The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 383: The Oldest Store (1)

Chapter 383: The Oldest Store (1)

Marianne was cursing herself for being too greedy.

’Never bet based on half-assed information.’ That was the basic rule within her profession. As a spy she gathered information for the gambling house but it didn’t restrict her from betting herself. In fact, they were encouraged to do so.

But the experienced spies often taught her not to be too impulsive. No matter how reliable a source is, always be cautious. No matter how much information a spy gathered, the interpretation of the information is what mattered.

She was one of the first to learn that Trid had been challenged by Coralaine. She relayed it to the gambling den who spread the news. But without all the details. They needed people to be present. The more spectators, the more gamblers there would be.

She was tasked with spreading the information of the challenger to a select few. Not because they were favored. No, because the gambling den knew who hated each other. It had proven many times that people placed their bets opposing the ones they hated. To them, it was a certain way of battling against each other. To the gambling den, it was a way to influence the betting without actually doing anything.

Her employers wished to see as many bets placed on the match as possible. And they had done so. In this case, the winner’s amount played a role in the commission they earned. They had tried to raise the amount placed on Coralaine as high as possible.

With her loss, not only did the den earn less, they even incurred some losses. Just to smooth things out with certain clientele. She would be blamed for it. Damn it.

’Just to expose her enemies move, she challenged him? What the fuck is wrong with some people? Now I will have to compensate my employers. What a fucked up way to work. I am paying my boss. Merchants are just thieves in silk.’

She cursed inwardly. It pained her. But she had to swallow her grievances. She couldn’t fight Coralaine. She was only a Knight Stage civilian, working for a medium-sized merchant organization, whose main business revolved around gambling and information gathering.

Luckily, while making her rounds through the crowd, she had learned a few things. Not enough to win it big, but enough to fulfill her quota.

She kept her head low as she followed the line of people leaving the arena. It had been a busy day. If her bet had paid off, she would have earned a few idle days. Alas, no such luck was in her fate.

Suddenly, she felt someone push something into her hand. It happened suddenly. By the time she reacted, it was too late. She turned her head but had no clue who it had been. Confused, she raised her hand. A piece of crumpled paper sat in the palm of her hand.

’What the fuck.’

Confused, and to be honest a little afraid, she opened the paper.

Meet me behind the Soaking Twig at midnight. If you wish. Or just visit Trid tomorrow at midnight. He will be dead, though.

...

"This is the last place I wanted to show you."

Hex looked at the building Sterling brought him to. It wasn’t on the first main branch. They had spent an hour traveling to the ground. And then another to the outskirt of the city below.

They had walked from the Council building toward the opposite direction from which Hex had arrived from. The building before him looked old. Perhaps, it was.

It was a three-story-high building made of wood and straws. The roof had dried out. The paint had come off in parts, making the building appear as if it was filled with stains.

A large board hung on the outside.

The Oldest Store

"That is a bold claim to make," Hex said, looking questioningly at Sterling as he pointed at the swinging board. The chains from which it hung, creaked softly. Seeing the rust on it, Hex wondered whether they forgot to oil it or were they deliberately keeping it like this to support the claim of being the oldest store.

"It indeed is," Sterling chuckled. "But believe me, it’s true."

"Wait," Hex said, feeling a bit wary. "Are you telling me this is the place of your ancestor?"

"No, no, no," Sterling shook his head.

"But you told me that he had been the first merchant, didn’t you?" Hex asked, frowning at him. He remembered it clearly.

"Yes. He was the first merchant. Not a store owner. He never had a store. According to him, the store owner was only a sales guy. A merchant is the one who connects benefits, information, and relationships from one sales guy to another, while earning more than what they all earned combined."

Sterling shrugged his shoulders.

’This merchants and their philosophies,’ Hex sighed inwardly. "So, you brought me here to...?" He didn’t understand why they took such a long journey to a shop like this. Couldn’t they just get everything above?

"Just come in and you will understand." Sterling stepped forward to open the door. There was no sign of it being open. Who knew, perhaps it was open all the time. Or they never closed the door. No point in locking the door if you have only garbage.

Hex was filled with skepticism. But the moment he entered the shop, his mouth fell open. He expected to see spider webs, old wares, dirty floors, and empty shelves. What he hadn’t expected was finding himself inside a space without anything. Not even the floors and walls were present.

"Welcome to the Oldest Store. How can we help you?"

The voice boomed all over the place. But there was no one around. Nor could he sense anyone near him. Not Sterling, who had entered before him, or Quid, who was just behind him.

"What place is this?" With no other alternative, he decided to test the thing out. He believed that Sterling brought him here because it was safe.

"This is the Customer Space. Here you can rest, browse through the wares we have, and request customized services. This place is set according to your needs and wishes."

"What are the restrictions or limitations?" Hex informed. He knew that most places offered wares restricted by the stage of the customer. At most they allowed a stage above.

"There are no such things here. The customer is the boss. Whatever you wish, you can get. You could say, the only restrictions and limitations we have is set by the limit of your wallet."

That sounded good and bad. Perhaps he could find the things he required here. But could he afford them?

’Let’s check it out first.’

"Show me the list of items you have."

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