Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

In an instant, hundreds of teenagers dressed in white therapists' uniforms filed out of the clinic and dispersed to various parts of the city.

“Hey, Lyra. These little darlings are running around in the city, don’t you think they might get attacked by the secret factions…” Alexie nudged Lyra’s shoulder.

Leila's face instantly fell: "Oh no... I actually overlooked something so important!"

Recently, the Dark Faction has been unusually active, and I have a feeling that they are planning something big that no one knows about. Right now, nearly half of the city's medical personnel are isolated. Once they are targeted, Orario's entire medical system will collapse.

Leila clutched her head, exclaiming, "What happened? How did things get like this? My hot spring, my bath!"

Kaguya retorted, "Stop talking nonsense. You should have killed that kid in the dungeon back then."

Alexei: "Kaguya, don't say such cold and heartless things. Let's search together."

"I remember he's from the Soma Familia, shall we go check over there first?"

"Hey..."

……

Ora, in a hidden alleyway on Northwest Main Street.

The surrounding area consisted of dilapidated brick walls, with a few crooked trees peeking out from beside the ruined houses. There were few lights along the way, with only a few magic stone lamps swaying gently in the darkness.

Charles suddenly sneezed.

"Who's thinking about me?"

Rubbing his nose, under the moonlight, Charles followed closely behind, rounding several street corners, and stopped in front of a dilapidated room without a nameplate.

He reached out and gently knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

A slightly aged voice came from inside the room, followed by footsteps moving a stool.

"guest."

A moment later, the door was pushed open, revealing a simple room. It was empty and unremarkable.

But the identity of the short, elderly man gave the shop a magnificent illusion.

because……

"A new face indeed. Welcome to... the Goblin General Store. How can I help you, esteemed guest?"

Chapter 18 Goblins and Magicians

An aged voice rose at Charles's feet.

He lowered his head, and what came into view was an elegant old man with a mustache, leaning on a small cane, and whose height was less than knee-high.

He stroked his neatly trimmed beard, straightened his slightly crooked red top hat, and looked up sharply to scrutinize the late-night visitor.

Goblin... oh, or perhaps "earth spirit" would be a more fitting name.

They look like goblins with long ears, but in reality, fairies don't have a fixed appearance.

They are the incarnations of gods in the mortal realm, most of them lacking self-awareness and rarely appearing in the human world. However, there are some exceptions.

For example... the immortal spirits of the earth.

Over a long period of time, they have fully integrated into human society, using their miracles to provide various forms of commercial assistance while earning their own rewards.

such as……

The most famous goblin rental vault, and also the world's largest goblin library in Orario.

Among these goblins, the shop owner, Pom, is the most distinctive. His ability seems to be 'appraisal,' and he makes a living by buying things at low prices and reselling them at higher prices, which is exactly why Sharl came here.

"I heard that your companions in the family have received a lot of care from you."

Instead of getting straight to the point, Charles tried to get closer to him.

"Companion?" Shopkeeper Pom paused for a second while stroking his beard, then slapped his forehead. "Ah, you were introduced by Xiaolizi?"

This shop is very hard to find because it also deals in selling stolen goods, which is a gray industry. Unless you are introduced by an acquaintance, it is unlikely to be open to the public.

Ciel was fortunate enough to learn about this position because he remembered a certain "fellow traveler" in his clan.

"Where's Lily? Isn't she here?" Charles followed the shopkeeper Pom into the store, looking around seemingly bored.

"She doesn't live here. Come to think of it, I haven't seen her much lately. Do you know where she went?"

The shopkeeper, Pom, seemed unintentional, but Charles sensed a subtle probing.

Charles's heart sank; he seemed to have overlooked something crucial...

Did Lily Luca reveal her identity to this shop owner during their relationship? No, Lily, with her transformation magic, wouldn't have used her identity to establish a connection with this middleman. At least seven years later, their relationship was likely just that of customer and shop owner, perhaps with a touch of sympathy for a regular customer?

No, that's not right.

I pondered the shop owner's intention in saying those words...

First, he knew that Lily Luca was being bullied by the Familia, so he wanted to test whether I was a pursuer.

