Chapter 26 – The Shopkeeper’s Price

Being called “fresh little ones” by a withered old man sent a shiver down their spines, leaving them unsure of how to respond.

The old man extended his wrinkled right hand from his gray robe, resting it on the armrest of the soft chair to support himself as he slowly and stiffly tried to straighten up from the chair.

His trembling, precarious posture made it seem like he might collapse at any moment, causing genuine concern. Daniel, who had some prior interaction with the old man, couldn’t help but step forward to help him. The old man didn’t refuse and, with Daniel’s support, finally managed to stand up from the soft chair and plant his feet on the ground.

However, as Daniel helped the gray-cloaked old man to his feet, his face suddenly turned pale, and the arm that had been in contact with the old man trembled slightly, as though he had exerted an enormous amount of strength.

Once the old man was standing, the aura around him suddenly shifted, prompting Lin Wei to scrutinize him more carefully: his eyes were cloudy, and his hands and the majority of his face, visible beneath the brim of his hat, were deeply lined with wrinkles. Strangely, despite the obvious signs of age, his skin showed no sagging or drooping. Even though he had struggled to rise, once he was on his feet, his posture was steady and unmoving. The old man was short in stature but exuded an indescribable heaviness—like a solid piece of rock or… a mountain.

Remembering what Daniel had said earlier at the door—”No one knows how old he is”—Lin Wei felt that the old man was becoming increasingly mysterious and unfathomable. After all, the lifespan of a Mage was closely tied to their strength!

The gray-robed old man slowly walked to the shop’s street-facing window and pulled back the heavy curtains. Sunlight streamed in, illuminating the cluttered shelves and the fine dust particles floating in the room. He spoke in a leisurely tone, “One item each. After you’ve chosen, I’ll name the price… and you can pay on credit.”

The shelves were densely and haphazardly packed with various items—golden magic potions, ordinary gray stones, Magic Beast eggs of different sizes, metal swords, dust-covered cloaks, and even a pristine, massive skeleton of an unknown Magical Creature in the corner!

Beyond these, there were even more items stored in square boxes of various sizes, piled up on the shelves.

Lin Wei’s attention was immediately drawn to the pile of Magic Beast eggs—for a Summoner, the beasts summoned through a random Servant Contract couldn’t possibly possess the strongest combat power. It was essential to find a Magical Creature partner with whom one could establish a Master-Servant Contract or even a Life Contract. However, his current strength wasn’t sufficient to venture deep into the Central Forest in search of high-level Magical Creatures. Thus, obtaining a Magic Beast egg that could hatch into a highly talented youngling was the best option.

Haitie, on the other hand, wandered curiously among the rows of shelves, occasionally opening boxes to inspect their contents.

Lin Wei’s knowledge of items in the Magic World was limited, so after a cursory glance, he still headed toward the shelf with the Magic Beast eggs that had caught his attention earlier.

Generally speaking, the size of a Magic Beast egg indicated the size of the creature that would hatch from it, and the size of the creature was also an indicator of its strength. High-level Magical Creatures were often enormous, while low and mid-level ones were no different from ordinary beasts on the continent.

Among these Magic Beast eggs, the largest one was placed in the corner and stood as tall as Lin Wei’s waist!

This meant that the youngling that would hatch from it, while not quite comparable to a Giant Dragon, wouldn’t be far off! Moreover, the old man had mentioned that they could pay on credit. Even if the egg was outrageously expensive, they could buy it now and pay later.

However, just as Lin Wei approached the corner to take a closer look at the large brown egg, heavy footsteps sounded behind him, and the old man’s aged voice reached his ears.

The old man said slowly, “Summoner boy, coming to my shop just to buy a big beast that’s common everywhere isn’t worth it.”

A big beast? This was the first time Lin Wei had heard someone refer to a Magical Creature in such a way.

But for a Summoner, weren’t these “big beasts” the most useful?

He turned to look at the old man, whose expression was inscrutable, and asked, “Then, are you suggesting you have something better to sell me?”

The eccentric old man let out a low chuckle from deep in his throat and then said, “Boy, follow me.”

Suspicious but curious, Lin Wei followed him, maneuvering around the shelves packed to the brim with magical items, until they reached a row of shelves at the back of the shop.

Unlike the other shelves that were haphazardly filled with various items, this one was mostly empty, with the only items on it being a dozen or so books with black covers.

