The Book Eating Magician Chapter 10:


BEM: Chapter 10 – Dealings with a Black Market Trader #2

Dealings with a Black Market Trader #2

In any city, the outskirts were always more deserted than the center, with fewer people walking around .  The same was true for Bergen City . The tall buildings were gradually decreased in height, and the clean roads became covered in dirt . The nobles would automatically frown at the sight .

However, Theo just felt a strange nostalgia .

‘This area hasn’t changed at all . ’

It was different from the main streets which were always changing .  Most of the hanging signs were difficult to read, worn out from the wind and rain . It was also common for signs to fly away or to have no letters written .  If Theo stepped into the dark alleys, he would see the beggars tossing and turning .

The scenery, which remained the same despite the three year gap, caused Theo to think back on past memories .

‘Three years ago . ’

Three years ago, he had just entered the second grade .

The Theodore Miller of those days hadn’t been cynical nor distant from others . In the first year, the lessons had focused on theory rather than practical skills, so he had been able to get better grades than everyone else .

Theo’s future prospects shone brightly enough for some noble children to pay attention to him .  He knew there was a black market trader in this area because he had visited it with a friend at that time .

“Ha, what friend?”

Theo laughed coldly at the memory .  As soon as his inferiority was revealed, they all turned their backs on him . The one they’d regarded as their friend was an ‘excellent magician’, not ‘Theodore Miller . ’ It was ridiculous that he hadn’t recognized their duplicity, and their act of turning their backs on this relationship was disgusting .

He recalled up to here .  Theo stopped walking as he arrived at his destination . There were no errors in his memory .

“This place… is it open?”

However, Theo hesitated for a moment without turning the door **** .  There was no sign on the shabby shack . The windows showed no signs of being cleaned, and the stairs creaked like they would fall apart at any minute .  If there wasn’t a sign saying ‘OPEN’ on the door, he might have turned around .

In the end, he turned the door **** .

Kkiiik .

The decrepit door opened with a strident sound, and as it opened, the interior was revealed .  In short, it was a general store .  There were many miscellaneous things piled up, of which the purpose of many of them was impossible to guess . However, unlike a general store, the prices weren’t attached .

One of the characteristics of a black market trader was that the prices would fluctuate due to bargaining with the owner .

‘So, any naive or stupid person will have their nose cut off . ’

Black market traders were still merchants .  They were talented at extracting money from the pockets of their customers . In fact, their main source of income was selling things cheaply .  So, when using a black market trader, it was necessary to be accompanied by a person who wouldn’t be easily shaken .

Theo recalled this fact and prepared his heart .  It was at this moment that…

“What, a customer?” A flippant voice was heard from somewhere .  Theo turned toward the counter and realized one more thing .

‘…The black market dealer has changed . ’

In the past, it had been a balding middle-aged man with a sturdy physique, but the one who greeted him now was a slim young man .  The arms exposed under the sleeves were clearly trained, and a snake-like gaze was staring out from between dropped eyelids which made him appear sleepy .

He wouldn’t be as easy to deal with as he seemed .

“Then please look around . Our store isn’t kind enough to explain things, so you will have to choose on your own . ”

It was a mess, but this was also a rule for a black market trader .  They wouldn’t explain anything about the goods they were selling . In the case of defective products, they would lose the sale if they explained it .

Above all, the cost of cleansing cursed goods exceeded the price of selling it .

Sometimes, people would pay the price for an appraisal, but if such a thing was common, then black market traders wouldn’t be able to sell their goods . Rather, it was much easier to find fools sitting on the street expecting to make money .

‘Now, I shall begin . ’

Theo first looked at the products on display .  The first thing was to check whether or not the ‘abilities’ would be eaten . He carefully picked up a dagger which was displayed on a shelf in the corner .

Then he muttered in a low voice, “Appraisal . ” There was a slurp, and Gluttony’s tongue licked the dagger .

 

[+1 Canine with a Lingering Attachment (Sword Type)]

[A common dagger made of steel . There is no magic treatment, but a deep grudge is embedded in the blade . When cut by this dagger, ‘Open Wounds’ will be applied to the injury .

