ALL NOVEL chapter 6
Chapter 6, Not All Value Lies in Money
“Don’t worry, although the color is indeed a bit conspicuous, when mixed in with something like red wine, it’s completely undetectable.”
Noticing Mu En’s concern, the shopkeeper patiently explained:
“And compared to this minor flaw of being less discreet, its advantages far outweigh it. Just a tiny drop, and even an elephant would be rendered weak, collapsing to the ground.”
Mu En’s eyes lit up: “Is it really that powerful?”
“Of course! You get what you pay for. We’ve always operated on a small scale, honest to both young and old.”
The shopkeeper boasted for a moment, then spread his delicate, overly slender hands in front of Mu En and another cloaked figure, smiling as he said:
“A total of 130,000 Aimer, no bargaining or credit, thank you.”
“130,000…”
Mu En’s mouth twitched slightly.
Aimer is the universal currency in this world, with purchasing power roughly equivalent to RMB in Mu En’s previous life.
So now he couldn’t quite process it; the shopkeeper’s claims of honest dealings were nonsense—how could a bottle of potion sell for 130,000!
But fortunately, he was still the all-powerful son of a duke; a mere 130,000 was nothing to him.
“May I ask, card or cash?”
The shopkeeper rubbed his small hands together with excitement; opportunities to encounter two big spenders at once were rare, so naturally, he would take advantage of it.
“Card.”
Mu En casually tossed out his crystal card. His level of card had extremely high confidentiality measures, so he wasn’t worried about exposing his identity.
“Alright!”
The shopkeeper skillfully processed the 130,000 Aimer, then took a small bottle from a nearby shelf, presenting it along with the crystal card with both hands.
“Please take care, young master. This is a small gift for you.”
“A small gift? What is it?”
“Hehe, one must maintain a bit of mystery, right? But I suggest using it together with that bottle of ; it will have remarkable effects.”
“Remarkable effects?”
Does it enhance the potency?
Mu En frowned. Not being too familiar with potions, he didn’t pay much attention and casually tucked both bottles into his pocket, preparing to leave.
Meanwhile, after collecting Mu En’s 130,000 Aimer, the shopkeeper turned his gaze to the other cloaked figure.
“And you, sir, card or cash?”
“I don’t have enough Aimer, nor do I intend to pay with Aimer.”
—
The figure in the black robe spoke calmly, uttering words that were extremely dangerous. Upon hearing this, Mu En couldn’t help but stop in his tracks, casting a curious glance at the black-robed man.
Could it be that in a place like the underground black market, there are those who dare to rob in broad daylight?
“Oh? Are you implying that…” As expected, a hint of coldness seeped from beneath the shopkeeper’s hood.
“Though I have no money, I can sell you a piece of information.”
“One hundred thirty thousand is no small sum.”
“This information is definitely worth one hundred thirty thousand.”
The black-robed man handed the shopkeeper a note: “In fact, for different people, it’s worth even more than one hundred thirty thousand.”
“Oh?”
Though his face was obscured, Mu En could imagine the shopkeeper raising an intrigued eyebrow at that moment.
“Interesting.”
The shopkeeper took the note, unfolded it, and his gaze swept over it with remarkable speed.
In an instant, Mu En felt the air around them grow heavy.
“Oh my, oh my, this is truly something.”
The shopkeeper lifted his head to look at the black-robed man, his tone now laced with gravity.
“Are you sure this information is genuine?”
“Whether it’s genuine or not, with your abilities, you can find out with a single inquiry.”
“…You really do trust me, don’t you? But as you said, this information is indeed worth one hundred thirty thousand.”
The shopkeeper tossed a to the black-robed man: “Take it, it’s yours now.”
The black-robed man accepted the , remaining as silent as ever, saying nothing more, and simply turned to leave.
Cold and efficient, like a machine.
Mu En was momentarily taken aback, instinctively allowing his curious gaze to linger on that note.
What kind of information could be worth one hundred thirty thousand?
“Oh? Young master is also interested in this piece of information? Then why not sell it to you as well? Considering we’re already somewhat familiar, I’ll give you a discount and sell it for this price.”
The shopkeeper extended nine slender fingers, gesturing the price.
“Ninety thousand?”
“Heh, young master really knows how to joke. Ninety thousand would mean a loss for my shop.”
The shopkeeper paused for a moment and said:
“Ninety hundred thousand, Amiel.”
“…”
Mu En’s lips twitched, no longer paying attention to the shopkeeper, and turned to leave.
Holding the information obtained from the unknown price of the drug, he actually wanted to buy 900,000 Amiel.
As expected, this guy was just a pure merchant.
……
“Oh my, oh my, this is truly something.”
After Mu En left, the shopkeeper continued to gaze at the information on the note.
The disguised hood had long since faded, and his slender eyebrows, like willow leaves, were raised high as if stirred by the wind.
“Tomorrow was supposed to be just the coming-of-age ceremony for Duke Campbell’s useless son, but it seems that as soon as this information spreads, it will become quite interesting.”
“Now, who should I sell it to? The second prince should be a good choice, after all, he has always been quite annoyed with his outstanding sister. Given his status, asking for two million shouldn’t be excessive, right?”
“And that old guy, Duke Raymond, would definitely be very interested too.”
“Oh my, killing two birds with one stone, I really am quite naughty.”
The shopkeeper rested his cheek on his hand, looking somewhat troubled, yet the corner of his mouth held a charming smile that could captivate anyone:
“But after all, there’s no rule that says information like this can only be sold to one person, right?”
……
“Master Mu En.”
Mu En returned to the duke’s residence and happened to run into the busy An coming back.
“How did it go? Is the maid situation resolved?”
“It has been handled properly. The head maid will be recruiting overnight, and personnel have been rearranged. There shouldn’t be any major issues with staffing tomorrow.”
“That’s good to hear. With such tight timing, you’ve really worked hard.” Mu En nodded.
“No, it’s because we didn’t make the right arrangements in advance that caused you trouble, sir.” An bowed in apology.
“There’s no need for that. This is what I should do.”
Mu En waved his hand, signaling An to stand up straight.
“Then you should rest early too; there won’t be any time to rest tomorrow.”
“But I still need to serve you, sir…”
“There’s no need for that. I’m not a child who needs someone to take care of everything. Besides, I will rest early tonight as well.”
With that, Mu En didn’t give An a chance to respond and directly turned to walk towards his room.
It was better for him to be alone tonight; the sins he should bear shouldn’t involve another innocent person sharing the burden.
“…”
Only An remained in place, watching Mu En’s gradually fading figure, the trace of lingering confusion in his eyes now deeper and more intense.
“How strange.”
An thought while subconsciously biting his lip.
Until blood seeped from her lips, dripping onto the pristine white of her maid’s uniform, she remained completely unaware, her gaze fixed intently on Mu En’s retreating figure, until he vanished from sight.
“Young Master Mu En, when did you start to become so gentle?”