Chapter Twenty-Four: A Tense and Thrilling Deal

In the small town called Delis, people lived simple, unchanging lives. Though it lacked the bustle of a big city, the atmosphere was leisurely, and most residents enjoyed a carefree existence. Being a humble place, Delis had never produced any famous magicians; the last person to become a grand wizard here decades ago was worthy of mention in the annals of history—at least, if one ignored the existence of Mageuna.

Today, however, Delis welcomed two unusual visitors. The girl's pure white hair drew the gaze of every passerby; though she emanated no magical aura, the townsfolk seemed as if petrified, unable to look away once her face came into view. Heads turned as she walked, and pedestrians, distracted by her, collided and stirred up a commotion. In a countryside belonging to the Holy Empire, such beauty was unprecedented.

As for the young man beside her, he could be ignored. Judging by their appearance, they were clearly siblings, for nothing about them suggested romance.

“How does it feel?” Ruby walked alongside Mageuna, and upon noticing the strange reactions from the townspeople, realized he had underestimated Mageuna’s impact. He had no desire to be the center of attention; had he known this would happen, he’d have asked her to cast a spell to disperse the crowd.

“Hmm… I am quite beautiful, aren’t I?” Mageuna pondered, then pointed to her cheeks with her index finger, adopting a cute expression. The onlookers shouted things like “Mom, I want to marry her!” Living with Ruby, she’d never been praised for her looks, leading her to doubt her own beauty. Now, seeing the entranced faces of the crowd, her confidence was renewed.

“No one’s talking about that,” Ruby replied, shaking his head helplessly, though her playful demeanor suggested she felt no discomfort.

“It’s much better than I expected, though there are still some malicious glances. Should I take care of them?” Mageuna dropped her playful tone; she had prepared herself for gossip and hostility, yet was surprised at how easily the townsfolk accepted her. Despite the attention, most simply wanted to admire her face for a bit longer. Naturally, there were traces of ill intent, for a certain legend was deeply ingrained in their minds.

“Stop thinking about causing trouble. We’ll buy what we need and go home,” Ruby said. As an outsider, he had spent more time in this town than Mageuna, who was born here. Familiar with the area, he led her to a corner shop and pushed the door open.

“Pick what you want,” said the portly, middle-aged shopkeeper, seated with a book, showing none of the enthusiasm expected from a proprietor.

“It’s me,” Ruby announced.

“Oh, Ruby, is it? Your hair and eyes…” The shopkeeper finally looked up, pausing at the sight of Ruby’s white hair and red eyes. Mageuna resolved that, should this man attempt to harm Ruby, he would regret it.

“Haha, dyed your hair again? You look much more handsome this way.”

The shopkeeper’s compliment nearly made Mageuna stumble. She knew merchants were prone to flattery, but could not see what was handsome about Ruby.

“Is this your companion?” The shopkeeper glanced at Mageuna, though he showed no particular reaction; by now, Mageuna had cast a spell to blur her features, making her face indistinct to outsiders, yet not out of place. As she put it, she was not a decoration to be stared at.

“No, she’s my creditor,” Ruby replied.

“Well, that can’t be helped,” the shopkeeper said sympathetically. Paying debts was only right, and a woman’s debt was harder still to repay.

“By the way, that hair dye you made sells incredibly well. Customers complain it fades after a few days, but for me, repeat buyers are best. Not many buy the white dye because of that legend, but young people are more open-minded lately—several have dyed their hair white, and it looks great, honestly.”

The shopkeeper rambled on, filling the air with trivial chatter. Beyond the legend, white hair was traditionally associated with elders, symbolizing experience and wisdom. Perhaps rebellious youth felt that dying their hair white made them stand out; since the dye faded after a few days, it was a harmless way to sample the feeling of old age. Some mischievous children used it to scare their parents by pretending to be the legendary figure, earning a thorough scolding. Thanks to this inadvertent advertising, Mageuna was spared much trouble.

“You’re as talkative as ever. I’d like to sell some pearls,” Ruby said, accustomed to the shopkeeper’s verbosity. He waited for him to finish, then placed a handful of pearls on the counter.

“More precious goods? If you took these to a larger city, you could get a much higher price, but I can only offer a modest sum here.”

“That’s fine, your prices are fair.”

“I still don’t know how you manage to get pearls in a place like this,” the shopkeeper mused. The Holy Empire was undeniably inland; pearls were usually found along the coast.

“Oh, I keep a mermaid. Whenever she cries, I collect her tears,” Ruby replied, quite openly. Mageuna longed to flick Ruby’s forehead—why reveal the existence of a mermaid so easily?

“There you go again—I love your sense of humor! Last time, you told me you bathed a poison dragon. My wife and I laughed about it for days. After all, the idea that mermaid tears become pearls is just a legend. I know you enjoy hunting strange plants, so these must be stolen by those little thieves.”

As it turned out, no one ever believed the truth. Ruby seemed to know what Mageuna was thinking, giving her a calm look, which prompted the wizard girl to lightly kick him in annoyance.

“Here you go, this is what you wanted. I still don’t understand what you do with these dwarf-favored ores.”

The shopkeeper fetched several large stones from beneath the counter, placing them before Ruby. Ruby had commissioned him to collect these, so whenever someone found ore, they brought it to sell, as directed by the notice at the door.

Humanity in this world had forsaken science; it was the dwarves who embraced it, developing their own forging techniques through a blend of science and magic. Regardless of the world, dwarves loved smithing, and most ironwork in the Empire came from the Dwarf Kingdom. Thus, humans understood the value of certain ores and chose gold and silver as currency for their rarity.

“Thank you,” Ruby said.

“As long as I make money. Here’s your payment after deducting the ore costs—fifty gold coins.” The shopkeeper showed Ruby the accounts, then placed a bag of coins on the counter. After some idle conversation, he let Ruby leave.

“I didn’t expect you to trade like this—you’re quite skilled. How many times have you done it?” Mageuna finally spoke as they left the shop. Watching Ruby conduct business was an interesting experience. As she spoke, Dragone, perched atop Ruby’s head, opened his eyes and glanced at Mageuna, but, considering their relative strength, refrained from acting.

“You ask too many questions.”

“Next is buying ingredients, right? What shall we have for lunch?”

“Let’s eat here for once—give me a day off.”

“Eh, is the food here any good?” Mageuna could confidently say that Ruby had spoiled her palate, and even the Holy Empire’s court cuisine paled in comparison. She had no qualms about doubting the quality of food in her hometown.

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PS: Please collect and recommend.
PS: White studies come unexpectedly, much like abrupt chapter breaks (laugh).
PS: Thanks to Ink Feather Xiaomo for the 2000 reward, Desert Lone Smoke for the 1000 reward, Dumb Bird and Mercenary Lan for the 500 rewards, and Double Wood JIA for the 100 reward.