d.a.m.n, this old man is ruthless. I can"t believe he attacked and killed the guy without much remorse. Did he really have no care that the impostor died just like that? The old man grinned and pointed the dead body of the impostor."Don"t be guilty of that guy dying kid. That is a homunculus. It"s not a real human. Killing it is not really much of a problem and not a single police will bother you for a missing person."
When I heard that, I immediately sighed and wipe out the sweat in my forehead. I was worried for nothing. The old man started laughing as he smokes again as he put the tip of his tobacco pipe to his mouth. He walked into the backroom and he glanced again on me and he beckoned me to follow him.
"Don"t just stand there, kid. This thing is not moving anytime soon if you just keep on standing there."
That was the time I followed him to the room. I realized that we are not going straight but we are going downwards into the underground. I thought it was due to the structural design of the place that caused me to feel like we are going underground but in truth, we are indeed going down.
"Don"t be surprised. As a Magic Shop specialized in different magic items used in some dark arts, many people are targeting here. However, not all items sold here are used in dark arts, just like the item that Miss Rensama ordered earlier. However, this item holds lots of need and almost everyone is hoping to get one. Miss Rensama is much luckier than the others because she managed to order it when I just received the item. That is why I wanted my customers who ordered items from me to personally take their purchased items instead of being delivered because of the risks."
"Just how rare is this package that she ordered? From the sounds of their names, it was like they are just normal everyday items for magic."
"Hmm, it looks like what Rensama said is true that despite your monstrous magic power, you are still a rookie in this world of magic. Let me explain. The package that you are getting is one that can be only made once every 2 years. It was the Talisman of Afterlife which is being coveted by many magicians needing it. The red incense is a different matter though but this thing is also limited. It only has 100 stocks every year and it was in demand so everyone would be trying to get this item as soon as possible before they ran out of stock.
From the looks of it, someone who is in need of the Talisman of Afterlife sent that homunculus to retrieve the item. If he ever arrived here before you do, maybe you wouldn"t have started the clash. He will be dead already," the old man explained.
"Then why you proposed the Blood Battle if you already know that he is a fake?" I asked.
"It"s a shame not to see a battle from a promising rookie like you. Therefore, I wanted to see first hand myself that you are strong. You already proved it to me earlier during your battle against the impostor. And I can say that it is unpolished but has a big potential that is why I am waiting to see you get stronger in the future. Treat that earlier as training so that you will try to achieve your limits in this profession. And although it was still floppy, I will say that you have succeeded already to be a beginner that you are now recognized by magicians."
I nodded and although I am quite sure that I was weak, I am happy that someone praised me for my efforts. After descending for quite a while, we arrived in another hallway. This time, we are in the deepest part of the underground since this store is already one of the stalls in the underground mall. Unlike the surface, the deeper parts are busier. There are more people here who are all magicians which are similar to my case, they are getting their package.
We arrived in a room where it looks like a shop for ceremonies. The items in there seem to be a combination of money and culture rather than magic because of the items sold there. Like kimono and a few ornaments. I also saw a qipao displayed so my guess it was not a store limited to the race. They promote equality here.
As soon as we entered the room, the aroma of fleeting alcohol wafted around my nose. Even the old man smelled the aroma and he frowned.
"That familiar of mine is again drunk. I can"t believe this familiar is too troublesome. Sorry for the alcohol smell in the shop kid, my familiar has the habit of drinking too much that the alcohol would spill on the floor. If you don"t like the smell of alcohol, I will fetch you the item instead and you wait here. How is that?"
"I am fine with alcohol smell. It"s not like I hated alcohol anyway so don"t worry."
"Ah, good. I thought you are offended by this shop"s smell."
"It"s nothing. Anyways, may I come in?"
"Sure. Please look around. Maybe you will find something you want to purchase too."
I nodded at him as he disappeared somewhere in the room. He must be going to fetch the item. I looked around the room and saw many different items displayed which looks like they are for magic purposes. I also found a few materials used for summoning familiars. I remembered them since those items are the items I used when I summoned Itazura last time. This shop didn"t look like a shop but more like storage. I think this is the warehouse though I am not sure.
There are also weapons here and inside some of the boxes are books that teach anyone to use arcana magic and a few practices. I don"t understand the language though because most of them are written in Latin which is a lingua franca that I have not studied. It was a shame though, but I don"t need them at the moment. Having too many magic skills is not easy to remember and not all of them are being used anyway so I will limit how much magic I can use this time.
While I was moving around, I suddenly stumbled on something. My feet bounced back when it hit the object and I frowned. When I looked down, I realized that it was a human woman. She seemed to be fast asleep and when I crouched to check her vitals, she quickly reeks the smell of alcohol. There is a slight smell of vomit too so from my guess, she vomited earlier.
I don"t think it was right for her to sleep on the floor so I shook her a bit. But she seemed to be sound asleep as she snores and mutters gibberish sounds. No matter how hard I shook her, it"s not working and she is still sound asleep which starts me to get p.i.s.sed off. In the end, I decided to stop. She is as hard as a rock to wake up and if I continue, I might just get p.i.s.sed instead of waking her up. I might avoid going berserk this time.
The old man returned carrying a box in his hands. It was wrapped in a red ribbon with a seal of the magic circle in the center. He placed it on the counter and checks it for defects before he nodded in satisfaction. After that, he beckons me to come in which I quickly did and observed the box while he is talking.
"This is the box that contained the Talisman of Afterlife and the Red incense are all inside. I sealed it inside a box that cannot be destroyed unless certain magic is used in the seal which is your blue fireball."
"Huh? How did you do that without asking me?"
"After seeing your magic, I can easily scan what magic you are using. All I need to do is to copy the signature power you use and use it as the "key" to the seal. I am proud to say that it is 100% accurate and you won"t fail in opening the box for later. Also, don"t be afraid if this box falls. The contents inside won"t be destroyed even if it fell from a very high story building. And even the strongest magic or nukes can"t destroy this box so don"t worry about it. Just don"t lose this because there is no way to track this item."
"Wait, seriously? This box is that durable? Even nuke doesn"t work?"
"Of course! This is proven and tested during World War 2 so rest a.s.sured."
"Just what material is this box made off?" I asked.
"A branch of the world tree, the Yggdrasil."