Chronicles of Forgotten Extra-Chapter 102: Veil of Shadows.
Alden heard the sharp and desperate scream.
"PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME!!"
Alden traced the source of the voice.
He saw a woman was cornered by three men in the shadows of a dark alley.
Their lust-filled eyes said it all.
Alden looked at the woman.
Then at the men.
Yep…
Definitely a trap.
He was sure it was a trap.
Why?
Because the four other men were hiding themselves in the shadows.
He still decided to confirm it.
He activated the Aura Detection effect of his Eyes of Supreme.
His vision shifted, as he could now see different colours.
He scanned the group again.
Just as I thought.
His aura detection was just basic level, so it didn't show anything else other than a faint aura of a person.
From that faint aura he could deduce many things. The aura fluctuates violently if someone's emotions are too extreme.
If the woman was truly in danger, her aura should also have flared violently.
But nope.
Her aura was as still as a calm lake.
It was the same for the auras of those other men; it was calm, without any fluctuations.
Ignoring them, he continued on his way.
He didn't have time to play the little games they were playing.
The woman's voice rang out once more.
It was even louder and more desperate this time…
"HEY YOUNG MAN, PLEASE HELP ME!!"
"PLEASE"
"I'LL REWARD YOU WITH ANYTHING."
The men also started doing their act.
"HAHA, NOBODY IS GOING TO SAVE YOU."
They were intentionally speaking louder. Trying to bait Alden.
Alden could understand the reason for such an act.
I mean, who doesn't wish to be a knight in shining armour to save a damsel in distress?
Right?
He was currently at the edges of Central District, so there were many such scammers present in this area.
But man, at least try to be a bit original.
The woman's desperate cries echoed through the alley.
Alden didn't even spare them another glance.
It was none of his business.
He kept walking, his footsteps fading into the noise of the bustling streets.
__
As soon as Alden was out of sight, the woman dropped her act.
Her wide and terrified eyes relaxed into a neutral expression.
She clicked her tongue in annoyance
"Tch. We missed that easy target," she muttered.
One of the men leaning on the alley wall sighed. "Yeah. He looked rich, weak and, more importantly, he was alone. What a waste."
"What kind of bastard ignores a woman screaming for help?" Another thug, nearby, scoffed. "Seriously, what if it was real?"
"Whatever. Let's just wait for another idiot to pass by." The first thug shrugged.
Almost as if on cue, another figure appeared at the alley's entrance—a young man dressed in fine clothing.
He was glancing around as if he was unfamiliar with the area.
The woman got back in her position immediately, switching back into her damsel in distress act.
She stepped forward, her voice breaking with fake desperation.
"PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME…"
The other men grinned, ready to put on their show again.
__
After walking for a while, Alden finally arrived in the Central District.
He could have simply taken a cab.
But what's the fun in that?
He wanted to explore the city, so he just walked, and for an initiate rank like him, it wasn't that exhausting either.
He looked around himself as the Central District in its full glory greeted him.
After taking in the sight for a few minutes, he started walking again.
Alden walked through the bustling streets of the Central District.
The district was alive with activity: merchants shouting out deals, adventurers walking around fully geared and some people walking as if they owned the whole area… probably some haughty nobles.
Despite the crowded streets, Alden walked through effortlessly, avoiding the occasional pickpockets with ease.
He wasn't here just for sightseeing.
He had a goal.
A mask.
Not just any mask, but an artifact.
Something that would make identifying him much harder.
So, he was going to visit an artifact shop.
After a few minutes of walking, he spotted a small shop in between two larger buildings.
Unlike the flashy stores surrounding it, this one didn't scream luxury.
Perfect.
[Valden's Relics]
The name was simple.
It looked like a proper artifact shop.
He stepped inside.
A gentle chime echoed as the door was opened.
The store was peaceful.
Yeah, too peaceful.
Not even a single customer was in sight.
There were many shelves lined up. They were filled with various artifacts of different ranks.
Some were basic—low-tier mana rings, protective charms—while others had a more strong presence.
The artifacts ranged from common rank to elite rank.
Artifacts above Elite Rank were too rare to be found in such small shops.
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They were the artifacts that couldn't be bought with just money. Connections were required for that. Except if bought from the black market.
