Clink!

A bell rang when I opened the door. Inside the shop, I could see a short man sitting behind a wooden counter. Though what he lacked in height, he made up in width. The man had muscular arms, which looks like they can lift five of me. A close-fitting vest pronounced the sturdy body figure even further. A red, crooked nose, a full beard, and neatly combed grey hair topped his figure.

He was working dexterously on an unfamiliar metallic object while wearing a watchmaker’s loupe before he was alarmed by the bell. Warily the man glanced toward the door and outside. Yes, he looked through me because I hadn’t disabled the Observer Status yet. I wondered what the man must be thinking when his store’s door suddenly opened by itself. Hihihi, maybe he thought it was a ghost.

I closed the door behind me and scrutinized my surroundings. Unknown devices and tools were lined up on shelves by peeled of walls. Boxes with screws of various sizes and other machine parts littered the floor. The store felt quite cramped.

“Who is there? Show yourself as long as I am still asking nicely.” The small man brought out a carbine and vigilantly observed the area before him. As expected of someone who had suffered from supernatural cases in the past. Other shopkeepers may assume this was just a joke from some prepubescent kids and would dismiss it with some swearing but not this man.

I thought back to the backstory and PTSD I conferred to this poor man in my novel.

Once upon a time, in the dwarven city Vaultglut, a half-dwarf named Goreas Warren was born. From a young age, the little boy loved to tinker with machines, and it wasn’t long before he showcased his vast talent to the world. His parents, a human merchant and a dwarf clerk were delighted beyond words. On the boy's eighth birthday, they sent him to a renowned dwarven master engineer to be trained as an apprentice. The boy absorbed his master's knowledge like a sponge and quickly made progress. Soon his skills surpassed that of his older fellow apprentices. No matter what task his master gave him or which engineering contest he took part in, the boy fulfilled and won them flawlessly. By his sixteenth birthday, he gained the rank of master and would be received in any workshops with open arms.

But the genius half-dwarf had greater ambitions. He dreamed of his own industry with his personal brand being renowned throughout the world.

So, he began to prepare. With the fame he gained from winning various contests he applied for funds. He also asked his father to teach him the art of trading and his mother for help in administrative areas. In just under seven years, he developed his small shop into a medium-sized company and then into a leading manufacturer of innovative machines of all kinds. He crushed every meddler or competitor who stepped into his way.

Now a young man and the boss of over 3.000 employees, one would guess that he would calm down a little, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. On the contrary, his ambitions grew even further. He sat his sight upon all the numerous dimensions opened up by the allegedly omnipresent explorer foundation. One branch after another sprouted ever closer to the mighty ‘central dimensions’, where the headquarters of the explorer foundation was located.

Then came the fateful day, the inevitable tragedy to make a story more entertaining. An eccentrically clothed man visited Goreas’ company and requested him to personally forge him a certain artifact, yet the half-dwarf haughtily dismissed his request. Not only was the offered payment far from adequate, but the half-dwarf also disdained the improper appearance of the man. In his opinion, nobody should wear pink, ripped clothes, smoky eyeshades, and have a bird's nest on their head to a business meeting. Goreas, who hadn’t suffered any setbacks since his birth and became drunk on success, escalated the situation by laughing at the eccentrically clothed man and mocking him.

Enraged, the man wreaked havoc inside the office and could only be kicked out with the help of security. Obviously, that wasn’t the end of the story. The father of the beaten man was an influential senator of his world and, more importantly, a highly advanced soul ascendant who also loved to dress ‘differently’. He had an interesting quirk that made him unable to forgive someone who laughed at the way he dressed.

With his evolved soul ability, the senator singlehandedly destroyed everything Goreas had built at this point. After a series of strange accidents, the once-proud company leader lost all of his credibility, wealth, shops and even his parents died in grief. The deep fall left the half-dwarf greatly confused.

Because everything went down since he mistreated the eccentrically clothed man, he subconsciously developed a deep fear of eccentrically clothed men. Seeing a clown would cause him to instinctively bow down. Recognizing his mental state, he knew that he needed a fresh start. So, he traveled to a distant dimension far away from the influence of the eccentric senator and opened a small workshop there. He swore that he would one day get his comeback and his revenge

That concluded the half-dwarf’s backstory. What did I want to do again? … Ah, yes!

