Nox's POV:
After escaping the playboy, I swiftly changed my name and appearance once more, before opening a new egg stall in a city on the northern side of the continent. I was using my male form while covering my face in bandages to avoid a horde of horny grandmas in disguise from pouncing on me as I set up my new business.
"Fresh eggs for sale! Sir, could I interest you in a juicy delicious beast egg!"
However, there is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that my forgery passed the inspection of the local officials, and I am now permitted to sell my dirty golden eggs on the legal black market. The bad news are …
"Get that dirty thing away from me! And who would want to eat a beast's eggs?"
Apparently, there have been so many scammers in the past who have tried to sell fake magical beast eggs that nobody believes some upstart like me could possibly possess double digit amounts of them. Magical beasts tend to be very protective of their eggs, and you would often times have to kill the parents to acquire them, making egg hunting a high-risk high-reward kind of job. Just getting one or two rare grade ones could lose you an arm and a leg, hence why a nobody like me having so many is very suspicious. That is why I am starting to think it might be best if I just reopen the Sun and Son's food stall instead of this egg fiasco I've got going on. I'm sure my limited-edition rock toad egg soup would attract customers by the dozens.
"Hey, what kind of egg is this one?" An old lady with the face of a teenaged girl asked me.
"Oh, I am glad you asked? This here is the only unique grade egg in stock right now! It's a carnivorous butterfly spider's egg!"
"Butterfly spider? Wait isn't this a bit small for a unique grade beast egg"
"Not at all miss customer! Beast eggs can come in all shapes and sizes regardless of rank! This species in particular, lay's its eggs inside geodes before burying them underground! Once it hatches it will grow in size in proportion to how much it eats, so it's size can vary from a cute little companion that fits in the palm of your hand, to a mount the size of that two-story building over there!"
"Really? So, does it look like a spider or a butterfly?"
"Well, both actually! It goes through three stages after it hatches! It will first start out as a larva, eating as much as it can after hatching, then after about a week it forms a cocoon before transforming into its second stage! Once it emerges from its cocoon it will take the form of a red spider who's carapace will slowly change colors until it has gone through the entire spectrum! Once it's done the whole rainbow, it will turn pitch black before cracking open to reveal its final form, a butterfly!"
"You seem to know a lot about this creature!" She said, giving me a doubtful look.
"Well, it is my job to know this kind of stuff! What kind of lunatic sells stuff they don't understand!"
"What does it eat exactly?"
"It eats nearly anything during its larva stage, plants, meat, wood, iron, even low-grade magic stones. So, it is recommended that you keep it in an adamantite cage during the first week. After that, it only eats meat, it is recommended that you feed it about half its own weight once a month. It has a special organ that preserves food inside its body, so it only needs to be fed once a month! It's very convenient for owners who have a habit of forgetting to feed their pets!"
"And you say it can grow to any size I want?"
"Well, within limits! It will only grow based on how much it eats during its larvae phase! After that, it won't change much, no matter how much or how little you feed it!"
"Then what about combat strength? You said it is a unique grade! What kinds of attacks does it have?"
"Well, it can vary as it's beast core is based on what it eats during its first week! Depending on its diet, its grade might go up or down a rank!"
"So, it can even become a legendary grade if I feed it enough magic stones? How much is it?"
"The price is set at 10 mid-grade dear customer!"
"Isn't that a bit cheap for a legendary grade? Are you feeling guilty, perhaps?"
"I won't complain if you want to give me a tip, but you might want to spare some of your resources! There is a reason why it's not classified as a legendary grade beast! It takes a tremendous amount of magic stones, not to mention a mix of other materials to complement it in order to increase its rank! I just so happened to come across a list detailing the diet of one successful grade increase during my research of this species! It is usually sold separately for 2 mid-grades, but today is my birthday you see, so I'll throw in with the egg for only an additional 5 low-grade!"
"Well happy birthday sir! I think I'll take the egg along with the list, since I'm feeling generous!"
"Thank you for your patronage! Please come again!"
It seems my birthday line really sealed the deal. I should lie about my birthday more often.
*Swoosh*
Suddenly, while I was pondering if it would be a good idea to hang up some balloons and birthday banners around the stall, the insect grandma took one look at the list, before doing a one-eighty and grabbed me by the collar.
"I was feeling generous, but this is absurd! Do you really expect anyone to be able to feed this thing! Just the magic stones alone are ten times what it's worth and the material is even more expensive!"
"Well, I did warn the young miss it was expensive to feed!"
"I want a refund!"
"Sorry dear customer, but I have a strict no refunds policy!"
"Oh, is that so! Maybe you will change your mind once I drag yo-!"
"Oh, good morning officer, are you perhaps looking for a cute little companion to play with on your patrols! As a special birthday special, I'll sell you this 3 mid-grade magic stone 'breeze squirrel' egg for only 2 mid-grades!" I said, interrupting the young granny to call out to the patrolling officer walking by.
"Uh, no thank you! Is something the matter? You know it is forbidden for cultivators to fight within city limits!"
"Tsk!"
Seeing that the long arm of the law was on my side, the old baby-faced lady let go of me.
"You better not be making a fool out of me or I will feed you to whatever hatches out of this thing! You got that?" She said while oozing with bloodlust, before turning away.
After the lady walked away, I let out a sigh of relief as I had my fake officer-shaped golem walk down a dark alleyway for later use.
As someone who has been on both sides of the fraudulent business table, I have picked up a few tricks to deal with problematic customers. There are apparently some strict laws about combat taking place within a settlement, since nascent souls are abundant on this continent. One little dispute could level an entire district, which is why there are steep consequences for fighting while in a city. While there are some who can get away with such behavior like for example that playboy, most lack the status, backing or power needed to avoid being punished by the law enforcement, especially in a large city such as this who can afford a higher standard for their city guards. That is the reason why I strategically stationed a fake cop made from garbage and illusions right around the corner to scare off any ruffians, like that ruffian grandma from earlier.
"Now that's one egg sold! Just 19 more to go!" I muttered to myself, feeling a little sad I only managed to sell one egg in a week.
"Oh, right!"
Just as I was about to return to my food stall idea, I suddenly remembered my mystery box. Between my failing business and legal studies, not to mention the playboy assault on my mental health, I had neglected to analyze it.
As it seemed like I wasn't going to make another sale before the sun set, I closed my stall and headed towards my new secret base.