MISS PAINTER, YOUR ART HAS COME ALIVE!

Sometimes, Kaelis couldn't quite understand what level of technological advancement this world actually had.

Walking down the street, Kaelis looked to both sides.

Although the sun had only just set, the streets were already dim.

The pale moonlight spilled onto the gravel road, giving those black cobblestones an extra touch of elegance.

Yet visibility around remained severely inadequate.

However, her destination in the distance still shone brightly.

What surprised Kaelis wasn't merely that it was lit up, but rather because the light... actually came from light bulbs!

As far as Kaelis remembered, light bulbs should only appear after the Second Industrial Revolution.

Yet the living standard of this world was still around the time of the First Industrial Revolution... Though during daytime, Kaelis had also seen automobiles existing...

Different worlds, different progress rates...

Kaelis shook her head, then tightened her grip on the longsword wrapped in ragged cloth held against her chest.

After starving at home for a while, Kaelis finally decided to go out and sell this sword.

She knew that grabbing it during daytime and selling it at night seemed overly hasty, but... she had no choice. Her funds were truly running out.

If she didn't get some food soon, Kaelis doubted whether she'd even be able to get up tomorrow.

Therefore, despite knowing the risks involved, she still had to give it a try.

The familiar road took her over two hours this time. Kaelis dragged her weary body and finally arrived at the marketplace she'd visited earlier in the day.

During daytime, this was a market; but at night... it transformed into something completely different.

Still bustling, but this time it wasn't street stalls making the noise, it was the shops with their doors open on both sides, emitting warm yellow light that illuminated every passerby's face. Drunkards, gentlemen, nobles, here, distinctions between them gradually faded.

This was the city's only night market, and its greatest zone of chaos.

The guard at the entrance was still that old veteran wearing coarse cloth garments.

He looked somewhat tired, yet still stood rigidly at his post.

When he saw Kaelis appear, he froze momentarily. After his eyes flickered several times, he waved her over to the side.

“What are you doing here so late?”

The veteran seemed quite gentle. Seeing Kaelis, a girl, coming here late at night, he frowned with concern as he asked.

Wasn't she afraid of danger?

“...Uh... selling something.”

Kaelis hugged the sword tighter, her expression showing slight tension.

When the veteran saw her like this, then glanced at her thin clothing and the face barely visible through her eyes, after a brief daze, his gaze turned sorrowful.

“You... sigh...”

He wanted to persuade Kaelis, but after hesitating a few times, he found himself unable to say anything.

He'd long passed the age of reckless righteousness. Everyone had their own hardships, others could at most help temporarily, never for a lifetime.

Still... seeing that Kaelis was only about fourteen or fifteen years old yet had to do such things, he couldn't help but feel moved.

Meanwhile, Kaelis felt helpless.

Although her memories from the past were fragmented, her age couldn't possibly be below eighteen or nineteen.

Besides, she definitely wouldn't resort to disreputable professions.

Her upbringing and self-respect wouldn't allow it.

After a pause, seeing no one nearby paying attention, Kaelis looked back at the old man.

Though even now she didn't quite know his name, this elder had indeed helped her a lot during the time she first started peddling goods. Plus, he was more familiar with this place than she was. So after pondering briefly, she took the risk and cautiously lifted a corner of the ragged cloth.

“It's not that kind of thing. I want to sell this.”

“This?”

The veteran was taken aback, then looked at what Kaelis had revealed.

But at just one glance, he suddenly reached out and pressed down on Kaelis's hand.

“Enough... that's enough.”

His expression became extremely tense. Only now did Kaelis notice that the elder's left hand hadn't moved properly from the beginning...

Seemed like a prosthetic.

There were also a few small holes in the sleeve that hadn't been mended.

Noticing Kaelis's gaze, the elder froze, then awkwardly pulled his hand back.

“This thing... is valuable. It could fetch quite a sum.”

The elder changed the subject, seemingly unwilling for others to see his pitiful living conditions.

On his dry arm, the skin was very thin, clinging tightly to the bones.

Kaelis wasn't some clueless fool ignorant of human nature. She didn't say more, merely continued speaking along the elder's line.

“Really valuable?”

“...Very valuable. These patterns can only be forged from black steel uniquely produced in the Kingdom of Gallon. Some of the better specimens are even specially supplied to the royal family of the Dias Empire...” The elder nodded, but seeing Kaelis's excited expression, he hesitated several times before shaking his head. “But you'd better not sell this thing... it could bring trouble.”

“Trouble?” Kaelis was baffled, thinking the elder had somehow recognized the sword's origin.

But the elder shook his head.

“No... it's just that things like this aren't meant for people like us to possess...”

An ordinary man is blameless, yet disaster comes from possessing treasure. For commoners like them, merely coming into contact with such an item was extremely dangerous. Even if they actually managed to sell it for money, they likely wouldn't live long enough to enjoy it.

“...But I have to sell it.”

Kaelis understood the elder's meaning, but at this point she really had no other choice.

Without selling it, she'd struggle to survive. Selling it might instead become a turning point. Therefore, even if it was dangerous, she absolutely had to sell it.

And her reason for showing the item wasn't merely to talk with the elder, she had other intentions too.

“I really have no experience with this kind of thing, Grandpa. Can you help me?”

Kaelis spoke, her voice carrying a hint of pleading.

Seeing Kaelis like this, the veteran fell silent.

“Must it absolutely be sold?”

“Yes.”

“Can't survive otherwise?”

“...Yes.”

“...I see.” The elder sighed deeply, yet didn't continue. Instead, he seriously began thinking about how to help Kaelis.

After all, since Kaelis had asked, if he could help, there was no reason not to.

“Something like this definitely can't be sold openly like your street stalls. The best approach would be finding a merchant...”

“But they'll slash prices severely. Little one, remember this, this item absolutely cannot go below three silver coins at the very least. But don't be too greedy either. Given those people's characters, if business really falls through, they might resort to dangerous actions...”

As the elder spoke, he simultaneously sifted through possibilities in his mind.

Though it was a valuable item, merchants capable of handling such things here weren't actually numerous.

Perhaps the noble district might have more options, but patrols there were stricter. Kaelis probably wouldn't even reach the shops before getting driven away.

In worse cases, if caught, she might get into serious trouble.

Therefore, the only place this one-handed sword could be sold was right here.

And among places here capable of buying such a sword...

“There's only one shop that could handle it...”

“Huh?”

“However... It's not easy to deal with…”