Chapter 12
Who would sell such a high-priced item at a street stall? It was obvious—the merchant was adjusting the price depending on the customer.
“This price is ridiculous.”
Unable to hold back, Duke Ascher finally spoke.
“Oh dear, Sir Knight. Considering its rarity, it’s absolutely not expensive.”
“Rarity?”
“The lightning is pink, you see.”
At Duke Ascher’s question, the Eastern merchant proudly puffed out his chest.
‘He’s insane.’
Duke Ascher swore inwardly at the absurdity.
One thing was certain: the creator of this item was mad. Adding color to lightning? If that much effort was put into it, increasing its power would’ve made more sense.
“Riana, there are more than a few suspicious things about this. Let’s just go.”
“Twenty million reums? That’s a bit steep… Let me think about it for a moment.”
Eliana, too, was torn. The price was wildly beyond her expectations.
There was something strangely compelling about the item—but even in her eyes, this merchant was suspicious. If it was really worth this much, why was it being sold at a street stall? Wasn’t he even concerned about theft?
“Mihal, could you give me a moment to think it over?”
“Of course.”
‘Dream.’
As soon as Duke Ascher gave his consent, Eliana summoned her system.
[Yes, I’m listening. Please select the desired function.]
It was time to use her unique advantage.
‘Search this item.’
Eliana focused her gaze on the necklace in the Eastern merchant’s hands.
She had discovered during some solo testing that to search for objects or people, she needed to know their exact names.
However, for items she could see directly, she could use image search without knowing the name.
[Initiating image search.]
[Search complete.]
Image Search Results
- Name: Engraved Locket Necklace
- Purpose: Self-defense
- Grade: C+
- Material: Silver, Low-grade Magic Stone
- Market Price: No transaction history
- Function: Lightning Magic
- Creator: Karahan
- Uses Remaining: 3/3
- Special Note: Emits pink lightning.
‘Dream, can you calculate the price for me?’
Eliana reviewed the search results that floated in front of her and asked again.
[Calculating appropriate value.]
[Item is unique. No transaction history found for identical item. Applying average market value for similar items.]
[Search complete.]
Estimated Price: 30,000,000 RM
(Average for similar items: 5,000,000 RM
- Rarity Value: 25,000,000 RM)
‘Thirty million reums?’
Eliana’s eyes widened at the result.
The silver material and low-grade magic stone made it look cheap, but… just how rare was this item to warrant such a high rarity value?
‘This is definitely fishy.’
Troubled by the strange pricing, Eliana turned her gaze to the Eastern merchant.
‘Dream.’
[Yes, I’m listening. Please select the desired function.]
‘Search that person’s information.’
[Initiating image search. Search complete.]
Image Search Results
- Name: Karahan (Classified)
- Age: 136 (Classified)
- Occupation: Mage (Classified)
- Nationality: None
- Affiliation: None
- Physical Stats: 171 cm, 60 kg (Classified)
- Special Note: Appearance is magically disguised.
Eliana reviewed the search results, as if weighing her options, and quickly reached a conclusion.
‘Oh my! I absolutely have to buy this!’
The suspicious merchant before her was actually a 136-year-old archmage in disguise. Whether it was coincidence or deliberate, she couldn’t be sure—but her gut told her this item was not to be missed.
“I’ll find you something better.”
Watching her intently, Duke Ascher shook his head slowly.
“I don’t want anything else—I want that one…”
“…Very well. Then I’ll buy it for you.”
As Duke Ascher reached for his wallet, Eliana quickly stopped him by grabbing his hand.
“It’s just a silver necklace. Twenty million reums really is too much.”
“Oh dear, then let me give you a discount,” the Eastern merchant—no, the mage—said with an oily grin, clearly worried as Duke Ascher’s wallet half-emerged before retreating.
“Will you sell it for fifteen hundred thousand?”
“Why would you lowball me like that? That’s outrageous!”
“Then how much will you lower it to?”
“Since the young lady seems quite taken with it… I’ll give it to you for a special price of nineteen hundred thousand.”
“Eighteen hundred.”
“Oh no, I can’t do that—I’d lose money!”
“Sigh, then I suppose it’s a no. Best of luck with your sales. Let’s go, Mihal.”
“You’ve made the right decision.”
Duke Ascher, pleased with her choice, took Eliana’s hand and stepped forward.
“Alright, alright! Eighteen hundred! I’ll sell it for eighteen hundred!”
The panicked mage finally called out to their backs in desperation.
