Chapter 23: Unwind R18

When we finally got out, there was as much of a crowd as when we had come in. This place never went dull for even a moment.

A figure saw us coming out of the palace and rushed over to us. He was a young boy no more than fourteen. He had blonde hair and deep blue eyes.

"Hey, hey, you guys, are you looking for where to sell your cores?" He asked eagerly.

I had learned that when someone came up to you like this, it was one of two things. They either were good and eagerly wanted the business, or they wanted to double-cross you somehow.

"Yeah, we want to sell," I replied.

I watched his face light up with glee. He eagerly came closer.

"Please come over to my store. We are certified by the guild and the city as well. We give the right price for everything," he said with wide eyes and a smile.

’Sigh, his happiness is somehow upsetting. Tch, I think I’m broken.’

"Alright then, lead us," I replied. He immediately turned around and led the way.

As he walked up front, Lia leaned close and asked a question.

"Can we trust him?"

"No, we cannot," I replied. She seemed a bit surprised when she heard my response and immediately looked at me in a funny way.

"So why are we following him?" She asked.

"Simple, he might be good and we can sell this fast and leave, or he might be trying to double-cross us and I’ll see that coming, so you don’t have to worry about it," I said calmly.

"If he tries to double-cross you, I’ll burn him down to the ground and step on his ashes," Lia replied. She focused on the boy, her gaze almost burning holes into his back.

We arrived at the store and it seemed pretty standard. It was quite large and was filled with a ton of artifacts and weapons on shelves. I could tell that they were not really high-grade artifacts, but I did not care. It was not what I came for.

"Ouu, you brought some customers, William?" A man behind the counter spoke. He seemed to be in his middle age, but had a streak of grey hair, probably hereditary.

He seemed happy that the kid had brought some customers, something that I considered a good sign.

"So what can I help you with?" He asked.

I looked at Leah and she stepped forward, opening her bag and handing it to me. I poured out all the cores onto the table. We had only gained cores but no drops or loot. That was normal considering this was the first floor and we had not even gotten to a boss room or anything of that sort.

Still, I looked at the number that we had gained. From hunting and also taking what those newbie hundred had on them, we had managed to easily cross a total of thirty goblin and kobold cores.

The man seemed quite pleased when he saw our loot.

"Whoa, you two must be really strong to be able to gather this much. I’ll give you the best price that’s available. Goblin and kobold cores each go for five silver coins, which would make this about 150 silver coins.

I’ll do the proper counting and hand over your money if you are okay with the range."

I watched his mouth as he spoke, wanting to be sure that he was in no way trying to trick me. I had dealt with many liars, so much so that I could almost sense it like a sixth sense.

I stared right at him for a few seconds and then spoke. "Good, I’ll take it."

His eyes lit up when he heard that, and he very quickly started counting and getting the money ready. William went over to help him.

"You agreed so easily?" Lia asked me.

"Yes, because I see a man that wants to do business, and if I play right, I’ll win," I said, but she seemed confused. I did not bother to explain and simply turned to face the man.

"I guess I’ll be coming here to sell more often. Needed somewhere trustworthy when compared to the others."

I said that to let him know I had checked others before. I wanted to see his reaction if he would react to it and make me know that he played me.

"Oh, so a staying customer, haha, that’s so great."

He replied with a rather free vibe. If he was a liar, then he was a damn good one, and that’s all I could say.

He got all the coins and handed them to me, and when he was done, I bid him goodbye and I left.

When we stepped out, I looked at Leah, pulled three coins, and handed them to her.

"Here you go."

She looked at the three coins in confusion. "My pay is—"

"I know what your pay is. You did well, take it and use it."

She stared at it for a bit longer and then took it.

"If you don’t mind, you can also follow us and have some food to eat as well," I offered, but she froze and then shook her head.

"I am sorry, but I cannot impose. I’ll be leaving now," she said and turned around to leave.

"Wait for us tomorrow, we will come back."

I said and she walked away and soon blended into the crowd. I could tell something was off, but that had nothing to do with me right now.

"Let’s head back."

Lia grabbed my hand and then looked at me with wide eyes.

"Today has been stressful, I’d really like to unwind," she muttered.

"Seems you’ve gotten fully bold now," I replied to her with a smile.

"You caused it," she said and proceeded to pull my arm. She did not even head back to the inn. She pulled me into a dark alley. We walked deeper inside until it was dark, and then she leaned in quickly and planted a kiss on my lips.

Her soft, warm lips pressed against mine, and in seconds I could already feel the blood rushing down.

’She has a wild effect on me. Tch, I can’t lose control.’

I grabbed her by the throat, my hands wrapped around almost completely as I shocked her back and pushed her against a wall.

Her breathing got heavy, her chest going up and down in a beautiful rhythm while her eyes locked with mine. She gave me a look, a look that, hahah, made me want to—