"Dear customer... As you know, this type of practice is rare, and even if the Dragon's Claw has contacts everywhere, we only have this small number at our disposal. As for Earth Technique, we have some. So, what is the name of the Technique you are looking for? Or if you don't know its name, at least its effect..."
Hearing the shopkeeper's words, Atlas wanted to comment sarcastically but avoided: "Mmm... Really a great collection. I am confident that among them, I will find what I am looking for... Hmm... Its name should be... Earthly Submission! "
"Ohh... An interesting one, indeed. Perfect for subjugating the enemy with the divine judgment of mother earth, but useless if you are with a group..."
As a good salesman, the shopkeeper zealously praised the product and then calmly listed what he had available: "What Rank do you want? Mortal Technique for 45 Low-Grade Chaos Stones, Martial Chaos Technique for 500, or Primordial Chaotical Technique for 6000?"
The price for a Chaos Technique was 35 stones higher than the one he had brought from Grandma River. It wasn't exaggerated, but it was the usual price for martial techniques of this grade.
Differently from the artifacts, it was customary for them to cost more than the actual realm.
Currently, the Mortal one was useless and far too weak for stronger adversaries, so, albeit reluctantly, Atlas opted for the latter:
"A Martial Chaos Technique is more than enough for now..."
"Of course... give me a moment..."
Although the scrolls were exposed and seemed at hand, each shelf was protected by a powerful rune formation, and a unique key was needed to access the contents.
The precious pendant around the shopkeeper's neck was that key in this case.
The man rubbed his index finger on the pendant, and the protective barrier became visible.
A circular slit opened slowly, and without delay, the shopkeeper inserted his hand inside to extract the desired scroll.
The barrier gradually closed and returned as before as soon as the book came off the shelf.
'Better to avoid thinking about strange things...'
An unhealthy idea leaped into the young man's mind.
Fortunately, the scene in front of him kept him from doing nonsense.
Of course, the shopkeeper was unaware of the young man's absurd thoughts and asked with a friendly smile, "Dear customer ... do you need anything else?"
Of course, he needed more techniques, but this was not the right place to find them, so he took out a large part of his savings and then left the store quickly to avoid making a mess.
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'Heck...there were so many precious techniques that I risked messing everything up...'
Despite escaping from that treasure-filled den, the greedy dragon inside his heart continued to ruminate on that unhealthy idea.
Fortunately, the stalls filled with precious treasures calmed that malevolent inner demon, and the young man could resume his research of the other tools necessary for the journey.
After obtaining the Earthly Submission, buying the following Technique was crucial, especially considering his fierce disdain for forming a group.
In the last battles, he experienced firsthand how hard a struggle could become if he was at a numerical disadvantage, so to partially solve that problem, Atlas chose to learn some helpful tricks.
He also planned to buy a Water Technique to ward off possible disasters but eventually gave up due to the lack of funds.
Buying two Martial Chaos Technique in that shop with the small amount left was impossible, so Atlas tried his luck among the stalls.
Compared to the one he had just acquired, the one he was looking for was easier to find.
In fact, many merchants who had promised the young man a slight discount had one.
Even a few coins could make a difference, so instead of buying it from the first stall, Atlas searched among all the merchants for the book with the lowest value.
It took a while, but in the end, the research yielded excellent results, and after a brief negotiation, he bought it from Barufa, the first merchant who had given him the gift.
Although he got a bit of a discount, Atlas eventually spent 400 Low-Grade Chaos Stones, remaining with a miserable amount of money.
With 100 stones, Atlas had to give on the other techniques, so he wandered through the stalls, thoroughly enjoying that wonderous show.
Unfortunately, the young man could not buy everything he needed, and the night had been falling for so long that the merchants had begun to undo their posts to prepare for a night of rest.
The streets, at first teeming with people, were emptied to such an extent that the only people still around were the city guards, who were in charge of instilling fear in those foolish thieves.
Of course, the young man had already returned to Uncle Beard's house, but when he entered the main hall, he found someone waiting for him.
"Boy... finally, you're back! We were waiting for you anxiously... Follow me..."
Uncle Beard did not even let the young man speak and dragged him forcefully into the living room, where Elisabeth and another middle-aged man were waiting for them.
Elisabeth was comfortably seated in a small armchair and was entertaining the other person with great zeal.
Unlike his wife, Uncle Beard was very peculiar. In fact, he walked into the living room screaming without hair on his tongue.
"Oakur... That youth I told you so much about is finally back..."
Hearing that mighty shout, Elisabeth wanted to punch him so hard, yet in the presence of the guest, she held back and spoke gracefully: "My dear... I do not think it is appropriate to shout like a d... like a beast. Why don't you introduce the little guy to our host with a little tact."
"Hehehe... Elisabeth, don't worry." Oakur had known the couple for many years and tried to calm the spirits, changing the subject: "... So, it's him... In fact, at first glance, it doesn't sound like anything special, but I trust your words, old fellow."
"Don't worry... he will bring her home safe and sound."
"I hope so." Oakur got up from the couch and slowly approached Atlas: "Hmm... boy. The next expedition will depart tomorrow. If you want to join them, go to the east gate. You will find them pretty easily."
Oakur did not add any more words and was accompanied to the exit by his dear friend, leaving behind Atlas slightly confused.