"Achoo!"
Zog sneezed.
'Is someone talking about me?' After all, with the constitution of an Ancient Dragon, catching a cold was a bit difficult.
As the owner of Zog's Toy Store, he naturally had to do his part for the shop.
Right now, he was playing the part of a Sub-Dragon named "Zog," lying by the shop's entrance and acting as its mascot.
The job was pretty chill. All he had to do was lie there and keep reading his Magic Book, and countless people would be drawn into the store.
Lots of kids were holding Wooden Swords, shouting all sorts of slogans and waving them around near him. They even made sound effects with their mouths for every slash but didn't dare get too close.
On top of that, there was the endless squabbling.
"Liffey is the best!"
"Nonsense, Mike is stronger!"
"Liffey is so the best!"
"But he already lost!"
"Milly is so cute…"
'Figures. Every world has its power-level debaters.'
"Young Master, wait for me!"
A shout came from across the street, and Zog turned to look.
A boy of about ten was running in the lead. The Protective Magic on his clothes was decent; Zog estimated that one poke from his claw would still leave a complete corpse.
Following behind him were a male servant of about the same age and two guards.
The boy didn't even bother to line up, charging directly into the store.
'Hey! This dragon has quite a temper.'
Just as Zog was about to drag him out, the boy stood in the center of the store with his hands on his hips and announced, "I am Harle Craig, and I want a custom Yo-Yo!"
'Fine, in you go then.'
'This dragon has flexible standards.'
To ensure the toy store's first custom order went off without a hitch, Zog followed them to the second floor.
'Craig, which family was that again?'
'With an entourage like that just to buy a toy, he couldn't possibly be a commoner.'
'Oh, right. It must be the family that makes Magic Armor. If I remember correctly, their family had something called the Four Great Divine Armors, and three of them were destroyed by my claws.'
Zog swore it wasn't intentional. He had originally wanted to steal them for his collection, but he didn't know how to remove the creator's control and accidentally got a little too rough.
'Thinking about it now, it was a real shame. I was so close to reliving the joy of playing with Gundams.'
Craig, however, didn't act like a stranger. The moment he reached the second floor, he declared, "I want to see the best Yo-Yo craftsman!"
'I'm afraid they'd scare you if they came out.'
Of course, he didn't say that out loud. Elsa wore a standard smile, projecting the air of a professional salesperson.
"Our team of craftsmen is not in the city, but rest assured, we will assign our very best artisan to your order."
She then took out a pre-prepared booklet for personalized customization. The entire volume was hand-drawn, designed to look one thing above all else: expensive.
It even came with animated demonstrations of tricks for different Yo-Yo styles, displayed directly on the paper—a very interesting bit of minor Magic.
The available options included shape, material, color scheme, printed design, engraving, and a storage case.
For now, the material selection was still rather limited, with only a few types of lightweight wood and stone. There was one type of stone here that could float on water, which felt similar to plastic when used.
As for metal, or even magical metal, bodies, the current craftsmanship wasn't up to the task.
He had tried to find some Dwarves a few times but had never managed to strike a deal. Even the ol' "Look! It's your family's ancestral treasure!" trick didn't work.
Dwarves were a race famous for being willful. Everything in their lives was about whether they were in the mood. Sometimes, if you got them happy while drinking, they'd forge something for free. Other times, you could offer a high price and they'd refuse the money, simply because they didn't feel like it.
'Such a great mental state. It makes Zog's claws spin.'
He didn't resort to coercion by force, though. The Dwarves weren't very wealthy; they all made a living with their skills and shouldn't be bullied.
'This matter needs more thought. I have to play to their preferences.'
"I want the family crest engraved on the Yo-Yo, and it has to use the colors of the Craig family banner. As for the shape and material, which one is the best?"
"That depends on what style of play you're aiming for. Each shape and material has its own characteristics."
"Hmm…"
Faced with so many options, Craig fell into a state of indecision.
"If you're new to the Yo-Yo, I recommend this standard shape that allows for 'long sleepers.' It's quite well-rounded and can be used for both string tricks and looping tricks."
Elsa turned to the next page and continued her explanation. "This is a butterfly-shape. Compared to the standard shape, it's better suited for string tricks, but it can't be pulled up to return. You need to perform a bind…"
"Too complicated!" Craig slapped his thigh. "How about this: I'll take one of every shape, all in the most expensive material!"
Elsa knew nobles were rich, but she hadn't expected them to be *this* rich. The little brat was spending as much on a toy as she earned in two years.
The male servant behind him directly produced a small stack of Gold Coins. He didn't say anything about a deposit and paying the rest on delivery; he was probably confident that no one would dare to swindle them.
She was just about to get up to see them out and throw in some accessories as a freebie.
But then Craig suddenly asked, "How much money would it take to get me a cameo in *Firepower Young King*?"
"I'm terribly sorry, and thank you for your love of *Firepower Young King*, but the story is already complete, so it would be very difficult to add a new character. If a better opportunity for collaboration arises in the future, we will certainly contact you."
'This little brat sure has a lot of ideas.'
The content of *Firepower Young King* couldn't be compromised. It was the guarantee of the Yo-Yo's future popularity.
The greatest taboo in the creative industry is when amateurs try to lead professionals—when investors meddle, demanding a plot change today and a new character shoved in tomorrow. They ruin a good IP for a quick buck and then run off, leaving the creators to clean up the mess.
"However," Elsa said, changing her tune, "we also offer a service for naming new tricks and customizing their special effects. Your exclusive new trick will appear in the manga."
"Really?!" Craig perked up immediately.
Nobles spend huge sums on luxury goods not because they're foolish and loaded with cash—though they certainly have more money than they know what to do with—but because the most important thing is the feeling of exclusivity, of having something that others don't.
Do you have any idea how appealing it is to a child to have a trick they named be learned by all the other kids?
"But… but I don't know how."
"That's alright," Elsa said with a mysterious smile, producing another booklet. "These are tricks that have not yet appeared in the manga and have no names. You can choose one you like and specify which character will use it."
"We will also arrange for a private tutor to ensure you can master it completely. The special effect Elements can also be customized, and you will be credited as the trick's inventor in a future volume of the manga."
"Wow! So how much will that cost?"
"Er…"
Elsa and Zog were momentarily stumped. They had just come up with this service on the spot and hadn't thought about a price. Who knew what the spending power of a noble really was?
The human and the dragon began a private chat.
"How about… Five Gold Coins?"
"That doesn't seem right. The Illusion Technique I use is simple enough that his two guards could learn it."
"Isn't this a negotiation? Start high, and they'll bargain down. Just flash five fingers and see. Maybe the silly kid will agree."
Having reached a consensus, Elsa awkwardly held up five fingers and had just managed to utter the "Fi-" sound.
"What!" Craig shot to his feet with a BANG.
"Actually, it doesn't have to be—" Elsa hurriedly tried to say there was room for negotiation.
"Only Fifty Gold Coins? That's great! It's a deal!"
The human and the dragon froze.
Watching Craig spin around in excitement, Zog said, "Don't you think we should give Toto a bigger bonus?"
「A moment later, on the first floor.」
Toto was demonstrating various tricks for the customers, her eyes narrowed and head drooping. It was hard to tell if she was asleep or awake.
"Toto, I have an important mission for you. Teach a kid your new trick. Ten Silver Coins."
Toto, who had looked like a walking corpse, recovered her energy at a visible rate and shot straight up to the second floor.
She laughed as she ran, "To think some fool would spend Ten Silver Coins to learn the Yo-Yo, heh heh heh…"
It seemed they could never tell Toto how much Craig had actually spent. He was afraid she wouldn't be able to handle it.