There's no shortage of customers at Pandora's Market.
Whether it's a noble duke or an alley thief, a weird race or a stunningly beautiful alien, nothing can be called novel in this place - unless a race called "gold" comes to visit.
Mo Gan stood among the endless crowd, caressing the gold coins hidden in his palms.
Then he silently recited a mantra.
The gold coins disappear.
At the same time, a dynamic golden glow quietly emerged above the moss-covered well.
Wells were originally just wells. At first, some regular customers tied their horses to the stone rack where the buckets were placed. Later, everyone followed suit, and the place gradually gathered big men transporting goods to rest.
The big man who had time to rest during the day was not a merchant, but only provided abundant labor. When he felt bored during the work breaks, he boasted that he was born in mountains and seas of flowers, saw the gorgeous palaces of the Cole Kingdom, and searched for hidden treasures in the South Sea.
They are quite talkative, but they can speak softly, because in this market, "silence" is the norm - experienced people know best how to do as the Romans do.
A stable boy's attention was attracted, and his eyes followed the dancing golden color until it fell into the well.
"Plop——"
There is the sound of water, it is an entity!
Realizing that this was not a half-dreaming hallucination, the stable boy's eyes suddenly widened and he screamed with excitement.
"Gold coins fell from the sky! There!"
Others also noticed something strange, and several heads turned around, just one step slower.
Screaming is just an opportunity to trigger a riot.
Morgan's eyes quickly scanned all the shops, confirming his earlier suspicion, and finally stopped at a boss who was curling his beard with his little finger.
The vendor remained silent like the rest of his colleagues, but moved towards the well with his peripheral vision, and then quickly recovered.
But relatively speaking, these are the least reserved aborigines in the face of such changes.
After walking a few steps to the stall, Mogan asked in a low voice, "Three bottles of licorice liquid, two pieces of black ox horn, and three super-grade stone essences. How much do they cost?"
The first two are the most basic and cheap materials for making potions. They are easy to sell and buy, but in the end they are worth a lot of money.
The boss had his eyelids drooped at first, but then he became surprised and his eyes moved slightly.
"There's more than one, the bottom of the well... they're all at the bottom of the well! There are a lot of gold coins here!"
Meanwhile the stable boy's incessant shouting was conspicuous throughout the raucous crowd.
The rough hands on the table also moved. Mogan lowered his eyes and analyzed briefly:
The fingertips unconsciously point outward, showing genuine concern for the event.
There are also the burnt marks on the nails that have not faded, the curly brown hair that was deliberately combed back, and the few soot that was missed by the ears when washing the face.
These clues mean that the boss is also a firemaker and has no shortage of supplies - he was still working on the business before opening, and he came to make money just by arranging his hair. He must be eager.
And finally, and most importantly:
He was distracted.
Ignoring the commotion behind him, Mogan blocked the direction from the shop to the wellhead with his body, seemingly unintentionally, and continued to urge.
"Boss, how much do these cost?"
"Nine gold coins, and one hundred and thirty-five..."
"How about six?" Before he could finish speaking, Mogan knocked on the table, "Boss, this is a big deal."
The change was wiped off lightly, and several gold coins were missing. The boss was not the one who was taken advantage of, so naturally he was unwilling.
It was precisely this kind of ignorant guest that blocked his view, making him want to get rid of him as soon as possible.
Mo Gan was not in a hurry, took out the bag he had prepared earlier and poured out five pieces of pitch black scales.
"There's an alternative, it's called bartering."
The boss's eyes froze, a little suspicious.
"Dragon scales?"
The existence of dragons is no secret.
They are rare in number due to difficulty in reproducing, and are also known for their strength.
Adult dragons have large and strong bodies, and their scales have both medicinal value and potential as weapon materials, making them quite marketable in the market.
Dragon scales cannot be inserted and removed at will. Only a hundred pieces can survive the rare transformation in a lifetime. The rest will be turned into ashes as the power dissipates, just like the scales peeled off when the living dragon is injured.
Mo Gan lined up the five dragon scales in a row and let the boss inspect the crystal clear scales on the table.
