After more than an hour of searching, Leylo finally found his target in a relatively secluded corner.
The stall owner was a one-eyed, middle-aged mercenary with a jagged scar running from his forehead to his chin, making his single eye look even more ferocious. His stall was small—just a tattered beast hide spread on the ground with a dozen or so items scattered atop it: notched longswords, a scratched heater shield, fragments of chainmail, and some weathered bracers and greaves.
Most of these items were rusted or covered in thick dust, looking like utter junk. However, Leylo's gaze halted on a nondescript gauntlet. It was pitch-black, forged in an ancient and heavy style, its surface marred by wear and tear with slightly deformed edges. It lay quietly amidst the pile of scrap metal. If one weren't specifically looking for it, it would be incredibly easy to overlook.
Grasp of the Giant, Leylo thought to himself.
The stall owner noticed Leylo lingering. His one eye scanned him lazily as he spoke in a raspy voice. "Take a look. All of these were dug up from old battlefields and ruins. Every piece has a history. If you like something, we can talk about the price."
Leylo remained calm, squatting down to scan the "antiques" one by one as if he were seriously choosing. "These things look like they've seen quite a few years."
"Naturally!" The one-eyed mercenary grinned, revealing a row of yellow teeth. "When has 'One-Eyed' Roden ever sold poor goods? Any piece here could be an heirloom. Take this sword, for example..."
He picked up a rust-covered longsword and said mysteriously, "The personal blade of the 'Black Wind Knight.' Back in the day, he used this to cut a path through the Crimson Plains seven times over! I'm not asking for much—just five hundred gold dragons!"
Leylo chuckled inwardly. This mercenary was certainly a talented storyteller. He had never heard of the Black Wind Knight, but the rust on this sword looked older than the knight himself likely was.
Just as he was calculating how to steer the conversation toward the gauntlet without raising suspicion, a booming voice came from behind him.
"Merchant, that sword... may I see it?"
Leylo turned to see a man in his thirties wearing knight's armor with an exquisite blade at his hip. He had a square face and a rigid, upright air about him.
Roden's eye lit up, immediately switching to a welcoming smile. "Sir Knight, you have excellent taste! Please, have a look!" He handed over the rusty sword.
The knight took the sword, hefted its weight, and scrutinized the patterns and rust. His brow furrowed, then his eyes exploded with a look of pleasant surprise and disbelief. "This... could it be... the Souldrink Blade?!"
His voice trembled with excitement. Roden blinked, clearly not expecting the stranger to come up with such a grand name for the scrap metal, but he reacted instantly. "Oh? You recognize it, Sir? Does it truly have a legendary origin?"
"More than just legendary!" the knight exclaimed, stroking the blade as if touching a rare treasure. "Legend says this was the personal weapon of 'Shadow Blade' Kasadin ten years ago! Senior Kasadin used this to slay a three-headed hydra in the Black Mist Swamp! Sadly, he vanished after entering the Ancient Undead Tomb... I never thought the Souldrink Blade would end up here!"
The knight spoke with such sincerity and passion that his words were incredibly infectious.
"So that's it! Shadow Blade Kasadin's weapon!" Roden acted as though he had just realized the sword's "true" value. "I knew it wasn't ordinary! I thought it belonged to the Black Wind Knight, but it's actually a legendary blade! Sir, since you know its worth, you know what it's valued at. I won't ask for much. One price: one thousand gold dragons!"
In the blink of an eye, the price had doubled. Leylo watched, speechless.
"One thousand gold dragons?" The knight's excitement was replaced by hesitation. "Merchant, to be honest, I truly love this blade. But... I am short on funds. One thousand is..."
"Sir, this is the Souldrink Blade! One thousand is a fair price!" Roden wouldn't budge an inch.
The two began to haggle fiercely, spit flying. The knight argued from "one thousand is too expensive" to "I am destined to have this sword," while Roden held firm on "rare treasure" and "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Leylo watched silently. At first, he thought the knight might actually know his stuff, but soon he sensed something off. The two were playing off each other with a practiced, unspoken chemistry. The knight's "excitement" felt a bit too staged, and Roden was subtly glancing at Leylo out of the corner of his eye to gauge his reaction.
