A small, palm-sized golden statuette of a turtle with enough grime on it to hide its value from anyone without a keen eye rested at the corner of the table. It was all too easy for someone without regard for another's property to take it. Even with the dirt, it stood out among the hand-carved wooden figurines.
Lu doubted anyone at this market would be so foolish. It was a trap.
Lu took a walk around the market and inspected the other stalls. Although his gut told him it was a trap, it could also be linked to a secret. Maybe it was a symbol of a secret society.
One society like that had tried to establish itself in Mura until Lu took all their stuff and funds.
But Lu found nothing like it in any other stall that didn't get snatched up within minutes.
When he returned to the stall, the golden statue was still there. Lu's curiosity got the best of him. He tried listening.
Maybe the stall owner was well-respected, and the golden statue was simply his symbol. But the old man with a brow so deep, saggy, and wrinkly that it covered his eyes didn't get a single glance. Not even the ones who were interested in his stuff bothered talking with him before grabbing something and tossing him a couple of coins.
He was like any other old stall owner in the market.
However, Lu's keen eyes caught the old man's movements as he caught the coins. Others might not think of it. But a thief needed to evaluate his target or risk losing his life. The old man was good.
'Seems fun.'
Lu greeted the old man with a smile and pointed at the golden statue.
"How much for this?"
The old man didn't even open an eye.
"Finally decided to stop window shopping?"
'I was right.'
"I can take it off your hands for thirty bronze."
"Do you know what it is?"
"Thirty-five?"
"Bah!"
"Forty."
"You think this is something you can get with money?"
"If you don't want to sell it, don't."
"Don't be so sensitive, kid. It's for sale, just not for money."
Lu could feel his fighting spirit rise as he tried to see through this old man and the statue. This was pretty fun.
"What do you want for it, then?"
"What can you offer for it?"
Lu thought for a moment. He had a bunch of gold coins. But The old man didn't want money. Other than that, he had the daggers, Mencer's papers, and the necklace. The daggers were nice and decorated with ornate craftsmanship and tiny jewels. But they were just a pinch flimsy.
'Worth a shot.'
Lu opened his bag and retrieved the daggers.
"What about these? They're old. They used to be a family heirloom of an old man back home who didn't have any children. He gave away his stuff when he died, and I got these. Some guy from an antique shop tried to buy them with a weird grin on his face, so I know they're worth a lot."
"And you want to give them up for this thing?"
The old stall owner opened his eyes, which were barely visible, and looked at the dirty gold-colored statue.
"Yeah, sure. I don't have a use for the daggers, and I have money. But I don't have that statue."
"You want it just for the sake of having it?"
Lu shrugged. Now, it was more a matter of pride, stubbornness, and curiosity that drove Lu to continue the negotiations. But he couldn't deny the fact that he wanted the figurine.
"It spoke to me. What can I say?"
"It spoke to you?"
"Not literally. But—"
"Obviously."
The old man opened his eyes as far as his brow would allow and leaned forward in his rackety chair to look at Lu. Lu felt like the old man saw through him completely with those muddled old eyes of his. He also felt like the old man's gaze froze him to the spot as it suddenly felt like a bad idea to talk or run.
"Where are you from, kid?"
The pressure on Lu's body mostly vanished as the old man asked a question without closing his eyes again.
"Oh, a small village outside the big city. You've probably never heard of—"
"Cut the crap. You're not some country bumpkin from a small village. If you'd said another city or a town or something, I might have believed it. But you? From a small village? That's bullshit."
Lu gulped. It seemed like playtime was over.
"What's it to you anyway?"
Lu didn't feel like revealing his hometown to this strange old man. But he couldn't forget the pressure that had just enveloped him, so he didn't perform a tactical retreat just yet.
"I'm curious. Any rude scion with as decent a foundation as yours should be traveling with guards, boasting about your origin, or be embarrassed. But you're none of that. It's like you're blind to societal interactions. But you're not. Clearly."
The old man flashed a smile that stretched his lips taut and pushed his spotted and thinly bearded cheeks up, shielding his eyes again. He waited for Lu to talk.
'What is this geezer blabbing about?'
"Are you interested in the daggers or not?"
"Avoiding the topic? Are you from a dark faction, maybe? Or are you running away from home? But you don't seem worried enough for either of that to be true. Are you just stupid, confident, or dull?"
"If you're going to keep insulting me, I will take my leave and those punishments as payment for this."
Lu reached out to grab the statue. He grabbed it, but when he tried to pick it up, it didn't move.
'What the fuck?'
Unwilling to give up, Lu tried again with more force this time.
"Okay, fine. I will leave without it."
Lu stuffed the daggers back into his bag and turned around with a humph. As long as he was confident, the old man shouldn't stop him.
"Stop."