After a long run, I finally stopped to take a breather, panting as I bent over. I should have shaken them at this distance, right? I decided to take a short rest, sitting on a convenient rock, then continued my way to the Capital. My footsteps were faster than before however, for I did not want a repeat of theft attempted on me.

It didn't take long for me to reach gates of the capital (I was pleasantly surprised by how close I was to it). Gerald, the guard who collects the entrance fee (I found out his name from his name tag) turned his head after noticing me. His eyes were pointed toward the crystal on the mangled branch.

"Looks like you got lucky, eh? Where did you find that?" Gerald smirked at me in a slightly irritating manner. I wished he would mind his own business, as guards should.

"None of your business." I answered curtly.

"Aww, come on!"

I ignored his "whine" and handed him the toll of a single Dollop (100), entering the capital. Instantly, dozens of eyes fixed on me, or more specifically, the crystal. Damn, I really wished the crystal wouldn't draw so much attention! First the bandits, then random people. I felt so uncomfortable faced by the stares that I even considered stuffing the crystal back in my pocket.

"Boy, are you interested in selling your crystal? I will giv-"

"Not interested." I ignored a man that tried to buy it from me directly. I knew from experience that many would not hesitate to scam "ignorant peasants" and give them overly low payment for their goods. I shrugged off the crowd of people and ran in a random direction.

And got lost.

Well, that sucks. On the bright side, I was in an area less crowded now. There were a few people, but they mostly minded their own business (a glance at the crystal at best) and ignored me. Which was the problem.

"Excuse me, could I troub-"

"No. "

None of the people around were willing to give me directions. I assumed it had to do with how the 'better off people' looked down on peasants. I had wandered into some "rich people shopping area' (I think), inferred from how most of the people here were wearing fancy clothing and the grandiose designs of the shops nearby. Having dirty dirt covered rags didn't help wither.

I continued to wander, occasionally annoying random rich people by trying to ask them for directions (that was actually kinda fun). It was a good thing that I didn't give up on asking, since someone did help out eventually. He wore a shiny green suit, shiny green dress pants, shiny green shoes, shiny- You get the point. He was very shiny and green (he reminded me of one of those green shiny flies), his blond tousled hair contrasting his attire greatly.

"Looking for a magic shop? It's right there!" He pointed to one of the shops.

I looked over and saw an obnoxious building. It was so white and shiny, I could see vague reflections of the nearby shops on it. I think the whole thing was made of white jade or something.

"Thanks!" I said to him as he walked off.

"NP dude!" He turned around and waved to me, beaming.

What?! What did any of those words mean? Were they some kind of "rich guy slang" or something? I hoped he wasn't mocking me behind my back, although the smile on his face made that unlikely. Ah well, that wasn't important. I twisted the knob of the door (also white) and entered.

Then got stared at again. Damn, I wish people would stop staring at me! I tried to ignore all the customers and staff (the people type) and head to the counter, holding the staff (the stick kind).

"May I help you s-sir?"

A beautiful lady asked politely, smiling at me. She seemed a little hesitant to call me 'sir', but I couldn't fault her for that.

"Uh... Ah.... I would like to sell this crystal, please?"

Crap, I got distracted staring at her. Don't down, look at her face... No, not that, look at the nose! Yes, the nose.

"Please wait while I contact the higher ups!" She left hurriedly (I think she got uncomfortable from my staring, is this some kind of reverse 'karma'?), opening the door (labelled "STAFF ONLY") behind her and running in.

I decided to look around at the fascinating stuff that was displayed all over. It was one thing to read documentaries about weapons, potions, etc, and another to see them for yourself.

"Please do not touch the items for sale."

A man stood in my way, glaring as I approached a beautifully crafted sword.

"Oh... Umm... Wasn't planning to."

He continued to block my path, deepening his scowl. If that wasn't discrimination against the poor, I wasn't sure what was. I could have darted around him to get a better look at the items, but I didn't want to risk getting beaten up. In the end, I settled for looking at the items from afar wistfully to pass the time. How I wish I could punch him in the face (I mean, I technically could, but that would screw me over)!

The lady returned shortly, a nice change from the grumpy bastard.

"Sir, please follow me!"

She nodded politely, opening the counter for me to enter, then led me through the door and up a flight of stairs. They were made of some kind of polished brown wood, a nice change from all the white. There were a few nice paintings mounted on the walls along the way as well, although I didn't see their point. Who would stop to admire a painting halfway up a flight of stairs?

I climbed two flights of stairs and followed her into one of the rooms on that floor, the door already open. There was a round table with two sofa chairs on each end. A well built man was already sitting in one of them. The woman motioned for me to sit on the unoccupied one.

It was soft, so soft that I felt like I was swallowed by a piece of cotton (made me super uncomfortable). Perhaps the rich liked to pamper their bottoms but this peasant bottom liked hard surfaces a lot better. I sat on the very edge of the sofa; it felt a lot better than sinking in that "quickcotton".

"Hand it to me." He reached out a hand for the 'staff'.

"Okay."

Without any effort, he ripped the crystal off the 'staff' and handed it to the attendant lady (probably to get her to throw it away). He then proceeded to don an odd pair of spectacles, examining the crystal closely. After a minute of close inspection, especially the tiny gash, he eyed the hoe on my back with a frown (and then put the crystal back into my hands which I then put into my pocket). Someone was clearly displeased by the damage on the priceless crystal.

