Rain looked over at the one who called him and found an old man with goatee, sitting cross-legged on the ground, his items sprawled over a blanket.
"Are you a newbie?"
Rain nodded.
The old man grinned. "Then it's best if you buy from me. My prices are for newbies. Not all stalls accommodate folks like you, so take advantage of my offer."
Rain was intrigued when the old man mentioned newbie prices, so he went to take a look.
His smile, however, disappeared when he saw the items on the floor. On top of the tattered blanket were old, worn swords, shields, and some flowers and herbs that Rain didn't recognize.
"Old man, the common sword I have is better than this," Rain commented.
The old man laughed. "Cut me some slack, kid. I'm just a regular player. How about some herbs that heal minor wounds? Only $500 each. I also accept Soul Elixirs.
That would be, uh . . . 100 mL of Soul Elixirs."
"Wait, isn't the conversion rate 1 mL of Soul Elixirs equal to $1000?" Rain asked, recalling his shock when he first learned that fact.
Soul Elixirs were the currency in the Spirit Realm, and it took a huge amount of them to accomplish anything in that realm. Because of this, players rarely wanted to part with them, making them incredibly expensive on Earth.
Rain had heard that Soul Elixirs were proven to prolong human life. There was also the knowledge that they could cure any disease, making them a more valuable commodity than money at this point.
However, the amount of Soul Elixirs required to heal and prolong life was immense, often measured in liters, and humans had to consume them over an extended period.
That's why only the rich could afford it.
"Is that right?" The old man laughed. "Then how about this? I'll give you these tokens for only 10 mL of Soul Elixirs each. You need troops, right?"
"Aren't they just goblin tokens?" Rain asked skeptically. Everyone knew that goblins were notorious for being weak and often disobedient, so no one wanted them as troops. "No one wants those tokens."
"What's with you and your aversion to goblins? Do you know goblins are one of the most annoying things to deal with? Those pesky things breed like there's no tomorrow and cause great damage when they move in packs."
"They're weak," Rain said, tilting his head with a flower sprouting over it.
". . . Go away before I decide to eat you," the old man deadpanned.
Rain only raised an eyebrow. Eat him? "Thank you for this, old man. See you around."
The old man clicked his tongue as Rain went on his way. "Are newbies so hard to fool nowadays? Unlike before."
Newbies used to be so excited and impulsive, buying everything in the marketplace. But ever since that [Forum] was established, scamming business hadn't been doing great lately.
The old man fanned himself with the $100 bill before he chewed on it. "Ah, I miss the old times."
From the shadows emerged a creature with dark skin and a horn adorning her head. "My Lord . . . it's time for you to return to the Spirit Realm."
"Oh, it's you? Is it that time already?" The old man barely raised his head to see who it was.
"Are you still scamming humans, my lord?"
The old man grinned. "An old guy's got to have some hobby or I'll get bored. And you don't like it when I get bored."
"The young mistress is calling for you."
"Geh." The old man's face faltered.
"Should I tell her about your little escapade?"
The old man sighed. "Got it, got it. I'll go back right now," he surrendered.
And just like that, the old man and the woman with the horn disappeared as if they were never there.