Time Healer Ceres - Chapter 16

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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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Why on earth was he suddenly raising the price? What was he plotting?
Ceres’s brow furrowed slightly. Seeing her expression, the shopkeeper rushed to continue.
“I-I understand your circumstances seem difficult, so I could offer three hundred gold.”
…….
“Ahem, three hundred fifty! This is truly a sum you won’t find elsewhere.”
…….
“…Four hundred?”
What is this man doing?
Watching the shopkeeper Rons raise his price every time she fell silent and frowned, Ceres picked up the Mana Stone she’d set down and held it again.
It seemed better to find another shop.
“A thousand! I’ll give you a thousand gold!”
At that, Rons let out a cry so loud it was almost a shriek.
“…A thousand?”
Then what was the two hundred he quoted at first?
Ceres’s eyes narrowed to slits.
Look at you—did you really try to swindle me?
“A thousand is too much.”
Just then, a stranger’s voice slipped into their conversation.
It was a young woman customer who’d been browsing the shop since earlier.
“This Mana Stone clearly looks like excellent quality.”
“Pardon me, miss. You can’t just jump into someone else’s negotiation like that——”
“Good grief! And this has a Special Attribute, doesn’t it? Ice Attribute?”
The woman, apparently a mage herself, showed immediate interest in the Mana Stone.
“Even ordinary Mana Stones go for over five thousand gold if they have high Purity.”
“Five thousand gold?”
“Yes. And with a Special Attribute like this, the situation is entirely different. You might say the seller can name the price.”
…….
Ceres shot the shopkeeper a sharp look, as if asking whether the woman was speaking truth.
“N-no, you see… a Special Attribute Mana Stone like this can only fetch its true value if you find the right buyer. Even at other shops, they wouldn’t offer anywhere near that price——”
“Regardless, a thousand gold is far too much, sir. Do you have no conscience? It’s outright robbery.”
“R-robbery?!”
Leaving the red-faced shopkeeper behind, the woman turned back to Ceres.
“It’s better to take something like this straight to the Mage Tower and sell it.”
“The Mage Tower?”
“Yes. They’d offer you a much better price than here, I’m sure.”
The Mage Tower, then…….
Ceres exhaled a short breath and, concluding she wouldn’t be selling here after all, gathered up the Mana Stone.
“By the way, if you don’t mind—could I photograph it with an Image Recording Device?”
Just as she was about to pocket the stone, the woman beside her stopped her. Clasping her hands together as if in prayer, she made her request.
“I want to show my master. I’ve never seen a Mana Stone with such a Special Attribute before……. Would you allow me?”
“…Do as you like.”
Since photographing wouldn’t wear down the Mana Stone, Ceres set it back down in response to the woman’s plea.
“Wow, the quality of this Mana Stone is truly remarkable. I haven’t been active as a mage for long, so I can’t say with certainty, but its Mana Density seems higher than any I’ve seen before.”
The woman rotated the Image Recording Device in her hands as she spoke, letting out exclamation after exclamation of admiration.
After photographing the Mana Stone from every angle, the woman nodded with a satisfied smile, as if she were finished.
With that, Ceres slipped the Mana Stone into her pouch and prepared to leave.
“Wait! Just a moment! I can offer you a better price!”
At that, Rons, who’d been hovering nervously at the edge of their conversation the whole time, desperately resumed haggling.
But Ceres, making clear she had no further business here, didn’t even glance back—she simply departed swiftly.
“Ah…….”
Rons exhaled a rueful sigh and rubbed his face.
Should he have quoted a higher price from the start?
She’d looked so ignorant of the world that he’d decided to lowball her. But now that deal was gone.
In all his years of running this shop, he’d never encountered a Mana Stone with such high Purity and quality.
Had the transaction gone through, he could have made a small fortune…….
“Excuse me, sir. Could you find the items on this list for me?”
…….
The woman who’d ruined his transaction was now smiling at him as if nothing had happened, cheerfully requesting his help.
Rons regarded her with resentment.
* * *
“Hey, you’re really not drinking?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Look, I’m not drinking with you.”
“But why?”
