Her eyes moved.
[Item: Rusted Iron Nail]
[Quality: Low]
[Value: None]
Again.
[Item: Splintered Wood Plank]
[Quality: Low]
[Value: None]
Zi'an stared at the pile for a long moment. Then, very slowly, she exhaled.
"…So it really is trash."
[Correct.]
There was no mockery in the system's tone. It stated the fact as plainly as one might announce the weather.
Zi'an did not look disappointed. If anything, her expression was thoughtful.
She crouched briefly, picked up a chipped shard of pottery, turned it once in her fingers, then set it back where it was.
"One cannot find diamonds in the gutter every day.." she said calmly. "If valuable things were this easy to come by, merchants would not exist."
[That conclusion is accepted.]
She straightened and dusted her hands together, her mood unruffled. Instead of lingering, she turned back toward the main street, eyes lifting to take in the town properly for the first time.
Stalls lined the road in neat rows the closer one moved toward the center.
Cloth awnings were clean.
Wooden counters were polished.
The goods displayed there were not rare, but they were orderly, curated, and clearly priced.
And more importantly, guarded.
Zi'an slowed near the outer edge of the merchant district. The moment she stepped closer, she felt it. The subtle shift in attention.
The weighing glances.
A shopkeeper glanced at her once, then looked away.
Another swept his counter with a cloth, movements pointedly ignoring her presence.
When Zi'an paused before a stall displaying dried herbs, the vendor did not greet her. He did not even lift his head.
"Buying?" he asked curtly.
Zi'an hesitated for half a breath. "Just looking."
The man snorted. "No money, no looking."
She stepped back without protest.
A little farther down, she lingered near a pawn stall, eyes briefly skimming the items laid out. The attendant's smile did not reach his eyes.
"Appraisal costs money.." he said flatly. "If you are not selling, do not block the counter."
Zi'an withdrew again.
She finally stopped beneath the shade of a signboard, her expression neutral and posture loose.
Only her eyes reflected a quiet understanding.
"So this is how it is.." she murmured.
[Commercial zones prioritize profit.]
Zi'an nodded. "Naturally. Valuable things gather where money circulates. And money circulates among those who already have it."
Her lips curved faintly, not bitter, but amused.
"And here I am.." she continued, "plain, broke, and unremarkable. To them, I am not a customer. I am clutter, a waste of time."
[Assessment accurate.]
Zi'an folded her hands behind her back and looked deeper into the merchant street, toward the inner shops with guarded doors and discreet signs.
"To find good things.." she said softly, "I need access. And to gain access, I need leverage."
She paused, then added lightly, "Or money."
Her fingers tapped once against her wrist.
"Little Fortune.." Zi'an called.
[State your query.]
She tilted her head, eyes bright with quiet calculation.
"Tell me.." she said. "What is the cheapest way for someone like me to stop being invisible to merchants?"
The system fell silent for a brief moment.
Then.
[Recommendation pending.]
Zi'an smiled.
"Good.." she said. "Think carefully. After all, we are standing at the beginning of my career."
[Recommendation ready.]
[Acquire a tradable item of low cost but perceivable value. Present it for appraisal or sale. Completion will establish initial credibility with local merchants and unlock minor transactional privileges.]
Zi'an's lips twitched, a faint smirk forming at the corner.
"Low cost, perceivable value… in other words, something cheap I can turn into a stepping stone.." she murmured. "Nothing fancy, just enough to be noticed."
[Correct assessment. Task efficiency maximizes learning potential and minimizes resource expenditure.]
She glanced once more at the bustling street, noting the vendors guarded stances, their half-interested gazes, and the subtle way they gauged every passerby.
Her dark eyes scanned the crowd, not for faces, but for opportunity.
"Alright, I know what to do. This ain't my first rodeo. I'll sell the frost vein I have with me. Anyone with brains will know it's worth something."
Zi'an approached a merchant stall whose attendant had previously ignored her. She kept her posture neutral, casual, hands empty except for the lightly wrapped stone.
"Excuse me.." she said softly, voice calm and deliberate.."I have something I'd like appraised."
The attendant lifted his gaze, suspicion clear in the dark eyes.
Zi'an's lips curved faintly. "It's not much… but it may be of interest."
[Merchant attention detected. Proceed with transaction?]
She didn't wait for the system to answer. She had already calculated the angle. This was her first move—her own move.
The Frost Vein Stone pulsed faintly in her hand, and Zi'an allowed herself a single, quiet smirk.
Zi'an held the Frost Vein Stone in her palm, letting the faint glimmer catch the sunlight as she studied the merchant's posture. The man did not meet her gaze, and his expression remained flat, as though she were invisible.
"Appraisal costs money.." he said curtly, voice sharp and dismissive. "If you are not selling, do not waste my time."
Zi'an's lips twitched faintly. "…So value exists only for those who already have gold," she murmured softly, letting the words hang between them.
The merchant did not respond. He shifted slightly, organizing his counters with exaggerated care, signaling clearly that he had no intention of acknowledging her presence.
Zi'an's dark eyes narrowed. She rotated the stone slowly in her palm, catching the sunlight at just the right angle.
He does not care about me.
He does not care about my coin.
He does not even care about my voice.
She thought carefully.
But he does care about value.
Ignoring something rare is unwise, even if he pretends otherwise.
"I am not your customer.." she said deliberately, voice calm yet edged with quiet confidence. "I have no coin to offer, no rank to impress. But this stone is intact, rare in this form, and could be of interest to a merchant who recognizes opportunity."
The merchant glanced at the stone briefly, eyes narrowing slightly. "Opportunity?" he repeated, voice flat. "I do not see it. It is just a stone. Move along if you are not buying."
Zi'an's lips curved faintly, almost imperceptibly. She kept her posture relaxed, calm, unassuming, but her mind raced.
Appeal to his pride.
Appeal to his curiosity.
Make ignoring this impossible without him realizing it.
"It is simple, yet intact.." she said softly, each word measured, deliberate.
"A merchant who can distinguish quality will not overlook it, even if it seems ordinary at first glance."
The man did not reply.
He continued to arrange his goods, hands moving mechanically, but his gaze flicked to the stone again.
The faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed a flicker of interest, though he would never admit it.
"Let me see.."