noveldrama
Chapter 101 : Fairy (2)
Chapter 101 : Fairy (2)
Looking determinedly at the fairy, I decided that I needed to have her in my hands. I was convinced that her presence would be invaluable in enhancing my mastery over mana and aura, and could also provide me with great benefits in attempting to master the art of mana manipulation at the prestigious Imperial Academy.
The metallic sound of the door opening interrupted my thoughts.
Clank!
An older woman emerged from behind the door, with wrinkled hands and a pointed nose that gave her a mysterious air. Her glassy eyes quickly scanned the shop before settling on the figures staring intently at the enclosed fairy. A smile appeared on her wrinkled face, illuminating her countenance with a warm and welcoming glow.
"Welcome, dear customers! How may I assist you?" she said with a voice that, despite her elderly appearance, resonated with vitality and youth, creating a strange yet intriguing contrast.
A sudden sense of alertness overcame me as I fixed my gaze on the old woman. A disturbing tingle ran down my spine, and a strange discomfort seized my being. I couldn't ignore the feeling that something was amiss. My survival instinct immediately kicked in, urging me to be on guard and alert.
At the same time, I noticed that Lysandra, my companion, also tensed up and assumed a defensive stance. Her reaction confirmed my suspicions and heightened my own sense of caution.
The old woman noticed the changes in our posture and the shift in the air around us, a small laugh resonated within the shop. "There's no need to be on alert, I won't harm you, I just want to do business," she said in her soft voice, the atmosphere changed with her tone.
Despite my previous sense of alertness, a strange calm began to wash over me, dissipating any trace of discomfort. I pointed towards the enclosed fairy and asked with apparent nonchalance, "How much?"
Although I knew that the value of a high-grade fairy could not be quantified with money, it was a question expected in situations like these. However, as per my understanding, fairies couldn't be acquired through monetary transactions; they could only be exchanged for items of equal value and grade, something which I did not possess at the moment.
The only possession that could match the value of a high-level fairy was my sword, but I had no intention of trading it for the fairy.
The old woman directed her gaze towards the fairy, and a smile once again lit up her face. However, as she observed the fairy, her expression grew more intense, and her countenance took on a somber and heavy air.
"Child," she began with a voice that, although familiar, now lacked the previous warmth, "tell me, what are you willing to offer in exchange for that fairy?"
The question hung in the air, charged with an unsettling aura that sent a shiver down my spine. It was evident that the old woman was seriously interested in acquiring the fairy, and her tone suggested that she was willing to negotiate for it.
The old woman's question momentarily left me speechless. I quickly pondered over my possible offers, and remembered that in my ring I carried a bunch of orbs of different ranks, from level 1 to 3. Doing some quick calculations, I estimated that if I sold all those orbs, I could obtain a total of 700 gold coins.
However, even that sum seemed insignificant compared to the value of a high-grade fairy. I realized that any material offer I could make would not even come close to matching the value of the magical creature before me.
The silence weighed heavily in the room as the old woman observed my indecision. Slowly, she moved towards the fairy, and before my disbelieving eyes, the glass cage containing it mysteriously disappeared from its place to reappear in the old woman's wrinkled hands.
The old woman's eyes sparkled with an inexplicable intensity as she gazed at the fairy within the cage. The magical creature, sensing the old woman's proximity, fluttered restlessly, beating its wings and frantically seeking an escape. The mana around it began to converge, a mana so pure and clean that it began to emanate from it, so black and dark, it was even beautiful.
Its tiny eyes, full of desperation, locked onto mine as if searching for something, as if hoping for aid that only I could provide.
A sense of urgency gripped me as I watched the scene unfold before me. The mana around me also began to stir restlessly as if somehow reacting to the fairy.
The old woman keenly observed both the fairy's reaction and mine, and her smile widened even further, but her eyes lost their characteristic sparkle. "I see, I see," she murmured with an intriguing expression. "Interesting... child, you have an exceptional affinity with the element of darkness.
Even the fairy seeks protection in you; it feels an immense attraction towards the mana you carry within you."
Her tone was playful, as if she were enjoying some kind of game. However, her words quickly took a sinister turn. "Child, I know who you are. You don't have to hide it," she said, her voice shifting from joviality to a raspy, threatening tone. "And if you wish to possess this fairy, you must give me something that your family has and that belongs to me."
A chill ran down my spine as the pressure in the room seemed to intensify, as if the shop itself trembled under the intensity of her presence. It was evident that the old woman was not who she appeared to be, and that there was something much darker and dangerous behind her kind and welcoming facade.
Her figure radiated a supernatural glow, and her presence seemed to expand to fill the entire room. My eyes widened in astonishment as I realized that she was a being of maximum-diamond rank. The once wrinkled and aged hands transformed before my eyes into those of a child, but a child whose innocent appearance violently contrasted with the aura of power and darkness that surrounded her.
Lysandra, equally astonished, watched the scene with disbelief as the power of the old woman intensified, her aura manifesting ominously around her.
"Wait!" I shouted to Lysandra, aware that we stood no chance against an entity of her caliber, especially now that she seemed to have discovered my identity. It was obvious that she didn't want to kill us, at least not immediately, but the situation was becoming increasingly dangerous and unpredictable.
"What do you want?" I asked the old woman, trying to remain calm despite the growing sense of desperation. However, instead of responding, the old woman began to laugh maniacally, her hands moving in an unusual manner. Her nails, long and pointed, slid across her skin as she continued to laugh with a deranged laughter.
With a frenzied motion, her right hand moved towards her forearm, and with a disturbing gesture, she began to tear into her flesh with her own nails, unleashing a bloody scene that filled the shop as her desperate laughter filled the air.