"The crystal has been heavily damaged, and most of the mana has leaked out. It isn't of high quality either, merely a grade 1 crystal."

BULLSHIT!

He was obviously lying, hoping to scam an ignorant peasant. I was pretty sure that only Grade 4 and above mana crystals had white specks swirling on the inside (from a book). In addition, how in the world would the mana all leak out from such a small gash? Angered, I stood up, slamming my hand on the table.

"Liar! Do you-"

"Who is the professional here?"

He interrupted my bout of anger, unleashing a powerful aura from his body. I gasped, the intensity feeling as if a boulder weighed on my shoulders. That piece of shit, what type of professional acts like that? I forced myself to continue sitting up despite the discomfort. I did not want give bastard the satisfaction of watching me collapse into a pile.

"A single Sliv (10,000) is all I'd offer, no more than that. You can consider the large sum for this highly damaged crystal as my generosity."

How thick was the skin on his face? Admittedly, a Sliv was a lot for one as poor as me (could keep my family fed for years), but this crystal was worth a few hundred times more than that! I almost admired how shameless he was, able to keep a straight face while sprouting such lies.

"Five Glod (5,000,000)!" I insisted firmly (1 Glod would already satisfy me, but who wouldn't bargain for a better deal?). I hoped that the high price would make him realise that I was aware of how much value the crystal was worth.

"Are you doubting my professional pricing? A single Sliv it is, leave if you are unsatisfied!" He shouted insistently, intensifying the aura in the air, making it feel like a hundred boulders were crushing me to death. Damned bastard! It was so painful, I almost shrieked in agony despite my resolve. He was clearly trying to confine me to the sofa to force me into accepting! Not to mention, didn't he know such high exposure to mana could kill a non-mage? He would have killed an unrelenting person if the person was unable to move!

"N-n-no d-dea-l."

I struggled to spit out my words as I rolled down the sofa. How strong was this asshole to crush me to this point with merely his aura? I was very thankful to the one who came up with the laws in the capital. I think I'd been robbed and killed already if he (or she) didn't come up with them. I could almost feel his glare burning my back as I inched towards the open door (crawling). I wasn't sure why he didn't close the door before I could go out, but it was a good thing he didn't. I panted and heaved, trying to recover from the incident (the aura's range only covered the room).

I heard gentle footsteps and looked up, seeing that it was that nice lady at the counter. Only that she wouldn't be now. I could almost imagine the look and contempt she was going to give, much like the other staff now that I was no longer a potential customer. Ah, how undignified. I was going to be upset just because an attractive person was going to unveil her detest.

But it didn't come.

"Sorry about that."

She wasn't going to? I looked up to see her apologetic smile as she reached out a hand to help.

"Um... Oh.... Thanks..."

I really didn't want to. It felt so... wrong to rely on a lady like this. But yet, it felt wrong to reject her help as well. Her hand gripped mine tightly, and I was hoisted upright by a single pull (holy crap, she's really strong).

As I trod down the stairs leaning on her, I tried not to... Wait, I'm not tearing, there was just a little dust in the air! In any case, I was rather touched by her gesture, most of the richer folk would refuse to touch "filthy peasants".As we neared the exit that led out into the counter, I stopped her.

"Stop. I don't want to ruin your reputation." From how the other staff treated me, I was sure they would start to discriminate her if they saw her helping me. The lady merely nodded.

I limped out of the counter, past the stares of the people and out of the door. Ah, I fell horrid. I want to have a good sleep and rest. Wait, wasn't there an inn (a cheaper one than most) somewhere near the Capital gates? I trudged slowly but surely, soon reaching it.

Ah, simple horrid. More holes in my pocket. I paid a Dollops (100) to rent a room for an hour, then fell into dead sleep...

*****

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Argh.... I didn't want to move. So tired...

"Sir. Your renting period is over. Please vacate the room."

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Fine! I hopped out of bed, grabbing the hoe I dropped onto the floor and heading towards the door. This guy really reminded me of one of those alarm clock things.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

I gripped the doorknob and pulled it, revealing an old man.

"Fucking shitty old man, do you have to keep smashing the door?"

Well, that wasn't a very nice thing to say. In my defence, I was grouchy from being woken far too early. I'm sure you'd be too if that happened to you.

"What the fuck did you just call me you shitty young man? I'd have you know I graduated top of my class in hospitali-"

"I don't give a fuck!"

Ignoring the angry shouts of the old man (wow, I was ignoring a lot of people today!), I exited the inn and exited the gates of the Capital, then started to head back home. Sure, I could try to sell the crystal again, but I really didn't feel like it after all the drama. I decided to leave the crystal in my pocket as I headed home (didn't want to risk bandits again). It might not have been a wise choice, but I was feeling fine and without a headache even after falling asleep for an hour with it. Perhaps my body was adapting to the mana somehow?

The walk along the way was good (except the fucking mosquitoes). No attack from wild beasts or bandits. Everything was all well!

At least, until I neared home. I saw my mother bound with ropes before the door of our home, unconcious. A bandit stood guard beside her, sharpening his knife menacingly. He turned his head to grin at me hideously.

"A little late aren't you, filthy peasant?"