"Well then, I'll gladly accept the stakes of this bet~"
Shajin smiled as he took a black card from in front of Pantalone. His expression was filled with smug satisfaction.
Pantalone twitched the corner of his mouth slightly, his face turning a bit grim. Usually, he wore a perfect mask, but at this moment, cracks started to show in that façade.
Ever since the last time he mistakenly got Shajin's address wrong, Shajin had been coming to him for gambling frequently.
And Pantalone knew very well that Shajin possessed strength far beyond that of a god. He didn't dare refuse easily.
As a result, Shajin had been repeatedly winning enormous amounts of Mora from him.
"Pantalone, do you want to continue?" Shajin looked at Pantalone, his eyes gleaming mischievously.
Pantalone sighed helplessly and shook his head, smiling bitterly, "No more, if we keep going, I'll lose all my wealth to you."
Shajin shrugged, standing up and patting off the dust from his clothes.
He smiled, "With your wealth, even if I bet with you for years, I might not be able to win all of it. But since you don't want to play anymore, I'll take my leave."
With that, Shajin turned and left, leaving Pantalone sitting there alone.
…..
"Hey, partner! Found you here!"
A lively smile spread across Tartaglia's face as he waved to Shajin from a distance.
It was strange, really—ever since Shajin took up this position, Tartaglia hadn't held a grudge about their previous losses. Instead, he'd been coming to challenge Shajin to sparring matches almost every few days.
As time passed, Tartaglia even started calling Shajin "partner" in a friendly tone.
Their sparring sessions were quite special. They didn't use Visions, nor did they rely on Delusions. Instead, they purely tested their martial skills.
This form of simple, straightforward combat allowed Shajin to gain a deeper understanding of Tartaglia.
He had to admit, Tartaglia had truly mastered every weapon. Whether it was close combat or ranged attacks, he showed exceptional skill.
Even his weakest skill, archery, surpassed most people's.
If Shajin had to describe Tartaglia, he'd say without hesitation:
"Tartaglia is a pure warrior."
Returning to the matter at hand…
"Tartaglia? What's up?"
"Sandrone asked you to come to her workshop. The weapon you requested is ready."
"Oh?" Shajin was intrigued.
Not long ago, he had jokingly asked Sandrone to make a weapon to match his aura. But to his surprise, Sandrone had taken him seriously.
"I'll go take a look now."
"Remember to come to the training grounds when you have time, partner."
"Got it~"
…..
"Sir, would you like to buy a bouquet of flowers?"
Shajin instinctively turned when he heard the voice and saw a little girl nervously looking at him. Her backpack was filled with snow-white Cecilia flowers.
This scene instantly reminded Shajin of a little girl selling grilled fish he had met five years ago. The overlapping images of the past and present made him momentarily lost in thought.
"Sorry, sir!" At that moment, a woman hurriedly ran over and pulled her child away, nervously apologizing to Shajin.
Snapping back to reality, Shajin smiled warmly, "It's alright."
He stepped forward, gently bent down, and stroked the little girl's head, softly asking, "How much Mora for these flowers?"
The little girl's eyes immediately brightened, but just as she was about to speak, her mother hurriedly covered her mouth.
"Sir, if you like them, you can just take them," the woman said, terrified.
Shajin smiled slightly, shook his head, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a bulging money pouch, containing about three thousand Mora.
Without hesitation, he placed the pouch in the little girl's hand.
He then waved his hand, and all the Cecilia flowers were absorbed into the space of his Vision.
Finally, he smiled and waved at the little girl, saying gently, "Goodbye, little one~"
He nodded at the woman, who was filled with surprise. She quickly returned the gesture, her attitude respectful yet cautious.
As he made his way toward the workshop, Shajin took out one of the Cecilia flowers from his pocket.
He placed it gently under his nose and took a deep breath, savoring the delicate fragrance.
He knew that the flower symbolized "The True Love of a Wanderer," representing the gentleness within the heart of a drifter and their yearning for freedom.
This meaning pleased Shajin deeply.
When Shajin arrived at The Marionette's workshop, he saw Sandrone sitting quietly in a chair, wearing glasses, and busily working on something. She didn't even notice him enter.
Shajin didn't disturb her. Instead, the "Puppet" moved a stool and gestured for Shajin to sit down.
The workshop was filled with all kinds of tools and materials. The walls were adorned with various mechanisms, each one revealing exquisite craftsmanship and unique design.
Shajin sat quietly, admiring Sandrone's focused work while also thinking about the new weapon he was about to see.
Time passed, and soon Sandrone finished her work. She looked up and finally noticed Shajin, a hint of surprise crossing her face.
"Oh? Adventurine, you're here." Sandrone stood up and took off her glasses.
She forced a smile on her otherwise expressionless face.
"I just finished your weapon. I hope you like it."
She walked over to the workbench, carefully picking up an item wrapped in cloth and handing it to Shajin.
Shajin took the bundle, feeling its weight and texture, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Go ahead, open it," Sandrone encouraged.
Shajin slowly unwrapped the cloth, revealing the weapon—was it a glove?
The glove had a modest black gemstone embedded on it.
Shajin carefully examined the glove and touched the gemstone. He suddenly felt a faint energy pulse.
Curious, he put it on and attempted to channel his Geo elements into it. Immediately, Geo elements flowed from his fingertips in the form of threads.
"What is this?" he asked, intrigued.
Sandrone explained, "This glove can compress and solidify elemental energy into threads. The more concentrated and powerful your elemental strength, the more resilient and effective it becomes.
"Awesome! Sandrone, you're a genius!" Shajin praised, completely impressed.
Sandrone smiled faintly, "I'm glad you like it."
"Now, Adventurine, I suppose it's time for you to pay for it, right?"
"Of course~" Shajin smirked.
He had known that there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world.
_
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