Free Web NovelChapter 15: Scammed
Blessed Moon City was gigantic. As one of the four largest cities of the empire, it attracted a large number of merchants and martial warriors looking for a chance to make it big. Every day, thousands of people from all corners of the empire would walk through the narrow alleys of the city.
[Scan complete. No threats detected.]
Cole only turned his gaze away from the dark alley after the AI confirmed there was no danger.
It had been some time since he moved out of the Saint Family compound. To avoid attracting unnecessary trouble, he covered his face and dressed in a simple white robe that loosely clung to his body.
Around him, large dark alleys stretched in every direction. Given how big the city was, alleys that could barely fit five people shoulder to shoulder made no sense at first. Cole himself was confused, but after realizing the Blue Moon City geography, it made sense.
After shaking his head, he continued to move forward, making his way out of the narrow alley and into a well-lit street filled with local hawkers loudly selling their goods and trying to attract as many customers as possible. Other than simple hawkers, there were even sellers representing large stores, shouting loudly.
"100% genuine! Directly from the royal laboratory!"
"This new and improved mana potion is hundreds of times more effective than any other mana potion in the empire!"
A few onlookers heard those claims and started calling them fake, spreading rumors.
The locals looked at this scene and shook their heads, feeling bad for the newbies falling for such simple tricks.
Making such bold claims was usually the standard practice of large stores to entice warriors. Once they were in, the store owner or manager would make sure they did not leave empty-handed.
The scam was so simple and plain that people who heard it would laugh and wonder who would fall for such a thing. But there were always examples.
Cole looked at everything with a calm gaze, purposely moving in the direction where the crowd gathered most.
From time to time, a saint AI voice would continue to reverberate in his head.
[Data updated! Successfully scanned another warrior at Nascent Trainee Realm, Rank 3.]
As the saint AI scanned more warriors at the Nascent Trainee Realm, its database continued to get updated.
Once the database was big enough, the AI would be able to properly simulate Cole fighting against any of these people and predict the outcome.
So, without even making the first move, Cole was already gathering data.
Some might ask: what was even the need? Why bother going through such trouble?
Blue Moon City might seem calm and peaceful on the surface, but in the shadows, murder and theft were common. The struggle between the four major families of the city only made things worse.
Once the news of Cole’s father, Theo, disappearing spread, the situation would deteriorate even further, and he would have no one to rely on except himself.
Moreover, for him, the situation was even worse.
Thinking about this, his gaze shifted to his hand. At some point, the robe sleeves covering his arms had slipped down, revealing well-built forearms. However, Cole noticed something else. Familiar golden veins, thin as human hair, had started becoming visible. If that was all, Cole would have already been worried, but he could feel those veins pulsing and growing stronger every second.
The Lightning Worm bloodline was flaring up again.
He would have to get his hands on a blood-calming potion...
Cole’s steps automatically quickened, and he made his way to a lone stall at the corner of the market.
Away from the crowd stood a shabby-looking stall, with a young man sitting at the counter looking thoroughly depressed.
Considering how shabby the stall was, one would assume he did not have enough good items or that his wares were of low quality. But with just one glance, one could tell that the items were of no inferior quality.
All the herbs looked fresh. All the weapons had a lethal sheen at their edges, seemingly capable of cutting through steel itself.
Cole was someone who did not want to attract too much attention in this delicate period, so when he first noticed this shopkeeper, his happiness shot through the roof.
Making his way to the stall, Cole performed the traditional trading greeting by simply nodding his head.
The young shopkeeper, who had been looking depressed while watching the crowd of customers at the center of the street, had his face dimly light up when he saw Cole. However, when he saw Cole’s shabby clothes, his mood plummeted to the ground.
The change in the shopkeeper’s expression did not go unnoticed. Cole made a note of it but did not care, as he could not rely on the Saint Family to gather the blood-calming potion he needed. He needed another source.
Still, he did not get to say anything yet. Instead, he picked up a sword with a slightly sharp edge and a long handle. After swinging it around, he liked the feel of it.
"Shopkeeper, I want this!"
Immediately, a smile appeared on the young shopkeeper’s face.
"Honored customer, as you are my first customer today, I will give you this brand-new sword forged from Black Moon Ore at a low price of one hundred mana stones."
One hundred mana stones? Why don’t you just rob me?
Cole almost shouted out loud.
A hundred mana crystals for a Blue Moon sword? Why don’t you just rob me directly? If he went to any random seller, he could easily get the same sword for fifty mana stones.
Thinking about this, Cole could not help but look at his reflection in the blade mirror-like surface. Especially after looking at his own appearance, he could not find the word stupid written anywhere on his face, so why was this shopkeeper charging him double the amount?
The young shopkeeper, Rex, looked at Cole’s reaction and tried to explain, but the voice coming out of his mouth was weak, filled with tiredness of someone who had given up, as if this was not his first time trying to explain.
"There is a weight-adjusting array on the sword surface... this sword is different from the other swords in the market."
What did he hear?
Cole’s first reaction was immediate denial. There was no way such a thing could be true, such an advanced array carved on a sword that was only worth a few thousand mana stones.
Scammer. This shopkeeper is definitely a scammer.
