Reborn as the Failed Lord with my Resource Gathering System.

"Here are the magic crystals. Please tell me which you'd like and how many sets," the beastman advertised, pushing a box of shimmering crystals toward Maria.

The box had six slots, each holding different types of mana crystals distinguished by their color and use. Red mana crystals, for example, were used to amplify mana; an alchemist could craft a spell, and the crystal would magnify its effect. The blue crystal was more of an empty vessel, a mana bank where one could store energy for later use. As for the black magic crystal, it was essentially a combination of the other two. It was also easy to judge their quality by how thick or light their colors were.

With the tip of her finger, Maria tapped the high-quality black crystals. "I'd like this one."

"A black magic crystal. Excellent choice," the beastman purred. "That will be 20 gold coins for the low-grade, and 150 gold coins for the high-grade."

Maria was about to reach into the sack of money strapped to her waist when Jordan suddenly spoke from behind her.

"Old man, are you trying to scam my commander?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

The beastman shot him an irritated glare. "Look here, monsters have been popping up on the route to the port. Prices have increased across the board. There is nothing I can do about it," the beastman clapped back.

Jordan clearly didn't buy a single word. He was willing to argue, but Maria seemed uninterested in the banter. She dropped a heavy sack of gold onto the table, her eyes calm in contrast to the two men.

"Here. Give me 5,000 gold worth of high-grade black crystals."

"Commander!" Jordan exclaimed. Even Aces, who had been quiet, let out a shocked shout.

The beastman didn't waste a second. He snatched the cash from the table and scrambled to the back of his shop to gather the crystals.

Aces sighed heavily. "I should have handled the negotiation. I'm certain the market price is closer to 120 gold, not 150. We got scammed."

Jordan's jaw was still open, shocked at how readily Maria had parted with the money. After a few minutes, the beastman returned, stacking two boxes of magic crystals on the counter—a total of thirty-three high-grade black crystals.

"Here you go, 5,000 gold worth of black mana crystals," the beastman announced, grinning from ear to ear. "Please, if you need anything else, be sure to let me know."

"That will be all." Maria took the boxes from the counter and headed out, allowing no one to carry them for her.

Before Jordan and Aces exited the building, they glared at the merchant, contemplating whether to do the unmentionable. They eventually realized it would only be a waste of time and followed her out.

Later, inside the carriage, Maria had gently placed the boxes on her lap while seated on the left. Beside her was Jordan, his gaze fixed on the passing scenery outside the window.

Aces sat on the single couch opposite them, his arms and legs crossed. They had been driving for a while, and now that they were outside the barony, things felt suspicious.

"I hate to be the one to say it, but they are still following us, Commander," Aces uttered, his eyes closed as he turned his face toward Maria. "Do you still think it's just a spy?"

Maria sighed before she gave her response. "They haven't attacked us yet, and I couldn't care less. My job is to deliver these items to Lord Dorian. If you two want to fight that badly, then be my guest."

Silence took hold for a moment.

"Well, you heard the lady. What do you say?" Aces now turned to Jordan.

"Meh, I'll pass," Jordan replied. "I can only sense one person; two of us going would be a waste of time. You can go. I can tell it's what you want, so you can stop pretending."

"Ah, geez. You flatter me," Aces smiled, slowly standing to his feet even as the carriage rattled along. "Now then, excuse me."

He moved to the entrance of the carriage and slid the door open. With half of his body out, Aces peeked outside, trying to spot the person who had been tailing them.

And he did.

Riding on a single horse was a man in a black cloak. He wasn't on the road but deep in the forest, a place only a warrior with sharp eyes could see.

"Found you."

Shrr!

Lightning sparked around Aces's body as he charged forward, leaping from the moving carriage and running straight for the forest.

The man in the cloak, panicking after seeing the crackling green lightning heading his way, quickly reined in his horse in an attempt to make a sharp turn.

Fate had other plans.

Before he could get his horse to move, he found Aces perched on a rock right beside him.

"Hey there. Big fan?" Aces gripped the hilts of his twin blades, both of which were gifts from the town blacksmith, forged from the finest dragon ore.

The man froze, tumbling from his horse and landing headfirst on the ground.

"No way… how did you get here so fast?" The man's cloak fell from his head as he scrambled to his feet, pulling out a small knife. "A-are you part of the Aurelian barony?"

"Aurelian barony. Interesting." Aces slowly opened his eyes, a cold smile on his face. "So you are here to spy on us. I was right all along. Can't wait to see the look on Jordan's face. Now, tell me, pretty boy, who sent you?"

"Ha!" The man chuckled forcefully. "What makes you think I'll—"

Shrr!

It happened so fast the man didn't know what had occurred until it was too late. All he saw was a flash of green lightning, and suddenly, Aces was standing behind him.

But that wasn't all. Somehow, his blade was now dripping with blood, and the man's own left, severed arm dropped to the ground right after.

"Ahhhh! My arm!!!" The man gripped his damned stump and fell to his knees, tears of agony streaming from his eyes.

Meanwhile, Aces had already moved closer, resting a single hand on the man's head.

"Did that hurt? Good. I can do the same to your other arm if you give me an answer I don't like. If you hesitate, I'll cut off your legs. If you blink too much, your eyes will be gouged out."

The man simply knelt there, struggling to stop the bleeding, terrified for his life.

"Now then, what was the question again? Right. Who sent you?" Aces gripped the man's head even tighter, his eyes glowing with mana.