The carriage ride was a gentle, swaying rhythm that lulled Elias into a state of contentedness. The lush, green forest surrounding the estate gave way to a more populated landscape. As they neared the city, the dirt road became a cobbled street, the air grew thick with the smells of baking bread and wood smoke, and the distant murmur of voices became a vibrant roar. The city of Blackhaven rose before them, a sprawling tapestry of stone and timber, its rooftops a chaotic jumble against the bright morning sky.
Miss Gable, who was seated across from Elias, smiled.
"It's quite something, isn't it, Master Elias?" she asked, her voice a warm, gentle contrast to the clamour outside.
"It is," Elias replied, his eyes wide with fascination. He had only ever passed through the city with Aina and Roric a while ago and even though this was his second time seeing it,it was truly a breathtaking place.
As Elias took his time to analyze his surroundings, Miss Gable leaned in, her voice low.
"Now young master, I know you are eager to move around the city but I just insist on accompanying you. Before that however, I've got a list of things to purchase for the household. Any other day and I would have gone shopping with you first but our suppliers deal with time se we'll have to make the purchases first. You can stick with me, and I'll help you find whatever it is you're looking for. The purchases we are going to make may take a bit if time but please bear with me young master. By the way," she paused, a look of genuine concern on her face.
"Do you even have any money?"
Elias reached into the inner pocket of his blue coat and pulled out a small leather pouch. He opened it, revealing the gleam of Five Gold Crowns and a few Pound Standards.
"I asked Father for some money when I was studying about currency," he explained, "just to see what it looked like and how it felt to handle it. He told me to keep it when I was done."
Miss Gable's eyes widened.
"Good heavens, put that away, child!" she whispered urgently.
"We may be in a prosperous city, but that doesn't mean there aren't unsavoury people about. Pickpockets would take an eye out for that much money."
Elias chuckled, the sound muffled by the carriage's rumble.
"Don't worry, Miss Gable. I'll be careful."
He tucked the pouch back into his pocket, and as he did, the glint of the Jade Fang's hilt caught her eye. She nodded, a subtle look of understanding passing over her face. He was not as defenceless as he seemed.
The carriage rolled to a halt in a high-class district of the city, where the streets were clean and the buildings were tall and elegant. Miss Gable turned to the other house staff, all wome, their faces bright with the prospect of their shopping trip.
"Alright, girls," she said, "you know the drill. Split up, get what you were assigned to purchase, and meet back here in three hours. Now young master Elias..." She then turned to Elias, but he was already gone. She stood stunned for a few moments then shook her head and smiled, a quiet, knowing look on her face.
"That little mouse really does take after his father," she muttered to herself.
Elias walked with a new purpose, his hands in his coat pockets. He adopted a certain air—a posture of confidence that said he knew exactly where he was going and what he was doing. He walked with his eyes toward not looking left or right lest he meets the gaze of someone. Pickpockets and con artists often picked targets they thought were easy . With his new demeanour, he was not nessecarily invisible to them but left no openings. To add to this, he used his Flow Perception like a silent, invisible radar,expanding it to a range of five metres around him ,sensing every person by their Flow.
He walked past a shop with large, elegant glass windows and decided to go in. He stopped and scanned it's exterior. It appeared to be a shop for accessories. He decided to go in and have a look around. The interior was a sanctuary of luxury. Velvet display cases held shimmering gems and necklaces, and the air was thick with the scent of polished wood and fine perfumes.
A man with a slick, greasy smile walked up to him, his face a mask of false politeness as the chime on the door clinked softly, indicating a customer.
"Well, well," the manager said, a note of disappointment in his voice when he saw a small boy.
"Are you lost, young man? Where are your parents?"
"They're busy," Elias said, his voice surprisingly deep and calm.
"I've come to make a purchase."
" Now now,this isn't the time for pranks...." The man began,unconvinced, but when Elias showed him the money, the smile became a little more genuine, although his eyes remained cold and calculating. He signalled a burly assistant, who was slowly approaching the boy to go away and turned his attention back to Elias.
"Of course," he said. "What can I get for you sir?"
Elias had already decided on a simple necklace for Aina; she seemed to prefer a more minimalist style, so a simple piece of jewellery would be best. He had initially thought getting her a dress but she either didn't own or chose not to wear anything aside her maid uniform.
