Chapter 0017

She isn’t blind. Ventus whispered the words as a caress of wind across Tempest’s face.

Tempest wanted to answer but held her tongue. She knew even for this strange new world the ability to communicate with the spirit isn’t common and she did not want to expose her power when she had misgivings with the group.

Furthermore, if Aria spoke the truth, then this group was assembled to hunt the Sundered Lion, but there is no cohesiveness among the different cliches aside from the objective. Tempest was inclined to believe the ditz. She had no motive to lie to her, and Ventus’ judgement hasn’t been wrong yet.

If it becomes too dangerous, Tempest was confident she can escape before the Sundered Lion get to her. The cannon fodders can slow it down.

Speaking of which, priceless equal money.

Tempest put on her biggest smile, walked towards Jean’s group as if she were a long-lost friend and began her first salesman spiel. “Hello, my name is Tempest and I am a level two Charm Maker with specialization in earth, wind, water and lightning. Can I interest you in my wares? I have at least twenty of the following charms: Solid Defense, Wind Blade, Ice Bolt, Lightning Strike, As Swift as the Wind, Levitation and Flash Step.”

Tempest is the epitome of the door to door salesman who doesn’t believe in their product, all stooped shoulders, twitchy hands and a big fake smile.

Don’t picture a con artist. She isn’t a con artist. A con artist can sweet talk a baby into giving away their candies. Tempest’s confidence level isn’t that high.

The little lie she slipped in as a precaution didn’t help either. Tempest did not have Solid Defense, nor was she a level 2 Charm Maker.

For cohesiveness and ease the confusion when trading among different professions or a different domain, all profession and their products follow a set pattern. Any product of a level is equal to another profession product of the same level. In theory, a level one charm is worth the same as a level one pill or a level one weapon, but the demand for a product vary from region to region, cultivator to cultivator, however when one mentions a level of their product people knows its general value. There are some exceptions like unique grade products, which effect is one rank higher but the material to make it is low level. The difficulty in crafting unique grade products is higher than regular product, therefore cultivators place a higher value on unique rank products.

Profession organized themselves in the same way, the higher the rank, the higher the skill. The Heavenly Mountain and the Ethereal Depths assign titles towards their profession after level nine. A level ten Charm Maker can be called master while a level 11 Charm Maker is called grand master. The Magus Alliances and the Mysterious Wasteland eschew complicated naming system. They stick with numbers.

Jean stared at the newcomer like she was looking at the greatest moron in the world. Like does attract like. Aria Se Jivock is an airhead, now this girl acted like she’s been dropped as baby one too many times.

“Ummm... eight Lightning Strike, As Swift as the Wind and Levitation.” Jean has a few rules she lives by. It saves her life many times over. Never offend the ruler, a woman in love, and the insane.

The mind of a ruler is unfathomable. It’s best to avoid gaining enlightenment or else their paranoia becomes contagious. It is the same with a woman in love. Offend those insane psychos who wholeheartedly devote themselves to love, and they will back stab you without blinking an eye, then act as if it was all an accident, and that they never meant to harm you, but their jealousy over the lover got the best of them. As for the insane, avoid them like the plague. They either convince you their way of thinking is right, which makes you as insane as them or kill you for no rhyme or reason because you can’t understand their thought process.

Tempest fall under the insane category. Jean never seen anyone other than manically insane or cultivators coming out of a revelation look like Tempest did, a big grin nearly stretching from ear to ear, teeth gleaming pearly white with a hint of viciousness, determine eyes like a ferocious beast sighting its prey and a strange aura announce to the world they don’t belong here, but if anyone force them to leave, they’d kill them and all their family members with a few bystanders for good measure.

So she did what many people did when they around megalomaniac tyrants, she humored her.

“My charms are 10 silver coins a piece, 8x3x10=240, 240 silver coin please.” Tempest had her reason to double the price of the charms, among which is because Jean is a princess, so 240 silver coins is pocket change to while those 240 silver coins can buy her way into the heart of the Magus Alliance if she was frugal with her money. What Tempest didn’t realize and the spirits never mention was that Tempest’s charm aren’t ordinary level one charms but unique grade charms.

If the poor girl realizes she was underselling her charms instead of overcharging the princess, she will kneel over and vomit blood. To a starving child fighting for every scrap of food, money is precious. Tempest was never the malnourished and abused child. Her mother was responsible in that regard. Nevertheless, wealth held great temptation to the poor Tempest.

Once the transaction was completed, Tempest wandered to the other group to pander her wares, unaware the princess holding her charms giving her strange looks.

“Princess, why did you buy charms from that little girl? It’s not we can’t afford better ones.” One of her servants tried to degrade Tempest while pandering to the princess.

Jean was not one to show her hand easily so she misdirected her servants, “We are looking for a 3rd grade magical beast. Having more cards in our hands is better than nothing. Who knows, these charms can save your life one day. Unless, you don’t want it?”

“No no princess we want it,” the flunkies chorused in unison. Jean gave them each one set of charms before she affects her I-not-interest-in-worldly-event facade while scrutinizing everything in her field of vision.

Tempest applied the same tactic she used on Jean to the three liars. While Senna and Bailey regarded her as competition and wanted nothing to do with the crazy idiot, Amber thoughtfully assess Tempest before purchasing three sets of Ice Bolt, As Swift as the Wind, Levitation and Flash Step and distributed among themselves.

What worked twice will work thrice, or so Tempest thought when she approached Emery. Unfortunately she forgot Emery was a loner and a poser extraordinaire. The leather clad woman had no interest in being friendly with the strange newcomer and her dubious wares.

“We’re heading out now.” Xing Zhi Hui informed the camped then headed north with Aria Se Jivock trailing behind.

Not wanting to be left behind, the other got followed the duo closely.