After the sparring session, word spread quickly.
Mercenaries who had barely noticed them before now looked at Shion and Eren differently. A small crowd gathered around the arena. Some even invited Shion to spar.
But they had a mission. And time was limited.
They returned to the inn, washed the dust and sweat away, then headed straight for the eastern market square.
They paused at the edge of the stalls, considering their plan.
Asking merchants directly about the item would draw attention. Pingnast had warned them: too much interest could be counterproductive.
Scanning every stall by eye would be pointless.
And asking for a man named Carthis, without knowing what he sold, was just as risky.
"What if we ask about different goods?" Eren suggested.
Shion nodded slowly. "We split up. Different items. If he trades in one of them, someone might point us in his direction"
The plan took shape.
They moved through the square separately, asking for herbs, alchemicals, minor enchanted trinkets, rune-inscribed tools.
But none of the merchants referred them elsewhere.
That should have been obvious.
"They won't recommend competitors " Shion said once they regrouped.
"Greed?"
"Business" Shion corrected "Why send a customer away?"
Silence settled between them.
"None of them introduced themselves as Carthis" Shion added "Either it's an alias, or we haven't met the right man."
"Same for me" Eren said. "No one by that name"
Shion frowned slightly "What if he isn't trading today? Or he moved to another square?"
Eren stopped walking "What were Pingnast's exact words?"
Shion thought back "He usually sells his goods near the eastern market square"
Near.
They began circling the perimeter instead.
Along the edges bordering the north and south squares, even toward the center where the town hall stood.
Then a voice cut through the noise.
"Carthis! Bring that crate over here, the customer's waiting!"
Both of them stopped.
Carthis wasn't the merchant.
He was a worker.
They walked around, trying to find the right man.
Or in this case, a Kobold.
It was strange seeing one outside a house. Unless the cart was considered his house. A small ugly creature the size of a child, dressed on some worn clean clothing.
"Well, know we know what stall to visit" Shion pointed out.
The man attending the tent was the same voice they both heard earlier.
They stepped into the tent.
The merchant's smile appeared instantly almost like a reflex.
"How can I help you, young ladies?"
His eyes moved before his head did.
Leather armor.
Sword hilts.
Calloused hands.
Not scholars.
"My associate and I are looking for magical items," Shion said smoothly. "Devorah. This is Alice."
"A pleasure." He inclined his head.
His gaze lingered on their weapons.
"What sort of items?"
Eren stepped closer to the shelves. "We've been experimenting with alchemical formulas. We're missing a few reference texts."
"Of course you are," the merchant said lightly.
He reached for several books and laid them out with careful precision.
"Basic transmutation. Matter conversion. Reactive catalysts."
He watched their faces as he named them.
Testing.
Eren opened one of the volumes.
"Ah." His smile tightened. "I'm afraid browsing damages the spine."
She closed it.
"May I ask," he continued, stroking his mustache, "what branch of alchemy you're pursuing?"
Silence.
Shion met his gaze calmly.
"Applied refinement."
A lie. But delivered without hesitation.
The merchant's eyes narrowed for the briefest second.
"Applied refinement," he repeated.
He knew they didn't fit.
Armor instead of robes.
Swords instead of ink stains.
He wasn't convinced.
Neither were they.
The merchant rested a hand on the counter, tapping with his fingers.
"Applied refinement" He repeated, waiting for any reaction out of them.
His eyes flickered to their belts again. No scorches. No marks of ink. No residue of any kind.
He offered a pleasant smile "You work very cleanly"
Shion didn't react. She kept scanning the goods "We travel. Robes get worn too quickly. Armor is easier to maintain"
"Ah" The man nodded "Field researchers"
Eren caught the shift. He was suspicious. Labeling them. Categorizing.
He stepped around the counter slightly, not enough to pose a threat, just to close the distance between them.
"If you're missing something" He continued "Usually is one of two things"
He raised a finger "One, your formula lacks a stabilizing element" Another finger "Or two, you're trying to replicate something you've partially seen"
Silence.
Eren noticed that this time was deliberate. He was fishing.
Shion tilted her head slightly "You're experienced on this topic"
"I sell to experienced people" His gaze sharpened "Most costumers know exactly what they need for their field of work. I'm afraid you don't"
Eren left the vial she had on the hand, and placed it back.
"What we need" She said carefully "Is discretion"
A flicker of interest showed on the merchant's expression.
The merchant considered for a second his response.
"Discretion costs extra"
Shion stepped forward, closing the triangle between them "We're not looking for common reagents" Her voice lowered just enough "We're looking for something that is not on display"
Silence.
Someone can be heard laughing outside.
A cart passing over the stone roads.
Inside, the air feels heavier.
The merchant looked at them. Studying again. The smile on his face was smaller, more measured.
"If it's not on display, it's not for sale" He paused "That is, unless I can trust you"
He opened his mouth, like he was about to say something, but stopped right before saying that idea.
"If you're serious buyers" He continued "You'll have to give me something"
It was clear, coin was not the currency he was looking for.
He wanted a proof.
Shion didn't hesitate "A fragment of a formula" She said calmly "More like a draft of a complete one"
The merchant's eyes narrowed slightly "Go on"
"It wasn't a transmutation circle" She continued "There was no conversion anchor. No material exchange principle"
She rested two fingers lightly on the counter, as if tracing the lines of something only she could see or recall.
"It was layered. The base was an elemental alignment. The binding structure was threefold" She explained "One would expect a mineral stabilizer, but this was not the case"
The merchant paused "Organic?"
"Resonant" She corrected "It is reactive to ambient flow. To magic currents. It wasn't meant to force change. It was something to redirect it"
Now she had his full attention. Clearly this wasn't a street dabbler.
Eren was trying not to look surprised, but the explanation was above what little she knew about alchemy.
"If the reaction destabilizes after the third phase" Shion kept going "The output fractures"
"Because you lack the harmonizing agent" The merchant said automatically.
"Yes" Shion replied meeting his gaze "Whoever drafted this assumed the reader's understanding of flow control. Probably drafted for himself"
A subtle shift. The merchant knew this was someone educated.