Seeing Baxhar's reaction, the shop owner only smiled, turned around and left. Entering the room that I just exited a moment ago, he came out of it with a single item from the ones I traded for the local wares.
"If I recall your words, you judged it to be a Pristine Narkai Heart?"
With his head turned toward the shop manager, the man asked.
"Yes sir, from the fluctuations of the energy that I could feel around it and the sturdy structure of the veins, I appraised it to be a pristine Narkai heart. It's just like Sir said!"
Without any hesitation, the manager confirmed the shop owner words. Just from the sheer confidence on his face, it was plain to see that he was certain about the accuracy of his judgement!
"There is actually a way to discern it. Narkai hearts are used by jewellery masters as a source of beating crystals, located just under this patch of muscle. If the heart is fresh enough, a specialised craftsman will be able to extract the crystal and preserve it not letting it dissolve on the spot. It's a shame, but I don't have anyone like that under my direct employ. Just as with everything else, there are ways to use substitutions to scam honest shops like ours into believing ints a pristine Narkai heart, by giving away a Bueten stone heart. Both of them share the same look and aura, but the second one I mentioned only produce worthless stoned and can be extracted from a weak demonic beast at the body reinforcing level. I don't think I need to explain how we can check whether this esteemed customer is a scammer just like young master dared to claim!"
As soon as those words were transmitted to the entire audience watching the scene from the shop floor, the shop owner pulled out a small knife and cut a piece of the heart away.
Before anyone could say anything, a small stone dropped out of the heart and hit the floor with an empty, resounding sound.
Bonger, can you stop the upgrade right now? I'm really in need of my power now!
Seeing the object actually keeping its shape instead of dissolving just like the shop master said, the entire crowd instantly stared at me with a look of disgust in their eyes, while both of the guards pulled out their swords.
"You idiot…"
Looking at the results, the middle-aged man only managed to utter those words with a completely stunned look on his face. Hearing those words, both the guards instantly launched themselves at me with the clear intention to comprehend both me and Eve!
BONGER! IT'S NOW OR NEVER!
"Blop!"
"Stopping the upgrade process might cause a rebound. Backlash might cripple the host for life"
"Do you wish to continue?"
Oh, fuck! Compared to sustaining the humiliation like this, risking my entire future is far too dangerous. While I can't do shit now to save myself or Eve, there is no way anything serious will happen. In the end, I never called the price for those products! I simply offered what I have!
"YOU IDIOTS!"
As an insanely powerful aura suddenly swept the entire place, I couldn't understand how neither I or Eve managed to simply stay on the spot with the onslaught that suddenly turned the entire shopping floor upside down!
Not sparing even his own manager, the shop owner was looking at the stone laying on the floor with tears starting to brim within his eyes. Slowly kneeling down, he picked the stone up and take a closer look at it. Turning around he looked at me with empty eyes, before falling to his knees again and gracing me with a deep bow!
"You have my utmost gratitude for as long as the stars will keep appearing on the night sky!"
What the hell is going on? Didn't he just label me a scammer? He just said that the stone not dissolving on the spot meant that this heart was a fake! While it was something picked by the system, I never bothered to check what it really was since the proper name wouldn't tell me anything anyway.
"Men! Comprehend this man!"
Shaking his head off the idle thoughts, the shop owner pointed his finger at the Baxhar! Seriously, what the fuck is transpiring here right now?
"To dare to frame my benefactor… If not for your status, I would order my people to kill you on the spot! Men, give him a beating and then throw him out! If he ever dares to show his face in any place of mine, barry him from the entry!"
With this order, the owner apparently took this bastard case for closed and turned to the manager, slowly trying to gather himself from the rubble that once was a product for sale.
"While I can't blame you for that, you actually offered a price of pristine Narkai heart for a heavenly Naranakai heart? Do you know how hard and rare those are? This single stone is worth more than everything that we have for sale in this shop, with the building and land counter together!"
Just the word heavenly managed to turn the manager's face to make a perfect shade of whiteness. I guess that it's something expensive? But what's the point of making such a ruckus about it? While I'm happy I was spared the humiliation that I was preparing for, I can't really comprehend what is going on. It's not like any of the monsters that I killed would be a problematic opponent for Eve, who wasn't necessarily the strongest cultivator in the sect yet!
"With this stone, my granddaughter might be finally cured! I really, can't thank you enough! Whatever you want, I will be sure to procure! And of course, please, be so kind to forgive me my insolence in taking so much time to resolve this misunderstanding!"
Well, that explains the things a bit. Parental and family love knows no bounds. Just how my father did his best to cure my lack of talent to the point of being bullied by the family, I could easily understand the feeling that the shop owner had towards his granddaughter!
But what's important is that I might use this situation to solve one of the problems that were weighing on my shoulders!
"Actually, there is something I'm looking for, but instead of it being an item, I'm searching for a certain kind of place. Do you think you will be able to help me with my trouble?"