Chapter 46: Lancer's Luck Has Always Been Low

  "It’s nothing. Take your time, I have things to do." Kael waved them off, put his hands behind his back, and drifted through the side door back into the general store.

  Blood Wolf and Ying Feng exchanged a glance, nodded in sync, and Blood Wolf sat back down, pressing his hands onto the crystal base once more.

  "What do you need?" Kael asked, leaning against the doorframe. The passage had been integrated into the right side of the main counter, right where the Training Room's magic circle used to be.

  "I can't believe it, Boss. I’ve only been gone a short while and you’ve already added so many treasures," Ying Xue said excitedly.

  "Mmh. Is there something you're looking for?" Kael replied perfunctorily.

  You haven't even seen the real treasures yet, he thought. Those permanent attribute pills are always the first to sell out.

  "Actually, Ling Xiao needs a batch of weapons and pills. Though... looking at this, I think he'll be needing armor too." Ying Xue pointed toward Ling Xiao, who was currently pacing in front of the shelves.

  "Fine." Kael spread his hands and returned to his spot behind the counter.

  "Boss, you probably don't know this, but your Knight Swords are the talk of the Imperial City. As soon as one was discovered, the Grandmaster Smiths snatched it up for research," Ying Xue said, leaning against the counter.

  "Oh? And did they find anything?" Kael asked with genuine interest. He wanted to know if this world’s experts could crack the System’s code. These items were his shop's unique edge; if they could be replicated, he’d be in trouble.

  "Sadly, they found absolutely nothing. As expected of items from your shop," Ying Xue shrugged.

  It was the answer Kael had anticipated.

  "Thank you for the compliment," Kael nodded slightly, accepting only the latter half of her statement. If they couldn't even figure out the Common-grade gear, the high-quality stuff was safe.

  "Excuse me, Manager Kael, but these weapons, armor, and pills... is there perhaps a mistake with the pricing?" Ling Xiao spoke up. He prided himself on his upbringing in the Imperial City—the heart of the Empire’s luxury and excess.

  But standing here today, Ling Xiao realized his horizons were too narrow. Compared to this shop, the prices in the capital were practically pocket change. This place was a den of extortion.

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  He, Ling Xiao, the Third Prince of the Arid Element Empire, actually found himself hesitating to look at the price tags. Even if this gear was top-tier, outfitting a border army with it would drain the national treasury dry.

  "You get what you pay for. No deception, no haggling," Kael pulled out his standard line.

  Ling Xiao looked at Ying Xue, seeking confirmation.

  "The Boss's items are expensive, but they truly are worth it," Ying Xue said honestly.

  "Then I’d like to hear what makes them so special. I find it hard to believe a single weapon can be worth two hundred, let alone four thousand Spirit Crystals." Ling Xiao frowned. Though he was known for his good temperament, he didn't enjoy being swindled.

  "I'll give you a brief rundown then," Kael sighed. He knew he was going to have to explain the effects from scratch again.

  He realized it might be time to hire an assistant. When it was just one shop, he could manage, but now that he was running back and forth between two buildings, he wouldn't be able to keep up once the customer base grew.

  As Kael detailed the effects of the gear and pills, the skepticism on Ling Xiao’s face deepened. The effects sounded borderline impossible.

  "Manager Kael, I don't mean to doubt you, but your claims and your prices are difficult to swallow. I won't lie—I do need a batch of high-quality equipment. But I need to know if your items are as powerful as your 'big talk' suggests." Ling Xiao’s gaze met Kael’s. His refined, scholarly aura sharpened instantly into something far more piercing.

  "I run this shop with integrity. Always have," Kael met his gaze calmly.

  "Fine. I admire your confidence. Ying Xue, pick what you need. We'll head to the Cloud Mist Forest to test them out shortly." Ling Xiao nodded and reached out to take down a [Storm Spear].

  "A... Lancer?" Kael looked at him with surprise.

  Lancers were different from Spear-Knights. Spear-Knights were known for being peerless in both offense and defense. But Lancers? They were known for "charging forward without a thought for survival."

  "What? You have a problem with that?" Ling Xiao shot him a sharp look. His aura while holding the spear was a complete 180 from his earlier scholarly grace; he looked like a different person.

  "No problem at all," Kael shrugged.

  As the saying goes: Lancer's luck has always been low. It seemed Ling Xiao’s luck wasn't great either.

  Ling Xiao then selected a [Wind-Spirit Light Armor], a pair of [Wind-Walker Boots], and an [Anti-Magic Cloak], outfitting himself fully. In this set, he looked magnificent and imposing—like a general about to go to war, every movement exuding an aura of peerless power.

  Ying Xue didn't hold back since Ling Xiao was paying. She grabbed a [Blaze Staff] and a [Fire-Spirit Leather Armor] for protection. As for the pills, she was a regular; seeing new stock, she immediately grabbed three sets of [Mana Combinations].

  "This gear... it really is strange." As soon as Ling Xiao donned the armor, he felt strange surges of energy flowing into his body. He could clearly feel his attributes rising.

  Furthermore, some items transmitted information directly into his mind—such as how to activate the Wind-Tread skill and what its effects were.

  "Expensive gear really does have a reason for its price," Ying Xue added, having just received the instructions for the Ring of Fire skill.

  Unlike Common-grade gear, anything from Superior-grade and up had at least one extra attribute. These attributes were the true measure of an item's worth.

  Ling Xiao finally understood just how precious this equipment was. It was unheard of. Even as the Third Prince, with access to the Empire’s entire royal library, he had never heard of weapons and armor like these. To directly enchant magic onto armor—aside from staves, it was considered an impossible feat.