Time dragged in awkward silence. I honestly felt worse for the blue-robed guy still lurking nearby, trying way too hard to pretend he wasn't spying on us. At one point, he even started casually kicking dirt or inspecting a tiny rock like it held the secrets of the universe.
"Sooooo." All eyes turned to me.
"Uh." I hated silences. Say something, anything. "What are Force Crystals used for?"
"Buying stuff, obvi—" Synthia started, sounding like a self-declared expert.
"Other than as currency." I sighed, shaking my head.
A few disciples in varying robe colors passed by, throwing us cursory glances before continuing on their way.
"Well, sometimes they're used as materials," Daniel offered. "I don't know much, but I've heard they're useful for tool-making, weapons, that sort of thing. I think they're... catalysts?"
Judging by his tone, "don't know much" was putting it nicely.
"You mentioned some items here are cheap?" Synthia asked, eyeing the other goods at the stall. "Why's that?"
"It depends, but in my experience, it usually has to do with how the item's energy is used," Daniel said, voice calm but eyes locked on the hourglass as it ticked down. He kept throwing cautious glances at anyone who got too close.
"Usage?" I echoed.
"Yeah." He flicked a look in my direction, then back to scanning the crowd. "It's not hard to tell when something has Force in it, but figuring out how much is tougher. And whether the energy is bound permanently? That's rare. Most of the items here only offer temporary effects. The best ones either let you recharge them with Force Crystals or have lasting power baked in."
I glanced at our not-so-subtle shadow. How was I supposed to convince him that what we had was actually valuable? All I could do was identify how much World Force an object had and what type.
As if sensing my confusion, the vendor chimed in without looking up. "It's better not to test these things before you sell 'em. If you burn through the charge finding out what it does, it's basically trash after that."
I nodded in thanks. "So out here," I gestured toward the stalls, "people can tell there's energy in an item, just not what it actually does."
He nodded, casting a quick glance at the nearly empty hourglass.
That settled it. If I could show off what the bangle could do, I'd prove we had a good eye for value. Maybe even do a few demonstrations, just to drive the point home.
"Hey, Peter?" Synthia's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, tinged with confusion, and maybe a hint of concern.
"Yeah?" I looked over.
"Your bracelet. It's… shedding."
Oh shit. Luna.
'LUNA!'
'AH! WHAAAT?!' she shrieked in my mind. 'You scared the heck outta me! I'm busy, you know.'
'Sorry! Just... uh, you feeling okay? Any weird sensations? Discomfort? Um, sense of explosion?'
She hadn't officially started Body Refinement yet, but she'd begun the early purification phase. But I did want to keep an eye out either way.
'I'm fine! Why?' she huffed.
'You're… shedding.' I glanced down. Sure enough, thin, brittle blades of brownish skin were peeling off her normally vibrant blue form. Synthia's description was disturbingly accurate.
'I—I am? Does that mean it's working? Am I stronger now?!' she asked, way too eager.
Maybe my thoughts were coming through clearer than I meant. 'Not yet. Don't rush into refinement until I can monitor it. It can be really dangerous. Keep purifying and restoring your energy. Eventually, you'll go through a full transformation. You'll know when it's time.'
'Got it. Thanks. Just… Please don't scream randomly again. I need quiet to recover more energy and make more cores.'
"Everything's fine," I told Synthia aloud, offering a small smile. "Thanks for telling me."
She nodded, clearly still watching Luna with curiosity. "Yeah. No problem."
"All right. Three from you," the vendor said to me, then looked at Daniel. "And five from you."
Daniel pulled out eight small, thumb-sized clear gems and handed them over. "We'll sort out the exchange back at the sect. Don't worry about it for now."
I smiled. "Thanks."
Without missing a beat, I grabbed the bangle and passed it straight to Synthia. She looked at it, then at me, clearly confused.
Need to explain everything...
I sighed and leaned closer. "*Pretend like you can tell it has multiple uses or something. Use it first. Show it off.*"
She slipped the bangle on but didn't move, just stared at me, waiting.
A pause stretched uncomfortably.
"*What's wrong?*"
"How do I—*how do I use this?*" she whispered back.
Oof. Right. "*Uhh… Dunno. Just shove your Internal Force into it or something? Can't be that complicated, right?*"
Her sarcasm vanished as she took a deep breath and stepped into character. "I will begin the full appraisal, Master. Please stand back."
She took a few steps away from the stall. Probably a smart move, just in case this thing blew up or something.