In other words, this seemingly detached immortal spirit still shows some favoritism towards Lilyluka, even now.

They had even already guessed someone's identity!

Charles remarked: "No wonder she's the reincarnation of Finana. Even the fairies instinctively protect her."

Human nature is so complicated in this world.

Charles reorganized the language:

"She's probably still striving for her dreams. I didn't come here to find her."

"Oh?" The old goblin climbed onto his chair and casually asked, "And who is this guest...?"

"Since you've called me a guest, I'm here to make a purchase. I've heard you have some special items here, and I'd like to see if there's anything I urgently need."

"Oh, so you really are a guest. Come, come, come this way..."

Upon hearing this, the wrinkles on the aged face of Manager Pom softened.

Ciel followed Manager Pom around to the back warehouse. As he tapped the floor with his cane, as if inputting Morse code, an underground passage was revealed before Ciel's eyes.

Pom tapped the floor again, and magic stone lamps lit up on both sides of the dark passage.

He turned his head and said, "What kind of goods do you want? I have plenty of good stuff here."

Charles pondered for a moment: "Are there any black robes that magicians wear? Preferably ones that can cover their faces."

The goblin lazily raised the corners of his eyes slightly: "Oh? This is quite a rare item. No wonder you came to find this old man."

In the world of DanMachi, magicians are an extremely rare profession. Unlike ordinary mages, they are scholars who focus on studying magic.

It is an abbreviation for the study of magical techniques.

Such professions are quite rare in Orario, a heroic city that pursues fame, fortune, and great achievements; they are more common in the Sorcerer Kingdom.

Charles was also trying his luck: "I didn't expect there actually was one."

"Yes, come with me."

Pom led Shar into the tunnel.

As he tapped his palm rhythmically, the room's grid changed in a complex way, like a Rubik's Cube, until finally, a wooden door with intricate carvings appeared before Charles.

The shopkeeper blew the dust off the handle, took out a handkerchief, and gently pinched the handle to turn it.

With a click, the wooden door opened.

"Wait here, I remember that thing seemed to be..."

As he spoke, the sound of rummaging through things came from inside, and soon after, Pom came out with two gift boxes.

"Found them, these are the two. See if you're satisfied."

Charles took the gift box from Pom and opened it. One of the boxes was particularly ornate, adorned with various goblin gems, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship. Even Charles, a novice, could clearly sense the faint magical fluctuations emanating from it.

Pom explained, "This was salvaged from a passing grand magician ten years ago. In terms of value and performance alone, it surpasses half of the level two adventurer's weapons. It can not only reduce the damage from most magic, but also isolate curses of a considerable level."

"This... isn't cheap, is it?" Charles said, sounding a bit strapped for cash.

"It's only 5000 million Fali. If Oralie didn't have no customers in this category, I wouldn't have given you this discount."

So... is it alright?

“What about this one?” Charles’s gaze shifted to another, relatively antique-looking cloak.

It was entirely black and didn't have any particular feel to it. Due to the erosion of time, the edges were very rough and messy, like the product of countless garbage bags sewn together.

"This..." Shopkeeper Pom stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and said blankly:

"I can't remember. It was a long, long time ago. I've long forgotten who sold it. It's probably been several hundred years. Now it can be considered an antique, even though it's very broken. If you sold it to collectors in those magical kingdoms, it wouldn't be cheap."

Didn’t expect there would be an unexpected gain?

This robe, bearing the marks of time, is exactly what Charles expected!

Seemingly realizing that Charles's pockets weren't full, Pom asked:

“What’s your budget?”

Charles thought about it and decided not to hide anything; he couldn't afford to pay more, and he desperately needed this pretense.

"500 million Faris".

"make a deal!"

"……Um?"

I... lost out?

Noticing Charles's gaze, Pom stroked his beard and smiled with satisfaction: "Young man, these two items really can't be sold. In fact, I'm willing to sell them to you for any price you ask for."

"But to be honest, you're not losing money at this price. Take it to the Magic Kingdom, and you can at least double your money when you resell it."

You old rascal, you're really wicked...

"What was your initial buyback price in fares?"