Chapter 161: Genovesi Mirrors

Walking into the shop, Xinya was struck by the beauty of all the well-crafted mirrors that were out for display. Big ones, small ones, plain ones, fancy ones, there was every sort of variation of mirrors, out for him to see.

However, the one that drew his attention right away was a crystal blue medium-sized one. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing special about it, but the more he looked at it the more it seemed to transform into something wondrous.

Disregarding why he came into the shop in the first place, Xinya still holding Melting Snow's hand walked over to crystalized blue mirror as if he was in a trance. As he walked closer the surface of the mirror began to change, instead of his reflection it showed a luminous landscape unlike he ever seen before.

[Quest Triggered!]

Hearing the familiar ding, Xinya was about to reach out and pick up the mirror, knowing that it had to be a quest item when a voice stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that sonny." a boisterous voice warned.

Lowering his hand from grabbing the mirror, Xinya turned to see a short but stocky older gentleman and a concerned looking Melting Snow looking at him.

"Are you alright, Drifting Cloud? I was calling out to you, but it was like you were in a trance of some kind." Melting Snow asked worriedly.

Still a little out of it, Xinya slowly nodded his head, "I'm fine, I think. I don't know what happened back there."

"I can tell you what happened." The older man who was near them said.

Xinya turned his full attention towards the man, who after a second look with a clearer head, seemed to be one of the Dwarf races. This was the first time that Xinya saw one close up in this life and including his last one.

Taking a closer look at the NPC, there weren't any special identifying traits that most races have, like the elves, dragonkin or a Dryad like himself. The NPC just looked exactly like a human, just a small one.

Even though the man had a small stature like most NPC's in this game, he was very good looking. Looking him up and down, Xinya thought this NPC was probably very popular with his face.

The pointed chin, a hooked nose, and full lips paired with his short, curly, brown hair and a goatee were great selling points. However, the man did have a fault which was his eyes which were very stern-looking.

"Who are you?" Melting Snow asked, snapping Xinya out of his ogling session.

Smiling widely the man said, "I am Ronald Genovesi the owner of this establishment."

Holding out his hand, Xinya said, "It's nice to meet you, sir, I am Drifting Cloud and this is my friend Melting Snow.

"It's nice to meet you, laddies," Ronald said, shaking each of their hands in turn. "May I ask why you come to my shop?"

"I have this mirror that I need to sell, but got distracted when I came in," Xinya explained, glancing over his shoulder at the crystal blue mirror.

Stroking his beard, Ronald looked at the mirror and in a grave voice intoned, "You're not the first to be lured by that mirror and you won't be the last."

"Can you tell us about it?" Melting Snow asked curiously, wondering if the mirror was a danger or not.

"It is called, Cermin Pantulan (Mirror of Reflection)," Ronald begins. Walking over towards it the man picked it up, before bringing it to the boys so they could better see it. "It was sold to me by an unknown traveler with the warning that it is cursed. He told me that it will entrance certain people, and once it's in their possession it will take their soul."

"And was what the traveler said for real?" Melting Snow asked stepping a bit back from the mirror.

Bobbing his head at the boy, Ronald said, " He was. Every once in awhile this mirror will lure someone to buy it. I don't know what happens when it leaves my shop but after a while, it will return with a new mark on it."

Turning the mirror over on it's back, Xinya and Melting Snow could dozens of snake-like lines covering the back surface. Xinya, knowing that this was a quest, realized that this was showing the number of people who died while trying to complete it.

"When I first got it there were only five lines," Ronald told them with a sad shake of the head.

Seeing how there had to be over 500 lines on the mirror now, Xinya was sure whatever the quest was, it was bound to be extremely hard. However, he also knew that difficult quests meant big rewards. Contemplating whether he should try it or not, he thought about his goals and decided that yes he did want to.

"How much is the mirror?" Xinya asked the NPC who looked shocked that he still wanted to buy it after everything he told him.

Jabbing Drifting Cloud's side with his elbow, Melting Snow said, "Are you crazy, you heard what the man said."

Melting Snow might be an adventure junkie but even he knew better than to lead himself to imminent death. He knew it was a quest of some kind, but it definitely had to be far out of the scope of their ability to complete it. He might talk big, but he knew his limits.

"You should listen to your friend sonny, only death awaits if you buy this mirror." The dwarf stated, trying to warn him against buying it.

"I understand that," Xinya started, and he did, but even if he buys the mirror now doesn't mean he would attempt it immediately. He knew his limits, he would wait until he was a higher level and completely ready, before even thinking about it attempting it. "But I want to discover it's secrets anyway."

Seeing the seriousness in the green-haired boy's words, Ronald inclined his head in agreement, "If you're sure then, I will sell it to you for 10 gold."

"Are you really sure you want to buy it, Drifting Cloud?" Melting Snow asked.

"I'm sure," Xinya told the boy while ruffling his hair. He was sort of surprised that Melting Snow wasn't excited with the prospect of them having a new adventure, but then again with their last two quests, Xinya could understand. "However, before I buy it, let me show you what I came here for."

Taking out the Mirror of Pandemonium, Xinya showed it to Ronald while Melting Snow stood to the side thinking. He started to realize that when it comes to Drifting Cloud there were no small quests, understanding this he wants to persuade the man even more to join his cousin's guild.

He was going to wait until they reached Arkala to bring it up, but now he thinks he should bring it up on the walk there. Hopefully, there won't be any earth-shattering quests on their journey there.

He didn't know why, but after his talk with his cousin, he was beginning to be cautious about everything. Melting Snow hopes this mature attitude of his passes soon. Letting out a sigh, he wondered how things were going on Wandering Sound's and Roaming Wind's side.