Second Time's a Charm (MxM)✔

Chapter 8 - Shopping

There was a tiny table with a magnifying glass and some bottles lying around. Probably used to test precious metals and jewels that people brought in. He sat comfortably and waited until a squat little man with a round face appeared.

He had a pinstriped vest and top hat, with short blond hair and squinty eyes. He scowled toward the suspicious hooded figure, but the woman gestured. "This is him, sir."

"I see. And...Where is this gem?"

Cain expected the disbelief, so he once more revealed the blue jewel. The man's eyes widened in shock, and he immediately sat across to inspect it. Cain waited patiently as he observed it through his monocle, then the magnifying glass. Once he seemed satisfied with how it looked, he filled a cup with water and dropped the stone in it, which sank straight to the bottom.

The chubby little man seemed pleased with that result and removed it from the glass, carefully wiping it off and blowing on it. Then he eyed it's fogged surface as it cleared immediately. 

"I don't believe I've ever seen a blue diamond this large before. What's more, it's so finely cut that only an expert craftsman could have made this. Do you happen to know who it was?" He finally asked.

"I do not." Cain replied. "I am only here to get it inspected. I happened upon it by chance since the original seller thought it was a mere crystal. How they got a hold of it, I'm not sure, but once I realized it may not be some cheap piece of costume jewelry, I was advised to come here."

"I'm glad you did. You'd be robbed blind for something like this."

"I see. And...How much do you think this would be worth?"

The man leaned back and scratched his chin. This wasn't some dingy old shop in the boonies, desperate to make a buck. No, their reputation was on the line, so if he tried to undersell at all, it could hurt his shop's image. Cain knew he'd get a fair price here.

"I need to make a profit if I were to sell it myself. I'd say it's worth about fifteen million lyre, so I can buy it for 10 million."

10 million...Cain tried to hide his excitement. He'd heard that it was worth millions in his past life, but didn't expect 10 million!

"Unfortunately I don't exactly carry that sort of cash on me." The shop owner continued.

"It's alright." He pulled out a piece of paper and wrote out his new banking information. "If you're interested in buying this, then please break down the payments and send them to my account."

"I see you've come prepared. Very well. I can give you the first payment up front and the remainder to your bank every week."

"Thank you."

"And...what name should I put this under...?"

"Wolf Brooks"

Once their transaction was done and he had a good chunk of money on hand, he stepped outside and waited for Norton to catch up. When he did, the man had everything he'd asked for. As a reward, he paid the man twice what he'd have sold the stuff for.

"Your loyalty will pay off." He promised. "Now we have one last stop to make before we head back."

He led the way towards a less popular part of the city where stood a tall building with a green pointed roof. Inside the windows were various trinkets and books, stacked upon one another. Entering the store caused one's nose to crinkle at the smell of incense.

"A magic shop?" Norton questioned.

"A would-be magic shop," Cain explained. "Only wizards are allowed to buy the powerful stuff. The rest of us are forced to buy the not-so-magical items like books and charms."