It’s an investment! Is that okay?”
His tone was a bit sharp, as if her refusal had caused him to lose face.
“I like the look of you. I think you might actually amount to something in the future, so I’m placing a bet in advance. Is that a problem?”
“…?”
Faced with the Shopkeeper’s baffling attitude, Aurelia tilted her head in confusion.
“What… what about me caught your eye? I’ll change it, if that’s what it takes.”
The strange Shopkeeper was choked up by her words for a moment before bursting into a laugh.
It wasn’t the playful laugh from before, but one filled with surprise and realization.
“Haha! Hey! You really are interesting, kid! Yeah, as expected, my eyes never fail me!”
As he spoke, he reached out to pat Aurelia’s shoulder, but she dodged, causing his hand to hit empty air.
He didn’t mind.
He retracted his hand smoothly, but his eyes quickly scanned her right hand, which she had subconsciously raised to block.
“Alright, I’m done teasing you.”
The Shopkeeper’s tone became casual as he shoved the burlap bag harder into Aurelia’s arms.
“Take the things and use them. I’m not giving them away, and I’m not going to use a bunch of convoluted excuses.”
He retreated to the rocking chair but didn’t sit down immediately.
Instead, he leaned against the counter and looked at Aurelia, raising a finger.
“I’ll give you one month. If you can still stand here in one piece after one month…”
He paused, an unfathomable glint flashing in his green eyes, “…then remember to come back and settle the tab.
I’ll charge you the normal market price without cheating you.”
“How much?”
Aurelia held the bag, not refusing immediately but asking calmly.
A payment extension with a one-month deadline was a much more practical condition than his previous nonsense, even if it still felt irregular.
“A single Silver-grade magic weapon, ‘White Shadow,’ should normally be twenty gold coins according to the market price. But since its circuits can’t be activated, I’ll count it as a high-quality weapon and give it to you for ten silver coins.”
He counted on his fingers as he calculated the bill.
Before Aurelia could react, he immediately pulled down a second finger.
“The matching ‘Black Light’ throwing weapons — five in total — are made of the same material as the main blade, and their magic is also dysfunctional. I’ll count them as five silver coins for the whole set.”
Then he raised a third finger, pointing toward the edge of the leather leg strap poking out of the bag in her arms.
“As for that old leg strap, it’s a genuine Bronze-grade magic item. Normally, for this kind of low-level auxiliary item, it could be anywhere from one to 100 silver coins depending on the quality.”
He paused, glancing at the leg strap with a smirk.
“The craftsmanship is decent, it’s just a bit old. The effects are just magic storage and a self-cleaning function. I’ll count it as…” He dragged out his words, watching Aurelia’s expression tighten slightly, before suddenly grinning and waving his hand.
“A gift! Free! It’s just a throw-in anyway. It’s taking up space, and I don’t care about this kind of Bronze-grade junk!”
“…”
Aurelia held the bag and remained silent for a moment.
Ten silver coins for the main weapon, five silver coins for the throwing knives, and an enchanted leg strap as a gift.
The total was fifteen silver coins, with a one-month payment extension.
This price was still a fortune for someone with no money.
However, compared to the previous fairy tale of two gold coins or the vague talk of investments and favors, it was much more transparent.
Furthermore, by counting the most valuable-looking magic item as a gift, he had drastically lowered the total price, making it difficult for her to refuse.
The other party was already taking a loss.
If she continued to push back, she would seem ungrateful.
“The magic circuits… are they really damaged?”
Aurelia couldn’t help but confirm, reaching out to pull out the knife called ‘White Shadow.’
A cold sensation came from her fingertips, but there were no special ripples.
She didn’t understand magic and had no way to verify if his claim was true.
“Nonsense.”
He waved his hand impatiently and slammed a piece of paper onto the table.
“That’s the price. Take it or leave it. If you want it, sign the contract and bring fifteen silver coins to me in a month. If not, put it down. The door is over there. Don’t wait for me to kick you out.”
He pushed the parchment toward Aurelia and dipped his thumb into an ink pad, pressing a print on the creditor’s section.
One month, fifteen silver coins.
She would need to work for nearly three months to pay it off, assuming she had no other expenses.
But with good weapons and consistent training, her chances of surviving Laurence’s future pursuit would be higher.
Thus, she stopped hesitating, took the pen, signed the name ‘Aurelia’ next to the debtor’s section, and pressed her fingerprint.
The rough parchment rubbed against her finger, and the red ink felt slightly sticky.
“Deal.”
The Shopkeeper pulled the parchment back with satisfaction, blew on the wet ink, folded it, and stuffed it into a drawer.
“The contract is established. The items are yours. How you use them is your business. Just bring the money in a month.”
As if suddenly remembering, he added a few more words.
“Of course, if you get lucky during this month and kill some valuable monster or a wanted criminal, I can buy their claws, teeth, magic crystals, or heads at a price ten percent higher than the market rate. Just don’t bring me goods that are too ‘hot,’ or I won’t take them.”
“I’ll remember that,” Aurelia said in a low voice, clutching the burlap bag tightly.
“Fine, fine. Hurry up and leave. Don’t interrupt me while I’m enjoying a masterpiece.”
He picked up the explicit book again, revealing a lecherous smile and ignoring Aurelia.
She cast one last glance at the figure hidden behind the book before pushing the door open and leaving without looking back, merging into the vast afternoon crowds of Twilight City.