"No... Something's wrong..."
He struggled to remain clear-headed, but the puppet's influence had seeped into his bones:
"Why... Why do I rely on this thing so much..."
Just then, a black market merchant appeared nearby.
She was a thin middle-aged woman named Lucia, specializing in acquiring various abyssal treasures of uncertain origin.
"It looks like you're in trouble, friend."
Lucia's voice carried the shrewdness unique to merchants:
"Need healing? I have excellent recovery potions here, though they require a little... exchange."
Tavish looked at her weakly, a strange impulse surging in his heart.
He wanted to break free from the puppet's control but couldn't bear to lose such powerful protection.
"Do you want this puppet?"
He tremblingly took out the stand-in puppet:
"It can save lives, but... but it has some side effects..."
Lucia's keen business sense immediately detected the puppet's value.
