Occult Awakening: From Commoner to Archmage

"Good day, sir," Luca began with a polite smile. "I was wondering if you have any curiosities available for purchase."

The man he addressed was a stout, heavyset fellow with platinum hair. He wore an exotic, wide-brimmed black hat and a flashy silver suit that gleamed under the light crystals.

His table was cluttered with an assortment of strange objects, but Luca's eyes were fixed only on one, which was the item Erina had described.

"What are you looking for, kid? I've got anything and everything here," the man said with the tone of someone who had repeated the line too many times.

Luca pretended to browse. With mana constantly coursing through his eyes in a subtle flow, almost nothing magical could slip past his sight. From his inspection, only two items on the table carried even the faintest trace of mana.

The rest were either expensive trinkets or cheap knockoffs masquerading as rare items.

He realized that it was probably the norm in a place like this.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing at an electric blue feather stored delicately in a glass casing.

"The feather of an exotic Lightning Falcon bird. Only one of its kind."

"And that?"

"A rare myrthil ring, once worn by the Thulian wife of King Lothaire of Astor after the Five Year Winter War. He proposed using that. Great gift for your lovely lady, don't you think?"

Luca ignored it, and moved to the next item.

"What about that?"

"That's…"

For a while, Luca pointed at random objects, asking about their prices while pretending to weigh his options. Eventually, the fat man grew impatient.

"Hey, kid, are you just gonna ask questions without buying anything? If you don't have money, get lost."

Luca narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying I can't ask for prices? How can I even be sure you're not selling me counterfeit junk? You don't exactly look trustworthy."

"Eh—"

"You know Digger, don't you? I know him. In fact, I wonder how much effort it would take him to get rid of you."

The vendor, whose name was Grant, froze. A skeptical expression crossed his round face, but his hostility dulled immediately. No one would simply throw Digger's name around so carelessly.

"Alright then," he muttered with a resigned sigh. "What more do you want to know?"

Luca finally pointed to one of the two magical items.

It was a dark, hooded cloak lined with black raven feathers. The fabric looked worn and battered, yet it carried a subtle sheen that made it stand out among the other goods. At least to him

"That one," Luca said.

"Oh, that?" Grant sneered. "Some crazy fellow sold it to me, swearing it made him invisible. Tested it out myself, and guess what? I didn't become bloody invisible!"

"Really?"

"Most certainly. If it worked, I'd have taken it straight to the church. Thank the Sun Father I haven't stumbled into such demonic filth."

Luca nearly burst into laughter, but held it in. He focused instead on the cloak. His mana-sensitive eyes picked up the faint stellar energy radiating from the feathers. The vendor may have dismissed it, but Luca suspected there was more truth to the claim than Grant realized.

"How much for it?" he asked.

"A hundred silver. I'll even throw in one of my cheaper items if you take this garbage off my hands."

What a steal, Luca thought. If it were possible, his pupils would have turned into coins right there.

Still, he shifted his attention to the next magical item. It was a golden bracelet with a simple ruby set in its center. It was the very piece Erina had sent him to acquire. The aura it gave off was unmistakable for an Artifact.

Luca's expression brightened, as though he had just stumbled upon the perfect gift.

"What about that one?" he asked, pointing eagerly.

"Ah, this one's rare." Grant leaned closer, speaking in a whisper. "It belonged to Duchess Katherine Astor, the King's late sister."

"Her father gifted it to her, and she wore it everywhere. Until one day, it suddenly vanished. That same day, she was struck down in an assassination attempt. Quite the tragedy."

Luca was familiar with the story of Duchess Katherin. Almost everyone was. The bracelet, however, had never been mentioned in any account he'd heard.

He glanced at Grant, noting the man's indifferent tone, as though he himself didn't believe the story he was telling. But Luca could feel the artifact's energy even from where he stood.

If it truly had some kind of protective effect and vanished on the day of her death, that coincidence was far too large to ignore

Still, Katherine had been dead for more than thirty years, which was long before he was born. The details didn't matter much now. What intrigued him more was how Erina knew about the bracelet and what connection she had to it.

"How much is it?" Luca asked, grinning as though picturing a delighted lover. "My beautiful lady will adore this."

Grant smirked. "Are you sure you can afford it, kid? It's not cheap."

"Just tell me the price," Luca cut him off.

"Hmph. Five gold crowns. No haggling."

"Deal."

Luca pulled out the coins at once, watching as shock spread over the man's face. Grant froze for several seconds, his greedy fingers hesitating as though he couldn't believe his luck.

"Well? Are you going to hand it over?" Luca asked flatly.

Grant snapped out of it. "Of course, of course!"

He swept the coins toward his side of the table and handed over the bracelet with trembling hands.

"Great piece," Luca said, rolling the golden band in his fingers. He then gestured casually to the raven cloak. "Mind if I come back for that later?"

"Not at all! Come back anytime, sir!" Grant replied quickly, his tone suddenly courteous.

But even as he spoke, a wicked smile spread across his face. Luca noticed it but chose not to react. He merely turned and began walking to the next location without a care.

'How dare that brat insult me earlier? Grant thought bitterly. I'll make sure to teach him a lesson. And he looks loaded, too. Lucky me…'

***

Thank you Prick_James for the comments and the power stones! Power stones reset today, so you guys'll have to get serious to reach the 20!