Demon Wolf

Before Wolf made his second step into the temple, a plump man wearing smart robes appeared. The dark-skinned cleric had passed his prime, his hair had grown thin, and he looked markedly different from all the shapely traders and clerks Wolf met in Silver City.

He’s also shapely. Spherical. Still, he has that air of Spirit of Fairness’s worshipers.

“Welcome, valued customer,” the undervalued priest interrupted Wolf’s silent comparison.

The man stood straight, staring Wolf in the eye; his bearing neither haughty nor subservient. Despite the late hour and the obvious struggle to stay awake, the intruding shopper did not irk him. However, Wolf caught the minuscule twitch of his lips indicating a stifled yawn, and the man darted his eyes about, revealing anxiety.

“Good evening.” Wolf nodded in acknowledgement. He glanced around, but found no other attendants in the temple’s trading area.

Well, it’s a small town. I can’t expect dozens of clerks like in Silver City’s main shrine. “I wish to trade some nubs, Monster Beast parts, and various trinkets. Can I do that here?”

“Yes, naturally, valued customer.” The priest smiled, rubbing his sweaty, flabby palms. “But I must warn you, I cannot buy goods obtained through unfair means.”

What does that mean? Is killing a Monster Beast and taking its nub fair? What about killing someone who attacked you or your home, like those Bear Tribe warriors? Wolf paused to gather his thoughts.

“Who decides what’s fair?” he asked, refraining from scratching his scalp. Mandy warned against such overt body language. While sometimes endearing, it was not solely a gesture of innocent contemplation, but also of felons concealing their crimes.

After talking for several brief minutes, Wolf established the criteria his goods needed to meet. The list was rather strict; nothing stolen, embezzled or scammed of other manlings. He could trade valuables he found on corpses, even if he turned people into those corpses, but not if he killed them coveting their wealth.

“… but you needn’t explain the origin of your merchandise. Neither I nor you decide what is tradable. The Great Spirit’s altar ensures the fairness of exchanges.” The flabby man gestured towards the counter when he mentioned the altar.

“Please follow me.” As the pastor spoke, his shoulders relaxed and the tension gripping him melted away as his tired eyelids drooped even lower.

I bet he had unpleasant dealings with savages. Wolf sized up the pudgy cleric. It’s difficult to estimate a priest’s combat ability. Gods empower them, but this one looks thoroughly unremarkable.

Hiding his disdain, Wolf nodded and followed the mercantile cleric to the altar. He scrutinized what appeared like a common counter found in regular stores, spotting no runes or signs of Spell Formations.

Still, Wolf obeyed and placed three test items atop it. He was just as interested in the mysterious table’s workings as he was in the cleric’s appraisal skills.

The chubby man picked a fourth order nub. “This is a nub of a fourth stage Qi Gathering Monster Beast. You could sell it for twelve gold crowns and seven silver strips in large cities. I can buy it from you for ten gold and twenty silver.”

He replaced the tiny bone orb and picked up a slightly larger one. “This one comes from a fifth stage Qi Gathering carnivore. You could sell it for twenty-five gold. I can buy it from you for twenty-three. As for the rations, I apologize; I have no market for them. They generally go for twelve silver strips a kilo, but even if I buy them at five, I can only purchase a small amount; ten kilos at most. I hope you understand. I cannot buy merchandise destined to rot in my warehouse.”

Wolf scratched his chin. The holy man’s rates were not great, but they seemed fair.

I can still see the wall from here; hells, I can hit it with a tossed rock. Hunters and adventurers venture into the wilds to hunt Monster Beasts. It’s natural for prices of monster cores and parts to drop.

Wolf understood the situation, yet a slight, unwilling frown appeared on his brow.

After a moment, he sighed. “That’s fair.”

“Well, naturally.” The priest flashed a smile at Wolf’s compliment. “Rates in Houses of Fairness are as fair as possible; regardless of the temple’s location. That is why informed customers favor us. However, we have a quota on how much we can trade every month. Otherwise, we would put the other merchants out of business. Running a small store is difficult, and ruining their prospects is unfair.”

Seeing how chatty the priest was, Wolf had an idea. I could question him about topics which seemed inappropriate back home. At worst, he’d frown at me. I already look like an ignorant savage; I might as well act the part.

“You appraised my goods at a glance. How did you do it?”

“That is one of many blessings the Great Spirit bestows upon the devout. Do you wish to do business?” The answer disappointed Wolf. It was vague, and the priest steered the conversation in the desired direction.

I wonder if he realized I wanted to probe him for information? No matter. We can trade first. I’ll ask my questions later. 

“Yes, I wish to trade a hundred nubs of varying quality.” Wolf produced an assortment of bony pearls, which the cleric appraised in several silent seconds before despondently shaking his head.

“I only have twenty-five hundred seventy-nine gold crowns left this month, while your goods are worth three thousand one hundred and fifteen gold.” Losing business because of funding pained the man. “I’m sorry, I can’t help you; rules are rules. We can trade up to my limit?”

Much to the trader’s dismay, Wolf shook his head.

“I have a better idea.” Wolf smiled, seeing the priest’s long face. “I’d like to buy information from you first, and you can pay me in gold for the rest of my goods. What do you say about that?”

This was technically cheating the system, and Wolf knew it went against the tenets of fairness. But based on evidence before him, this priest was not a particularly good one, nor was he overly devout. Otherwise, the church would not have stationed him in the middle of nowhere.

Just as Wolf had expected, the chubby man bit his lip and looked down, his principles struggling against his desires. Wolf imagined his inner monologue. ‘That’s a lot of money. But it breaks the rules. It doesn’t really break them, just stretches them a tad.’

While Wolf added his own words to the priest’s pained expression, the man reached a decision. “What kind of information do you require?”

“Nothing special.” Wolf shrugged. “Common knowledge about Boreo, Dowin and Glorious Tyranny, cultivation and other tidbits an outsider, myself, for example, should know. If you have any related books, I would like to rent them temporarily. If you offer housing while I read them, I would like to pay for my stay here.”

The priest sighed with relief and the startled hare’s look he fostered disappeared for the second time that evening. Apparently, he expected Wolf would have more excessive demands for his coin.

Seeing the man’s expression, Wolf wanted to make things even easier.

“We don’t even have to mark it as trade. Whatever change you’re meant to pay me could go to the temple as donations.” He smiled, but the priest frowned.

“Donations are taboo in the Church of Fairness,” he spat the words. His voice growing too sharp, at odds with the humble merchant manner he maintained moments ago. “It is fine for you to pay for our goods and our material or immaterial services. However, charity in all its aspects is a sin; just like gambling.”

“I apologize. I misspoke,” Wolf hurried to correct himself.

The flabby man took a sudden one-eighty, making him realize he really was a believer. He was just willing to close his eyes to gray areas of his beliefs, while the core precepts remained inviolable.

The priest coughed, and his lips drew into an awkward smile. “I also apologize. You’re from the uncivilized lands. It’s perfectly understandable you don’t know our doctrine. Come; I’ll take you to see the books we have for sale. I’m sorry, but I can’t show you my personal library. You would probably find it boring, anyway. Um, do you have anything you’re especially interested in? Maybe I could answer your questions directly?”

The man nervously chattered, worrying this trade might turn foul because of his outburst.

Wolf remained silent for a breath of time. “Actually, I’m looking for information about Treasure World. Do you know whether there are Treasure Rifts nearby, or whether there’s another way I could enter Treasure World? One which does not involve Treasure Rifts?”

“There should be a dozen-odd rifts within this kingdom’s borders. You just have to fill in the application, sign the compliance contract, pay the adventuring tax, and you’re free to enter.” The man stopped walking and raised his hand, halting Wolf. “And before you ask about avoiding taxes and entering through illegal means, I believe you can only enter pocket realms through portals leading into them. Here we are. These are the books we’re selling.”