Under the machine's massage, Cobra nearly drifted off right there, upside down and half-gone.
The water running over his scalp pulled him back. After the rinse, he felt refreshed. The fatigue he'd been carrying through days of state affairs seemed to go with it, and his body, which had felt worn down to the bone, came back to something lighter.
What pleased him most was the finish. A soft current of air moved through his hair and dried it slowly, and by the end of it, the whole experience had been difficult to fault.
The others had watched his face the entire time with barely concealed envy. Everyone wanted a turn. Even Vivi and Lily stared with wide eyes. The thing was too strange and too useful to look away from.
"Well, Your Majesty?" Igaram asked the moment it was over. "How was it?"
The machine had already passed to him, and watching Cobra enjoy himself that thoroughly had made his own scalp itch.
"Very comfortable," Cobra said without hesitation. "And if it truly conserves water the way he says, this Automatic Upside-Down Hair Washer is an exceptionally valuable treasure."
Amon hadn't quite expected it to perform this well either. Seeing Cobra's reaction, he pressed forward.
"I told you. Everything that comes out of my Jars is a treasure. Not buying one is the real loss."
He lifted the second item.
"And the hair washer aside, there's still this."
That last part was complete nonsense, and he knew it.
"There's another treasure?"
After watching the hair washer, the anticipation in the group had climbed another notch.
Amon gave a light cough and held up the pink-black card.
"This is the Black Rose Special Forces Summon Card. Use it, and it summons a heavily armed Black Rose unit. They stay for thirty minutes and can be called once per day."
Silence.
"You can summon a special forces squad?"
Nobody had expected anything like that to come out of a Jar. The only question left was what they were actually capable of.
"That's right. The firepower should be considerable. Test it yourself and see."
"How does it work?"
Igaram was already leaning forward, just unsure how to start it.
"Hold it and say use. Silently."
Most cards worked the same way. Amon had long since stopped giving it much thought.
"Use."
The card dissolved into a streak of black light the moment the word left Igaram's mouth. A rose-shaped portal opened in the air, and a squad stepped through it.
Everyone went still.
The equipment alone did it. Just that one squad looked capable of matching a small unit of the royal guard.
By pure chance, the moment they appeared, a giant black desert scorpion hauled itself up out of the sand nearby.
"Attack!"
The squad moved. Gunfire, bullets, explosives, all of it crossed the distance in a second, and the scorpion, barely halfway out of the sand, was torn apart before it could react.
When it was done, the squad returned to formation. They stood and waited silently.
War machines.
"What overwhelming firepower..."
Even Cobra let the pleasure show on his face. With a unit like this available to him, his confidence in protecting the ancient weapon felt considerably more solid.
Amon turned to Igaram's bright expression.
"Satisfied with my Jars?"
"Very satisfied. Extremely satisfied." Igaram didn't bother pretending otherwise. "Can I open another?"
One Jar had converted him completely. Now he wanted another go.
Amon shook his head.
"One per person. That's the rule."
He added with a smile, "His Majesty and the others are still free to buy their own, of course."
There was no point selling twice to the same customer when only the first sale counted toward his progress.
"What a shame."
Igaram looked genuinely deflated. He wanted to press his luck, but when he thought it through, he let it go. Being allowed to open even one Jar was already more than most people got. Pushing for a second would only make him look greedy.
"We can open them too?"
Cobra had assumed the rule meant one Jar total between the group.
" I'd like to try one."
Having used the hair washer himself, the temptation had been building for a while.
"Of course. You're more than welcome."
"Then I want one too," Pell added from the side.
Amon laughed.
"No problem at all. One at a time. Your Majesty, you go first."
Two more sales and he could open another exclusive Jar.