The bangle responded almost instantly, glowing with a soft, red-orange light that quickly intensified. The glow expanded outward, forming a translucent sphere of heat and energy that enveloped her completely.
It wasn't blinding, but it was obvious. Anyone paying attention would've seen the effect.
I glanced at the bangle through my True Sight. Energy particles were still swirling around it. That meant it wasn't a one-and-done.
"At the very least," I said quietly, "it doesn't seem like a single-use item."
"I know, I can feel it, Master." Synthia said with a note of barely disguised irritation.
I really needed to figure out how she could sense different types of World Force. And why she could use them.
"What is up with you two?" Daniel asked, clearly baffled by our little performance.
I ignored him and reached toward the barrier.
"Ow!" I yanked my hand back on reflex, shaking it. My middle finger throbbed, its skin reddening from the heat pulsing off the shield.
*Pff—cough.* *Ahem.* From inside her safe zone, Synthia tried and failed to stifle a laugh.
"Pardon me," she said, barely masking her amusement. "There are plenty of uses left in the item. Not sure how many, but it should last a good while."
The shield receded as she spoke, and she gave me a smug little smile. And, of course, she kept the bracelet.
Fine. I'd take it back later.
I heard a light gasp behind me. Perfect. Now we just had to prove it wasn't a fluke.
That stall was tapped out, but there were plenty more. I motioned ahead. "Let's check out a few others."
Daniel nodded, still wide-eyed from the bracelet's display. He leaned in, whispering with the kind of excitement I hadn't seen from him before. "*Peter, can she really appraise stuff? We could get rich reselling the good items back at the sect!*"
I probably should've told him the truth. But honestly? The fewer people actually acting, the easier the act was to maintain. So I just smiled and nodded.
He grinned like a man possessed, quickly packing up the chainmail he'd bought earlier. "I'll handle the purchases. Just point at anything that looks good!" he declared, already lost in dreams of wealth.
As we wandered to the next row of stalls, our persistent blue-robed tail continued shadowing us. We ignored him just as easily as before.
"HERE, MASTER!" Synthia suddenly shouted, loud enough to make me flinch and throw a hand over my ear.
What an over-actor.
I looked over. She was pointing at a dagger. Nothing flashy, just a clean, simple design, but it radiated swirling green energy, like a light breeze frozen mid-motion.
The stall's vendor sat behind a wooden counter, already eyeing the hourglass beside the blade. Someone had clearly already started the bidding.
"How much for the dagger?" I asked.
"Seven crystals," he replied without looking up.
Daniel stepped up with zero hesitation. "Then I'll bid eight."
Same as before, the vendor used that wax-slate tool to carve Daniel's name and bid into the surface.
Just then, another guy dressed casually, definitely not a sect disciple, stepped up and glanced at the slate.
"Nine."
Daniel barely blinked. "Ten."
"Master, you must acquire this item," Synthia 'whispered' loud enough for all present company to hear. Subtlety was not her specialty apparently.
The stranger gritted his teeth. "Argh… Eleven."
"Twelve," Daniel shot back immediately.
*Tch.* The man clicked his tongue in irritation. Then he turned and stalked away without another word.
A moment later, the hourglass ran dry. The vendor handed over the dagger, and I passed it to Synthia without hesitation.
Synthia stepped toward a clearing off to the side and gave the dagger a casual swing towards some plant life.
A breeze stirred, light and cool, rolling gently across us.
...And that was it.
"That's it?" The voice didn't come from me, Synthia, or even Daniel. It was the blue-robed man, blurting it out before he could catch himself. "Uhhh. I mean—"
I ignored him and walked over to the shrubs the wind had brushed. I reached out and gently pressed a finger to one of the stalks.
The entire plant tipped over cleanly sliced in half.
"Holy…" I muttered. That thing was terrifying.
'Murderer,' Luna said flatly in my head.
'Go back to purifying,' I shot back.
I turned, smirking at our follower who was now frozen in place, eyes wide as dinner plates. Then, like a startled rabbit, he spun and bolted.
Synthia chuckled. "That was fun. Too bad he didn't stay."
"Don't worry," I said, half-laughing. "You'll get plenty of chances to work on those acting skills."
"I don't need to work on them," she replied, deadly serious. "I'm an expert."
I actually stumbled mid-step.
Yeah… no.
Before I could respond, Daniel jumped in, practically vibrating with excitement. "What are you two whispering about?! Let's go get rich!" He grabbed our arms and pulled us toward the next row of stalls.