I checked my appearance on a polished mirror that was on a shelf. Messy hair, baggy bloodshot eyes, dirty beard, a torn pajama set, and mud-caked snail-slippers. I looked like a basement-dwelling troglodyte who never showers or gets laid and was on my best way to grow a beard like RMS and become a wizard. Perfect!

I slammed the sack full of horns onto the counter, set my best business smile, and disabled my Observer Status at the same time.

“HI-hi, Markus is here to offer you a great deal. Limited time only.”

Goreas flinched back and directed his carbine at me with his finger on the trigger. Maybe I haven’t thought it through. It was very well possible that he could have shot me out of surprise now. Had the man a little less self-control, I would have been dead. Anyway, keep that poker face up.

The sturdy half-dwarf put down his weapon still in reach of his arms and bellowed in a thunderous voice. “By Miranda’s underwear, come in openly next time! Sneaky rats are not welcome here. Dumbass clow-…customer.”

Wow, his language was more polite than I thought. Guess he developed his character after falling from his exceptional height.

“Haha, sure will do. We from the ‘Ghosts of Techma’s Heaven’ have always considered our business partner’s wishes. Now then, back to business. I have here some ‘treasurehorn’ horns. Excellent quality, an exceptional material, you know the stuff. Usually, they would be worth 40 000 credits in the markets, and most of the time, they would not even be available, but I am willing to part with this superb haul for a measly 35 000 credits. What a steal, right?” I presented my ware with a pose.

The half-dwarf's face cramped and turned a deep cherry color.

“Scram! Do you think I will believe in your rubbish! Sure, those horns are a rarity on the market, but they are definitely not worth more than 15 000 credits. Also, I have never heard of your bullshit organization before.”

“Well, there is a reason why we are called ‘ghosts’. You shall call yourself lucky that you can trade with us.”

“Pah, what would you know about my luck, you scammer.”

A lot. “Sigh, it seems like my good intentions are not well received here. But do not worry, I am not someone who gives up that fast on a possible long business relationship. I have the feeling that your shop is not doing so well lately, so I am willing to reduce the price to 32 000 credits just for you.”

“Humph, I am about to puke, what a disgusting speech. 18 000 credits and not one more.”

“I had to fight a primal predator for these treasures. Many of my subordinates were injured in the process. If I didn’t immediately need the money to aid their recovery, I would never sell them so cheaply. 30 000 credits, my final offer.”

……..

“22 000 credits, I am already shaming my ancestors with this offer. By my wrench, my father would turn in his grave if he knew. Take it or leave it!”

The half-dwarf looked really adamant when he said that.

I wanted to finalize the price at 25 000 credits but then saw the old wrench in his hands. The tool gave the impression of being used quite often but was still fine because the user cleaned it regularly. I remembered that Goreas got a wrench as his eighth birthday gift before he apprenticed under the master engineer, the only memento his mother left him. …

Wasn’t that my fault because I wanted an interesting story character? Sigh, I will relent this time because I am feeling responsible for the small man and not because I don’t want to be bonked by an infuriated half-dwarf.

“Deal, but I want that sandwich and that bottle too.” I pointed to what I assumed to be the half-dwarf’s midnight snack.

He looked confused and a bit reluctant but still swiftly accepted the deal.

The exchange ran smoothly. He took the sack with the horns, and I got a small case with differently colored metal plates. I quickly scanned over them and confirmed the payment. I already knew that he wouldn’t scam in this regard because that wasn’t in his character.

“To a long and healthy relationship.” I raised the bottle of liquid that I just bought and left the shop. Behind me, I heard a mild grumble.

Outside, Stefan patiently waited for me in the dark.

“What took you so long? Did you get the money?”

“Hey, you make it sound like I robbed a bank. Relax, drink some water first. Here, I have bought it just for you.” I handed over the bottle.

Stefan looked doubtfully at me, but eventually, his thirst won over, and he took a big gulp.

“Pfffff, cough, cough, THAT’s RUM!”

Oh, that’s what it was.

“Easy, Stefan, it’s still too soon to celebrate.”

He glared at me.

“Give me that sandwich!”

“Never!” I quickly took a bite. Mhmm, bacon.

We fought over the rest of the sandwich.

…….

“So, did you get a good deal?”

Stefan was a lot less scary, without the object of his desire looming around.

