As it turned out, Warden was right about bringing along Jenni for his shopping spree. He would have spent a big chunk of his allowance on buying some stuff he had his eyes on. But with her help, he was saved from wasting wealth on unnecessary items—all at the cost of ten pieces of desserts.
"Looks like it's rare for the Light attribute to form quintessence in the Iron rank," Jenni muttered. "You should ask the attendant to alert you when it comes in stock."
"Nah, I'm buying this," Warden said, sucking in a deep breath. "How much do you think people need?"
Jenni looked at him as if she was staring down a fool. "You'll die if you absorb the gold-ranked essence, you hear me?"
Warden clicked his tongue, clearly not seeing her argument. "Don't worry, I'm pretty resilient. Besides, I know a few runes that can make it less intense if I need to."
"Do you think I'm worried about you, poor fool?" she snorted, her expression mocking. "Even if you have ways to use them. . . I won't let you use them until you give me my desserts."
"At least you got your priorities straight," Warden chuckled. "So how many grams?"
"Hell if I know," she said.
The attendant returned right about the time, with her sweet smile plastered on her lips. "Thank you for waiting, Sir, Ma'am. I have talked to my superior, and we have agreed to buy the fire-based ability gem for the price of twenty-seven contribution points."
Warden was about to agree, but Jenni took the floor once again.
"Make it thirty thousand, and you have a deal," she said.
"Ma'am, twenty-seven thousand is already more than a fair price, and—"
"Thirty thousand," Jenni repeated, "and we're going to expend all of that credit today. You won't lose much with the double commission you'll get."
The attendant swallowed a breath. "Twenty-eight thousand and five hundred."
"How about a thousand more?"
This girl could really negotiate, and it didn't look like she was haggling at all. Unlike before when she didn't decrease the number of desserts in their negotiation, she buttered up the attendant well to get him more than a fair price of 29,500. With that, Warden bought a hundred grams of Light Quintessence before going into shopping for rations and ingredients for those desserts.
It took about another hour, and by the end of it, he was poor once again.
"It didn't go as you planned?"
"No," the elder shook his head. "Surprisingly, the talk went without a hitch. Orim, he's very understanding of my dilemma."
"Then why that expression on your face?" Warden arched an eyebrow.
"It's just that. . . it was me who initiated the proposal after Orim saved my life in the frontline a century ago," he said with a sigh. "He's an honorable man. .
. He hasn't ever pursued any other women because he had to uphold his honor. . . I think I have done a disservice to both Jenni and Orim."
Warden didn't bother to coddle up the old man with some kind words because he hardly needed it. "So what now?"
"Well, Orim intends to meet with Jenni at least once to break it off officially; I have agreed to it," he said. "Though I somewhat hoped the girl would change her mind, but knowing Jenni, I think she'd just show up to insult him." Sighing, he continued, "At least, Jenni will be happily learning about the news, though I do not want to make it so easier for her."
"Elder Ming, what do you intend to do?" Warden frowned.
"The girl is more willful than a butterfly," Elder Ming said. "While I love how she's so carefree about everything, the way she acts sometimes. . . It is not right. Perhaps she thinks with me behind her she can deal with everything."
"Elder Ming, I don't think Jenni ever goes overboard with—"
"But she can go overboard, and I'll hate it to see her becoming like one of those pompous nobles too invested in their own grandeur that they can't see others. Jenni already has a very narrow view of the world. . ."
"What do you intend to do?"
"Something simple," Elder Ming said with a rare smile. "It's very melodramatic, like in those stories. . . I'm going to make her a challenge. And I need your help with it.
This is the favour that I ask. In exchange, I'll make you the best spear you ever wielded. No, I'll make a full set of equipment if you want."
For anyone else, hearing such a declaration would make them lose their mind, but Warden only thought of Jenni. He wondered if Elder Ming would do something very stupid again and that the relationship between the father and daughter would deteriorate even more.
It wasn't that he didn't covet a fine spear that wouldn't break under his power...
Elder Ming explained his plan, and Warden only knitted his brow deep in thinking.
"You know, this can actually work," Warden said. "Knowing how headstrong she is, she'll easily fall for it."