Chapter 126: 126 Tailing.

After walking out of the mansion, Jin strode over the wealthy district with purpose in his mind.

Many luxurious apartments and mansions surrounded him. Tall building blocks encased with translucent glass reflected the glittering light of the sun to the ground.

Its glow pierced Jin’s retina and scorched his skin, so he didn’t want to stay longer in the place.

His legs brought him to the main street. The place was as busy as ever, with many crowds buzzing around.

The boy looked around the place, checking for a stall or a shop that caught his interest.

Jin stopped in one of the stalls that sold fruit. He took several red apples and told the old man beside him.

“Old man, did you know if there’s a shop where you can order some accessories?” Jin tossed the man a silver coin, which he received with a fake cough.

“Kuhum, just go straight from here. On the first turn, you will find Malik’s Vault just beside the main street.”

“Alright, thank you”.

He bid farewell to the man and stored the apple in his item box for later consumption.

A while later, Jin found himself standing in front of a shop. The building stood in the corner of the road, right before a junction.

It was built with wood and marble, and it still retains its original antique appearance, slightly different from the advanced civilization of the other buildings.

Jin lifted his gaze and saw a metal plaque hung on top of its wooden door that said. ’Malik’s Vault’.

He felt intrigued by the name and pushed open the door, letting a chime from the bell clink melodiously.

“Welcome, how can I help you?”.

A girl wearing a white t-shirt under a brown leather apron greeted him behind a long display case.

Inside, items were lined up in an orderly manner. On each wall, Jin also saw a tall glass cabinet filled with jewelry that glimmered in the bright room.

“Are you interested in something, customer?”.

A petite girl, barely reaching 140cm, stepped toward Jin. Seeing her confident steps, she was probably an assistant or a clerk in the shop.

“Ah, can this place receive an order?”.

Jin scratched his cheek, unsure of the information he received from the street stall.

“Of course, what kind of item would you make?”.

As the girl said, he never thought that far ahead of what kind of item or accessories he should make with the stone from Artemis.

He rubbed his chin and imagined himself wearing a bracelet, but he already had one.

A necklace would overlap with his adventure rank.

Fashion collar, Jin shook his head. He was not overly fond of the idea.

An earpiece, he didn’t like to hurt himself for just some accessories.

The boy grumbled, humming something while in deep thought. After several considerations, he decided to order a necklace.

’From now on, I can just show my adventure card and rank at the same time’. Jin nodded and glanced at the girl who stood patiently waiting for him.

“Have you decided?”.

“Can you make me a necklace?”.

Jin took out the black stone, a gift from Artemis when he bid his farewell in that place.

“This is!?”.

The girl gasped as she received the stone. She traced it using her finger and mumbling. “This is not obsidian, or any material I have seen…”.

The stone has a smooth and cold surface; its jet-black color devours even light.

It was shaped like elongated eyes with a vertical slit running through on each side, like the gaze of a predatory beast that froze in obsidian.

“Can you do it?”. Jin asked, jolting the girl who was absorbed in the stone.

“Yes, we certainly can. Please come to the counter because we have more to discuss about customer names and what kind of material for the chain.”

“Alright”.

Jin followed the girl to the counter and began to fill in his name and occupation. He also briefly interfered with the design.

“So, you would like the chain made from Mithril?”.

“Yes, can it be done? Ah, don’t worry about the price. I can afford it”. Jin stared at the girl.

“Understood. You came at the right time, as we still had leftovers from the earlier orders.”

“Thank you”.

Jin patted his chest while exhaling in relief, but he snapped back and remembered he still had one other item in his hand.

“Um, can you make another two necklaces?”.

“?”. The girl tilted her head in wonder.

Then, her eyes slightly widened upon hearing the boy’s circumstances. She lifted the corner of the girl’s lips. ’Youth, so wholesome’.

***

After getting his order done, Jin left the shop and wandered the street again.

Jin’s brows twitched as he smelled a sweet aroma wafting through the air, his legs moving on themselves and bringing him toward a shop that sold a bakery.

A man rested his hand on the opened window frame and greeted him.

“Hello, kid, how can I help you?”.

“What did you sell?”.

Jin peeked through the inside, where the smell came from.

“Some bread, and cookies”.

“Give me all of them”.

He took several gold coins and held them between his fingers. The man blinked at first, but then his lips spread in a joyous laughter.

“Ghahaha, wait a second please”.

Jin received several bags in hand. The warmth from fresh-baked bread seeped through his skin, calming his nerves.

He handed several gold coins and left the shop for a good place to relax.

The boy stored the bags in hand and took hold of a small one filled with sweet golden-brown cookies.

’Let’s taste it’. Jin tossed one of them to his mouth. The sweet and crisp texture loosened his expression.

“It’s good”.

He wandered from stall to stall, savoring the cookies one at a time.

As he chewed the cookies, the boy became aware that he had become a cookie addict.

Thanks to a platinum-blonde woman who always baked him cookies every single time in that place.

Jin stopped in his tracks as he recalled her figure. The view that stretched before him felt so distant yet closed by the clamoring people.

’Athena, I’m wondering how you are doing now’. He whispered upon the wind in the hope that his words got transmitted to her, who was far away.

His gaze flickered, noticing golden threads that fluttered through the crows of people that drew his attention.

’Lucya?’. Jin recognized the girl who walked in, hunched back like a zombie.

Jin’s Jade Eyes flared as he saw a bit of black aura leaked from the girl’s body.

However, a chill ran down his spine when he tried to call the girl. A tingling sensation crawled through the skin as he witnessed a trace of miasma.

He shifted his attention to the side and noticed a black-haired boy standing far away from him and Lucya.

Even from afar, Jin could see the boy’s appearance and expression. “What is Sereth doing here, and that expression!?”.

Jin stored his cookies and inhaled deeply to calm his throbbing heart. He walked toward the narrow alley and jumped between the buildings to reach the top.

His emerald eyes shrank like lenses, focusing on observing the situation from afar. “I’m sorry, Lucya. I’ll make it up to you later”.

The boy tapped the surrounding mana, and a small whirlwind stirred around him, distorting other perceptions about Jin.

He also coated his legs with a thin layer of barrier to redirect the noise he made.

“This should be enough,” Jin muttered, but the wind silenced his voice so it would never be heard outside.

Jin began to tail the girl and then arrived at the town center. His breath stopped when he witnessed Lucya curled up in her own lament.

His legs unconsciously stepped forward, wanting to stay by her side right this moment, but the figure of a boy tip-toeing from the corner halted his thoughts.

All his movements were obvious.

’I see, so it was like that’. Jin’s brows knitted in a deep frown, seeing a murky miasma leak from Sereth’s body, flooding the area.

The two targets made contact, and Lucya somehow regained her smile and dragged Sereth through the small alley until they arrived at a two-story building.

“Is this the place?”. Jin stopped his legs from moving, turning his attention toward the blue panel that hovered in his sight.

#####

[Character Quest appeared]

[Character Quest: A Sweet Temptation!]

…..

#####

Jin swallowed the bitterness in his mouth, clenching his fists hard until they turned white. “I will talk with Lucya later”.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep