Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully-Chapter 160: The Bargain

Riku and Sherry kept on walking.

The city was unlike any place Riku had ever been. The streets were clean and orderly, paved with smooth, dark stone that seemed to drink the light. The people were well-fed and moved with a sense of purpose. There was no sign of the famine that choked Luxia.

A street vendor sold sizzling skewers of some kind of roasted reptile meat. The heat for his grill came not from wood, but from a small, contained flame spirit that danced merrily in a metal cage.

Further down, a woman was haggling with a necromancer over the price of a reanimated servant. The skeletal figure stood patiently, its bony hands holding a large crate of produce. The negotiation was calm, practical, and a part of everyday life.

Children chased each other down the street, one of them followed by a small, clattering pet made of animated bones and spare parts. No one screamed. No one ran in fear.

This was not a land of evil. It was just... different. Their magic was dark, yes, but it was a tool, a part of their culture, woven into the fabric of their society.

"They seem... happy," Sherry whispered, her voice filled with a conflicting emotion. "Everything seems so nice on the outside. Only when you are at the top do you realize how things really are."

"Well, peace and trouble often come in cycles," Riku said, his eyes scanning the crowd. "Even in Luxia, there used to be peaceful times. However, ambition and greed always bring up their dirty heads out time and time again to ruin everything." frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

They continued to follow the faint pull of Riku’s magic. It led them through bustling market squares and quiet residential spires, deeper into the city’s heart. The trail grew stronger, the thrumming more insistent.

Finally, it led them to a less-traveled side street, dominated by shops dealing in artifacts, old scrolls, and magical components.

The trail stopped cold before one particular establishment.

It was a narrow, three-story building wedged between a dusty apothecary and a shop selling enchanted inks. The windows were dark, covered in grime and shadow. A single, weathered wooden sign hung above the door, swaying slightly in the breeze.

It read: "The Bargain."

Riku looked at the shop, then at Sherry.

"My senses... they are pointing at this shop."

"Here? This looks like a pawn shop for dark artifacts. Why would your artifacts be here?"

"Something feels wrong," Sherry said, her hand clutching her robes tighter.

"I know," Riku agreed, "But this is the only lead we have."

He pushed open the door.

CLANG....

A bell above it, rusted and old, chimed.

They stepped inside, and the bustling sounds of the Dreadspire street were instantly cut off.

The shop’s interior was a mess. Dust hung in the air, catching the dim purple light from the windows. Shelves were crammed with a chaotic mix of magical junk. The room smelled of old paper, dried herbs, and stale magic. The silence was heavy, suffocating.

A bright, quick voice suddenly cut through the gloom. "Welcome, welcome, travelers! Don’t mind the dust, it’s merely the ghost of good deals past! What can Zella find for you today? A cursed trinket? A rare spell component? Perhaps a slightly-used lich’s phylactery?"

A woman popped out from behind a tall stack of books. She couldn’t have been much older than thirty, with sharp, intelligent eyes that darted between them, and a wide, professional smile already fixed on her face.

Riku and Sherry exchanged a quick, subtle glance.

"Just looking," Riku said, his disguised battle-mage voice a low rumble. He began to wander through the cluttered aisles, picking up a small, rune-etched bone. "My companion and I are searching for a counter to a... persistent affliction. A curse, of sorts."

Zella’s smile widened, her interest clearly piqued. She leaned eagerly over her counter. "A curse! Ooh, now that’s exciting! What are we talking? The Soul-Wasting hex? The Creeping Shadow Blight? I have trinkets that can delay the effects of both. Very popular with the city’s less fortunate adventurers."

Riku placed the bone back on the shelf. "This one is different. It resists dark arts. It feeds on the shadow." He paused, turning to face her. "We need something that resonates with an opposing energy."

The ask was subtle, but Zella caught it. She beamed. "An opposing energy!" she chirped. "A fascinating puzzle! Most curses are fought with stronger curses. To fight one with its opposite... that is a rare and difficult path. I love a good challenge!"

She bounced on the balls of her feet, then came darting out from behind her counter. "I have a few items! A Sunstone shard, said to hold the last light of a summer’s day. Very minor. Or perhaps a flower collected from the other side of the mountain? Though it is almost dead, it should still have some potency!"

She showed them the new items with a flourish, her gaze shrewd, watching their reactions.

Riku examined them, but none of them were the items that he was looking for.

"Not quite. We need something more... potent."

He decided that he had to press it a bit.

"My apologies, but my senses are... unique. I can feel the echoes of magic. And in this shop, beneath all the fascinating layers of shadow and decay, I sense a different kind of echo. Faint. But persistent. A form of light magic I have never felt before. I would like to see those artifacts if you could."

"Light magic?" she repeated, her voice slowly losing its warmth.

The change in Zella’s countenance was instantaneous.

Her bright enthusiasm faded, and her smile snapped shut. Her eyes, once sparkling with professional interest, narrowed into suspicious slits.

"Why would a battle-mage and a shadow-weaver, practitioners of the true and honest arts, seek out that primitive, distasteful power?"

"I will be honest, Zella, we were not telling the exact truth to you earlier. Me and my partner here, in addition to being a battle-mage and a shadow-weaver, are also researchers," Riku spoke with a serious demeanour.

"We research various ways to manipulate magic, and right now we are trying to improve some of the minor offensive spells."

"You know how darkness always has this disadvantage against light? That is what I am aiming to solve for. With my research, soon our magic will become the strongest. Hahaha." Riku tried to give an evil laugh.

Zella’s eyes still radiated suspicion, but her posture slightly relaxed.

"I see.."

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