A shill? Leylo realized. This was a classic street-vending scam.
Sure enough, after a "heated" debate, the knight looked desperate. "Merchant, I only have two hundred gold dragons on me. Could you..."
"Two hundred? Are you joking?" Roden shook his head. "Three hundred and fifty minimum! And that's a friend price!"
"Three hundred! That is my absolute limit!" The knight gritted his teeth as if bleeding money. "I'll go find a way to borrow from a friend. Keep it for me! I'll be right back!"
"Fine, fine. I'll hold it for half an hour. If you're not back, I'm selling it to someone else!" Roden said "painfully."
"Thank you! Thank you!" The knight bowed repeatedly and hurried off to "borrow money," casting a longing look at the sword before leaving.
Leylo's lips curled into a faint, imperceptible smile. The performance was quite thorough. Once the knight was gone, Roden turned back to Leylo with a sigh. "Young man, sorry you had to see that. Business is hard these days. Finally found someone who knows quality, and he's a pauper."
Leylo feigned interest. "Merchant, is that Souldrink Blade really that powerful?"
Roden's eye sparked; he knew he had a bite. "Young man, everyone in the oasis knows Roden never lies! You saw that knight—he's an expert! If he weren't short on cash, this wouldn't even be available."
"May I see it too?" Leylo asked.
"Of course!" Roden handed over the rusty sword. Leylo scrutinized it just as the knight had. The blade was notched, the rust was thick, and the handle patterns were worn away. It was heavy, but that was it.
"Hmm, it does look ancient," Leylo pondered. "But in this condition... three hundred gold dragons seems a bit steep, doesn't it?"
"Steep?" Roden's eye widened. "This is Kasadin's blade! Three hundred is practically giving it away! If I didn't need the money today, you wouldn't get it for less than eight hundred! That knight was an expert, and he was willing to pay three hundred. Could he be wrong?"
"That may be so..." Leylo frowned, looking hesitant. "But three hundred is a lot. How about this—I'll look at something else as well, and if it's right, we can bundle them for a better price?"
Roden was secretly delighted but put on an impatient face. "Fine, fine. Hurry up. That knight might be back any second."
Leylo's gaze swept across the stall and picked up the pitch-black gauntlet he had first targeted, along with a green-rusted bronze bracelet. "Merchant, this sword, this gauntlet, and this bracelet. Three hundred gold dragons for the lot. If you agree, I'll pay now."
Roden almost laughed out loud. The sword cost him a few silver eagles, and the gauntlet and bracelet were literally pulled from a scrap pile. Now this kid wanted to pay three hundred gold dragons for them? He was a grade-A sucker!
But Roden kept his "painful" expression. "Young man, that's brutal! The sword alone is worth three hundred! You want to throw in these two as well? I'm losing a fortune!"
Leylo made a move to put the items down. "If you're unwilling, then forget it. I'll look elsewhere."
"Wait, wait! Don't be in such a rush!" Roden "stopped" him with a forced smile. "How about this—one item. Pick the gauntlet or the bracelet as a bonus. I'm already cutting my own throat here!"
Leylo smiled inwardly. "Fine. I'll take the sword and the gauntlet." He tossed the bronze bracelet back as if it were an afterthought.
"Deal!" Roden shouted before Leylo could change his mind.
Leylo counted out three hundred gold dragons. Roden bit one to confirm it was real, his grin stretching to his ears. "Pleasure doing business! Take the Souldrink Blade and this 'Ancient Gauntlet'!"
Leylo tucked the items away, picked up Moonlight, and left without looking back.
Moments later, the "knight" strolled back, no longer in a hurry. "Roden, how'd it go? Did the kid bite?"
Roden jingled the heavy coin bag. "Done! Three hundred gold dragons! The kid thought he found treasure and even took a scrap gauntlet as a bonus!"
"Hahaha! Another fool!" The knight laughed. "Our 'Hero Admiring Treasure' act never fails!"
"Of course," Roden bragged. "I get these 'relics' for a few silver eagles each. With a story and your acting, the price jumps a hundredfold! Next time, we'll call that sword 'Dragon Slayer's Vow' and sell it for even more!"
"Let's go split the take," the knight laughed. "The 'Red Rose' is calling tonight!"