Chapter 53: No.53: Stage Two {4}; Sealed Deal
Ecstatic on hearing Bruce’s enquiry about the price, the scruffy man glanced once more at the former’s flashy sword, as well as his great shield that looked like it clearly cost a lot, while also taking a moment to admire all the accessories and clothes he wore.
Pausing as though deep in thought as he closed his eyes, the scrawny man looked mildly pained as he finally answered.
"Though it really pains me to part ways with such a rare treasure, I have no choice but to do so, as I’m currently pressed for cash at the moment to feed my 12 starving kids and provide the funds needed for the medicine of my gravely ill wife and her unborn child."
Feigning tears as he said this, while visibly sneaking glances every few seconds to check if Bruce bought his story, the little man exaggeratedly placed a hand against his chest as though pained by the mere thought.
Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes at the man’s theatrics, Bruce bluntly offered his condolences for the man’s ’tragic’ life, while flatly asking if the man really intended to sell the item or not, on seeing that the scrawny man kept dragging his theatrics to the next level.
Clearing his throat on realizing he might’ve taken it a bit further than intended earlier, the little man apologized.
"Egham! My bad! Anyways, since you’re such a kind-hearted young man with a clearly bright future ahead of you, I’ve decided to sell this marvellous item to you for the affordable price of just 5 million Kepto!"
Suppressing the urge to punch the ’innocent’ smile that had crept onto the scrawny man’s face on stating the price, as though offering a special discount just for him, Bruce felt a vein on the verge of popping on his head.
Composing himself soon after, Bruce met the man’s smile with an angelic smile of his own. An expression so pure that it easily made the scrawny man’s earlier attempt at one pale in comparison.
"Oh my, really!? That sounds marvelous."
However, as Bruce attempted to try and make the transaction, the innocent smile faded into a sad, pitiful expression.
"Oh! It would seem I’ve spent a bit more than I planned earlier. So I can’t buy this wonderful item."
Glancing at his OmniBand, which displayed the untouched balance of over 50 million Kepto from his own balance, as well as the 3-4 million Kepto left from the amount he’d loaned from the loan sharks, a forlorn expression evident on his face, Bruce reluctantly turned to leave as he audibly muttered.
"All I have is just about 1.2 million Kepto left, but it’s not enough to buy such a pristine piece of equipment. Truly such a shame. I guess I’ll just have to leave it for the next lucky stranger that happens to come by these parts."
Saying this as he took slow, deliberate yet steady steps, Bruce made his way to the exit until a slightly high-pitched, almost desperate call stopped him.
"S-stop! Egham! I mean... Though I do need the funds to feed my twenty-four kids and pay for my dead wife’s funeral, I’m also a very understanding individual."
Pausing briefly, as though deep in thought, the scrawny man acted as though a divine inspiration suddenly hit him as he gleamed.
"Ooh, I know! How about this? Since I’m such a nice guy, and you remind me so much of my eldest son, who, by the way, is just as handsome as I was in my prime. I’ll be magnanimous, and give a special discount just for you. All you have to pay is just 1.2 million Kepto. What’d you say?"
Suppressing the urge to punch the lights out of the short, scrawny scumbag standing before him, Bruce struggled a bit to compose himself on hearing this.
’Oy! You clearly said you had twelve kids before. Now they doubled? What are you, a horny rabbit on crack or something? Also, don’t just go off killing your poor wife already. And what the heck happened to the unborn kid? He dead too?’
Taking a moment to process the mismatched BS the tiny man was cooking for him, while being mildly impressed by the man’s shamelessness at the demand for everything he’d claimed to have and making it seem as though he was doing him a favour, Bruce decided to go with the flow as he gleamed in return.
"Really? Thank you so much. I won’t forget this!"
Saying this as he turned back to face the man, Bruce inwardly sighed in relief that he’d been facing the other way when the scrawny man made the offer. Otherwise, he would have seen the slight irritated twitch that had appeared on Bruce’s face at the man’s earlier words.
Not wasting any more time, Bruce quickly made the transaction to the conman.
On doing so, the man’s expression briefly turned to one of pure, disgusting ecstasy at the amount that had landed in his account.
Snapping out of whatever it was he was experiencing, the scrawny man quickly made his way to the item, gesturing to the red silk placed underneath.
"Would you also like to purchase this as well? It goes well with the..."
Cutting the conman off before he could finish his sentence, Bruce simply tapped against a spatial bracelet that was now linked to his OmniBand, before placing a hand on the spherical item.
"No need!"
Upon touching the item, the bracelet lit up with a soft teal tint as a notification appeared on the OmniBand, informing him that he’d used up a slot in the bracelet’s spatial space.
The bracelet, being capable of storing any kind of object and non-living creature, with enough space as big as a small warehouse, had cost about two million Kepto. But as he’d bought it from the more standard parts of the Hunter Association’s equipment section, he didn’t have to worry about them scamming him.
With eyes gleaming on noticing the bracelet, the man’s expression turned sour soon after.
Realizing the young man had likely lied about having spent nearly all his money earlier, as not just anyone could afford to buy even the lowest spatial equipment, which was roughly about one million, much less this one that looked far more expensive than any he’d previously seen, the scrawny man became aware that he’d been tricked.
"Tsk! Cheapskate."
Clicking his teeth in irritation, the man quietly muttered to himself.
"Huh? What was that?"
Enquiring with an innocent, oblivious expression on hearing the man’s displeasure, Bruce asked in a gentle tone as though unaware of what the scrawny man had muttered to himself.
"It’s nothing. Anyways, if there’s nothing else you’d like to buy, it was a pleasure having you here. Please be sure to come back to buy more, and don’t forget to spread the word of how great my items here are."
Deciding to keep his greed in check for now, as he’d gained way more than he’d initially expected to when he first came by the spherical item by accident, the unkempt man casually replied with a crooked smile and made do with the golden egg that’d just dropped on his lap.
Returning the gesture, Bruce simply smiled as he muttered before finally leaving.
"Gladly!"
Watching as Bruce’s giant figure slowly receded as he left, the scrawny man subtly brought out a metal board, then nailed it near the edge of his shop’s name. The words on the board were written boldly, as it read...
No Refunds!!!...
Unaware, and uninterested in this, Bruce briefly glanced at the Spatial Bracelet that now held the pulsing sphere.
Already aware that the likelihood of the item actually working was practically zero to a thousand, Bruce wasn’t worried about this.
It didn’t matter to him if the item actually worked or not, as he’d never planned on relying on any item he bought here to aid in his quest outside the City to begin with. He’d already achieved his aim for visiting the Dark Sections in the first place.
Shifting his gaze forward, Bruce headed towards his final destination before finally venturing out of the City and moving on to the next phase of his plan.