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Arc V Chapter 13

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25th Ignis Solar 753 AAC

They returned to the counter forthwith, the purpose of the girl's visit and her curiosity now laid bare without a hint of doubt. Contrary to his expectations and contrary to what her behaviour might have suggested, the girl didn't enter his shop to buy, but rather to sell, which in retrospect should have been obvious. He shouldn't have expected otherwise. Judging by her attire and gear, the girl was an adventurer, or at least an aspiring adventurer, or at least someone active in or related to the adventuring business. So, of course, she was here to sell and fetch a good price for her lucky find. What a savvy girl …

The girl placed her coin on the wooden counter, a proud smile adorning her lips. He responded with a metal scale and a set of calibrated weights, a classical instrument of his trade. The horizontal axis ran left to right, with two dishes at each side.

Gregor took the coin, his right eye armed with a magnifying loupe and years of experience. His schooled look was examining every last detail to verify the authenticity of the coin. The obverse … The reverse … The edge … The rim … The relief … The coin appeared to be genuine ... The coin looked genuine … The coin felt genuine ...

His hand was weighing the coin in his palm, roughly estimating its weight. The weight corresponded to his expectations. The coin was probably the genuine article.

He placed the coin on the scale, counterbalancing it with a number of appropriate weights. The scale tilted and rose. It took some time before an equilibrium was achieved. The result satisfied Gregor, eliminating his last traces of doubt. The weight of the coin perfectly matched the required weight. “One ounce in total ... Nearly a fine weight of thirty grams, which equals three taler ...”

Hugging her doll, the girl beamed, wearing a victorious, even triumphant smile. The sparkling silver pieces shining in her eyes were difficult to overlook. The girl had set her sights on profit. “So how much is my coin worth then?”

Gregor started stroking his chin. The negotiations had commenced. “The silver content alone is worth three taler ... The coin is in a good condition ... It has an excellent fineness and purity ... All things considered, I can give four taler for your coin.”

Her prior enthusiasm vanished in an instant. The girl's face darkened and her mood visibly worsened. An icy look of displeasure met him. “Four taler? Are you kidding me? What price is that?” The girl didn't like his offer, as they both disagreed on the matter of price.

Gregor raised his voice, his arms leaning on the wooden counter. “Listen, lass, it is a good price. It is a fair price.”

“What? A fair price? Ridiculous! In what kind of world is four taler a fair price? Four taler ... That is open daylight robbery of the worst, most fraudulent kind! You are trying to rip off a little girl! Do you have no shame?” The girl disagreed once more, wagged her hand in the air, her finger extended.

“...” Gregor fell silent. “Look, four taler is the usual market price.”

The girl pouted, hugging her doll. “Market price, my arse! That is what all robbers would say.”

“...” Gregor was left speechless. The girl's stubbornness took him by surprise, not to mention her adroit command of language. “But it is. It is the market price, I assure you.”

“That is merely your opinion. My doll and I, however, think otherwise, right, Dolly?” Her hand moved her doll's head from behind, making her nod. “See, my doll agrees. She seconds my opinion.”

“... ... ...” Gregor merely sighed. This was why you didn't argue with children. You could only lose. “Tell me, lass, how much do you want for your coin?”

The girl tilted her head, thinking. “Hmm … Well, what about six taler?”

Gregor nearly choked. “What!!? Six taler? Are you crazy? Are you trying to bankrupt me?”

“Not at all.” The girl smiled, all sweet and innocent. “I think it is a good price, a fair price.” Her words carried an unmistakeable sense of vindictiveness.

“... ... ...” Gregor pinched the bridge of his nose. This girl ... She was slowly, but surely getting the better of him ... “Listen, lass, six taler ... That price is absurd ... I can give four taler, maybe five on a good day, but certainly not six! Six taler is far too much even for a single coin!”

The girl giggled. “Who says that we are talking here about just a single coin?”

“...” Gregor furrowed an eyebrow. Did she really mean what he thought she did? “Do you mean that you have more of them?”

The girl nodded. “Yes, where there is one coin, there are usually more of them.”

Gregor narrowed his eyes, his interest rekindled. “How many?”

The girl beamed. “Enough.”

“That is not an answer ...”

“I know~.” The girl mustered a mischievous grin, visibly enjoying their little verbal skirmish. Her hands started rummaging through her satchel, searching for the rest of her trove.

It was probably just one, or two, or three more coins at best. Nothing unusual. Like so many adventurers before her and after, the girl somehow stumbled across a number of precious coins and was now trying to sell them. How utterly wrong he was ...

His delusions were shattered in the matter of a moment, not even lasting a blink of an eye.

The girl placed a large stack of silver coins on the counter, counting twenty coins at least, if not more.

Gregor blinked in surprise, unable to believe his eyesight. The girl must have stumbled across a larger find than he had given her credit for ... But it didn't end there.

Her satchel produced another stack of coins. Another twenty coins. And another stack of coins. And another stack of coins. And another stack of coins, all placed in an orderly fashion before him on the counter. Yet it didn't show any sign of stopping ... Another stack joined the ranks. And another stack. A mountain of coins was rising heavenwards before his eyes. How did she manage to squirrel away so many coins in her satchel? More and more coins continued to materialise on his counter. There were now even gold coins among all the fine silver, likewise of Valentian origin. Her supply was as endless as her pockets deep, but even her satchel eventually depleted.

Gregor took a moment to regain his composure and recuperate from his stupor. “Where ... Where did you get all these coins from?” It was a genuine question. How on earth did a little girl like her get her hands on such a sizeable collection of coins? This was a veritable hoard, a treasure. Where did she get them all from? The girl was far too young to brave the dangerous ruins of Valentia, nor could she have stumbled across such a hoard by chance. So where did she get all these coins from?

The girl raised an index finger, sealing her lips in secrecy. “That is a secret, but let's put it this way, the gods of fate smile on me and have bestowed their favour upon me. Fortunate circumstances have led me to acquire them.”

Gods of fate … Favour … Gregor didn't believe a single word. This was a significant amount of gold and silver that could be impossibly acquired through luck alone. The girl was too young for Valentia, nor did he believe that she had acquired them through more illicit means. Which only left one last possibility, the coins were probably part of the family silver.

It was the moment all pieces fell into place. The girl's posture ... The girl's mannerism ... Even the girl's exquisite doll, which hadn't escaped his notice. Quite the contrary. The craftsmanship was superb. The doll was a true work of art, no doubt worth a small fortune. The girl must stem from a wealthy family, possibly even from a family of noble birth. Her family must have fallen on hard times and were now trying discreetly to sell their family silver without losing face. It was why they were sending their daughter, to not arouse suspicion. After all, your honour and reputation were everything among the higher circles. Losing your honour was as good as forfeiting your life ...

The girl crossed her arms defensively, protecting her doll with a hug. “Hmpf, don't even think about it.”

Her reaction surprised Gregor. “What?”

The girl pouted, a blank stare meeting him. Her hug tightened. “Dolly is not for sale. Dolly is mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.”

“... ... ...”

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