‘I knew it. If I don’t buy it now, I’ll regret it forever.’
Eliana’s face lit up, and she immediately turned, tugging Duke Ascher’s hand toward the stall. Opening his wallet—well, that was his job.
“Do you really like it that much?”
Duke Ascher asked as Eliana sat across from him at the table, turning the locket necklace over in her hands.
“Yes.”
Eliana smiled faintly, continuing to admire the necklace.
‘I just don’t get it.’
Duke Ascher watched her silently, unable to understand. She seemed more pleased now than when he had gifted her an entire dressing room. A woman’s heart was, indeed, a mysterious realm.
“Your food is ready!”
Before long, a plump middle-aged woman arrived with a large tray and began placing dishes on their table.
“This is the place I know that serves something closest to what you mentioned earlier, Riana.”
“Oh wow, it’s Chi-maek!”
Eliana beamed with genuine joy as she looked at the food set before them.
On the rustic wooden table sat a whole roasted chicken, caramelized to a golden brown with juices glistening, and two frothy glasses of fizzy beer. Though not fried, as in her original memory, it was perfect oven-roasted chicken—and the essence of Chi-maek.
“I’m surprised you know a place like this.”
Eliana shrugged as she watched Mihal skillfully carve up the chicken.
A rustic eatery tucked away in an alley near the plaza. It was the kind of place frequented by commoners. Definitely not somewhere one would expect a high-ranking noble—whose military might might even surpass that of the Imperial Family—to dine.
“I used to come here often during my time as a knight.”
“You were a knight?”
“I started as a trainee at fourteen.”
“Oh…”
Eliana’s lips parted slightly in surprise at his unexpected revelation.
She had often thought his demeanor and attire were humble, but had chalked it up to the confidence of someone with power and wealth. She never imagined he’d started from the bottom.
“It’s ready.”
“Thank you.”
Snapped from her daze, Eliana accepted the plate of neatly cut meat without much thought.
“Please try it. I hope you like it.”
“Ah, yes.”
‘Wow, I haven’t had beer in so long.’
The weighty wooden mug and the nutty scent of barley filled her with anticipation.
Gulp.
Eliana took a sip, fully aware of the eyes watching her.
“Ah…”
“What’s wrong?”
Mihal’s voice was cautious, sensing her subtle change in expression.
“N-no, it’s good…”
She forced a smile, but the slight quiver in her eyebrow gave her away.
‘Beer. My beer. How could my beer be… lukewarm?!’
As a Korean at heart, she could not accept this sacrilege.
“You don’t look pleased.”
“No, it’s good. It’s just… I think I need some ice.”
She felt an overwhelming urge to dunk the entire mug into a bucket of ice.
“Ice is quite expensive. It’s hard to find outside the city walls.”
“What? Ice is expensive?”
“I believe one piece costs about 10,000 reums.”
A regular soldier’s monthly wage was around 1,000,000 reums.
Assuming reums were equal to Korean won, that meant a single ice cube—about the size of a 500-won coin—cost 10,000 won. Considering a commoner’s meal cost between 1,000 and 2,000 reums, this was outrageously expensive.
“Oh…”
Eliana suddenly recalled how casually she drank iced beverages every day.
“Wow… I’ve really been living in luxury.”
She was flustered.
As someone from the North, where ice was abundant, she had no memory of this kind of scarcity. Even the drink she had in the office earlier had about 20 ice cubes in it.
‘Wait… that’s 200,000 won for one glass of lemonade?? That’s insane.’
“That’s nothing.”
Mihal chuckled at Eliana’s thoroughly shocked expression.
She hadn’t even flinched over a 1.8 million reum necklace, yet now looked like a child who had swallowed a diamond after learning the price of ice.
“I’ll just drink it.”
Having learned the truth, Eliana picked up her mug again and sipped cautiously.
The lukewarm temperature was starting to grow on her. The beer, with its gentle fizz and nutty aftertaste, was actually quite well-crafted.
“But… where does ice come from, then?”
Until now, she had vaguely imagined some kind of ice cave maintaining a year-round chill. But where was this precious ice sourced from?
“It’s purchased through the Mage Tower.”
“The Mage Tower?”
“You place an order, and they send the requested amount of ice in a magic box sealed with preservation spells.”
Eliana’s eyes narrowed the moment she heard his answer.
‘Why preservation magic?’
With just one box that maintained a constant low temperature—like a refrigerator—they could endlessly produce ice. In short, a brilliant scam.