"There are only five pieces, which is still too little."
The boss rolled his eyes and was not immediately satisfied.
Although dragon scales are expensive due to their rarity, their medicinal properties and hardness have their upper limits, and there are many practical substitutes.
The price of a gold coin and a dragon scale is an ordinary price in the market, which is already quite a lot of money. What can increase the value at most is the rarity, which will make people add some gifts.
Continuing to consider the pros and cons, Mogan held the gold coins in his pocket and pondered for a moment.
At some point, the gold coins transferred by his magic came back into his hands and were hidden away preciously.
"Do you want to add an extra gold coin?" The boss took his time and wiped his hands on the corner of the table. "These dragon scales look good, they are rare items... It's not impossible to tell me where they came from."
This person completely put himself in a proactive position, but even if he had to find faults with others, he still couldn't leak anything.
Mogan's expression remained unchanged, but he felt pressure in his heart.
This person is not the easiest person to deal with, and it is not a good sign that his thoughts have been revealed in the transaction.
Seeing that Mo Gan remained silent, the boss smiled.
"Look at me, I am quick to talk and impatient! Guest, please don't mind too much. I am most familiar with the taste of gold coins - so what do you think? According to you, I can save money by using my mouth, so I should feel at ease?"
"If you tell me the source of the goods, the dragon scales may not be that valuable." Mogan said calmly, "You are really joking. Then why not make a compromise and return the same way..."
He took out an extra dragon scale.
The boss didn't have high hopes at first, so he shrugged and said it was okay.
Perhaps he was also a little confused as to why the customer, who was quick at haggling and seemed to be knowledgeable, used dragon scales that were more valuable than a gold coin that was already at hand.
——But in Mogan’s view, this is not a multiple-choice question worth delving into.
The gold coins are his treasure. Even though as a businessman, Mogan will inevitably spend some gold coins as a cost, he can also choose to keep some of what he has obtained, even if he has to pay a small price.
Each takes a step back and the deal is done.
Picking up a few items that the boss took out from under the counter, Mogan bagged them and put them away, then turned and left.
The chaos behind them continued. Someone had already taken the bucket next to him and tried to salvage the countless gold coins in the well.
There should be many mages in the market who can retrieve objects from a distance, but taking action in a place like this is tantamount to being criticized. A few impatient guys crowded around the edge of the well, letting the iron buckets tied by the ropes dangle.
"Don't push! Don't squeeze!"
The stable boy held the rope with both hands and complained loudly.
He grabbed the end of the rope with his right hand, and there were protruding veins on his upper arm and forehead - it was not that the bucket was too heavy, but that the hemp rope was holding the hands of different people and exerting force in different directions. Naturally, there was no Dharma comes together.
Mogan had already walked dozens of meters, but before leaving, he heard an unexpected exclamation.
The stable boy and another man were half- led into the well. Above the two people's heads, the rope that was supposed to be hanging down was swaying in the wind, with obvious fractures.
At the same time, a black figure flashed past him.
Mogan's face darkened as he felt the hem of his clothes being lifted up by the wind.
Rather than creating opportunities when there are no opportunities, there are obviously people who want to wait for opportunities and make full use of this chaotic opportunity.
This is the reason why rationality can be evaporated...but by chance, it caused Mogan's conditioned reflex.
The man in black was moving forward at high speed when his throat suddenly tightened and he paused after saying "uh".
Mo Gan was behind others before, but he quietly came up behind him. His move was unambiguous, and he grabbed his throat with five fingers, but it was still half loose. It looked sharp but not fatal.
He suppressed his voice and let the gloomy whisper just echo in the ears of the man in black.
"What are you doing?"
The man in black was intercepted without any preparation, and his throat was stuck, so he could only desperately hold back his reply.
"I haven't, uh, I haven't opened yet today! Brother...even if you lose something and want to get it back, you have to tell me what I took from you..."
"You don't have that ability. When you passed by me just now, was this the first time you wanted to steal something today?"
"this……"
He was beaten even if he didn't even think about it. The thief in black wondered how he ended up in such a situation because he just touched his hand.