* The grade of this dagger is ‘Normal . ’

* When consumed, a very small amount of magic power will be absorbed .

* When consumed, your understanding of ‘Open Wounds’ magic will increase .

* When consumed, the digestion time is 5 minutes and 11 seconds . ]

 

‘Okay, let’s go!’

Theo grabbed his right hand unconsciously .  The result was more than he’d expected . Not only did it reveal the effect hidden in the dagger, but he could obtain something other than magic power from it .

Furthermore, magic such as ‘Open Wounds’ wasn’t easy to learn because it could be used for bad purposes . This was hard to find in the academy’s library, where all types of magic books were scattered .

Theo paused for a moment before searching through the other objects enthusiastically .

‘This dagger is usable . This leather armour… Ack, magic to keep it dirty? And who is the idiot who put a haste spell on an hourglass? There are a many useless items as well . ’

Well, it didn’t really matter whether the items had value or not .

Theo stared at the information windows which popped up and picked things out without hesitation . He picked anything which would increase his magic power after Gluttony ate it . Useless things were the same .  The black market shop filled with useless things was literally a golden hunting ground for Theo .

20 minutes later, Theo headed to the counter with a basket of items .

“…Hoh?”

The black market trader looked at him with interest .

“Customer, isn’t this at least a month’s worth of sales for our store? Even with a discount, it will be at least two gold . ”

“Let’s see? I don’t think so . ”

Theo boldly rejected the black market trader’s offer . Two gold was ridiculous .  The only things he put in his basket were defective products . It would be lucky if they were sold for 20 silver, and the seller would still be receiving a profit .

However, the black market trader didn’t know that Theo had all this information .  Unsurprisingly, the black market trader laughed lightly .

“Hey, Young Master . Don’t you know that will be a bargain if a genuine item appears? Who knows what will come out from something that has a flaw in it?”

“Well, that is normally the case . ”

The black market trader’s expression changed at Theo’s blase attitude .

“Normally? What does Young Master mean?”

Instead of answering, Theo lifted his index finger .  Then he pointed to an object on the counter . It was a necklace which was falling apart at the ends . It was a necklace which couldn’t be used as an accessory .

Furthermore, according to Gluttony’s abilities, “That necklace, it will tighten around the wearer’s neck . The material is too cheap, so it will break . How can I pay so much for such a defective product?”

“…What?”

“These gloves are even more **** . It is difficult to grab anything because the fingers have the ‘Grease’ magic on them . And this…”

The trader’s eyes became blank as he kept on describing the items .  However, after a moment, the black market trader quickly realized what the descriptions meant . There was only one possibility if a person could speak such genuine information .

Of course, Theo might be lying . but there was another way to check it .

“Young Master, are you an appraiser?”

Appraiser…

It referred to users of ‘appraisal’ magic, which was a type of magic that could only be learned by magicians with special qualities . They were welcomed in many places due to their small number and their usefulness .  Even the king, royal families and nobles wouldn’t hesitate to pay a high price for an appraiser .

“Well, I suppose so,” Theo said brazenly with no shame .

Thanks to Gluttony, Theo could pretend to be an appraiser .  It was the result of Appraisal, but he wasn’t actually an appraiser .  However, it was necessary to conceal its existence from the Tower of Magic . If they noticed Gluttony’s presence, then they would try to cut off Theodore’s wrist .

“…How interesting . It has been a while since I’ve been so interested . ”

The black market dealer got up and changed the signboard on the door to ‘CLOSED’ . He determined that it would be more beneficial to talk to Theo for a while .  After he closed the door and covered the windows with curtains, he was now ready to talk .

“I’m sorry for my previous words . I never expected for an appraiser to come to a black market trader . ”

“I think so as well . ”

Theo didn’t deny the black market trader’s words . Right now, Theodore was an ‘appraiser’ . He’d stumbled onto a weak spot and had to play this role .  Therefore, he waited for the opponent’s words instead of making demands . As long as his position was superior, it was the other person who would become hasty .

Soon, the curious black market trader took the bait .

“Yes, Young Appraiser . Why have you come to this humble place?”

The real bargaining would start now .  The first part of his plan to increase his magic power through the black market trader began .


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