“Because you turn into a complete animal when you drink.”
“What?”
A spiritual sanctuary for mercenaries, a place where their footsteps linger.
As always, the tavern was packed with customers, not a single empty seat to be found.
But there was one thing different from before: the number of people ordering alcohol had noticeably decreased.
“Do you see that?”
“That?”
A single sheet of paper hung on the corner wall where a mercenary was pointing.
<Tavern Rules>
1. Anyone who drinks and acts like a ruffian or causes trouble will be banned for 3 days. Companions who failed to stop them share equal responsibility and are likewise banned.
2. Fighting inside the tavern is strictly prohibited. Violators will be banned for one week.
3. Anyone banned three or more times will result in all members of their Mercenary Guild being banned for one week.
“…What is that?”
“What do you mean what is it? You can see it plain as day. If you want to drink, do it alone when I’m not around.”
“When did that go up? And does that mean I can’t drink here anymore?”
…This bastard will never admit he’ll stop causing trouble when drunk, will he?
The mercenary stared at his companion with an expression of disbelief, then pointed at the paper on the wall again.
“See that? Three strikes and everyone in our guild gets banned for a week.”
“Yeah.”
“You know the guild master dies if he can’t have his stew here for even a day? He said if you’re going to cause trouble, do it after you leave the guild.”
“Ugh…”
Ever since the warning was posted, mercenaries had started watching the new proprietor, Ceres, carefully.
‘Strange.’
The one most amazed by these changes in the tavern was none other than Mark, the cook and longtime employee who had kept this place running.
When Ceres first tried to write it out and post it on the wall, he’d wondered if something like that would actually work.
He couldn’t believe rough mercenaries would follow orders written on a mere slip of paper.
‘But what do you know?’
Strangely enough, the mercenaries seemed to feel a tremendous sense of duty about what was written on that small paper. As if something terrible would happen if they didn’t comply.
‘Could it be because of that phrase?’
The phrase written at the very bottom of the warning.
「If these rules are not followed, the tavern will close.」
‘What? Close the tavern?’
‘Huh! That can’t be serious?’
‘If this place disappears… where am I supposed to eat breakfast? What about my lunch? My dinner?’
‘…Wait, you’ve been eating all three meals here? That’s actually insane.’
‘Oh, and what about you!’
‘I only eat two meals here!’
‘Ah! My hangover stew is going to disappear!’
‘Hey, hey! That bastard’s trying to drink! Stop him!’
…It was actually working.
Mark watched the atmosphere of the tavern change before his very eyes and still couldn’t believe it.
He’d vaguely sensed that mercenaries liked this place, but to this extent?
‘The old owner did mention it once.’
That all the customers who came here were good people.
People who cherished and treasured this place more than anyone else.
But watching them trash the tavern every time made it hard for him to agree that they truly valued it, even if they did like it.
‘But now…’
Seeing mercenaries actually sitting quietly in their own spots and eating their meals just because of that one phrase, his eyes grew misty.
Such peace had truly been granted to him. If the late owner could see this, how happy he would be.
Of course…
“Hey, you bastard! I ordered that first!”
“What are you talking about? Whoever grabs it first owns it!”
“Fine, you got lucky today. Let’s settle this!”
“Damn it! Go to hell!”
The rough, coarse voices of customers filling the shop remained unchanged.
Yet simply for the fact that no weapons were flying through the air, a happy smile never left Mark’s face.
“Damn it, today I’m really going to send this blasted thing to the heavens…!”
Clang.
And there were moments when even that rough speech would vanish.
Creak.
A small silhouette carefully eased open the door, poking only her head inside.
“……!”
The shop, which had been ringing with unceasing curses, fell silent in an instant.
“Ah! Yulia!”
Her hair, neatly braided in two pigtails, was especially adorable.
The moment Mark spotted Yulia sweeping her round eyes slowly across the shop, he hurried toward the child.
“Where’s your sister?”
“She’s stepped out for a moment. Did you come alone?”
She shook her head gently.
Behind the child as she quietly denied it, Mark could finally make out the cautious figure of the maid Jay entering the shop.

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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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