"Remember, the wine doesn't matter where it comes from; the only thing that's important is its taste profile..." Gilgamesh, who appreciated wine, knew the value of it, having numerous bottles that he himself named as the wine of the gods.
Gilgamesh's words were only understood by the merchant, and Eris didn't see through the meaning of the wine.
The merchant knew that Gilgamesh had great knowledge and pointed to three yellow boxes on the side to explain, "If you're interested in this wine, it's supposedly what the elves used to prepare. They have a more refined palate, so their wine is smooth and doesn't have consequences when getting drunk on it."
If it were any other day, he would be too lazy to explain even if someone asked. However, with Gilgamesh here giving him a sense of having a sentimental pair, he had a favorable opinion of the women accompanying him as well.
"That's what my grandfather wanted years ago..." Eris thought as she looked at the bottles. She knew that her grandfather drank a lot of wine, so she knew much more than just the taste of it from Gilgamesh.
"The cherry wine..." the merchant murmured, drawing everyone's attention.
Roxy, who had heard of that wine in a romantic story between an elf and a human, murmured, "That wine was made in the name of the moon woman, daughter of the tree of life, unable to join her life with a human. She used the wine to drown her sorrows; that was written in the novel by a famous writer."
The story goes that many years ago, in a quiet corner of the enchanted forest, lived Lirael, an elf whose beauty and wisdom were legendary among her people. Lirael had the peculiarity of her race and lived over 300 years, allowing her to contemplate the beauty of the world for centuries, but also condemning her to see countless friends and loved ones depart.
One day, on a cold autumn morning, Lirael met Eamon, a handsome and brave human. Despite the brevity of his life compared to Lirael's, Eamon captivated her heart with his passion and curiosity about the world. Together, they explored the enchanted forest and shared stories of their respective worlds.
Time passed, and love blossomed between the elf and the human. However, the shadow of time always hung over them. Lirael knew that, sooner or later, Eamon would age and die, while she would continue to live. The wine, which was a special gift from her people, symbolized their love and moments together.
One day, while sharing a glass of wine in the forest clearing, Lirael and Eamon made a difficult decision. They decided to part ways to avoid the inevitable pain of separation. Both understood that their love was deep and sincere, but they also knew that time was relentless.
Lirael returned to her solitary life in the enchanted forest, while Eamon immersed himself in human society, hoping to live a full, albeit fleeting, life. Over the years, their lives took separate paths, but the memory of their love always accompanied them until the last breaths of their respective lives.
The wine became the symbol of their story, the bond that connected two beings from different worlds who made a painful but wise decision to avoid hurting each other. And although Lirael and Eamon lived different lives, they always carried with them the memory of their immortal love.
"That's a beautiful story, every detail that describes it feels like it was written with the heart in hand and the pen on paper, narrating with nostalgic tears that incredible story." The merchant smiled with slight nostalgia.
"Many have chosen to dedicate their love regardless of time; would it be foolish to abandon what you love through parting from this world before?" Gilgamesh was very calm with that story; it was truly tragic, but neither was selfish.
The merchant was also very pleased and said, "This wine is extremely special; my grandfather was a collector of rare wines, and my father continued to be due to a long history. I want to sell everything in this store to go to the human kingdom; this sad city is coming to an end."
Gilgamesh simply laughed. He was more than interested in buying all the wines in this store, so after appreciating all the wines and giving a signal to the merchant, he walked to the back of the room where there were numerous books in different languages that he was also interested in having.
The merchant hurriedly followed Gilgamesh around the inside. He didn't present anything to him and simply allowed him to enjoy his stroll. If he were an ordinary customer, then he wouldn't be personally accompanying them.
Not to mention the many people who have come to this place, even Eris and Roxy were surprised by the amount of precious treasures here. Being able to open such a store was indicative of how secretly captivating this city is!
"Is that the skull of a dragon?" There were many weapons on display, and many were still locked inside chests. Each of the treasures floated randomly. One was a dragon's skull, magical fish swimming like fish in the water. It swam peacefully without stopping.
"Those flying fish, it would be incredible to have them in a gigantic library..." Roxy seemed interested in the magical fish that flew curiously everywhere.
"Are those fish for sale?" Gilgamesh asked casually, as if any treasure in this place could afford it.
The merchant nodded and said, "In my store, aside from the treasures in my room, everything else is for sale. These fish are weak spirits, but they bring life to such lonely places. There are about two hundred fish in my entire store; feeding them is the problem because they only eat pink gold... I can leave all those fish along with the wines in the warehouse, in addition to the ones you saw and the books, for 30,000 gold ingots."
"30,000 gold ingots..." At hearing that price, even Roxy shuddered. Not to mention gold coins, ingots were something that was almost never traded.
Eris was also surprised; she had thought that if it were coins, everything would be fine. However, they were talking about gold ingots, something that even someone like her had never seen before.
"Then we have a deal for now." Gilgamesh, on the other hand, remained unfazed; that small amount was just a drop in the ocean compared to the wealth he had in his treasury.
The group followed Gilgamesh around in a complete circle. Although the treasures were very flashy, many were things that Gilgamesh already had, such as swords and weapons. Anything other than books, spiritual creatures, books, and food were not of importance.
And as Gilgamesh walked all the way around, he didn't speak and only maintained a smile on his face. At best, he only nodded occasionally.
Eventually, he stopped to look at a wooden chest on top of a cupboard. This wooden chest did not seem precious. It had four items inside. One was a closed box, a seed wrapped in cloth, and the last item was an old silver key.
The moment he stopped his steps, Roxy's gaze condensed, and she carefully judged the items in this wooden chest. She understood that Gilgamesh wanted the items inside it.
After following him for so long, she knew clearly that the items valued by Gilgamesh were by no means simple.
"How much do the items in this chest cost?" After carefully observing the items inside and confirming that she was not mistaken, she asked the merchant.
"Only 10,000 gold ingots," the merchant replied with an ironic smile.
All the prices were in ingots, and it really scared Gilgamesh's group with the prices. All the things were ridiculously expensive.
"Then I'll buy that too..." Gilgamesh nodded with a smile.
Roxy wanted to stop him, but she couldn't. She didn't understand what was so special about those items.
"Can I ask you something?" Gilgamesh asked as his red eyes gleamed in a very intense blood tone.
"Go ahead!" said the merchant with a smile on his face.
"How long have you been dead and trapped in this magical store?"
"What?!" Eris and Roxy felt a chill run down their spines. Was the merchant in front of them dead, or did they not hear the question correctly?
"Well, I do have a great customer this time..."