The manager, however, had other ideas. He tried to force sales, shoving various pieces into Elias's face and spouting a flood of sugar-coated words about their quality. Elias inwardly chuckled. He used to follow his mother to town back in his old world, and he knew this was how traders often tried to trick unsuspecting customers into buying their goods. And usually, the more they talked, the more inferior the wares.
Just then, a woman walked over, interested in a beautiful, crimson ruby the manager was trying to sell. The man, seeing a new customer, tried to make a profit by auctioning it, quoting a high price and saying that Elias was just about to purchase it. He did this so that the woman would offer to pay more and the kid would also want to pay more until he'd squeezed what he could out of them.
Elias, acting with a maturity far beyond his years, shook his head.
"I know what I want," he said, his voice firm, "and it's not your job to tell me what to get, especially if it's just some tainted glass posing as jewellery."
"How far you..." The manager began but the woman, intrigued brought out a lense from her handbag and looked closer at the ruby. Her eyes narrowed.
"He's right," she said.
"This is nothing more than tainted glass. What is the meaning of this?"
The manager feigned ignorance, pretending to be just as shocked.
"Oh, my!" he said, "I must have been swindled by my supplier! Thank you for pointing that out, young lad."
He quickly pointed to a high rack.
"Let me show you our finest work, our most expensive piece." He took him through the entire shop, but nothing caught Elias's fancy. He simply hadn't seen anything worth his money. He decided he was done.
"I've found nothing of interest here. I'll try another shop, thanks for your time." Elias said, and turned to leave. Just as he was about to, however, he heard a yell.
"Thief!" the manager yelled, his voice echoing through the store.
Two burly men moved to block the entrance. The manager's fake smile turned into a sneer.
"This boy has stolen our most expensive diamond ring!" He pointed to the empty space on the high rack where the ring had been.
Elias blinked, confused.
"Huh?I haven't taken anything," he said, his voice unwavering.
"What's the matter?" the man said, his voice oozing with false sympathy.
"Aren't you ashamed to be such a small boy and already turning to a life of crime? If only you had come to me, I would have given you some money to buy food."
"I have no idea what your talking about." Elias said again,still confused. By this time the other customers had stopped what they were doing and turned Thier attention to what was happening.
"I couldn't have taken the ring."
"What shows ?" The manager asked.
" Well, one I'm not tall enough to even reach it, and two you were with me the entire time I was here."
"I don't know what you're talking about," the manager said now turning to the other customers.
"I simply gave the young lad the benefit of the doubt by allowing him to walk around my shop."
He turned back to Elias.
" Now you better return that ring. I happen to be in a good relationship with Lord Alaric Dukker. You know what he'll do to you when he finds this out?"
A burly assistant the one who the manger had initially signalled to not interfere, walked up to Elias.
"Listen, kid," he said, "stealing isn't good. Give the ring up now, or you're going to get punished."
He looked at Elias's coat. "Hmmm,that's a high-quality coat you've got there. Did you steal it as well?"
He then grabbed Elias by the collar and raised him up, his other hand reaching into Elias's coat pocket to take the pouch. The other customers had expressiona of surprise but none of them stepped toward to do anymore. The assistant ,as he rummaged through the inner pocket in search of the money,noticed the Jade Fang's hilt and decided to extract the dagger first.
Elias, fed up with the entire charade, grabbed the man's wrist and with a quick movement dropped him down to his knees, shocking everyone.The man struggled, his veins popping out in his arm and he was clearly struggling, but he couldn't free himself from Elias's seemingly light grip. Elias, with his other hand, calmly straightened his posture and adjusted his clothes.
"I came here thinking this was a respectable establishment," he said, his voice dangerously low, "but it seems it's just a massive con."
The assistant gave up on his wrist and rose to his feet while throwing a punch. Elias let go of him and ducked, delivering a decisive blow between his legs. The man gasped, his eyes bulging, and fell to the ground, unconscious. A gasp escaped from the men who were present as they wincedat the force of the blow. Elias reached into the man's back pocket, pulled out the diamond ring, and threw it at the manager.
"Shame on you," he said, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "for trying to take advantage of a boy."
The manager looked around, seeing the disapproval on his customers' faces. He smiled nervously.
"I-I-Itwas... a prank," he stammered.
The customers, however, were not amused. "We'll be spreading the word," a man said. "No one will come to your shop again!"
Elias, ignoring them, walked out of the shop.
Something entered the range if his Flow Perception and he turned to look behind him. Beside the store was man in the shade was selling some simple,trinkets.
' This man wasn't there when I was entering the shop.' he thought as he turned his attention to the trinkets that far from simple.