Chapter 72 Con Artist
'My two-hour timer has started.'
After getting this buff, Alex's body would constantly absorb mana, and in two short hours, he would die from excessive mana poisoning.
'I need to visit four different corners of this city.' Alex thought, sitting inside the carriage he rented.
Alex first planned to visit three shops in the city to get the [SS] Rank legacy and the Monarch tomb key final part, but after knowing about the mutated chimera, he didn't want to miss out on getting some of its meat.
The items that Alex wanted to buy were in four different shops far from each other, making the trip to each of them in two hours very challenging.
"Coachman, you should make these horses run fast if you want a one hundred gold coin bonus."
Alex gave the coachman an enticing offer as he knew that if the carriage kept traveling at its current speed, there would be no time left to visit the Zame butcher shop after going to the first three shops.
"Sir, The guards will fine me fifty gold for driving fast and creating havoc in the city." The coachman said, not rejecting the offer outright.
"I will give you two hundred gold coins if you could take me to the first three shops in less than one hour," Alex replied, knowing that the coachman would be fined if he drove recklessly and if he crashed the carriage or injured someone he would be thrown into the jail.
"Sir, we have a deal." The coachman said, and the slow-moving carriage speed reached more than double in a few seconds.
'I hope no guard stops the carriage before we at least reach the second shop, or the plan to acquire the chimera meat would need to be canceled.'
Alex wanted to visit the four shops in two hours because he couldn't return for the next twenty-four hours after leaving the city.
If he revisited the city before at least twenty-four hours, it would only result in his quick death because of the excessive mana inside his body from his previous visit.
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"BOOOMMMMM"
'This bastard is a crackhead.' Alex thought while holding his seat with both hands tightly, ready for the next impact.
Alex was in such a situation because the crackhead carriage driver was not driving the carriage but flying it as the horses were running like they were on some miracle drug making the carriage bounce on the road.
"BOOMMM"
......
....
....
"Sir Adventurer, We have reached the first shop."
'These few minutes were very unpleasant, but at least I reached my first shop in less than half the intended time.' Alex thought as he exited the carriage while stumbling.
"Sir Adventurer, the guard will not come to this remote area, so you should take your time to select a suitable item." The coachman said with a toothy grin.
Alex didn't give him any reply and walked toward the small run-down shop with a catchy name [The Hidden Merchant].
'I got scammed by this bastard in my last life, but I will take my revenge this time.' Alex thought as he walked inside the shop.
'Filbert Should come out once I select some item I am interested in.' Alex thought after not seeing the shop owner.
'Filbert is just a natural born con artist.' Alex thought after seeing the tidy and clean shop with amazing-looking weapons covering the shop walls.
The shop inside was nothing like its outside appearance, and there was a lot of incense smoke in the air, giving one a refreshing feeling.
This shop was a scam run by a fox demi-human, and everything about it, from its name to its appearance, was made in such a precise way that it gave the shop a very mysterious vibe.
In Alex's previous life, many players got scammed by the owner, and he was also one of his victims as he got tricked by the owner into buying a worthless wand with no actual use.
'I don't have much time, so lest quickly get the dagger and leave for the next shop.'
Alex knew that Filbert would make his entry after seeing him select an item he was interested in buying, so he quickly chose a peak epic sword after checking a few swords displayed on the shelf.
"Adventurer, You have very keen eyes."
'Filbert, The F***ING piece of shit.' Alex immediately recognized the middle-aged fox demi-human.
'I really want to beat him to a pulp just like I did in my previous life, but I don't want to spend seven days in prison like I did last time.' Alex thought after hearing one of the voices he hated the most from his previous life.
"I want to buy this peak epic sword," Alex said, knowing what reply he would receive from this crafty fox.
"Adventurer, I see my younger self in you, and in good conscience, I can't let you buy this useless sword."
"If you want a real weapon that could give you a life-changing opportunity, then I could show you my treasured collection that I collected in my younger days of adventuring."
"I know you can't trust a stranger like me, but it will cost you no money just seeing my collection," Filbert said in a friendly tone offering Alex a deal where he loses nothing.
'I wonder how often he practices talking bullshit in one day.' Alex thought, pretending to look surprised after hearing the offer.
"Sir, I will be honored if you show me your collection," Alex replied, as the item he wanted was inside Filbert's fake collection.
"Adventurer, This will be the best decision of your life," Filbert said as he walked to his shop counter.
After unlocking some hidden compartments, Filbert took out eight weapons and very carefully placed them on the counter for Alex to check.
"These are just a few of the weapons I collected in my younger days that I think could benefit you."
'Why is he showing me normal items and not the fake legacy items?' Alex thought after checking the eight items.
"Shop owner, These weapons are good, but I don't think any of them could give me more benefits than the sword I have selected," Alex said.
Filbert didn't say anything and, one by one, placed four more weapons on the counter.
"These four are my most prised weapons, and I don't think they need any introduction," Filbert said with a broad smile.
'I wonder how he would react if he knew one of these four fake legacy items is a real [SS] Rank legacy item.' Alex thought, looking at the three fake and one authentic legacy item that he came to buy.
Filbert scammed people by selling them fake legacy items, and the way he creat those items was by using Rank Two sealing scrolls.
There was an effortless way to check if a legacy item was fake or not just by the mana around it, as the real items would always gather mana around them.
In contrast, a regular item will not, and as most people don't have this information, they can't tell the difference between a fake and a real legacy item.
"Shop owner, These four legacy items are for sale?" Alex asked, acting very surprised.
"These four legacy items are for sale, and as a gift, I will give a twenty percent discount if you buy any of these four," Filbert said with the same calm and friendly tone.
"What is the price of this Dagger?" Alex said after pretending to think for some time.
"I thought you wanted a sword?"
"I am a sword user, but I don't have enough money to purchase this sword, and I also don't want to miss out on this opportunity," Alex replied, lying with a straight face.
"Two Hundred Thousand Gold Coins with the twenty percent discount," Filbert replied with a smile.
"If you think the dagger is not worth the price, then there is no need to overthink it as my offer is always available, and you could return any time to buy this sword legacy item."
'The simplest trick to manipulate someone.' Alex thought.
Alex knew Filbert was playing mind games with him, as he first gave him a choice to make, and by not giving him any time to decide, he was forcing him to make a decision.
Most people in this situation would get flustered about missing an opportunity and decide without thinking about it, and Filbert wanted Alex to do the same and buy the dagger without considering the possibility of it being a fake.
"Shop owner, I will buy the dagger," Alex said in an excited tone after pretending to think thinking for a few seconds.
"Adventurer fate has brought you here, and it is because of fate that you have acquired this legacy item."
"I do not doubt that you will find the secrets of this legacy item and acquire the true legacy," Filbert said with a broad smile.
"Shop owner, After I find the true legacy using this item, You will definitely know about it," Alex said with a wide grin as he placed a magic bag with two thousand white flame coins on the counter.