Chapter 42: A New Business

A merchant at a nearby stall noticed Reinhard staring at the street. "First time in Marvello?"

"Is it that obvious?"

The merchant chuckled. "You’re looking at the prices instead of the products."

"Old habit," Reinhard said with a smile, looking around again.

He understood the city now. There were people walking these streets who could spend millions without blinking.

The fortune he had made in Aurileus had mostly disappeared into Emily’s treatment and everything that came after it, and even at his richest, he wouldn’t have stood out here. That was fine. He had the Merchant King’s Lens.

[Current Balance: $550,000.]

The first opportunity the Lens found wasn’t on a shelf. It was on a man’s back. A broad-shouldered Awakener stood at a weapons dealer’s counter, his coat worn and one arm wrapped in bandages from elbow to wrist, with a battered longsword resting on the counter in front of him.

"Two hundred thousand," the dealer said. "That’s my best offer."

The Awakener’s jaw tightened. "It’s worth more than that."

"Then find someone who’ll pay more."

Reinhard glanced at the sword as he walked past, and the Lens activated.

[Awakener Longsword, C-Grade, Custom Forged.]

[Market Value: $250,000.]

[True Market Value: $550,000.]

[Recommendation: Aurum Arms, Private Collection Buyer.]

Reinhard stopped and leaned an elbow on the counter. "I’ll give you two hundred and fifty."

Both men turned toward him.

"For the sword," Reinhard clarified.

The dealer scowled. "This is a private negotiation."

"It sounded more like a robbery." Reinhard looked at the Awakener. "Two fifty. That’s what it’s actually worth on the open market. He’s lowballing you because you look like you need the money."

The Awakener studied him, then held out his good hand. "Deal."

The dealer muttered something under his breath and disappeared into the shop, and the Awakener handed over the sword as Reinhard transferred the money.

[$550,000 → $300,000.]

"Thank you," the man said. "Most people here would’ve just watched."

"Most people here have terrible manners." Reinhard nodded at the bandages. "Danger zone?"

The man looked down at his arm. "Three weeks ago. Southern rift. We went in expecting C-Rank monsters, but there was something much bigger waiting inside." His voice grew quieter. "Two of my teammates didn’t come out." He rubbed his thumb along the edge of the bandage. "I’m selling my sword to pay their families."

Reinhard didn’t joke.

The Awakener looked out at the crowded street. "I don’t regret wanting to get stronger. I don’t even regret going in." He paused. "I regret not knowing what I was getting myself into." His fingers tightened. "If I’d known what was waiting in there, even a few seconds before we walked in..." He shook his head. "Anyway. Thanks for the fair price."

He disappeared into the crowd, and Reinhard stood there for a moment, holding the sword.

Aurum Arms bought it forty minutes later for exactly what the Lens had predicted.

[$300,000 → $850,000.]

Three hundred thousand from a single sword. Not bad, and yet it didn’t feel like much of a victory.

...

Reinhard spent the next part of the morning working through Cassian’s list, and the Bone Remaker Paste gave him mixed results. One merchant didn’t carry it, another only had a low-grade version that was useless for medical treatment, and a third checked his records.

"We have a shipment coming in, but it’s already reserved."

"Any chance of getting another?"

"Not today."

"What about Life Gold Water?"

"Nothing at the quality you’re looking for."

Reinhard nodded. That matched Cassian’s warning.

He moved on to the three S-Class materials, and the moment he mentioned Oath Keeper Water at a large medical broker’s office, the merchant froze. "Oath Keeper Water? There’s an auction later today."

Reinhard’s attention sharpened. "With Oath Keeper Water?"

"A small quantity."

"What about Bone Remaker Paste?"

The broker checked his records. "That’s in the same auction."

"Both?"

"Both."

"How much for the paste?"

"The opening bid should be around two million."

Reinhard ran the numbers. Manageable, barely. "And the Oath Keeper Water?"

The broker sighed. "That one’s different. The starting price won’t be frightening, but if several high-level Awakeners want it, the final price could easily reach eight million."

Reinhard grimaced. Two million for the paste and eight million for the water, possibly more. "When does it start?"

"In an hour."

Reinhard stepped back onto the street and checked his balance.

[Current Balance: $850,000.]

He needed at least ten million, in one hour, more than ten times what he had. He stared at the screen. "Right." Then he smiled. "Let’s go shopping."

...

The Lens found the next opportunity in a medical supply store, a small silver case sitting among dozens of others.

[Specialized Medical Equipment.]

[Market Value: $460,000.]

[True Market Value: $890,000.]

[Recommendation: Marvello Medical Group.]

[Recommended Contact: Dr. Helena Cross.]

Reinhard walked inside. "How much?"

