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The wooden homes were thin-walled and the perfect size to fit a small family. Oliver guessed that each home had an average of two bedrooms and a living area for cooking and passing the time. But that changed as Oliver noticed the building designs change in the distance. Oliver had never left the residential district during his short time in Trighton City but he believed he was about to from the architectural change alone.

“HEY!!”

Without realizing it, Oliver had crossed many alleys and attracted some unwanted attention. Then again, Oli didn’t care enough to be secretive during his city exploration either. The gorilla in human clothing smiled at the only familiar face he could find among the dozen or so people surrounding him.

“You again? What’s wrong? Are you lost?” Oliver asked.

Grinding his teeth, the muscular thug replied, “Cough up everything or you’ll regret it?”

“Since when did bandits start showing remorse? You’re giving bandits a bad rep, man.”

.....

“Just hand everything over!” shouted the man. “I’m not alone this time and I won’t hold back just because you’re a kid.”

“Says the man that I knocked out with a single punch...” Oliver sighed, quickly inspecting the gang of thugs with a frown.

“You got lucky!”

“Yeah, sure... But let me warn you. A true bandit knows when to attack and when not to attack. A true thief understands when a proper target is within reach and when an impossible target should be left alone. And any true thief or bandit that’s dared cross my path was left giving up everything. Either they’re smart and back down or their fools who piss me off enough to take their lives.

“So, care to piss me off?”

The confidence in Oliver’s voice was unshakable, completely different from anything the lead thug was expecting. In front of so many enemies, any normal cultivator would think twice before acting so proudly.

When he received no response, Oliver chuckled and started walking again. He nonchalantly walked past the large, bulky leader of the group, who swallowed some saliva as Oliver brushed his shoulder. But as Oliver came to a halt for no reason, the thug’s body tensed up at the memory of Oliver’s punch.

“You know the local merchandise well, right? So tell me, where’s the best merchant around?”

“... Take a left and go straight...” admitted the lead thug, startling most of his fellow bandits. “That will take you to the main road... Follow the road north till you see a big sign saying, ‘Keldon Merchantile’...”

“Thank you kindly!” Oliver joking waved goodbye, letting the thugs regroup around their shaky leader.

He followed the thug leader’s to discover they were incredibly accurate. Clearly, he had stepped onto the main road which was the only road filling up with foot traffic early in the morning. Also, that road went through the residential district as well as the nicer, merchant district without fail. All that Oliver had to focus on was not missing the giant sign the thug had mentioned.

Spotting Keldon Merchantile, Oliver grinned and entered. A few people exited the store as Oliver entered, which left Oliver as the only customer currently browsing the wares.

“Good morning, sir!” An amiable voice called out from the back of the room. “Your face is unfamiliar, is this your first time here?”

“It is. I’m new to the city and heard you’ve got the best merchandise on this side of town,” commented Oliver. “For now, I’m just browsing to see if there’s anything that piques my interest. Don’t mind me.”

“Of course, sir. If there’s anything you need, I’ll be here. And if there are any questions you have regarding the merchandise or the city, I’m sure to have answers.”

“About the city or the people in the city?”

“That depends, mostly on the price you’re willing to pay...” The merchant grinned, leaning over the back counter. “The name is Keldon. What may I call you, sir?”

“... Call me Oliver. So, Keldon, if you offer pricey information, should I assume you have a means of sharing such intel secretly?”

“Of course, Oliver. For someone of your stature, I can throw in a discount.”

“Merely using the word discount won’t get me excited. I prefer straight-forward prices with guaranteed results,” stated Oliver, walking closer to the counter while making sure no one else had yet entered the area.

“Oh... I was right about you... If you stay in Trighton City for a while, you may become one of my favorite clients,” joked Keldon. But the merchant suddenly shifted gears as he tilted his head to the side with a less friendly smile. “What are you two looking for today?”

“Oliver! There you are!”

Before the merchant or Oliver could react, Pauller ran toward Oliver with a beaming grin. “Why didn’t you wake me up?! You need a guide, right?”

“Sorry, Oliver. He slipped out of the property and I couldn’t let him cause any trouble unattended...” Leon sighed, slowly approaching Oliver with a bowed head.

“Ahhh... You’re with the Practor Family?” asked Keldon, excited to learn more about his customer.

“No, but I’m staying with them for a sun. They offered a bed and a few meals, so I couldn’t turn that down.”

“So you’re a lone cultivator, yet you look to be only twenty years of age... That’s outstanding!”

Taking Keldon’s complement with many grains of salt, Oliver didn’t mention his age. Being a gorilla, he had reached full maturity around ten years old and wasn’t even fifteen yet. However, being fully matured as a gorilla combined with his reincarnated mindset allowed Oliver to appear older both physically and mentally. With a body nearly two krin tall and an adaptable mind, Oliver could pass for even older if he wanted.

“No need to flatter me, not when you only plan to sweet talk me into more favorable deals,” joked Oliver. Looking at Leon, Oliver added, “And I don’t mind. So long as we still get to see the city and you two don’t hold me back, having guides could be helpful.”

“Great! I know the best restaurant and–”

“Pauller!” Leon knocked his brother on the head, shutting him up. “You know we can afford that right now, not with everything going on. Don’t invite him to a restaurant and later ask him to foot the bill! You know better!”

“Sorry...” Pauller groaned, realizing the error of his invitation after it was too late.

“Maybe some other time,” Oliver mentioned, lessening the self-inflicted disappointment on Pauller’s face. “For now, let me browse some wares here.”

“Okay!”

Immediately, Pauller took off for a certain corner of the store. He found his usual place and picked up the wooden sword on display.

“You break it, you buy it! Even a scratch and you’ll be coughing up coins!” Keldon shouted.

“What’s that about?” Oliver asked.

Leon stayed nearby Oliver, checking some of the shelves for the day’s price shift. Not looking away from the shelves, Leon replied, “Pauller’s obsessed with the swordsman training set on display here.”

“Why? I thought your family had their own sword style?” assumed Oliver.

“We do... But Pauller isn’t exactly compatible with it...”

“The Practor Family grew to fame steadily and became known throughout the city when Hurman Practor became the strongest elder in the territory,” Keldon explained, grabbing Oliver’s attention. “However, just when Hurman was about to ascend to the perennial class, his strongest son fell ill and grew weak from failing to break through to the elder class. Then, Hurman’s health became compromised shortly after that.

“For now, their reputation is sustained only by their school, the Practor School of Swordsmanship. Without that, they would’ve lost the minor fame they had gained long ago and wouldn’t be able to afford the property they live on.”

“But... that makes less sense,” reasoned Oliver. “If your family owns a sword-training school, how come Pauller doesn’t just take different classes or get tutored?”

“He is,” answered Leon, stealing an annoyed glance at Keldon for saying so much so quickly. “Unlike me, our grandpa, our father, and our uncle, Pauller only has earth essence.”

“Only? Then... you all have more than one essence type?”

Nodding, Leon stated, “We have water and earth essences. That’s what allowed Patriarch Hurman to become the strongest of all elders. But his style uses earth for defense and water for offense, only varying that when necessary...”

“So, in other words, Pauller struggles with the family’s legacy sword-style and is more intrigued by my swordsman starter set, which includes an earth essence cultivation technique and a focus on heavy swords and full-plate armor,” mentioned Keldon, giving himself a shameless plug.

“Oh, I guess that makes sense...” Oliver chuckled, noticing the hasty frown that appeared on Leon’s face.