"No money, no pendant." She huffed, snatching her the pendant back from Amare’s hand before scoffing at Rui.
Amare’s expression fell.
Rui stared at her in disbelief. "You know we have countless such pendants back ho, right?"
"..."
"You could get one that is a thousand tis better with gold and silver."
"..." she directed an unimpressed expression.
"I’m pretty sure I can recreate that exact pendant if I wanted to."
"..."
"Huff..." Rui heaved a resigned sigh before returning his gaze to the older woman who had already written them off.
"Get out of here if you have no money; you’re hiding my spot from other custors." She grumbled before opening a giant box around her with plenty of raw seashells that had yet to be cleaned and processed.
She began placing them in a little instrunt, exerting herself to press as it popped them open, one by one, each one straining her more than the last.
She had hundreds, if not thousands.
"I can do that for you in the blink of an eye if you agree to give us this pendant in return," Rui struck up a bargain out of the blue. "It will save you hours of effort."
She squinted her eyes with suspicion. "You’re going to sit here for hours crack each one open just so your girl can have the pendant, hm? I suppose you aren’t a total deadbeat."
Rui’s wry smile of amusent widened while a flicker of displeasure appeared on Amare’s face.
"He isn’t a deadbeat." Her eyebrows furrowed.
"Listen to , young lass," the older woman regarded Amare with a patronizing, but wise tone. "This is the type you have fun with and move on. He looks good, he’s probably good in bed. But he’s not the type you build a relationship with."
Her gaze returned to Rui, sizing him once more, before scoffing. "Taking his woman out on a date and doesn’t even have any money, kids these days. But let’s see, if you’re willing and able to do what you offered, then perhaps I’ll let your girlfriend have the pendant."
Her mouth curled up with amusent, as if she wanted to see how far she could push the young man to grind in order to impress the young lady he had with him.
"Deal." Rui smiled as he simply raised a finger before him.
A single motion was all it took.
CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK...!
The seashells began popping open like popcorn within the giant box, perfectly cleaved with surgical precision in one fell swoop, while not a single one of them was scratched in the slightest.
The woman shook where she sat as her eyes widened with shock and disbelief. "W-what is this?!"
In just a mont, a few hours of labor were completed.
Rui ignored her astonishnt before taking the pendant and offering it to a beaming Amare, who turned around before shifting her long, brown hair to reveal the nape of her neck.
Rui put his arms around her as he gently brought the pendant around her neck, before clicking it in place and bringing her hair back.
She turned around, gazing at the pendant fondly. "How does it look?"
Rui smiled affectionately at her.
"It looks beautiful on you."
She bead at his complint before playing with it affectionately.
"Oh, Great Sir!"
Rui turned as he found the woman prostrating before him.
"Forgive for failing to recognize soone of your stature!" Her tone was a little fearful. "In my old age, my senses and instincts have dulled, failing to recognize a pathwalker as powerful as yourself!"
Rui shook his head. "Don’t worry about it. Thank you for the pendant."
It wasn’t that her senses failed him, just that Rui had concealed his power perfectly, allowing him to project an entirely normal young man in his early twenties. Also, it was interesting that she called him a pathwalker; it must have been a more general term for anybody pursuing any of the six paths or their hybrids.
Also, from her attitude, he could tell that while the Hlakaschken Trade Empire itself stood on business and did not go all out for recognition of status, that did not an that its citizens did not.
"Co on, let’s explore more of this city!" Amare pulled him, dragging him along as the two of them took off into the air. The older woman simply watched them fly off with a shocked expression, walking into the air as she realized even the young woman was a pathwalker.
"What race were they of, again?" she frowned, squinting her old eyes, before simply shaking her head. "Whatever, let’s just be happy I got out unscathed."
Rui and Amare soared through the air above the city as they studied the entire place with curious fascination. Rui, in particular, was reminded of the now-destroyed Shionel Confederation.
The entire port was largely comrcially driven, with most establishnts and buildings dedicated to comrce and business. The infrastructure, dense as it was, was robust and appropriately spaced, with frequent maintenance to it despite the exhaustive use of it by the people who made it.
The vast majority of goods were technological in nature, sold largely by the dwarves, tekvores, and the elves.
It was here that Rui and Amare saw their first hint of racial competition.
Businessn and traders of the three races sold different kinds of products with greatly differing production thods and fundantal philosophies.
The elves occupied an entire market by themselves.
His eyes lit up with curiosity as he saw both dark and light elves working among rather seamlessly. "How fascinating."
They sold organic or biological products, many of which were edible or costic. He recalled learning in West Genora that elves were among the largest exporters of food to the world, and it reflected.
They harbored large quantities of pulses and grains, selling them in bulk to representatives of countries or organizations, and by the kg to the native population. In contrast, their other products involved their living wood technology, and a variety of organically derived products. He even saw large sections of the market dedicated to special tea, sothing he recalled Mother Vyia talking about.
The vast majority of markets and shops sold direct goods and services of a wide variety.
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