Free Web NovelChapter 18: Money Exchange Centre
’...Is she a Nightmare?’
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he quickly suppressed it.
’I don’t know enough about this world to have blasphemous thoughts about a goddess... What if she is real?’
Edgar drew in a deep breath and looked away from the statue.
His eyes shifted towards the two entrances to the church.
One was ornamented with gold and silver, giving it a unique charm. The gate led to the inner part of the church.
The other gate was a rather ordinary double door with a board hanging above it that read:
’Money Exchange Centre.’
They walked inside the centre without a second thought.
The place was much like a bank Edgar had seen in ancient dramas and shows.
Four different counters divided the hall, each for a different currency.
The place also had a lot of soldiers stationed in every corner.
’Well, it’s one of the most important places.’
Edgar and Andrew walked over and stood in the line for exchanging Nightmare Stones.
It wasn’t long before it was their turn.
On the other side of the counter sat a fat man with a myriad of accessories hanging all over his body.
He gave Edgar a long look, but his expression quickly turned distant when he noticed his rough clothing.
"How much do you want to exchange?" he asked.
"What’s the exchange rate?" Edgar asked instead of answering.
"A silver coin or ten copper coins for every White Nightmare Stone." The fat man replied while rubbing his stomach. "One gold coin or ten silver coins for every Green Nightmare Stone."
Edgar thought for a moment before asking,
"Can I not make payments with Nightmare Stones directly?"
The fat man gave him a look as if he were a country bumpkin.
"Only an Aberrant can use Nightmare Stones to make deals with another Aberrant."
He still replied despite the disinterested look on his face.
"It’s prohibited for common folk to use them as currency."
"I see." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
With a soft nod, Edgar looked at Andrew.
"I would like to exchange eighty Nightmare Stones."
Andrew walked forward and dumped everything onto the table.
The fat man’s eyes bulged out, and a broad smile appeared on his face.
"Of course! Of course, little friend." He rubbed his hands together. "I will quickly bring the coins."
With difficulty, he stood up and walked into the room behind him.
Edgar didn’t react much, but the people inside the hall were all staring at the pile of Nightmare Stones.
’I guess they really are rare for normal folks.’
Edgar had already decided to keep the Green Nightmare Stone for himself.
’I only need to buy things from the normal market... And I can only hope I don’t have to deal with any Aberrants to buy some parchment.’
The main objective of his visit to the Bazaar was to obtain parchment so he could confirm his hypothesis.
’If the blueprints I create can be registered in the system, then my life will become so much easier.’
The fat man didn’t take long before returning with a bag of silver coins.
After completing the transaction, Edgar walked out of the exchange centre and returned to the market.
"Do you know where I can find Cold Ore?" Edgar asked while glancing at Andrew.
The young boy nodded. "You can find it in the weaponry section."
"Do I need any type of certification to buy it?" the blonde asked with a doubtful look.
He wasn’t familiar with the laws of this world, and considering how strict weapon regulations often were, he wouldn’t have been surprised if permission was required.
Andrew shook his head.
"As far as I know, you don’t need anything like that."
"...I see."
Without asking anything else, Edgar headed towards the weaponry section of the market.
It wasn’t very far away and only took them ten minutes to reach.
’So this is what a Smithing House looks like.’
The entire section resembled an old industrial district, with every house-shop combination having an unusually large chimney.
The long cylindrical chimneys released smoke that blended into the murky fog above.
Outside the shops, many people sat around, attempting to attract customers.
Edgar approached one of them and looked at the old man sitting behind the front counter.
"Hey, Old man..."
"It’s Steven."
"Do you have any Cold Ore, Sir Steven?" he asked expectantly.
The old man looked at him and nodded.
"How much do you need?"
"Enough to make a sword."
Edgar gave a vague answer since he wasn’t entirely sure himself.
Steven walked inside the store without another word.
After a while, he returned with an ore the size of a football and placed it on the counter.
Edgar touched the ore, feeling the coldness seep into his body.
After confirming its authenticity, he asked,
"What’s the price?"
"Five silver coins." The old man replied. "And don’t even try to haggle. They are much rarer than you think."
Edgar, who had been about to do exactly that, clicked his tongue.
Still, he handed over the coins and took the ore.
"Thanks." He smiled. "By the way, how much would you charge as a monthly salary to work in a Smithing House?"
The old man gave him an amused look.
"I have my own shop. Why would I work for someone else?"
"Still, what would be your price?"
The old man gave it some thought before answering.
"One hundred silver coins."
Edgar nodded.
"A reasonable price."
’If I grow a little more, I can afford a few.’
There were many things he wanted to create, but he needed smiths for that.
After completing the transaction, Edgar asked,
"Can you tell me where I can find old goatskin parchments?"
The old man walked out from behind the counter and pointed down a nearby street.
"If you keep walking down that road, you will arrive at the miscellaneous shops." He replied. "They have parchments, but be careful. They run a lot of scams."
Edgar let out a small smile.
"Thanks for the heads-up."
’But they aren’t going to scam me. I am going to scam them.’
With the system supporting him, Edgar was confident he could bleed those scammers dry.
The duo wound through the indicated street until they arrived in a different section.
People of all ages and genders had set up shops there.
Some sold ornamented dresses, some sold counterfeit jewellery, household items, and many other things.
Edgar walked through the densely populated area while scanning the goods on display.
At one random shop, he noticed an ordinary-looking clay stone.
Suddenly, a line of text appeared above it.
⟨Nightmare Shard: Three-Legged Raven⟩
⟨Grade: Yellow⟩