He scratched his neck and his face turned red from suppressing it. Perhaps he wanted to question what kind of illness this man had that would cause him to be so nosy.
Unable to speak, the words in his heart were undoubtedly reflected on his face:
You can guess his purpose today just by moving. Could this person be able to read minds?
Mogan does not have this skill for the time being, but there is no doubt that such publicity is not his usual style.
He quickly realized this.
Suppressing his out-of-control personal emotions, Mo Gan allowed himself to regain his composure while observing the little thief in black.
Trying to hide his appearance with his robe - but in this place where eyeliner is everywhere, the more active you are in hiding, the easier it is to notice.
If this guy really stole something, he would be like a pig walking in a slaughterhouse or an escaped prisoner jumping over the wall into a police station.
He failed to hide in the crowd and missed countless loopholes. He would be caught and brought to justice in a short time, let alone a day.
This was a mistake only made by a novice thief who took the agility potion and thought he could be as rampant as the slogan said. It also proved that the person in front of him was not a habitual offender, but he was quite tough-talking and wanted to maintain the "respectability" of his abilities.
——Unfortunately, although there are similar departments, there is no such thing as a police station in this world.
"Remember the rules of the market." Mogan thought of an excuse, "This is a place for transactions. I don't allow anyone to try to steal my gold, and you don't want to see me a second time - or be like me." Nosy people’.”
Then Mogan let go, allowing the suffocated and exhausted little thief to roll and crawl towards the edge of the crowd to escape.
Such ostentation might attract the attention of others, but he could just barely cover it up with this reckless little thief.
Simply being "nosy" usually doesn't exist in a place like this, and Mogan himself only caused trouble out of personal emotions.
He had to tell himself several times that he would change it next time.
——But he also knows that the source of the wonderful conditioned reflex is complicated. He has been fighting with it for a long time, and he knows that this is not a problem that his proud "reason" can easily solve.
After arresting people for a while, the crisis at the well was still not over.
Mo Gan turned around and saw that the people who could help were crowded in the blind spot, unable to hear the cries for help in the noise, and even pushing in, exacerbating the predicament.
Seeing from a distance that the people in the well were struggling more and more falling down, Mo Gan sighed and was about to step forward.
At this moment, Mo Gan felt a vague aura gathering on his body and suddenly looked back.
who?
But the strange perception quickly disappeared, and even if I searched hard, I found nothing.
When he turned around again, he saw that the two victims had stopped struggling and climbed up to the wellhead stiffly, like puppets whose limbs were pulled up by fishing lines.
This made Mogan stunned for a moment, but he would not stay in one place for too long.
After confirming that there were no other accidents, he walked away and was able to leave the place of right and wrong he had created.
At the same time, he also noticed that the noisy discussion began to be mixed with a strange curse, which was different from before.
Things are still different.
After going around half a circle in the market, before finally leaving, Mo Gan still vaguely heard passers-by chatting about the subsequent development of the matter:
Dozens of gold coins in the well suddenly disappeared in full view of everyone, as if under some strange spell.
Some people also said that after the incident, a man wearing a white cloak left the scene.
That man walked in a hurry and remained silent in response to doubts and obstructions. Perhaps he was the culprit who embezzled a large amount of gold coins.
When he heard "suddenly disappeared", Mogan was actually surprised for a moment.
——The bait magic should not be exhausted by then.
But he could only attribute it to a miscalculation on his part, or perhaps the interference of other pretenders' magic.
No matter what it was, he was glad that someone could divert his attention and allow him not only to escape completely, but also to be completely free from suspicion.
The copying technique that temporarily appears and then disappears, and the transposition technique that moves dead objects back and forth.
A fishing-like trick coupled with an introductory spell is enough to conjure up a mysterious trick that will lure the curiosity of onlookers.
In the past few years, this is not the first time that Mogan has used deliberately created chaos to "fish in troubled waters" for his investigation and bargaining, but this time the situation seems to be more complicated - not only for the unexpected stall owners who are not easy to fool. .
There were many doubts and variables that he had not expected.