The shopkeeper glanced at the case. "Four hundred and sixty thousand."

"I’ll give you four hundred."

"It’s listed at four hundred and sixty."

"I know."

"Then why are you offering less?"

"Because I don’t want to pay the listed price," Reinhard said with a smile. "That’s usually how negotiating works."

The shopkeeper’s expression tightened. "Four forty."

"Four twenty."

"Four thirty-five."

Reinhard considered it for exactly one second. "Deal."

[$850,000 → $415,000.]

Dr. Helena Cross was waiting at the Marvello Medical Group offices, a sharp-eyed woman in a pristine white coat, and she examined the case carefully before looking up. "Where did you find this?"

"In a store."

"I know that. Why did you buy it?"

Reinhard shrugged. "You wanted one."

Her brow furrowed. "How could you possibly know that?"

"You look like someone who needs one."

She stared at him. "That is a terrible answer."

"Probably."

She sighed and looked back at the case. "Eight hundred and ninety thousand."

"Perfect."

[$415,000 → $1,305,000.]

Reinhard glanced at his phone as he walked away. "That was easier."

...

The next opportunity was completely different. A small black stone sat half-buried among low-grade monster materials at a cramped market stall, and it looked worthless. The Lens disagreed.

[Rare Mana Stabilization Material.]

[Market Value: $120,000.]

[True Market Value: $480,000.]

[Recommendation: Sell to Mana Research Institute.]

[Recommended Contact: Research Director Marcus Vinny.]

Reinhard picked it up, and the merchant perked up. "That one? A hundred and twenty thousand."

He turned the stone between his fingers. "You really don’t know what this does, do you?"

The merchant frowned. "It’s a rare monster material."

"That’s not what I asked."

The man hesitated.

"Never mind," Reinhard said, setting the stone on the counter. "A hundred thousand."

"A hundred and ten."

"Done."

The merchant blinked. Apparently, he hadn’t expected the negotiation to end that quickly.

[$1,305,000 → $1,195,000.]

Reinhard contacted the research institute, and a reply came several minutes later.

Marcus Vinny: Where did you get this?

Reinhard: Does it matter?

Marcus Vinny: Yes.

Reinhard: Then let’s start with whether you’re buying it.

There was a pause.

Marcus Vinny: Four hundred and fifty thousand.

Reinhard: Four eighty.

Marcus Vinny: You know what this is worth?

Reinhard: Apparently, so do you.

Another pause.

Marcus Vinny: Fine. Four eighty.

Reinhard: Pleasure doing business.

[$1,195,000 → $1,675,000.]

Reinhard looked at the number. He had nearly doubled his balance, and he was enjoying himself.

...

He kept working his way through Marvello.

Eventually, Reinhard stopped caring how expensive something looked. He cared about the gap. The bigger the distance between the market price and the true value, the more interesting an item became.

He also started paying closer attention to the Lens’s recommendations. Some buyers wanted materials most merchants considered worthless, and others were hunting for equipment that had sat unsold for months simply because the right buyer had never come along. The Lens kept pointing him toward those gaps.

[Current Balance: $1,675,000.]

Reinhard smiled. "That’s more like it."

Then his smile faded as he looked toward the auction district. He still needed at least ten million, and the clock was running. Every deal took time. He had to find the item, negotiate, contact the buyer, arrange the exchange, and wait for payment. Finding profitable items wasn’t the problem. Speed was.

He checked the auction schedule, and the start time was getting closer. He looked at his balance, then at the Lens. "At this rate..." He sighed. "Even if I do this all day, I won’t get anywhere close."

He put his phone away, and for the first time since arriving in Marvello, he stopped moving. His thoughts drifted back to the Awakener with the bandaged arm.

I regret not knowing what I was getting myself into.

Reinhard’s expression slowly changed.

The man hadn’t regretted wanting to get stronger, and he hadn’t regretted entering the rift. He regretted walking in blind.Money could solve a lot of problems, but it couldn’t solve the biggest risk Awakeners faced.

Making the wrong decision and never getting another chance.

Reinhard thought about something sitting in his Inventory that he hadn’t used much since receiving it. He reached inside, and a dark silver frame appeared in his hand. The Mirror, the only mirror he owned that refused to show his face.

He still held a grudge about that.

Still it could show someone a possible future, a decision they hadn’t made, a danger they hadn’t seen, or a mistake they still had time to avoid.

Reinhard looked at the crowds. "Everyone here is rich." His fingers tightened around the frame. "But money isn’t the only thing they care about."

He looked down at the Mirror’s dark surface and laughed softly. "Maybe I can sell them something they can’t buy anywhere else."

He paused.

"Warnings."

And just like that, his money problem became a business idea.