Talia spock "Two low-grade mana stones for three? Rowen… You're underselling yourself. Potions with this kind of effect fetch far more."
Rowen only inclined his head slightly. "It's enough."
Alric cleared his throat, his earlier smugness gone. "Hmph. Seems… we may have been too quick to judge." His words were stiff, like each one cost him effort.
Cedric's expression was tight. "Your… claims hold up. I shouldn't have spoken so carelessly." He glanced at Rowen, then away again, unwilling to meet his eyes for long.
For a moment, both men looked out of place, teachers from a prestigious academy, forced to acknowledge that a shopkeeper boy from a border town had made them look foolish.
Rowen only inclined his head slightly, as calm as ever, offering no satisfaction or mockery in return.
Alric exhaled through his nose, then reached into his coat. A small pouch of stones clinked as he set it heavily on the counter. "We'll take some, then. Pack up plenty of tomatoes and potatoes as well." He counted them out with deliberate care, the faint blue glow of ten low-grade mana stones lighting the wood.
Cedric followed suit with a curt nod, clearly not wanting to speak further.
Marn, still marveling at the clarity running through his mind, placed ten low-grade mana stones beside theirs. "I'll stock up too. A chance like this doesn't come often."
Finally, Talia stepped forward. She gave Rowen a small, knowing smile before adding four low-grade stones of her own to the growing pile. "I will take some for myself."
Rowen counted the mana stones carefully, then packed the tomatoes and potatoes into cloth sacks. He handed them over one by one.
Alric and Cedric each accepted their share without another word. Neither of them bothered to carry the bundles; both simply raised their hands, and faint glimmers of light flickered as their storage rings absorbed the goods in an instant. They turned and left soon after. They don't want to linger in this shop for another moment for now.
Talia and Marn also drew out their storage rings, slipping their share inside with a faint shimmer of light. Watching the effortless way they used the artifacts, Rowen couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
Talia and Marn, however, weren't in the same hurry.
Rowen then looked at the remaining few tomatoes and potatoes on the wooden shelf. After some thoughts, they packed them.
then pushed them across the counter toward Marn.
The students stepped up eagerly, their eyes bright with expectation. But Rowen glanced at the wooden shelf behind him, bare, every last tomato and potato already gone.
He checked the clock on the wall. The hands pointed just past five. Outside, the border town's streets were already beginning to quiet, shops pulling shutters down as the day wound to a close.
Rowen looked back at the students and shook his head. "I'm sold out. Come by tomorrow morning if you want some."
Their shoulders slumped with disappointment, but after a few murmurs among themselves, they nodded and filed out.
When the door shut behind them, Rowen finally let out a slow breath. The fatigue of the long day pressed down on him all at once. He reached for the wooden sign hanging by the door, flipping it to "Closed."
After shutting the shop, Rowen didn't head upstairs right away. Instead, he walked out the back door into the small yard behind the building.
The cool evening air carried the faint scent of soil and greenery. Near the wall, the Shade lay curled in her usual spot, silent and still. Her breathing was steady, almost like she was in a deep sleep. Rowen paused, watching her for a moment. He decided not to disturb her.
His gaze shifted to the patch of ground where he had sown the new seeds tomatoes and potatoes, carefully planted after the last harvest, each one carrying the subtle strength granted by his space. This seed was unique from what he purchased from the shop.
Cedric pulled a low-grade mana stone from his pocket, the faint blue light humming in his palm. He dropped it onto the counter with a dull clink, then reached over and plucked one of the tomatoes from the wooden shelf.
"Alright then," Cedric said, his voice edged with scorn. "If your claims aren't lies, let's see it. Show me how this tomato is worth more than a mana stone."
Rowen's eyes flicked to the stone, then back to Cedric. He didn't flinch. Instead, he slowly nodded, as if he had expected something like this all along.
Marn frowned but didn't interrupt. Talia crossed her arms, watching closely, her expression unreadable.
The shop grew quieter as Cedric held the tomato in his hand. Even Alric, who had been sneering moments before, leaned in slightly, curious despite himself.
Cedric sank his teeth into the tomato with a sharp crunch. Juice burst out, running down his throat in a messy streak.
"Well?" Alric muttered beside him, arms crossed. "It is a normal tomato, right, Cedric?"
Cedric smirked, about to agree, but then his words stalled. His brow furrowed. He blinked once. Twice.
The chatter of the shop seemed to quiet in his ears. His breathing evened. The faint restlessness he hadn't noticed before and the scattered thoughts that always tugged at the edge of his mind were suddenly gone. In their place was a sharp clarity, like someone had wiped clean a fogged glass pane.
He exhaled slowly, realizing the change, though his pride resisted admitting it.
Alric leaned closer. "Cedric?"
Cedric's grip tightened on the half-eaten tomato. His voice came out lower and steadier. "...It's real."
Marn's eyes widened slightly, while Talia gave the barest of knowing smiles. Rowen, meanwhile, said nothing. He only stood there behind the counter, calm as ever, as if the result had never been in doubt.
Cedric's jaw tightened as he swallowed the last bite, his pride warring with the undeniable calm flooding through him. He wanted to scoff, to call it coincidence, but the steadiness in his thoughts betrayed him.
Alric's eyes narrowed. "You can't be serious."
Cedric wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, avoiding his colleague's stare. "…I am."
Rowen only inclined his head politely, as though this outcome had been inevitable.
Alric clicked his tongue, glaring at Cedric. "You must be imagining things. A tomato isn't supposed to do that."
He reached forward and snatched another one off the shelf before Cedric could protest.
Rowen's gaze flicked to him briefly, but he said nothing.
Alric turned the tomato over in his hand as if inspecting it for hidden tricks. Then, without warning, he bit down hard.
Crunch.
Rowen only inclined his head politely, as though this outcome had been inevitable.
Alric clicked his tongue, glaring at Cedric. "You must be imagining things. A tomato isn't supposed to do that."
He reached forward and snatched another one off the shelf before Cedric could protest.
Rowen's gaze flicked to him briefly, but he said nothing.
Alric turned the tomato over in his hand as if inspecting it for hidden tricks. Then, without warning, he bit down hard.
Crunch.