He looked towards the counter of the store.Behind it sat an old man with a sharp gaze.
His white hair was neatly tied back. The old man's rank was too high to be a normal person.
The old man looked strong.
Perhaps he is some retired adventurer?
Alden glanced at the nameplate.
[Valden - Artifact Specialist]
So this was the owner.
"If you're looking for some cheap stuff, try the market stalls." The man barely spared him a glance before speaking, "If you're here for something real, state your business."
"I need a mask artifact." Alden smirked slightly. "One that can make identification difficult."
"A boy your age looking for that kind of thing? Hiding from trouble, or causing it?" Valden spoke in a sceptical tone.
Alden didn't respond.
He simply met the man's gaze.
"Fine. I have something similar." Valden spoke after a moment.
He stood up from his place and walked toward the back of the store.
After going through some shelves, he finally came back, carrying a black box from somewhere in his hands.
He set it on the counter as he unlocked the box.
He turned it toward Alden.
Alden peeked inside the box to see a sleek black-coloured mask. It was plain without any kind of design.
Hell, it didn't even have an eyehole.
How the hell am I going to be able to see through it?
But oh well, it's an artifact so it might have some effect related to it.
Alden was even feeling suspicious if this was really an artifact, but the faint mana leaking out of the mask denied his suspicions.
"This is [Veil of Shadows]. An Elite-Rank artifact.
"It can alter facial features subtly, enough to throw off basic identification magic."
"It also has a passive effect that makes people naturally overlook you unless you draw attention to yourself."
"You won't even feel anything different when you wear this mask."
Alden picked it up.
It was a good find.
Perfect and effective for blending into the black market.
"How much?"
"Normally, something like this would go for 1,000,000 Era." Valden smirked, "But you seem like an interesting one. I'll give it for 800,000E."
Yeah, interesting, like every one of your customers.
Alden smirked inwardly.
This was a common merchant trick, acting like the buyer was someone special while overcharging them.
Elite Grade artifacts were expensive.
But not this much.
"500,000 E." Alden said in a resolute voice, "Nothing more."
The old man frowned slightly, not expecting the young man to negotiate.
"800,000" – the old man gave his price.
Alden didn't respond and just stared into Valden's eyes.
"700,000" The old man lowered the price, but Alden still didn't respond.
Silence.
"Ok, final price, 600,000." The old man sighed as if he was making some huge loss.
Alden just turned around towards the door to leave…
The old man was flustered a bit.
"Hey, wait… 550,000. This is final." Valden called out in desperation, "I can't go any lower than that."
'Thanks, Mom.' Alden thanked his mom in his mind.
This was something he had learnt from his mother in his previous life.
She had ingrained the technique of bargaining into his very being when he had once bought a shirt for a bit more expensive than normal.
Alden smirked.
"Deal. But throw in an Elite-Rank Mana Contract for free."
"Fine, you win." Valden hesitated before nodding.
Valden's expression changed into one of exaggerated defeat, as if he had suffered a massive loss.
Alden knew better.
It was all an act.
Mana Contracts were binding agreements enforced by Mana.
If a user violated the terms, they would suffer the consequences, making them a highly effective tool for deals and negotiations.
Despite their usefulness, they weren't that expensive.
An Elite-Rank Mana Contract typically costs around 50,000 Era at most.
Meaning Alden had secured an Elite-Rank artifact for 500,000 Era and a contract worth 50,000 Era, totalling 550,000 Era—which was still above the standard Black Market price.
But he needed the mask before entering the Black Market. So he didn't mind the loss.
Alden transferred the money without hesitation.
Valden watched, grumbling as Alden stored the mask in his storage ring.
Alden simply nodded and left.
After exiting the shop, he took out his ManaSync again to check out the time and remaining balance in his account.
[Remaining Balance: 578,400 Era]
He had only this much money remaining in his account.
Era was the universal currency in the world of Eryndor, and all species used this for any transaction.
He looked at the time.
There was still a lot of time till evening, so he decided to explore Valloria for real now.
But before that he had something to check.
He took out the mask as he channeled the mana to bind it to himself. A faint wave ran through the artifact, signaling recognition
Good. Now, let's see what you can do.
He summoned the artifact's information.
[Displaying Artifact Details.]
[Veil of Shadows]
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