Chapter 200: Business Trip or Vacation?
Leaffall City, West District.
The streets were a cacophony of human activity—the rumble of carriage wheels
over cobblestones intertwined with the rhythmic cries of street vendors.
Skele-Lust moved through the crowd, currently clad in her youthful female
avatar. She held a skewer of crimson candied fruit, using a slender bamboo stick
to pop one into her mouth. She lacked a sense of taste and couldn't discern a
single note of sweetness or tartness, but she felt that since she was
masquerading as a human, she ought to do human things. It was a matter of
professional pride.
"General."
A voice called out from half a step behind her. The speaker was a newly promoted
Lich Centurion, a member of the Arcane Legion currently overseeing affairs in
the Leaffall City sector.
"The intelligence has been consolidated. The wraiths were last sighted at the
abandoned mining pit outside the city. Our scouts have already cordoned off the
perimeter, awaiting your next directive."
Lust bit down on another candied fruit, chewing slowly. Her voice came out
slightly muffled. "Mmm, I've got it."
The Lich hesitated, but pressed on. "Your Excellency, according to reports from
the observation units, the energy readings within the pit are anomalous. The
number of wraiths far exceeds our initial projections."
His tone was grim, attempting to make the General understand the gravity of the
situation. "I believe it is necessary to mobilize the Punishment Legion and the
Fearless Vanguard to coordinate with our Arcane Legion for a total purge."
"No need." Lust waved a hand dismissively, cutting him off. "Just keep recording
the data. I'll handle the rest myself."
The Lich Centurion opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to argue for more
security, but ultimately chose obedience. The General surely has her reasons, he
reasoned.
Lust continued her leisurely stroll through the streets, treating her diligent
subordinate as if he were part of the scenery. Passing a textile shop, she
paused, her gaze drawn to the vibrant bolts of fabric displayed in the window.
The shopkeeper, a middle-aged man with a belly like a rolling barrel, spotted
Lust's fine attire and the attendant following behind her. He immediately
greeted her with a beaming smile.
"My lady! Would you care to see our fabrics?" he chirped. "These are the latest
arrivals from the Jade Territory! You won't find quality like this anywhere else
in Leaffall City!"
Lust tilted her head as if in deep thought, then stepped into the shop. She
flipped through a stack of materials before picking out a bolt of pale purple
silk.
"This one looks decent."
The shopkeeper's eyes gleamed with greed. "My lady, you have impeccable taste!
This is the new silk harvested from the Jade Territory this year. It's soft,
breathable, and perfect for summer wear! You'd look like an angel from the
heavens in this!"
Lust held the fabric up to the light filtering through the storefront, the thin
silk casting a soft glow across her face. "It is nice. How much?"
"Two gold coins!" The shopkeeper held up two fingers, the fat on his face
squeezing his eyes into slits.
Lust blinked. "I recall the factory price in the Jade Territory for a bolt of
this silk is exactly eighty silver coins."
The shopkeeper's smile froze instantly. "Well... ah, there's the freight, my
lady! As you know, the road from the Jade Territory to Leaffall City is long.
There's always shrinkage and damage along the way."
"And the customs duties! And the shop rent! These are all costs, you see!"
"Enough, enough." Lust tossed the fabric back onto the pile and turned to leave.
"Who are you trying to haunt? There's a regular route for Evernight Aviation
between the Jade Territory and here. Freight costs only a few silver coins."
The shopkeeper stood frozen, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He
couldn't find his voice.
"Furthermore," Lust continued, "do you truly take me for a fool? Leaffall City
is a direct Imperial Territory; there are no internal customs duties. Your shop
rent is approximately three gold coins per month, collected uniformly by the
State Army. You're trying to turn a profit of over one gold coin on a single
bolt of cloth."
"Did you factor the cost of the bone dragon itself into your pricing? Sell it to
whoever is dumb enough to buy it. I'm out."
With that, Lust walked out of the shop without looking back, finishing her last
candied fruit. Her mood had actually improved. The shopkeeper watched her
receding back, not daring to feel a shred of anger. Instead, he felt a wave of
relief.
Thank the Gods no one else was in the shop, he thought. He didn't know who that
woman was, but someone who could calculate Imperial economic policy and
logistics costs that accurately was not someone a minor merchant could afford to
offend. Was she a high-ranking official from the Tax Department or Evernight
City on a secret inspection?
Meanwhile, Lust hummed to herself as she walked toward the mining pit. Human
commerce was more fascinating than she had imagined. The same object could jump
several times in price just by moving from one location to another. Between
buyer and seller, an invisible war was always being waged. Everyone wanted to
exchange the smallest sacrifice for the greatest gain.
Skele-Greed seems to enjoy playing this game quite a bit, she noted.
Lust continued forward, passing through a small plaza. A crowd had gathered in
front of a wooden notice board. Her curiosity piqued, she nudged her way
through.
A new bounty notice had been posted:
BOUNTY: CAPTURE OR ELIMINATE WANDERING WRAITHS. REWARD: ONE SILVER COIN PER
KILL. REWARD DOUBLED FOR LIVE CAPTURE. Note: Wraiths only appear at night.
Adventurers are advised to prepare appropriate protective measures.
In the crowd, several individuals dressed as adventurers were discussing the
notice loudly, spitting as they spoke.
"One silver coin a piece? That's a hell of a deal! Land a big batch and my bar
tab for the month is settled!"
"Yeah, but those wraiths are nasty business. I heard one touch and you're
cursed. The medical bills will cost more than the bounty!"
"What are you afraid of? We'll just form a party. Let's go get rich tonight!
You'd be a fool to leave that money on the table!"
Lust stood at the edge of the crowd, listening to the adventurers' grand talk.
Her expression was peculiar. These wraiths were the byproducts of her own failed
experiment. She had initially feared they would cause significant trouble for
the Empire.
As it turned out, the wraiths had become a tool for adventurers to earn a
living. To some extent, they had even stimulated Leaffall City's economy—the
sales of potions and weapons had spiked.
Lust shook her head. The development of the world was truly unpredictable.
However, one must always clean up their own mess. This was her mistake, and she
couldn't allow these anomalies to roam free indefinitely.
More importantly...
Lust looked up at the sky. If her deductions were correct, the appearance of
these wraiths likely meant that a rift had appeared in the space-time barrier.
And that rift would only grow wider with time.
Eventually, far more dangerous things might slip through.
"I need to hurry," she whispered.