Luck let out a long sigh as he left the blacksmith's district. Though his skin was a bit resistant to the smoldering heat that came from there, it still felt as though he would burn to a crisp at any second.
It had taken him a good deal of willpower not to show any signs of discomfort, let alone pain.
(Now for the rest of the list.) Luck thought as he entered another street with seemingly regular buildings.
Choosing one at random, Luck immediately entered.
As always, the doorbell rang, notifying the store owner of a potential customer.
The man behind the counter seemed to be in his late twenties, though Luck took that with a grain of salt, since ageing had considerably slowed down since the Realm Fusion.
The average Zulu awakener could probably live up to two hundred years and still look like a young man at ninety.
Anyway, upon seeing Luck, the man suddenly smiled, revealing a set of straight white teeth that complemented his dull blue eyes.
"Good afternoon, young man. My name is Clyde. How can I be of assistance?" the man said politely. His voice was strangely pleasing to his ears. In fact, he felt inclined to befriend the man.
He almost even smiled. Until he caught himself.
(What the fuck. Since when did I entertain the idea of befriending strangers?)
Luck figured out really quickly what was wrong with him.
(A mind attack.)
Not just any mind attack. One that was so subtle that he hadn't noticed, and also so overbearing that it hooked his mind immediately.
(Maybe I didn't choose this shop at random after all.) Luck thought as he continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.
The shopkeeper was at least a mid-awakener to possess this level of control. The only reason Luck could break free from the enchantment was that he had been born by and lived with two Saints.
Even with proper control, the aura of a Saint was still negligible to leak out in small trickles. These small trickles, however, could leave the average man in a vegetative state if exposed for long periods of time.
That was why these powerhouses mostly spent their lives in isolation from the rest of the public.
So even before birth, their minds had already grown to withstand the ever-splashing waves that were their parents.
And as they grew, this factor only became stronger to the point where low awakeners could only dream of affecting their minds. With Mental Fortitude on top of that, he was a bane to Mental magicians of his caliber.
Plus, the new gear that Gard gave him may or may not have added a big chunk to his mental defenses.
So Luck instinctively knew that, although the near-warping of his mind annoyed him greatly, he could do nothing about it.
"My name is Luck," he responded flatly. "I require long-distance travelling gear."
Clyde scratched his blonde hair in thought as his face suddenly lit up with another smile. "Certainly, sir, let me just bring that up for you."
He pressed a series of unknown buttons from beneath the counter as Luck once again heard the sound of cranking cogs.
A series of shelves, drawers, and other compartments shot up from the floor, almost catching Luck by surprise.
(Efficient.) He thought as he began to browse through the wares while Clyde watched on with a smile.
He couldn't fool Luck, though, now that he had discovered his 'business strategies', he could see the carefully hidden avarice behind those kind eyes.
(Unfortunately for you, you messed with the wrong person.)
As Luck began to pick and select his items, he could sense Clyde's smile becoming brighter and vaguely sinister.
Luck, however, didn't seem to care.
In a matter of minutes, Luck was done as he placed his chosen items on top of the counter.
"Let's see the herbs and spices, a portable stove, a water flask, pots and pans, and a sleeping bag."
Clyde looked up with confusion written over his face. "No spatial item?"
Luck shrugged indifferently. "I don't need it."
The shopkeeper's confusion only grew, but he masterfully hid it with a smile. "OK then. Your total brings us to four silver and ten bronze coins."
Luck raised a brow. "That's a little bit too much on the expensive side, isn't it?"
Clyde's lips twitched. "That's the normal price. I can only do you the favor of giving you a discount of four silver coins, and that's just because you're our chief's son. Unless it's me who will be gaining a loss."
Luck smiled slyly, "Since you know I'm the chief's son, how about this: Three silver coins or I walk."
This time Clyde visibly frowned (What kind of kid is this? My mental manipulation should have made him agree to the first price I called.)
Clyde looked at Luck as he muttered in a low growl, "Kid, just because your chief's son doesn't mean you can play with other people's livelihood."
"Oh yeah?" Luck said as his smile turned mocking. "And just because you have power, it does not give you the right to play with the minds of others."
Luck almost chuckled as he watched the smile freeze over Clyde's face.
The shock quickly grew into anger as he looked at the boy in front of him with ire. "Boy, you don't know you're messing with."
Feeling the pressure on his mind begin to rise rapidly, Luck spoke hurriedly as he gritted his teeth.
"I think I do. Which is why I know that even if you might enjoy turning me into a brain-dead zombie, you still be miserable when my dad, at least, kills you.
Luck watched with an unbothered expression as Clyde fought an internal battle. Luck was anything but unbothered, though. Inside, he was fighting his own battle as he struggled to prevent Clyde's mana from breaking past his mental defenses.
Unfortunately, that was easier said than done, as he was slowly being overwhelmed by the still-increasing force.
Just when it was about to break through, it suddenly vanished. With such speed that Luck almost gasped out in relief if he hadn't controlled himself at the last second.
A headache was starting to brew inside his head, but despite that, Luck found himself grinning.
It seemed he had won the battle after all.
"Fine," Clyde said through gritted teeth. "I'll sell to you at three silver."
Luck smiled derisively. "That deal just cancelled, though. You know what, throw in a communicator and I'll be on my merry way."
Luck could see the mad fury burning in Clyde's eyes, but he was unperturbed. After all, the man could have killed him.
In the end, Clyde let out a reluctant sigh as he walked to a counter, picked up a single large ring of metal, and tossed it into the pile.
"After a while, a hushed voice, full of killing intent, said, "Deal."
"That's better," Luck said as he nodded his head in satisfaction.
His shadow suddenly expanded, swallowing up his items, as he winked at the shocked shopkeeper and walked out the door.