“Summoners are rare, and even rarer are those with the skill to teach others… Boy, is your teacher that young girl Adele?”

The old man had immediately recognized him as a Summoner, knew Adele’s name, and even referred to her as a “young girl” in a tone reserved for juniors—Haitie had mentioned that she had seen Adele a few times in the Astrology Tower, and that the female Summoner held a relatively high position there. Lin Wei felt increasingly that the old man was unfathomable, so he remained silent, merely looking at the titles of the books.

Not a single one was legible to him.

The titles of these books seemed to be written in a language he didn’t recognize, their style closely resembling the runes on the shop’s door.

The old man continued speaking as though to himself, “When that girl was your age, she learned Plant Summoning from here. Maybe she’s even taught it to you now. There’s no magic more suited to her than Plant Summoning…”

Adele’s unique Plant Summoning had been learned from this place?

Lin Wei waited for the old man to finish his rambling reminiscence before saying helplessly, “Alright… if the contents of these books are as valuable as what my teacher learned, I’ll admit they’re indeed worth more than a Magic Beast egg—but you’ll have to explain to me what’s written in them.”

The old man’s face broke into what seemed like a smug smile. “Plant Summoning, Necromancy, Book of Contracts, Spirit Language… What do you think? For ordinary Mages, I wouldn’t even let them glance at these things.”

Necromancy… Book of Contracts?

Although Lin Wei didn’t know how valuable these things were in the Magic World, just hearing their names was enough to tell him that they were anything but ordinary.

He looked at the old man skeptically. “I don’t see how I’m any different from ordinary Mages.”

The old man’s strange smile didn’t fade. “Kid, how would you know?”

“Alright—even if I’m not ordinary, what price are you planning to name?”

The old man didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and walked away, his aged back figure somehow carrying a hint of swagger!

Lin Wei stood there, weighing the options between these mysterious books and the Magic Beast egg that could hatch into who-knows-what. Although he had no fondness for the old man’s evasive and cryptic behavior, he still chose one of the books with a pattern that appealed to him—it was the only way he could make a decision—and followed the old man back to the counter.

Haitie was already standing by the counter, holding a small box. It seemed she had made her choice. When the old man approached, she took a few quick steps toward him and opened the box. “Gray-robed grandpa, I want this one. What do I need to give you in exchange?”

The moment the box was opened, Lin Wei felt a slight refreshment in his spirit, as though a cool breeze had entered his mental world.

Inside the box was a seemingly ordinary necklace—a thin chain that appeared to be made of mithril, with a small, teardrop-shaped transparent pendant. However, upon closer inspection, the transparent pendant seemed to have something flowing within it.

The wrinkles on the old man’s face shifted as he smiled, either pleased by the sight of the pretty young girl or amused by the term “gray-robed grandpa.” He chuckled and said, “An Elf’s Tear—it’s meant to be worn by a girl like you. Grandpa will give it to you.”

Haitie’s eyes curved into a smile as she thanked the old man and carefully placed the necklace around her slender, elegant neck.

Meanwhile, Lin Wei couldn’t help but feel uneasy. He had a hunch that the old man wouldn’t be so generous when it came to naming his price.

At that moment, Duan Yu emerged from the shadows at the back of the shop, his silhouette outlined by the sunlight. In his hand was a narrow, long white box.

The old man clicked his tongue a few times and said to Lin Wei, “You’re quite the clueless boy, having grown up this much—this fellow doesn’t even need to use his eyes to pick out the best thing.”

Lin Wei didn’t respond. In fact, all his attention was focused on that box—its narrow, elongated shape. He thought he recognized it.

No, it wasn’t just recognition—it was something he remembered vividly.

—This item had also come from this very shop!

The old man slowly made his way back to the soft chair and lay down, clasping his hands together and resuming his half-dead posture. “Now, boys, it’s time for me to name the price…”

Lin Wei watched him warily.

The old man’s eyes slowly shifted between Lin Wei and Duan Yu. “The price isn’t high… As long as one of you is willing to acknowledge me as your teacher, not only can you take the items, but when this old man dies—the entire shop will be yours.”

Lin Wei was completely caught off guard by the old man’s demand. It wasn’t uncommon for Mages to take on students, but who had ever heard of someone using a price to actively seek out students?

What was this eccentric old man’s background, and what was he really after?