The two boys and a cat boarded the train and quickly found their seats. Natsu and Happy sat together, while Noel sat across from them.
But the moment the train began to move, Natsu's face turned pale as a sheet, his cheeks puffing out, clearly fighting the urge to vomit.
Watching Natsu like this, Noel was holding back laughter the entire ride.
He chuckled all the way, but as a professionally trained alchemist, Noel never actually burst out laughing—unless he truly couldn't help it.
---
At Hargeon Station.
As the broadcast announced their arrival, Happy and Noel got off the train, but Natsu was still hanging from the train window, looking half-dead.
"Ugh… I'm gonna puke…" Natsu groaned, his mouth filling with some strange liquid.
"Sigh, nothing we can do about him. He's like this every time he gets on a train," Happy said helplessly.
"Noel, do you have any medicine for motion sickness?" Happy suddenly asked, hopeful. "You're an amazing alchemist, right? Maybe you have something just for this?"
"I do, but it won't work on him. It's his constitution, not something medicine can fix," Noel explained calmly.
"You two go look for your dragon, but behave while you're in town. I've got some things to take care of, and I mean it—don't cause trouble." Noel deliberately emphasized the last five words.
"Noel, um… Natsu's gone," Happy suddenly realized.
The train had already left, with Natsu's head still hanging from the window…
After a good deal of chaos, Natsu finally managed to get off the train, and their journey officially began.
Natsu set off on his "search for the fire dragon," while Noel headed to Hargeon's only magic item shop. He was a partner alchemist with this store, often dropping off potions to be sold there.
Their revenue split was 90/10—Noel took 90%, while the shopkeeper kept 10%. Of course, this deal was possible only because of the reputation of the Mond Alchemy Workshop.
But today, Noel was surprised to see someone bargaining with the shopkeeper. Given that Harujion was a port city with very few mages, the few who visited the shop were either nobles or traveling mages.
---
"This key doesn't have any combat power. Are you sure you want it, miss?" the shopkeeper said flatly to a blonde girl.
"It's fine. This is exactly what I'm looking for. How much is it?" The girl's eyes were locked on the silver key, so captivated she couldn't look away.
Noel knew this shopkeeper well—he was stingy to the extreme and rarely, if ever, lowered prices. The only way to get a discount was to try seducing him, but even that rarely worked.
"20,000 J," the shopkeeper stated flatly.
Noel stood to the side, finding this haggling scene rather amusing—more entertaining than any theater performance.
"How much is it, handsome sir?" the blonde girl climbed onto the counter, leaning forward to accentuate her perfect figure as she batted her big eyes at the unflinching shopkeeper, hoping to charm him.
The shopkeeper gulped but remained expressionless. "Fine, I'll give it to you for 19,000 J."
When Noel saw the key in question, he realized it was a Gate Key. Mages who fought using these keys were Celestial Spirit Mages, a rare type who summoned spirits to battle. Some of them, especially those with Zodiac Keys, were extremely powerful.
However, the girl's key was just a common one, and selling it for such a high price was a blatant rip-off.
---
"Ahem," Noel cleared his throat. "Don't scam newcomers. That's shady. This is a Canis Minor key, and the market price is only 10,000 J. You're charging way too much."
"Oh, it's you, Master Noel. But why do you always ruin my sales? This is a legitimate transaction. She was ready to pay," the shopkeeper grumbled.
Meanwhile, Lucy glanced over, surprised. A handsome boy with golden hair and a black robe that somehow looked good on him, even if it didn't match at all. Her mind raced, trying to remember where she had seen this face before, but came up empty.
"I just can't stand your scummy methods," Noel said calmly.
"I'm running a small shop here, you know. Every time you show up, you ruin one of my deals. I'm starting to regret partnering with you," the shopkeeper sighed.
Despite his words, the shopkeeper's attitude remained friendly—Noel's potions were best-sellers, practically a goldmine for the shop. Even if the split was small, the sales volume made up for it.
---
"I brought some top-grade elixirs today. Interested?" Noel placed a few small green bottles on the counter.
At first, the shopkeeper's face remained blank, but upon seeing the bottles, his eyes sparkled with greed, as if he could already see the profit they would bring.
Popping a cork, the rich scent of the potion filled the air. "This is top-tier alchemy, no doubt about it. Your skills have improved again, Master Noel."
"Of course they have. My craft is what feeds me. If I don't keep improving, I'll be eliminated by the market sooner or later," Noel replied.
"But about our split, can we adjust it a bit? Maybe 80/20? You keep 80, I get 20. The 90/10 split is bleeding me dry."
"Shopkeeper, are you going to sell me the key or not?" Lucy interrupted, getting impatient.
The shopkeeper pointed to his shop. "Do you know how much rent I pay? I'm barely scraping by…"
"Are you even listening to me? I'll report you to the authorities," Lucy snapped, ready to storm out.
Realizing he might lose the sale, the shopkeeper quickly backtracked. "Hold on, hold on. I'll give you a bigger discount."
Lucy paused, calculating how much she might save.
---
"So, Master Noel, what do you say?" the shopkeeper asked, seeing that Noel looked interested.
Noel simply smiled. This was the shopkeeper trying to guilt him into accepting the 80/20 split. Honestly, it was still a decent deal and worth considering.
"I'll agree to it. But is it true that a shipment came in containing a unicorn horn?" Noel asked, eyes lighting up with genuine interest.
At his level as an alchemist, money meant little to Noel. His focus was always on rare alchemy materials.
"Of course it's true! This is Harujion, a port city. It's not surprising that such materials would appear here," the shopkeeper explained quickly.
"Alright then. We'll do 80/20. In exchange, you'll reserve that unicorn horn for me. And stop ripping off this young lady. Sell it to her at market price. You've wasted enough of her time already," Noel said firmly.
The shopkeeper thought for a moment. The profit he'd make off Noel's elixirs would more than cover the discount on the key.
"…Fine. Deal."
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