The Book Eating Magician Chapter 11:
Dealings with a Black Market Trader #3
Theo started to explain about the ‘deal’ he had envisioned .
Right now, he was offering a chance to turn meaningless products into a viable commodity . In return, he would take a certain amount of low-grade artifacts and merchandise . In other words, it meant paying for appraisal of genuine products with defective goods .
The black market trader thought about it before giving Theo a look of caution . He didn’t understand . No, it was incorrect to say that he didn’t understand .
“So… you will appraise the goods in my store, and the cost will be for you to take the defective or low-grade artifacts?”
For the black market trader, it was a suspicious proposal .
The cost of hiring appraisers was expensive . The price of appraising a genuine produce was around three to five gold, and the profits obtained from selling it was only around one gold . By the way, the fee for a non-genuine item was 50 silver . If he called the appraiser in vain, 50 silver would go flying into the sky .
Of course, the story was different if it was genuine, but… how likely was a genuine item at a black market trader to be worth the expense? If there were 10 items appraised, would there be any good ones?
Let’s say that eight of the products were deficits . The hole made by the eight defective artifacts would be larger than the profit from the two genuine artifacts . Thus, he had been selling off genuine products like cheap lottery tickets . However, he would be able to reduce the cost significantly with Theo’s suggestion .
“Yes, I will take some of them . ”
The black market trader’s poker face finally cracked as he smiled at Theo . Theo was well aware of how expensive appraisers were . He guessed that the black market trader wouldn’t be able to cover the costs .
‘This is an offer that a black market trader absolutely can’t refuse . I am the only one in this world who would offer such a deal . ’
This was actually the case .
In the black market trader’s head, an abacus was calculating frantically at the thought of such a jackpot . What seemed like a boring day had turned into a drastic change in the store’s books . Anybody would be confused . Before long, the abacus in the trader’s head gave a result .
‘No matter how I look at this, it is an enormous profit!’
Even if nine out of ten items were defective, it was enough to pay for the appraisal . The largest damage would be 50 silver, while the profit would be several times that . Besides, what if he got not one but two genuine products? Or three? The money the black market trader could earn would vary .
He wanted to agree to the proposal right there . However, the black market trader cleared his throat and shook his head .
“Hoo, I am at a loss . I don’t know what to do . ”
Theo frowned at his words .
“How come? These are exceptional conditions . ”
“Of course . It is because I am well aware of that . This is an offer that can’t be refused… So, I am worried . ”
A smile flashed over the black market trader’s face .
“It is strange no matter how I think about it . What benefits will Young Master receive from these conditions?”
“You don’t need to know that . ”
“I see . ”
The black market trader stared at Theo with snake like eyes . It was like the eyes could see into his head . Quite a few people would jump at those eyes, but Theo didn’t look away . The black market trader smiled as he assessed the response and explained the reason .
“Since I was a child, I learned not to accept one-sided profitable deals . I never know what I will have to pay afterwards . In fact, the person who taught me that was killed for not keeping his word . ”
It was worrisome since the black market trader didn’t know what the other person was intending . In this world of humans, he couldn’t believe in anyone but himself . That was why the black market trader hesitated . He couldn’t guess the reason why the appraiser had suggested this proposal .
‘It is too wasteful to reject but too good to accept . ’
Should he give up a good deal due to a few doubts or place priority on earning a profit?
The black market trader was accustomed to a rough life, so he thought calmly .
“I’m sorry, but if you can’t answer, it will end here . ”
Theodore stiffened at the unimaginable resistance .
‘No, he’s refusing because it’s too beneficial? Is this the world of the black market traders?’
Should he go and find other black market traders?
Theo hesitated for a moment before shaking his head inwardly . He wouldn’t have known this place even existed if he hadn’t visited here three years ago . Theo had no proper information to look for other black market dealers, and the likelihood of closing a deal was close to zero .
Somehow, he needed to close the deal with this black market trader .
‘But I can’t reveal Gluttony’s existence… How do I convince that guy? A lie created hastily won’t convince him . ’
Simply put, it was difficult to instill trust in others, especially if he had to hide the reason . It would be nice if there was a notary, but a black market store wasn’t the type to have a notary . His attempts to hide his identity might prove futile .
At that moment, something passed through his head .
‘…No, wait a minute . ’
Theo’s face brightened as he remembered something . He looked at black market trader and said without hesitation, “I’m sorry, but I can’t say why . I can only tell you to trust me . ”
“Is that so? Then this conversation…”
“Come on, don’t be too hasty . ”
The voice of the black market trader was cut off .
As he looked at Theo with a confused expression, the concept of a notary emerged .