“I guess so, 22 000 credits are around the yearly salary of an average industry worker. It can last us quite a long time. To be honest, I don’t actually know how much those horns are worth. This has been the reason why I wanted to intimidate the boss a bit and quoted an absurdly high price at the beginning. … Anyway, we need to find a place to sleep, and I know exactly where the inn with the best service of the city is located.”

I lead Stefan to a cozy-looking three-storied inn, only a street away. It was past midnight, the inn had already closed, so I knocked on the door. Not even two seconds had passed before I heard steps coming from the inside.

The door swung open, and a cute young woman in a nightdress with black shoulder-length curls appeared before us.

I metaphorically stepped forward.

“Good night, madam. We two would like to rent a room for the night.”

There were zero signs of the justified anger of being disturbed at such a late time on the inn owner’s expression, nor did she minded two vagabond-looking strangers wanting to stay in her inn.

“A night in one of our air-conditioned rooms cost 75 credits, bath and breakfast add another 15 credits, so 90 credits in total. If you want to stay together, a double-bed room would cost 160 credits per night in total. How many nights do you want to stay, sirs?”

I glanced toward Stefan. “We would like to stay here for a week, and we want to stay in the same room.”

“Alright, that would be 1600 credits. Payment in advance.”

“Ehhhh, what?”

“That would be 1600 credits. Payment in advance.” The inn owner repeated.

“… Ah yes, right, here.” I handed the money over.

First, I thought that I misheard it, but then I remembered that a week in Techma had ten days.

Why did I fabricate such an unnecessary detail again?

Afterward, we were given two keys and were guided to our clean rooms. We were also told the house rules and stuff like electricity usage and washing timeslot. Shortly later, the young lady even brought two jars of water to us. That’s why I call this the best service in the town.

I fell on my bed. It had been close to 1,5 days since I last slept, and my metabolism will thank me for the rest.

The next noon.

The bright sun was blocked by the window’ curtain. “Uwaah” I woke up feeling considerably refreshed. I felt very excited because now that we had money, we could go shopping. I stood up and moved toward Stefan’s bed. That sloth was still snoring in his dreamland. I opened the curtains, and instantly a warm wave of sunlight flooded the room. Then I pulled his blanket away in one fell swoop.

“Wakey, wakey, no oversleeping in an isekai world!” Technically I overslept too, but he didn’t need to know that.

Stefan woke up with a groan. Guess the rum hit him hard.

“Let’s have breakfast. I am so hungry I could eat a bear.”

We went down the first floor to the eating hall on the ground floor. On the way, we met the lady innkeeper now in proper working clothing.

“I put your breakfast aside. Just ask Berthold for it.”

Like I said, good service makes a good inn.

…….

After some filling food, we took a quick shower before we departed the inn. The streets were bustling with activity. Our first priority was clothes, and we didn’t have to go far.

“Gentleman’s Emporium”, that was the name of the clothing store I selected. Of course, I didn’t somehow learn overnight how to read the local language but heard it from the pedestrian’s gossip. We entered the shop without our hiding ability and almost inflicted a stroke on the saleswoman. For the entire duration of the next hour, the zealous saleswoman from the local fashion police fiddled around us and went through a literal mountain of outfits.

When we finally left, we didn't look any different from the locals. It was a bit hot, but style before comfort, I guess.

“Hey look, Markus, there is an accessory and cane shop too.”

Time for more shopping.

We entered the shop right beside the clothing store and were greeted by a broad selection of big goggles. top hats, canes, and even glasses.

“How do I look like?” asked Stefan with a monocle over his right eye and a gold-rimmed cane.

“Like a certain error waiting to scare someone.” I took a hardwood cane and swung it a little.

“It's a shame that there are no sticks with hidden weapons installed or which can shoot bullets.”

Stefan shot me a look of exasperation. “You saw too many spy movies.”

Suddenly, the clerk, who was behind the counter just a moment ago, popped up beside us and asked in a low voice. “Gentleman, I hear you want to purchase the ‘special’ products. I have them right in the backroom. Come and see if they suit your taste.”

“No, no, no that won’t be necessary, right Markus?”

…….

We left the store a while later, a cane in each of our hands and 3 000 credits poorer. Today we discovered that neither Stefan nor I belong to the rational types.