Two days later, the air smelled of roasted meat and horse manure. The border town of Kaldorath was incredibly loud, packed with shouting merchants and citizens walking around.
Kian sat on a wobbly wooden stool he had just borrowed from a nearby sidewalk vendor. A cheap, scratched glass ball rested on the center of a small wooden table. He wore a hooded cloak pulled low over his forehead to hide his young face from the bustling crowd.
Across from him, a middle-aged woman sat on the opposite stool. She frowned deeply, clearly skeptical of the entire setup.
"I can see it," Kian whispered. He kept his voice deep and mysterious. "Two days from now, you'll meet someone you lost a long time ago."
The woman raised an eyebrow. "Who could it be? I haven't lost anyone."
"The threads of fate are rarely direct," Kian lied smoothly. He casually waved a hand over the fake crystal ball. "It's a person tied to your past. A bond broken by a bitter argument... or perhaps a sudden departure. You felt a heavy ache in your chest when they left."
Her frown wavered slightly. She shifted her weight on the stool. "An argument? My sister moved to the eastern province five years ago. We fought over our father's inheritance before she packed her bags."
"Exactly," Kian nodded sagely, though he had absolutely no idea she even had a sister. "The unresolved conflict still lingers in your shadow. Prepare your home. The wind brings her back to make amends."
The woman's eyes widened in sudden revelation. She reached into her purse, pulled out a silver coin, and placed it on the table.
"Thank you," the woman said softly.
"Thanks for your business," Kian replied flatly.
She walked away into the busy street. Kian quickly snatched the silver coin and dropped it into his deep pocket.
That was incredibly easy, Kian thought.
He went from being a fraud Adventurer to a fraud fortune teller in less than a week. He just spouted random, vague nonsense, and the customers connected the dots themselves to fit their own lives.
A sharp pang of guilt twisted his gut. He knew scamming gullible townsfolk was wrong, but his hunger completely overpowered his morals. He needed money to buy bread and secure a bed to survive.
He looked across the busy street.
I wonder why nobody has made a complaint yet? he analyzed silently.
If an angry customer showed up with a city guard, he planned to just grab his bag and run for the hills. But as long as nobody caught him, he planned to milk this fake business dry.
A heavy thud broke his thoughts. A middle-aged man with a thick beard walked up and sat heavily on the opposite stool.
"Welcome, seeker of truths," Kian greeted. He pitched his voice low again. "The stars have guided your feet to my table."
The man crossed his thick arms. He looked Kian up and down with obvious doubt. "Are you the famous fortune teller everyone in this border town is talking about? But you're just a kid hiding in a cloak."
Kian did not flinch.
"Wisdom doesn't measure itself in gray hair or tall height. The eyes of a child often see the invisible strings of the world far clearer than an old man blinded by his daily routine."
The man uncrossed his arms. The confident, poetic deflection completely caught him off guard. "I suppose that makes sense."
Kian stared deep into the scratched glass ball. "What is it that you seek, dear traveler? Are you here because of a lost thing?"
The man gasped. His broad shoulders jumped in shock. "How... how did you know?"
I just guessed, Kian smirked internally. Half the people in the world are always looking for missing keys or dropped coins.
"The glass reveals a dark shadow over your current path," Kian said aloud. "Go somewhere cold. A place where wood meets the damp earth, and the sunlight struggles to reach."
"Wood and damp earth?" The man leaned forward frantically. "Do you mean the old cellar under the tavern? Or the storage shed behind the blacksmith? Which one is it?"
"The spirits refuse to be specific," Kian deflected smoothly. "Look where the shadows gather the thickest. The item waits for your hand."
To Kian, it was complete garbage. But the man's eyes lit up with profound clarity.
"The cellar!" the man shouted. "I knew I dropped my ledger down there!"
He slammed three silver coins onto the small table instead of one.
"Thank you very much, sage!" the man cheered.
He jumped up from the stool and sprinted fast down the road to check the tavern. Kian watched him disappear into the crowd.
Easy money, Kian realized. People are incredibly dumb. How come they believe such vague nonsense?
He looked up at the pale afternoon sky, and a heavy, defeated sigh escaped his lips.
"So, this is my new job now," he murmured quietly to the bustling street. "A professional fraud."
He scooped the silver coins, but a bitter, deeply annoying thought suddenly crossed his mind.
I lost my purse three days ago and I still can't find it anywhere, Kian complained internally while staring at his fake crystal ball. The irony of me guessing other people's lost items is just absolutely ridiculous. I can't even find mine.
His stomach growled loudly, breaking his frustrated train of thought. Twenty silver coins were more than enough for a hot meal and a decent room, so he decided he was completely done for the day. He folded the small table and tucked the two cheap stools under his arms.
"Sage! Wait!"
The sound of rapid footsteps approached from behind. A young woman ran frantically to catch up with him. She stopped right in front of Kian. She grabbed her knees and gasped heavily for air.
"Please," she panted, her face flushed red. "I want to know my future."
Kian adjusted the table under his arm. "Sorry, lady, but I have enough for today. The spirits went to sleep."
"I'll pay more," the young woman pleaded.
"Sorry, but no," Kian stated flatly. "Just come back tomorrow."
He turned around to leave. He was so tired, and hunger chewed at his ribs. He just wanted a hot bowl of stew.
"One gold coin!" the young woman shouted.
Kian stopped. His boots completely froze against the road. The words 'one gold coin' echoed loudly inside his empty brain and shattered his fatigue in a single microsecond.
He spun around with blinding speed. The wooden table unfolded in his hands, and he slammed it onto the side of the road. He placed the two stools down and slapped the fake crystal ball right back into the center.
"Madam, please forgive my rudeness. The heavens just called, and they explicitly told me to cancel my break," Kian announced with shameless conviction. He gestured politely to the empty stool. "Please, take a seat immediately. Your destiny is clearly a continental emergency."
---
Late Afternoon.
Kian pushed the door of the inn. A small brass bell chimed loudly in the quiet lobby, breaking the silence of the late evening.
He walked straight toward the old woman with exhausted footsteps. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a single, dull copper coin. He flicked his thumb, so the metal spun through the air and landed flat on the counter with a sharp clink.
The old woman stopped wiping. Her wrinkled eyes narrowed as she looked down at the cheap coin, and then she stared back at Kian's tired face.
"What's this?" she grumbled. Her voice sounded like dry rocks grinding together.
"My payment for tomorrow in advance," Kian replied lazily.
She raised a sparse eyebrow. "Tomorrow? You just paid for tonight a few hours ago."
"I know," Kian said. He let out a long, heavy sigh. "I'm giving you that copper right now so you don't come banging on my door and drag me out of bed in the middle of the night again. I hate loud noises when I sleep."
The owner blinked, staying entirely speechless for a few seconds. A rare, amused snort finally escaped her throat.
"You're a cheeky little brat," she said. She swept the single copper coin into her apron pocket with a swift motion. "Fine. You bought yourself a quiet night. Just don't make a mess in the sheets."
Kian turned around and slowly climbed the creaking stairs. He found his room and walked inside his temporary home. He shoved his boots off his feet, collapsed onto the soft mattress, and went straight to sleep without even taking off his coat.
---
The next morning arrived with a freezing breeze. Kian walked out of the inn while stretching his stiff back. The streets of the border town of Kaldorath were already loud with merchants selling fresh fish, loud citizens arguing over prices, and local guards patrolling the avenues.
He headed toward his usual fortune-telling spot beside the main road, fully intending to scam more people to fund his daily needs.