His shout was like a mighty thunder amid a clear sky.
Everybody inside the shop halted what they were doing and looked at the scene about to explode in front of them...
Atlas's words were not so kind and brought an inevitable discussion with the client.
"Idiot!... What are you doing here? And how dare you call me in such an awful way again?"
The client was Scarlett, the young woman he met a few days ago. She was the one who forced Atlas to listen to Grandma River's life lesson.
"I'm calling you a wraith... Your ugly face is hunting me day after day... So why should I not call you like that?"
It was clear that Atlas had forgotten about his promise to Grandma River. Indeed, each word was more deadly than a poisonous knife.
"You..." Scarlett pointed her thin finger toward him as if wanting to unleash all the rage boiling inside her, yet she dismissed that idea and instead scolded: "Bastard... Have you ever looked in a mirror? Look at your stupid face. Who will ever want to follow you all day? At least my 'ugly face' can still attract people's attention, but what about you? Hmm?! Even dogs and rats run away scared by that ugliness..."
The duo's discussion attracted a lot of attention, and the people around them started to whisper.
"Are they an old couple?"
"Indeed... They seem so close-knit... this is not their first encounter."
Ignoring the people's gossip around them, the duo kept bickering like two stupid birds fighting for a tiny worm. Luckily, Steve was there to mediate between that crazy couple.
"Young master Atlas... this is not the proper place to discuss... please. She is an important client..."
'Mhm ?!... Why is he calling him young master? What's going on here?'
Steve's words surprised the young woman momentarily, but they also gave her another weapon to use against him.
"So... did you hear him? So-called... young master Atlas, is this the proper way to treat one of your customers?"
"That..." Atlas wanted to scold her even further, yet he calmed down, noticing the strange gazes form around him: "Fine... What are you doing here? Didn't you see there are so many people in the shop? Don't waste everybody's time..."
Atlas wanted to dismiss her fast, but how could she let him go so quickly?
"Hey… you should be a bit gentler, and maybe I will tell you what I'm looking for."
This wasn't the answer he was waiting for, so Atlas looked at her with a thoughtful expression for a while before replying: "Why am I even bothering with this mess? Steve... I'm leaving."
His actions left everyone speechless. He was blatantly running away, completely ignoring the young woman's words.
Even Steve was confused by all this, yet he knew how to handle a client properly and spoke with a cordial smile: "Dear client... Your order is ready... I'm sure..."
It took her a moment to recover from the stupor, but as soon as she realized how he was disregarding her so blatantly, anger erupted once again from the depths of her heart.
Suddenly, she moved faster than lightning and stood in front of him like a ghost blocking Atlas's path.
"Bastard… Stop right there! Don't you dare run away as if nothing has happened, or..."
Scarlett's movements were so sudden that Atlas only stopped when he was a few inches away from her graceful body.
A pleasant smell assaulted his nostrils. It was so good that he could not help but smell it again just a few inches from her face.
It was such an embarrassing situation for Scarlett. His actions were so bold that she was driven mad once again.
"Hey! Are you a dog or what? Stop it!"
Hearing that shout at such a close distance had the desired effect.
Yet, unlike a few days ago, he didn't step back and instead looked at her calmly, completely taken over by the tiredness all over his body: "Hey... I'm quite tired... Why are you bothering me so much? Steve will help you with your order..."
She was momentarily surprised by his different attitude, but she kept a strong front: "No... Steve is busy... Stop being so irritating and help me!"
Seeing that the situation was becoming so awkward, Steve left the duo handling this mess and ran back to the previous customer, ignoring them entirely.
Even the people around them turned back to what they had been doing before, yet still kept a tiny bit of attention on the pair.
Left with no other choice, he wasted no more time and tried to conclude fast: "So... what was your order?"
"A jewel..."
"Okay... it was a ring or a necklace?"
"Nothing like this... I requested a bracelet with storage space..."
Hearing her response, Atlas fixed his gaze on her eyes before replying: "So... I wasted all my precious time... for you? God… What did I do wrong to deserve this?"
"What are you talking about?" She asked, perplexed by his lament.
"Nothing..." Atlas didn't even bother explaining to her that he had created the artifact's beautiful shape and taken it out from a small storage device: "This is it..."
When the precious jewel appeared, all the women in the room turned back and stared at it like ravenous wolves.
"It's so pretty..."
"Yeah... I want one, too... Hey, Steve... do you have more products of that kind?"
Surrounded by a bunch of women, Steve was scared, yet he was an excellent merchant. Smelling the scent of gold, he responded satisfactorily: "Calm down... young ladies. This is a unique product specially made for that young woman there. Our young master Atlas spent two days without resting to complete it."
Involuntarily, Steve's words reached Scarlett's ears, making her look at the young man in front of her in a new light.
"Right now... we don't have more products like that, but you can request for a similar artifact... Of course, the cost will be more than an ordinary one, but I assure you that the final result will be better than you can imagine."
Indeed, he was also a great merchant. Indeed, he didn't waste such an opportunity and tempted the young women around with a delicious alternative.
Meanwhile, a few steps from them, Scarlett and Atlas were having a momentary pause.
Staring at each other, the tension skyrocketed. They were so close that they could hear every slight noise coming from the other.
After a while, a strange glint appeared in Scarlett's eyes, and a more pleasant tone came out of her mouth: "It is so beautiful... You did it for me? Tha..."
Just when she was planning to thank him, Atlas's words extinguished the last shred of favorable impression that had just formed in her heart.
"Nah... I was only testing my new skills... anyway, most of the job was done by my grandpa… Ahi… If I knew it before..."
"Then WHAT?!... If you had known earlier, then what would you have done?" Scarlet asked in a dangerous tone, moving a step closer and making their nose almost touch.
Damn... she was so close that it would only take her one moment to wipe that unbearable expression off his face.
Unaware of the danger around him, Atlas answered what was on his mind: "Clearly... I wouldn't have wasted my precious time in something like that... especially for you..."
Silence...
The entire room turned deadly silent...
Even Steve looked back at him with a shocked expression.
There was only one opinion in their minds...
How could such an idiot exist in the world?