The Oracle of the Villainous Baby - Chapter 70

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 70
Bunny crouched before a display case in the farthest corner of the Antique Shop’s lowest shelf and pulled something out.
“A bead?”
“A transparent bead!”
“Yeah, it really is transparent.”
Bunny blinked once and examined it carefully while holding it to her chest. The bead had a price tag attached.
“Roel, how much is this?”
“Huh? Um… 10 million Rost… 10 million Rost?!”
Roel’s eyes widened dramatically.
It was nothing special—just an ordinary glass bead with no magical aura whatsoever, completely unremarkable in appearance.
While 10 million Rost wasn’t an exorbitant sum for Roel, he possessed enough common sense to know it was far too much for a toy-like glass bead.
He’d come to this shop because Bunny wanted to, but he never expected it to be the type of place that overcharged customers.
‘That said, everything else seems reasonably priced…’
He couldn’t fathom why only this item carried such an inflated price.
Roel narrowed his brow and cast a suspicious glance at the shopkeeper.
“10 million!”
Found it! The transparent ancient bead!
Bunny’s eyes sparkled with delight.
“I want this one.”
“What? Wait a moment. Bunny, this is far too expensive, and the quality—”
Bunny beamed brilliantly and held the bead high above her head. Roel, who had been about to protest, faltered at the sight of her radiant smile.
Then he quietly withdrew a pouch from inside his robe that looked impressively heavy and opened his mouth.
“Bunny, is there anything else you’d like? Shall I buy everything from here to there for you?”
Roel thought her smile was so endearingly lovely that he could probably buy the entire shop if she wished.
So much so that he’d already decided to purchase the greatest invention—the photograph device—in its finest quality upon returning.
Bunny blinked at Roel’s words.
“No, Bunny will buy it. It’s a gift for Father.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yes.”
The bead was slightly larger than Bunny’s palm.
Bunny, clutching the bead, approached the counter and rose on her tiptoes to place it on top.
“I’ll take this, please.”
“Hmm? This is…”
The Old Man, upon seeing the bead Bunny had brought, stroked his chin with a troubled expression and laughed awkwardly.
This was because the item was listed at 10 million Rost, making it impossible for him to sell it.
“I’m sorry, little one, but this is 10 million Rost, so it might be a bit difficult for you to purchase.”
“No! This! Bunny’s money! Bracelet here!”
Bunny extended her hand forward.
The Old Man observed the bracelet adorning Bunny’s wrist and exhaled sharply. The silver bracelet was unmistakably an account bracelet issued by the Holy Bank.
With the payment stones provided by the Holy Bank, funds would be deposited directly into his account, so transactions were possible if the account held sufficient balance—
“I’d like to consign this item for sale here. Would that be possible? I can pay a fee. You can tuck it away in some corner, or display it prominently—whatever works.”
“Hmm… madam, this appears to be nothing more than an ordinary glass bead…”
“It is an ordinary glass bead. I’ll pay the consignment fee. But I need one promise from you: this must be sold for exactly ten million Lost. If it doesn’t sell, that’s fine too. But if someone comes wanting to buy it for ten million Lost, please sell it to them.”
The Old Man suddenly recalled a woman who had visited long ago, draped in a deep-brimmed robe, and studied Bunny’s face with careful scrutiny.
“You wish to purchase this? Child, this is…”
“This one!!”
Bunny stamped her foot once with emphasis and spoke again with conviction.
“I’m gonna give this to Father as a present.”
There was not the slightest wavering in the child’s eyes as she spoke with such determination.
The Old Man pushed his slipping monocle back up and nodded slowly.
“If you pay ten million Lost, I’ll sell it to you.”
“Yes!”
As Bunny extended her bracelet, the Old Man brought a payment crystal from a drawer beneath the counter to her wrist. The crystal glowed green once, signaling the transaction had gone through successfully.
“Would you like it wrapped as a gift?”
“Yes!”
The Old Man nodded and carefully placed the bead into a small box, then began wrapping it slowly.
As he meticulously wrapped it in pastel pink wrapping paper, Roel spoke up.
“Shopkeeper, is this some kind of magical artifact?”
“No, from what I heard when it was left with me, it’s just an ordinary glass bead.”
The Old Man answered while pulling out a red silk ribbon and fashioning a large bow around the box.
“But how can an ordinary glass bead be worth ten million Lost?”
“My shop also handles consignments. When someone wants to sell an antique but has no proper sales channel, I sell it for them and take a commission. You still remember, don’t you? Decades ago, a certain noblewoman came and left this with me.”
“She asked you to sell it for ten million Lost?”
“Yes, that’s right. She paid a commission of one million Lost upfront, and her only condition was this: sell it for ten million Lost.”
The Old Man leaned across the counter and extended the small wrapped box to Bunny.
“Here you are, child. It’s a glass bead, so handle it carefully.”
“Thank you so much!”
Bunny accepted the box carefully with both hands and plopped down onto the floor.
“Oops.”
“Bunny?”
The Old Man’s eyes widened in surprise.
Regardless, Bunny, now sitting on the floor, removed her bag and stuffed the box inside, then closed it back up.
The rabbit’s belly protruded in a distinctly rectangular shape—unmistakably saying, “I’ve got something in here.”
“Goodbye.”
Having finished her business, Bunny bowed politely with no further interest in the matter.
“Child, is there a particular reason you’re buying that bead?”
“It’s something precious to Father’s mother.”
Bunny answered with a bright smile, waved her hand at the Old Man, and quickly left the shop.
Stepping outside, the City Center, far more bustling than it had been this morning, came into view.
‘So crowded.’
The aroma of delicious food wafted through the air, and people lined up to purchase items. It was the moment Bunny’s eyes sparkled with excitement and she was about to take a step forward.
“Bunny!”
Her shoulder was suddenly grabbed with a soft tap.
“Noel.”
“It’s Roel, not Noel. Anyway, don’t wander off alone. You might get lost, and… there could be dangerous people around…”
Roel, his neck flushed, muttered quietly before gently grasping Bunny’s wrist.
Bunny, looking up at Roel’s face as he stood with his hood drawn low, quickly slipped her wrist free from his grip.
“Oh.”
In the moment Roel was caught off guard, a small hand rose up and firmly grasped his hand properly.
Roel’s eyes suddenly widened.
The boy stared at Bunny without hiding his bewilderment, then his cheeks flushed slightly as he bit his lower lip and slowly tightened his grip on their joined hands.
“L-let’s go! I’ll show you around the Capital!”
“Mm.”
The two children, holding hands tightly, disappeared into the crowd.
In a dim alley not far from the Antique Shop, a Sinister-Looking Man leaned against the wall at an odd angle, watching them fade away, and narrowed his eyes as he spoke.
“Hey, I’m not entirely sure, but that blue-haired kid… isn’t that the one with a bounty on their head from a while back…?”
“A bounty? Ah… right, the one who summoned something that grants eternal life? Was it the Phoenix? Now that I look at them, they do look similar. But weren’t they supposed to be in the Yudia Duchy?”
At the casual remark tossed by the man drinking across from him, the Sinister-Looking Man let out a low chuckle.
“Five hundred million for the bounty. What do you think?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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