BXBX NOVEL Chapter 21 Hurdle Of Wits 3...
"I said I can't find the herbs my master Elder sent me to fetch in this shop. Didn't you people say you have plants that even grow in the heavens here? Why can't I find the herbs My Master Elder needs?"
The fat man's eyes instantly widened when he heard those words. Just as Chiron had stated, he had been sent to buy herbs by an elder.
Only servants of elders of the clan addressed their masters as Master Elder. This was a known fact.
In a world like this where power ruled. An elder in a clan like this was akin to a mafia boss in Chiron's old world.
Chiron was essentially telling this man two things. The first was that his master was rich, which meant that there was profit to be made. The next thing was that he was dangerous, which was a deter him from having funny ideas. On top of that, Chiron was also unanimously gathering witnesses around.
In this way, he would be taken more seriously.
*cough* The fat man coughed lowly, "My sincere apologies dear customer. Please forgive our sales girl for not attending to you properly." the fat man turned and gave the sales girl a stern look.
She turned to Chiron and apologized before taking her to leave to go attend to other customers.
"Please, sir! What is it that you want to get?" The fat man asked.
Chiron frowned as he looked at the fat man. "Well, My master sent me over with a blue beast core to buy him some herbs but I can't find them here."
The moment the fat man heard Blue beast core, he swallowed hard. This was body language that did not escape Chiron's notice.
"Please follow me to my office, esteemed customer. Let's discuss these herbs that you need but could not find."
The fat man led the way and Chiron followed steadily behind him. Chiron noticed the smile on the man's face attentively. Also, he noticed that the man had called him 'Esteemed Customer'. Which was an obvious promotion from 'Dear Customer'.
This was a subconscious show of the man's greed. Another key note Chiron took notice of.
Chiron entered the fat man's office and sat across from him.
If all the others were just battles since Chiron came to the marketplace, then this was going to be the start of the war.
The strong ruled this world, but that did not mean that one should underestimate men like the one before Chiron.
After all, there were different kinds of strengths.
From entering this shop, Chiron could see that this was a very well-to-do business.
The rule still remained. The more successful the business, the wiser and more cunning the businessman. At the end of the day, it was all about benefits. Customer satisfaction was just the mirage that was placed in front of the public.
This was something Chiron was well aware of.
The fat man cleared his throat, "I'm Bamama. You can simply call me Bama. That's what my friends call me."
"Bold move!" Chiron said in his heart. This man had just thrown the friendly approach to his face.
If this was a game of chess, the man had just made the first move.
"My name is Novel, but my master and his family call me Isekai-novel. So you can just call me that."
"Isekai-novel," Bama called lowly. That name sounded weird, but then again, it was not his business. He was a merchant and had heard different kinds of names. This was not the first time he was hearing a weird name.
"So, what can I do for you, Mr. Isekai-novel."
Another move, Chiron thought to himself. This man knew Chiron had just called himself a slave, yet he called him 'Mister'. This was to temporarily elevate Chiron's ego, so he could feel better about himself.
The more friendly and relaxed Bama acted, the easier it would be to swindle Chiron.
Chiron was not a psychologist in his former life, but as the saying went: The deeper you look into the abyss, after some time, the abyss would start looking back at you.
For a long time when the dreams started at a young age, he met different therapists. Over time, he picked up on some of their skills.
This world, regardless of its incredible beasts and supernatural wonders, could only be considered primitive to the sharp minds of the modern age.
Chiron read the fat man like a child lying to his mother about stealing meat from the pot but still had sauce on his cheeks.
"My Master Elder sent me to get him some herbs he is using to make a sealing technique, but after looking around, I could not find what I need."
"Oh! that's really bad. Could you perhaps tell me what you need? I could go personally to check the store. If we don't have them, I'll make provisions as soon as possible."
"Hmmm!" Chiron nodded as he reached into his robe, pretending to search for the list his master gave him. In the process, a blue beast core fell out. Naturally, Bama's eyes followed it.
However, Chiron picked it up and hid it in his robe like it was a clumsy mistake of his.
"Now that I have given the bait, eat the carrot so I can strike with the stick." Chiron thought to himself.
*cough* Bama coughed awkwardly, "erm... Mr. Isekai-novel, I can promise that in this shop, we have all the herbs you could possibly need on the continent."
"Hmmm!" Chiron raised a brow at the man, "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes! I'm absolutely sure. I can even swear by a blood seal if you wish."
"Huh!!!" Chiron had a surprised look on his face, "are you sure? You can swear by a blood seal?" Chiron asked once more.
A blood seal was a bond between two or more people. As the name implied, it was an unbreakable binding contract mostly business partners made. It was also used as a means to trick people. Especially into slavery.
"Yes, I am. I mean if you doubt it, we can place a bet right now and see. The only thing is that... erm... You will have to bet something of equal value."
"What are you saying exactly?" Chiron asked innocently.
"It's really simple," Bama licked his lower lip as he tried to keep his obvious greed in check. "Why don't we make a bet with a Blood seal? If I can get at least 50% of the items you need to get, then I win, but if I can't, you win."
"Hmmm!" Chiron fell into contemplation, "and what do we bet?"
Bama suddenly had a sly smile on one side of his lips, "Why don't we start with that blue beast core...?"