Liu i's fingers tapped lightly against the counter, a crisp, steady rhythm that sohow made the entire shop feel smaller.
"Pack the one with Thunderstone Alloy," she said coolly, as if the decision had already been made. "What is the daggers na?"
The apprentice, almost on instinct, stamred out,
"I-it doesn't have a na…"
Liu i nodded once.
Reaching into her robe, she withdrew a heavy bag and placed it soundlessly on the counter, the muffled clink of gold unmistakable.
"How much?"
The girl, still trembling, checked the price list.
"Th-thirty thousand gold ingots…"
Liu i pulled out a second bag and laid it beside the first, her expression unreadable.
Then, her gaze sharpened as she stared at the apprentice.
"Fifteen thousand," she said simply.
The girl gasped, her eyes darting around nervously.
"But... but that's too cheap! We can't—at least, we can do twenty thousand—" she blurted out, panicking.
Liu i's eyes narrowed slightly, easily catching the frantic swirl of the apprentice's surface thoughts.
Base price's twenty thousand... if I go lower, they'll fire …
Calmly, she sent a single thought into the girl's mind, her ntal voice smooth and cool as silk:
There's a spatial ring in the second bag. Wear it. Put one of the gold bags inside. Each bag contains twenty thousand gold ingots each.
The girl's hands trembled. She opened the second bag discreetly and, just as instructed, slipped on the plain-looking spatial ring hidden within.
Then with a flicker of spiritual light, one of the heavy bag of gold ingots vanished into the ring.
Liu i's voice rang out calmly for the old man kneeling to hear:
"I will be taking this dagger for twenty thousand."
Her tone was so final that no one dared object, not even the kneeling old man, who was still gasping quietly for air.
The girl bowed deeply, her heart pounding wildly, and hurried to pack the dagger in a fine case.
Liu i finally retracted her soul pressure, allowing the shop to breathe again.
Without a backward glance, she accepted the dagger case, turned smoothly on her heel, and walked toward the exit.
Each step felt like a calamity making it's way out of the shop.
The entire shop watched her leave in stunned silence, the weight of her presence lingering long after she disappeared from sight.
* * *
Outside the Tang Weapon Pyramid, Liu i strolled calmly through the busy streets, swirling her newly bought dagger in hand.
She casually swung it left and right, testing its weight, the blade whistling softly with each movent.
After a few tries, a faint frown tugged at the corner of her lips.
Too light. Maybe I should have gone for a pair of dagger.
It didn't feel substantial in her hand, it even felt like sothing ant for a child rather than soone of her strength.
Still, she already bought it, she wasn't gonna go back and 'un-buy' it. Could she..
With a small sigh, Liu i shifted her grip and threw the dagger forward in a casual flick.
The weapon shot out like a silver arrow, slicing through the air with a sharp hiss, drawing curious glances from nearby pedestrians.
It flew straight toward a large, heavy gate at the end of the street.
Just as the dagger was about to strike the wooden gate, a blur of motion, Liu i's fingers closed around the handle mid-flight, the dagger stopping re inches from impact.
She stood there silently for a mont, feeling the light hum of the blade in her hand.
A troubled look crossed her face.
If I'm faster than the dagger I myself throw... What good is this little toy?
Her fingers tightened slightly around the hilt.
She needed better tools. Ones that could probably keep up with her speed.
Still spinning the dagger thoughtfully in her hand, Liu i continued down the street, her figure blending into the bustling crowd, calm and composed as ever.
As Liu i twirled the dagger absentmindedly, a thought suddenly struck her like lightning.
Wait a minute...
Liu i paused mid-step, blinking.
Slowly, a rare spark lit up her normally indifferent eyes.
Junior Brother! Shan Yifeng specialized in formations, didn't he?
Maybe... just maybe... she could get him to carve a speed formation into the dagger! Won't that be wonderful? A good use of human resource if you asked .
The corners of her lips lifted slightly, a rare mischievous glint flashing across her normally calm face.
Good idea, Liu i, she praised herself inwardly, already imagining the look on Shan Yifeng's face when she "politely requested" his help.
Well, he can't refuse , I'm now his senior, he ought to do my biddings.. In fact! he should. Look at ! Your senior sister, going out of her way to bring you back to master herself!
At Least I deserve sothing. And, you were the one who taught we should listen to everything the senior tells the junior.
This is just payback for all the advantage you take of a while back.
Her steps grew lighter at the thought, but she soon found herself standing before a massive city gate, the main exit of Aetheria.
Liu i paused, staring at the gate.
She sighed once.
Then twice.
And for good asure, a third ti, plain and expressionless.
Without another word, she turned on her heel and slipped right through the gates, stepping beyond the city's protective walls.
Finally, she was outside the bustling city of Aetheria.
She glanced at the road ahead, contemplating her path.
"As Master always used to say..." she muttered under her breath. "When in doubt, everything goes south."
With those wise words, she promptly turned east and started walking.
Because South... led to the Dark Valley River, a place so infamous even birds avoided flying over it.
And Liu i, proud and stubborn as she was, knew better than to traverse the endless sea.
"Not in this life, not a chance.", she muttered to herself along the journey.
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