harleyscars Chapter 31 Trading and Choices
Chapter 31 Trading and Choices
Suren looked at Old Vic's daughter, hesitated for a moment, then turned away from the people surrounding him and walked straight toward the girl.
Seeing Suren approaching, the girl subconsciously took two steps back, then, as if challenging herself, bit her lip and stood still.
Suren sized up the girl in front of her. She was looking down, and there was a slight odor emanating from her, as if she hadn't showered for days. Suren asked somewhat seriously, "Are you sure you want to buy it?"
The girl was taken aback. She looked up at the young man in front of her and seemed to recognize Su Lun. A look of surprise appeared on her face.
This is understandable, after all, Old Vic's shop used to be quite honest, and Suren had bought some things there before.
She understood the meaning behind Suren's words; he was asking if she was truly prepared to undertake those dangerous rituals. Suren's question seemed more like giving her a way out.
She remained silent for a long while, then finally nodded solemnly. Suren, watching her gesture, sighed, "130 pounds, is that all?"
In fact, Suren wanted to offer a lower price, but as a superhuman of the Libra Church, he needed to "practice the doctrine," and with so many people around him, he dared not gamble.
"Yes!" The girl excitedly reached for her money, afraid that Suren would change his mind. But Suren quickly grabbed her arm and shook his head. "We won't trade here. I have things to do. Go look around first, and we'll trade outside later."
The girl paused for a moment, then seemed to understand something, looked at the crowd around her, and softly hummed in agreement.
Suren stopped looking back at her and walked to the stall she had inquired about before. The stall owner was in urgent need of money and was selling some good quality potions at a low price.
Suren chose three bottles of medium-strength healing potions and one bottle of hardening potion, spending less than 30 pounds in total, which was quite cheap.
These life-saving potions, which are not considered high-grade, have some identification methods in church books. After Suren's testing, these potions were indeed genuine.
After that, Suren spent another 5 pounds 3 shillings to buy three so-called extraordinary books and an alchemical water bottle.
This water bottle might be useless to others, but it is very practical to Suren.
Its sole function is to automatically fill itself with water each day, a considerable amount, approximately 3 liters, up to five times a day. This means that Suren can freely create five large mirror surfaces, making it undoubtedly a very useful item.
Suren's gaze fell on the bulging canvas bag, and he thought to himself: if the "Mandala Ring" hadn't been left with a contingency plan by that mysterious person, it would have truly solved his immediate problem.
As for consumables such as bullets, the prices here are generally high. The duty station has a large number of alchemists as logistical support, and the production volume is incomparable to that of civilians, so the price is naturally much cheaper.
After mentally reviewing everything to make sure nothing was missed, Suren also decided to leave.
He looked around, searching for that thin figure, and soon found her.
She was standing timidly at the door. Su Lun sighed inwardly and rushed over to the girl, patting her on the shoulder.
She was looking down, seemingly lost in thought, when she was startled by Su Lun. Upon seeing who it was, she smiled.
Suren didn't say anything, pushed open the door and walked out, with the girl following closely behind.
The old man glanced at the two of them, and perhaps because Suren was a stranger, he pointed to Suren's right side.
Suren turned her head and saw a corridor with gas lamps hanging on both sides, casting a dim glow that made it look a bit eerie.
Suren nodded to the old man and then walked down the corridor.
Before long, the two arrived at a door. As soon as the door was pushed open, a salty sea breeze rushed in. Suren looked around and found that they were right by the harbor, with a wide view.
After the girl stepped out of the door and stood still, the door behind her slammed shut with a "click." Suren glanced back and saw that the door frame and the wall were perfectly fitted together, without the slightest trace.
Suren glanced at the girl behind her. She was still the same, her small body curled up, her head down, seemingly lost in thought.
"Aren't you afraid I'm a bad person?" he suddenly asked.
The girl's eyes darted around, and she smiled, saying, "I recognize you. You and Karl even helped my father before..."
Before she could finish speaking, she lowered her head and fell silent.
Suren looked at the girl, whose mood had turned somber again, without saying anything. He strode forward, leaving only two words: "Keep up."
After wandering through the alley for a while, the follower I had imagined did not appear.
Suren thought about it and realized he was being overly cautious. Although the Deathbird was not well-liked within the church, it was still revered by ordinary people, and most dared not follow it.
Thinking of this, he stopped in his tracks. Before he could speak, the girl behind him spoke, her voice low and deep: "Sir, I've heard that praying for power from deities outside the church might turn you into a monster. Is that true?"
"Yes." Suren answered without hesitation, hoping the girl would back down.
"Could you do me a favor?" To Suren's surprise, the girl did not back down. Instead, she looked up at him with a determination beyond her years. "You are now a great 'Deathbird,' and I hope you can watch me perform the ceremony."
If I become a monster, I hope you will destroy me; I don't want my death to bring pain to everyone.
Suren sighed: "Actually, I suggest you keep this money and live a good life. The chances of surviving through folk rituals are extremely slim. Even if you are lucky enough to become a superhuman, life afterward won't be as wonderful as you imagine."
The girl lowered her head again, her voice trembling with tears: "I can't go on living like this..."
Amid the girl's intermittent sobs, Suren learned what had happened: after old Vickers died, the girl's mother, already frail, passed away a few days later, leaving behind only their savings of forty years. The girl, lacking any skills, was desperate and sold items from the shop, barely scraping together 140 gold pounds with her parents' savings, hoping to use it to become a superhuman.
Suren fell silent. He really wanted to persuade the girl to live a good life, but it would be difficult for a girl who hadn't received much education to live alone in Loren Town. In the end, she would most likely end up as a...streetwalker.
Yes, even in this church-controlled social environment, street prostitutes still exist, and it's even tacitly approved by the authorities.
Despite having around £130, an 18-year-old woman living alone would inevitably face harassment and even robbery if she chose to live in a working-class neighborhood with relatively low rents. The church patrols regularly, but incidents are bound to occur over time.
If she chooses an apartment with relatively high rent, then her safety will be somewhat guaranteed. However, even if she eats Anthony's bread every day, she can only last for three years at most. After three years, she must find a job or get married.
If further study is required, the cost of the study could even be reduced from three years to two.
However, in Suren's opinion, this might be the best choice.
Looking at the girl crying with her head down, Suren couldn't help but think, "Is it right for the church to destroy a family with just a beating for the sake of its so-called 'doctrine'?"