Five burly men stood with a white shirt that exposed the muscles on their arms and shoulders. They gave Hax a questioning gaze, probably wondering what they were here for.
"Where are the other five," Hax asked.
"I think you should teach them first," Bodin said. "It would be too much for you to teach ten people at once. Anyway, do you like your new clothes?"
"It's a little scratchy, but I love it," Hax replied.
"Good. Well, you go have some with them. They're a quick learner and strong too."
Hax crossed his arms. "I can see that they are strong. But we'll see how quickly they learn."
"Alright, I'm going out of the city to sell these pistols of yours."
Hax had made a few more pistols for Bodin to sell. Each of them had better qualities than others since he improved with practice.
"Why don't you sell them in this city?"
Bodin shook his head. "All this city produce is grain and meat. There is not much profit that can be made from such a common commodity. I only need to say the price once and they would walk away."
"So you go out to get a better price?"
"Of course. This is a great weapon. It is only fair if it sells at a great price."
Hax nodded. "If you say so."
Bodin left the room with a wooden box in his hand. It was where he kept all the pistol he was about to sell. The box was made out of simple wood and had the same width as his shoulder. He grinned as he entered his wagon and put the box inside.
The pistols were powerful. He didn't lie to Hax when he said that. In all of his lifetime, he had never seen a norm create something as comparable as a magic weapon. He still remembered the scene where the bullet blasted a hole inside the tree trunk.
"No one would want to miss out on this item."
Bodin slapped his bulls and set off. He couldn't wait to make a huge profit out of this.
A few days later, Bodin arrived in front of the city gate. He approached the stern-looking guards clad in black armor. The gate behind them was enormous, much bigger than the gate of his town. The walls were also taller with archers on the lookout. The richer the city the greater the threat.
Unlike the guards in his town, the soldiers here took their job seriously. Without asking him, they barged inside his warehouse and inspected every crack and hole they can find.
"He's clear."
The guard signaled him to enter. The gate was not closed so Bodin did not have to wait. He looked for a good spot to sell his goods. Bodin had a stall in this city, but the location was not compatible for high-priced goods.
"I should go to the central market."
Bodin drove his carriage towards the center of the city. The stalls and shops here were numerous. People crowded the street and left no room to breathe. But this was just the border of the market.
But even if the city was rich, there were still those who live in hunger. Bodin saw them sitting in the alley with thin frame, and bony fingers. He stopped for a moment and gave them food. As a norm, he tried to help as much as possible to any norm that needed it.
After that, he went back into his carriage.
With patience, he passed the crowd and arrived at the core of the market. The people were less crowded here, but they wore luxurious clothes with jewelry all over their bodies. The shops did not lose out to their glow. Decorated with all kinds of ornament and crystal, they screamed luxury and elegance.
Bodin took a deep breath. His carriage looked out of place from all the grandeur and splendor this place had.
"I believe in my product. It doesn't matter what my carriage looks like."
Bodin pulled a cart that contained the box that contained pistols, armor on a wooden stick, and a stool. There were also swords and crossbows inside the cart. He brought them into the street and opened the box.
"Ladies and gentleman! Feast your eyes on a weapon with unimaginable power." Bodin grabbed the pistol and waved it in the air. "It might be small, but it will not disappoint you."
The passing men and women gave him a side glance before they ignored him.
Bang!
Bodin fired his weapon towards the air. The loud noise gained him a lot of attention. They looked surprised and interested in his weapon. That was the effect that he was looking for.
"Did you hear the thundering roar? Did you feel the vibration? This weapon is stronger than any bow you have ever seen. It is even comparable to a level-1 magic bow."
Some of the audience shook their head and were about to walk away.
"But unlike a magic weapon, this gun can be used by us norm!"
That pulled their attention back to him. They even pulled their friends and spouse to approach and took a closer look.
A man with a white fur coat stepped in. "If it is as powerful as a level-1 magic bow, prove it to us."
Bodin smiled. "I intend to, dear customer. Do you all see the chest plate beside me." He grabbed a sword and struck the armor.
"As you can see this is a fine armor that my sword barely scratched it."
Then he grabbed the crossbow and fired an arrow. The arrow clanged against the armor and ricocheted to the ground.
"Even my crossbow could not penetrate it."