“If you are a black market trader, illegal transactions aren’t uncommon . You will often come across untrustworthy people . ”
“What are you trying to say?”
“…Do you have a Geass Scroll?”
A Geass Scroll was, in other words, a scroll which forced a geas . They were items mass produced by the Tower of Magic . The black market trader’s face stiffened at those words .
He asked in a nervous voice, “Young Master, are you serious?”
“Yes . ”
“…Then the story is different . ”
The trader got up and walked towards the counter, pulling out a small box from underneath it . He opened the box and pulled out a piece of parchment . Even from a distance, the noticeable reddish colour and magic circles on the surface proved its authenticity .
This was the first time Theo had seen a Geass Scroll .
“Is this it?”
“Yes, it has been a while since I took it out . There aren’t many great things that require writing on this . ”
The red parchment between the two people shone brightly . Just like its name, the function was to force a geas . There would be a compulsion to adhere to the contract written on the parchment . If the contract was broken, then they risked blindness or losing their lives .
Thus, a Geass Scroll was more reliable than any notary .
“…Let’s start . My name is Canis . Young Master?”
“Theodore Miller . ”
“You truly are a noble . Then I will write down the terms of the contract as you described earlier . Don’t regret it later . ”
The black market dealer started drafting the contract . If this deal failed, then he would be seeing a loss . The Geass Scroll got rid of any lingering doubts, but he needed to make certain . As a result, it took a long time for half of the parchment to be filled with clauses .
Theo quietly looked at the parchment and added one thing .
“Canis, I would like to add one provision . ”
“What is it?”
“Silence about me and this transaction . If you can’t accept this clause, then the deal will be over . ”
In fact, Theo had no room to step back, but he maintained a calm face . It was counterproductive for humans to appear weak, so he should seem like he had the advantage .
A strange expression appeared on Canis’ face before he smiled . He thought it wasn’t a big deal .
“Ha, is this revenge for before? Well, okay . This is why we are using the Geass Scroll . I will accede this much . ”
This would prevent any information from leaking out . Theo couldn’t help sighing with relief . Although he had a good head, bargaining with a black market trader was a different story . He didn’t have an aptitude for dealing with people . He could only hope that this didn’t happen next time .
“Hey, Young Master . ”
“…What?”
This time, Canis was the one who wanted to say something . Theo buried any annoyance when he replied .
“Can you appraise cursed items? If possible, I would like to ask that as well . ”
“Um…”
Cursed items?
It was an unexpected question . Gluttony was a grimoire which ate magic books . He hadn’t verified if Gluttony could distinguish magic curses separately before eating . However, the black market trader had many things that could be used to verify this .
“I’ll try it once . ”
Canis brought out an item without saying anything . He was agile when it came to his own benefits .
‘Well, I’m not in a position to speak about that . ’
Theo grabbed the ring with his left hand and closed his eyes to focus .
“Appraisal . ”
The tongue could be felt within his closed fist . The visualized information entered his head, dispelling any worries .
[+2 The Widow’s Wail (Accessory)]
[A ring made of high purity silver . The first owner of this ring lost her husband early on, and soon followed afterwards from an illness of the heart . The widow’s sorrow remained in this ring and turned into a strong curse . If the wearer of this ring is a woman, the ‘depressed’ state will occur . If the wearer of this ring is a man, there is a low probability that the ‘depressed’ state will occur .
* The grade of this ring is ‘Normal . ’
* When consumed, a very small amount of magic power will be absorbed .
* When consumed, the digestion time is 8 minutes and 22 seconds .
* When worn, the owner of Gluttony isn’t affected by the curse . ]
However, this wasn’t the end .
The following sentences were enough to make him forget his tired mind and body .
[You have appraised a cursed item . The faint curse has shrunk back at the presence of a predator . ]
[Curse magic is a mysterious phenomenon . When you feed Gluttony a cursed item, there is a low probability that the owner may learn the memories, experience of skills of the person who left the curse behind . The more powerful the curse, the greater the probability . ]
[Gluttony’s owner isn’t affected by the curse . ]
The result was more than he expected . Theo accepted the request without any hesitation . Of course, he didn’t forget to extract a price . The distribution of cursed items instead of artifacts was added as a better condition .
After that, the process went smoothly .
Wuuong-
Once the two people added a **** thumbprint, the parchment absorbed the blood and shone with a red light . It meant the Geass Scroll had activated successfully . Canis placed it in the original box and sealed it tightly . Since the clause had a condition of silence, the existence of the contract itself became an absolute secret for Canis .
“Now, since the deal is established…”
Theo, who was feeling tired, raised his left hand with a gentle expression .
“Let’s start immediately . ”
From that moment, it was time for him to fill up his magic power .