Compared with other markets in the Cole Kingdom, Pandora Market is obviously qualitatively different. After field verification and confirmation, at least the stall owners have seen much more of the world.
It didn't quite work out, and Mo Gan wasn't upset.
Testing the Pandora Market was his main purpose, and not being able to save an extra dragon scale was at best a shortcoming.
His true purpose has just begun to take shape, and it is far from time to truly reveal it.
Morgan never hesitates to use tricks that ordinary people find cumbersome to solve fairly simple problems. Especially in crowded places, just because this kind of fanfare is troublesome in the eyes of others, but it is also difficult for people to determine his true purpose.
Over the past few years, through this spirit of not being too troublesome, he has learned about the general prices in the market, used this to do a lot of large business, and save the part that he does not want to spend, so that he can obtain those things that just exist for him. Secretly delighted gold.
Morgan didn't care what the gold could buy.
All he cares about is how many gold coins this gold coin can help him get.
Of course, since he is quite instinctively resistant to leaving the gold coins he has received, it is best not to lose the first one.
As a human being, Mogan's desires are quite indifferent, because almost all of their connotations tend to be in the same direction.
If he could spend his whole life in a palace built entirely of gold, Mogan would be very happy, but there was only one condition: this dazzling and expensive palace had no prefixes, troubles, or additional conditions, and truly belonged to him.
Twenty-one years after coming to this world, Mogan doesn't feel that he has substantially changed.
In his previous life, he was a war orphan. His parents were killed in an explosion in the same battle, leaving him as an infant who had not yet had time to learn to speak. No matter how bad news aroused the pity of those around him, he would only cry meaninglessly. It's timely.
After being sent to an orphanage, Mogan grew up with the comfort and guidance of others.
Perhaps due to his innate potential, Mogan learned to make some more practical choices earlier and more keenly than the usual hatred of war or inheritance of mantles.
He received a small amount of property and pension left by his parents, and boldly started from scratch when his peers were still grappling with the troubles of adolescence. After more than ten years of hardship, he gained wealth that others could not match.
After sacrificing almost all the possible good leisure time in his life, he was finally recognized by others, but even though his career and property were different from those of his parents, Mogan still died in an unexpected explosion, right in the center of the city.
It was the most prosperous and bustling Jinjin Cave, and it was also the safest place.
The sudden disaster was not only accompanied by physical pain, but also brought a mental blow to Mogan, making him realize that people are too fragile, and no matter how much money he gets, it will always be like a dream.
To escape the shadow of the past, he needs not only wealth, but also the power to protect what he possesses.
Then, Mogan came to this world with his memory preserved.
In addition to his special bloodline and having both parents, his passion finally had a legitimate and reasonable excuse. In this life, Mogan is the son of a dragon, so he naturally has reason to covet all the treasures he encounters, especially the beautiful and dazzling gold.
Furthermore, he is a little different from the others.
Morgan Grand is the son of a brave man and a dragon.
Morgan's biological mother, the hurricane dragon Thesilia, was once a ferocious dragon in the legend outside the mountains of the Kingdom of Cole. A legendary monster that could stop children from crying at night. She was also a good friend of the current Queen of Cole and even the current royal family. The wife of a cavalry captain.
Decades ago, a misunderstanding caused the former king to misunderstand that the evil dragon had kidnapped his daughter Christine, and sent the brave Lindero to rescue her.
They met by chance in the forest, and a man and a dragon started an earth-shattering life-and-death battle, almost losing both sides.
Christine appeared in time to stop it. After the misunderstanding was resolved, Cecilia was recruited by the princess several times and finally served the Kingdom of Cole.
Cecilia, who wanted to protect her friends, insisted on joining the Knight Guards and met Lindero again, who was the captain of the Guards at the time.
As the war with the Kingdom of Crowley was about to begin, the evil dragon and the brave man agreed to compete with each other. One person and one dragon became in love with each other for many years, and finally joined hands and retired to the mountains and forests after the war.
Until twenty-one years ago, Mogan, who didn't mind having a pair of living parents, was born.