Some onlookers nodded their heads. They seemed convinced of the authenticity.
"Let me try with my own sword." A man pushed his way and stared at him. "Who knows if your swords and arrows are defective."
The man caressed his beard and pulled the great sword from his back. He lifted it high and swung it down towards the armor.
The giant blade shade shattered the shoulder plate and went deep towards the chest.
The man grinned as he pulled his blade. "See. I told you."
Bodin shook his head. "My swords and arrows might be weaker than your great sword. But is your weapon stronger than my pistol?"
Bodin fired the pistol with a bang. The bullet shot blasted a hole in the armor and penetrated into the back before it stuck on the ground. The stand that held the armor fell, and the audience stepped forward to look at the hole. It was around the size of a thumb. A spear could make a bigger hole, but the strength and mastery to do so required years of practice.
Smoke came out of the barrel, and Bodin blew it away. "What do you think?
The man looked surprised as he stared at armor. " It's powerful."
"And there you have your proof, folks. You might be wondering how much does this pistol cost, but I am sorry to tell you that I can not sell this pistol at a fixed price because of its rarity. Therefore, all twelve pistols will be auctioned one by one. Don't be sad because the auction starts now!"
The onlookers were shocked by the sudden auction. Some of them didn't feel they brought enough money!
Bodin lifted the pistol again. "Who wants to be the first buyer?"
"Me! I'm willing to give you 15 silver for the pistol?"
"15 silver? You look rich but your pocket is poor. 50 silver!
"A weapon as strong as a magic weapon can only be bought with spiritual crystal, how could you use silvers to buy them? 5 gold!
"8 gold!"
"10 gold!
"Wait! I'm going home to ask my dad for more gold!"
The crowd got excited and shouted their price one after another. The enthusiasm brought more attention to his auction which increased the price even more. After the bid reached 80 gold, the increment slowed down. 80 gold was quite a big sum even for any rich locals. Even Bodin shuddered in excitement when he heard the bid. But as a merchant, a few gold coins were never enough
"It's not enough," Bodin said. "Ladies and gentlemen. Let me remind you what you are buying is a level-1 magic weapon that we norms can use. It usually costs a lot for a cultivator to get one. Now there is one in front of you that you can use. How can the bid only reach 89 gold when a single spiritual crystal almost cost a thousand gold to buy!"
The audience lit up, seemingly convinced by the value of the weapon.
"Come on, everyone. There are only twelve of these. Are you sure you want to miss out?"
That triggered the bidder and heated the auction.
"250 gold!"
"300 gold!
"325 gold!"
A young woman with a black and white hat raised her hand. "I want that pistol! 400 gold!"
"How about it," Bodin said. "Is there anyone else that wants to outbid this young lady?"
Bodin scoured the crowd. "If there is no one, then. 400 gold going once, going twice, sold! Congratulation to the young lady for getting the first pistol. Young lady, please step in to receive your item."
The woman adjusted her hat and gave Bodin a white pouch. After weighing it with his hand, Bodin knew for sure there were 400 golds inside. Years of practice turned him into a competent counter.
Bodin took a small empty box and put the pistol along with three magazines full of bullets. "Do you know how to use the pistol?"
The woman shook her head. "Please teach me."
"You put this magazine inside the handle, point the gun to something, and press this little button here. Is that clear?"
"Clear. Thank you, trader."
"My pleasure, miss. Next time we meet, you can just call me, Bodin the Great Merchant." He winked at her.
The woman smiled and left with her box.
Bodin climbed the cart. "There are only 11 pistols left. I know you all stopped at 400 gold to make the young lady happy. Well, nothing is stopping you now. Are you ready to bid?"
The bidder responded with a cheer. They bid left and right, making Bodin's tongue flip and flap as he announced the current price. The auction proceeded well. Bodin cheered and shouted to make the audience happy and more rich men and women gathered around him. They even brought a servant to lift their litter, a human-powered transport that consists of a chair or bed places above a platform. Most of them have the form of open space, but some favor the enclosed litter. This type of litter was used to protect the passenger from the elements or hide their identity.
Some people did not want to be looked upon when they traveled with a litter.
As the blue sky turned yellow, and the sun started to set, the auction came to an end.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming. Have a nice day and see you all soon."
Bodin packed his belongings and went back with a big smile on his face.
"I'm rich!"