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Arc V Chapter 11

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25th Ignis Solar 753 AAC

Her steps short and her feet light, Aurora was bouncing through the cobbled streets and winding alleys of Freyburg in the company of her doll, hopping up and down the busy streets like a joyous bunny and fast like a playful kitten, much to the visible bewilderment of passing gents and baffled spectators. A little girl with a doll must have been a curious sight indeed, contrasting the grey reality of everyday life.

She was a little girl on a journey! A little girl on a mission! Intrepid and dauntless, all on her own, with her precious doll in her arms, with her sturdy leather satchel around her hips, armed with a formidable stiletto.

Her journey led her north, past shops and vendors, across a venerable stone bridge, across the streaming river Frey, into the main mercantile district. Her destination were the bustling merchant quarters of Freyburg as it was time to liquefy her certainly not plundered and certainly not clandestinely acquired Valentian assets and finally put them to good use! Such measures were long overdue. Her war chest and her financial reserves must be strengthened with valid, contemporary currency. It was true that she was in possession of an appreciable quantity of gold and silver, yet the unusual provenance and properties of her coins would arouse suspicion ... They were ancient ... They were larger ... They had a higher precious metal content ... They were not an ideal legal tender in more way than one. Nor her satchel, nor was her pillow an ideal hiding place. Quite the contrary. It was a miracle that Iris had not yet stumbled across her undeclared possessions. Her goal was thus to convert her coins and procure usable currency for future undertakings.

Aurora and her doll proceeded as planned, scouting for a suitable place to exchange her metals. The merchant quarters were her first choice, which was only logical. It was where the money is. And where the money is, there is always an insatiable hunger for gold and silver. Hopefully! Luckily, fortune was on her side today and her eyes were quick to spot a conspicuous auspicious wooden sign, ‘Gregor's antiques and antiquities. Occidentalia, Orientalia, and Exotica.’

“Oh ...” The sign roused her business instincts. The black letters sounded promising ... Very promising ... An antique and antiquity shop ... That seemed like the right address, like just what she needed.

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It was a Monday. A Monday like so many others. The first day of a new week and the de facto last day of a successful and highly profitable previous week. Gregor was counting his earnings, sorting and writing down gold, silver, bronze, and copper coins accordingly. Proper accounting was after all an essential component of business management. He and his family called a modest yet profitable business their own. For generations, from the time of his father, his father's father, his father's father's father, and his father's father's father's father, they were dabbling in the trade of antiques and antiquities, dealing with nobility, wealthy merchants, and patricians alike.

Their humble shop offered everything. Ranging from more common occidentalia, to luxurious orientalia, to rare and precious exotica. They had everything. At least, he claimed so for business purposes. Vittorian cerulean glass fresh from the lagoon and Leithian lenses and optical apparati. Polished Livonian amber and Norgardian silverware. Ancient Archaian grimoires and tomes. Novrhelian matryoskas and other memorabilia. And more. From the far east, precious gemstones, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds, lapislazuli from the highest mountains. Pearls and corals from distant shores. Soft fabrics and silk, elegant porcelain and jade from the fabled Empire of the Middle. Even strange armour, weaponry, and curious clothing from a far distant land named Zipangu found their way somehow into his hands.

It was a serene and peaceful existence, yet there was one bane to his existence, children. They were little diabolic creatures, unsophisticated Pygmies without even the slightest sense for beauty or elegance, harbourers of wanton destruction and chaos. They were a continuous threat to his antiques and antiquities. Constantly, running around in his shop and having their hands everywhere. Just last week, some spoiled brat of some pompous moneybag was responsible for destroying an imperial porcelain vase. The thing cost a fortune! Of course, he was duly compensated for his tragic loss, but still ... The loss of art and culture weighs heavily on his heart ... Speaking of which ...

The door of his shop opened, and the bells rang, announcing the arrival of a new potential customer and client. It was a girl ... with a doll in her arms ... In short, a child. Another clumsy town child touching and fumbling his wares out of curiosity!

Gregor's mood worsened, and his eyes narrowed, glaring at the girl in question. The girl hugged her doll, adopting a defensive posture. “What are you doing here? This isn't a playground. So get out of here, lass! I don't have time for you and your like.”

“But ... But ... But ...” The girl crossed her arms, hugging her dolls ever tighter.

“No buts. Get out of here, lass. I don't want you here”, Gregor countered, his tone betraying his annoyance.

“...” Yet the girl remained unfazed. Her heart stood strong and a pair of large, heartfelt kitten eyes greeted him, staring back at him. “Pleashe ...”

“...”

“Pweashe~ ...” The girl reinforced her desperate pleas. Cuteness met sturbboness.

“...” Gregor gritted his teeth, sighing. “Well, I guess that I can make an ... exception for you ... You can stay. For the time being. But don't even think about touching anything, lass. The things here are antique, frail, and most importantly, expensive. I am watching you, do you understand?” His hand made the according gesture. He was watching her. His scrutinising gaze was following her. Always and everywhere. He was serious.

“I do.” The girl nodded, a bright beam adorning her lips.

“Hmm ...” Gregor narrowed his eyes. He still distrusted the girl. Her presence was suspicious ... “As said, I will watch you.”

The girl started moving, wandering around. He followed her closely. Where would her path of destruction lead her?

The girl halted and paused before turning around. For a moment, the girl seemed lost, but not for long. “... I presume you possess a numismatic cabinet, don't you? Where is it?”

“... ... ...” His eyes blinked. Gregor didn't believe his ears. He didn't hear right, did he? “Did you just say ... ‘numismatic cabinet’?”

“Yes.” The girl beamed, all radiant sunshine and innocence. “What so strange about numismatics? Isn't this an antique and antiquity shop?”

“Nothing ... I was merely ... surprised ...” His eyes studied the girl once again from head to toe, forced to sharply reevaluate her. A single word sufficed. He had misjudged her. Her attire suggested that she was a simple adventurer, but her countenance ... The way she stood ... The way she carried herself behind the façade of her smile. The girl was strange ... The girl was different ... “Please follow me. I will show you the cabinet.”

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