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 .