The Predatory Pricing Audit
The school trip moved from the majestic geysers to the "Azure Springs Gift Emporium," a rustic wooden building smelling of pine needles and pure greed. For the students, it was a chance to buy glass-blown trinkets and "I Survived the Geysers" shirts.
For Leornars, it was a crime scene.
He walked through the aisles, his silver-tipped cane clicking rhythmically on the hardwood. Stacian followed a half-step behind, her eyes scanning the price tags with the cold precision of a tax collector.
"Master," she whispered, "The inflation in this establishment is... statistically improbable."
"It's not probability, Stacian," Leornars replied, picking up a small, poorly carved wooden owl. "It's a provocation."
The Encounter
Porthos was at the counter, holding a small bottle of "Blessed Geyser Water" and a bag of rock candy.
"That will be sixty gold coins, young man," the shopkeeper said, a portly man with a mustache that looked like a dying caterpillar. He gave a greasy smile, sensing the boy's desperation to fit in.
"Sixty?!" Porthos squeaked. "But... I only have fifty-five! My dad said this should be enough for the whole trip!"
"Well," the shopkeeper sighed dramatically, "the mana-transport fees for these blessed items are quite steep. If you can't pay, you'll have to put them back."
Leornars appeared at Porthos's shoulder like a sudden shadow. He took the bottle of water from Porthos's hand and held it up to the light.
"Blessed?" Leornars asked, his voice a low, terrifying hum. "The mineral content suggests this was bottled at a tap approximately forty feet behind this building. And the 'mana-trace' I'm detecting isn't a blessing; it's a standard preservation spell used for keeping milk from spoiling."
The shopkeeper's smile faltered. "Now see here, boy! I don't know who you think you are—"
"I am the person who has already memorized your tax ledgers for the last three fiscal years," Leornars interrupted. He placed a silver coin on the counter—not a gold one. "This bottle is worth four copper pieces. The candy is worth two. Stacian, the audit?"
Stacian stepped forward, unfolding a small scroll that had appeared in her hand. "This establishment is operating on a 400% markup on local goods. Furthermore, the land lease for this 'Emporium' was signed under the Dirrium Royal Decree of 122, which strictly forbids the exploitation of students on official Academy excursions."
"You're... you're that foreign student," the shopkeeper hissed, his face turning pale. "The one they call the Plague."
"I prefer 'Auditor' when dealing with petty thieves," Leornars said. He looked at Porthos, who was staring in awe. "Porthos, put the candy back. Not because of the price, but because the sugar content will further deteriorate what little remains of your cognitive function."
The Liquidation
Leornars turned back to the shopkeeper. "By the time I reach the carriage, the Academy Headmaster will receive a detailed report of your price-gouging. By sunset, the Royal Tax Office will be here to seize your inventory to pay for the 'accidental' discrepancy in your reported income."
"You can't do that! I have a family!" the man pleaded.
"Then you should have planned for their future with more honesty," Leornars replied, adjusting his cufflinks. "Stacian, buy the owl. The carving is hideous, but the wood is from a Dirrium Elder Oak. I'll have Bellian turn it into a toothpick."
As they walked out, the shopkeeper collapsed into a chair, realizing his entire business had been liquidated in the time it took for a geyser to erupt.
Porthos ran after them, his five gold coins still clutched in his hand. "Lord Leornars! You saved me fifty gold! How can I ever repay you?"
Leornars didn't stop walking. "Repay me by not speaking for the next three hours, Porthos. The silence would be the most valuable currency you could ever offer me."
"Understood!" Porthos shouted happily, before immediately tripping over a rock and falling into a bush.
Leornars didn't even look back. He just sighed. "Stacian, did we bring the memory-erasure mana? I'd like to forget I ever shared a carriage with that boy."
"I'll prepare the spell immediately, My Lord," Stacian replied with a faint, genuine smile.
The trip ended as all things did with Leornars—with a kingdom's economy slightly shifted, a commoner bankrupted, and the world just a little bit more "balanced."