Chapter Eleven: Xing Opens the Treasure Chest

The sun was setting in the west as Klein Moretti left Black Thorn Security Company. Carrying a hefty sum of twelve gold pounds, Klein was brimming with confidence and pride.

Without any small change for the public carriage, the newly wealthy Mr. Klein decided to indulge in a bit of retaliatory spending. He intended to buy the cheapest cane from a roadside hat and clothing shop, using this method to break down his large gold coins into smaller denominations.

“This is truly a luxury problem,” thought Klein, who was used to poverty.

“That makes perfect sense. Otherwise, how do the rich, who only carry large bills, manage to take public carriages?” Klein mused. Of course, he knew that most wealthy people had their private carriages, but that didn’t stop him from imagining a whimsical world where the rich pondered trivial troubles.

Silently composing a few lines of “the rich” in his mind, Klein turned into a shop called “Wilker’s Hat and Clothing.”

The layout of the shop resembled the clothing stores he had seen before his journey. On the left wall hung a row of formal suits; the center displayed shirts, trousers, vests, and ties; to the right, pairs of leather shoes and boots were neatly arranged in glass cases.

The shop was sparsely populated, with only a few scattered customers. As soon as Klein entered, a clerk in a white shirt and red vest promptly approached him with a professional smile. Contrary to many novels where the protagonist is often met with disdain upon entering a shop, Klein was treated courteously.

This was perhaps because Klein’s attire, though not formal, was neat and presentable. At least, he didn’t look like a beggar rummaging through others’ shops, as some early urban novel heroes might.

After understanding Klein’s request, the clerk led him to the corner where the canes were displayed.

At that moment, a man and a woman were conversing there. Although both appeared to be adults, Klein somehow felt they were like two children who hadn’t yet graduated from grammar school.

Due to the distance and their intentionally hushed voices so as not to disturb others, Klein couldn’t catch what they were saying. He only saw the man gesturing with both hands, while the woman held a cane, occasionally waving it like she was playing golf invented by Emperor Roselle.

These two were Xing and Selris, who had initially gone separate ways but were now reunited by the “Law of Abstract Things Converging.”

The “Law of Abstract Things Converging” was a hypothesis proposed by the great god of joy, Aha.

It stated that when two or more individuals with unconventional abstract thoughts gather, they attract each other and trigger a convergence reaction. When these abstract entities converge, there is a chance that one will evolve into a mastermind of ideas.

“I think we should get another jeep,” Xing suggested.

Selris immediately understood Xing’s thought: “This is a cane. A cane and a walking stick are not the same.”

“So what? They look almost alike. Who says a cane can’t be used as a walking stick?”

“But they don’t have jeeps here, only carriages,” Selris’s words were a heavy blow, shattering Xing’s fantasy.

A walking-stick alien without a jeep monster? That’s absurd! It’s as unimaginable as a super beast feeling pain.

[Hey, I have an idea. Maybe we can name the horse pulling the carriage ‘Jeep.’]

“Hey, you’re quite the genius,” Selris exclaimed, suddenly enlightened and overjoyed.

Great! Now he could drive the jeep and create...

Wait, Selris realized the cane was in Xing’s hand. Xing was the walking-stick alien, so the one getting hurt was herself!

[Hehe, this is exactly what I wanted! Charge at the jeep!]

“I don’t understand this!” Selris protested.

“What’s with that expression? What’s with those calculating eyes? And those tears? Charge at the jeep already!” Xing joined in the mischief.

...

As for why these two happened to be in this shop—

“This shop has a treasure chest.” A few minutes earlier, Xing, passing by, said this and found an old box behind the cane rack. Inside was a very plain-looking cane.

[This seems like a failed product abandoned before decoration could be added.]

[But is that really so?]

[Are you willing to admit it? To be different from convention isn’t failure. Will you accept that as the outcome?]

“I won’t admit it,” Xing responded firmly and resolutely.

[Exactly! That’s it!]

[This is a raw gem filled with infinite possibilities, waiting for you to carve it personally.]

[Take it, embark on your journey, use your future experiences as the chisel and your future achievements as adornments to sculpt it into the most dazzling gem.]

Xing embraced the cane, signifying it was the first piece of equipment she had obtained after arriving—a “worn longsword” for a hero leaving the beginner’s village.

Selris found this analogy fitting and bought the “worn longsword” for 1 suler and 5 pence, amidst the clerk’s complex gaze.

Xing cherished it dearly and decided to name it “Blade-less Sword.”

[This is the very meaning of traveling; perhaps you should dye your hair blonde.]

...

After paying, Selris and Xing passed by Klein, who was testing the feel of a cane.

Klein glanced up unintentionally and was immediately drawn to the mask hanging from Selris’s waist beneath her trench coat. It was nearly identical to the image on the “World’s End” tavern flyer.

“The Masked Fool.”

This phrase flashed through Klein’s mind, stirring a slight, thoughtful movement in his gaze.

Klein had some suspicions about Mr. Demon’s identity, guessing it was related to this mask. Seeing Selris’s mask and comparing her figure with the demon he had glimpsed above the gray mist, Klein became increasingly convinced that this increasingly elusive man was probably Mr. Demon.

Though Klein wouldn’t actively investigate the identities of the Tarot members, if a member appeared before him, he wouldn’t deliberately avoid pondering about it.

“Sir, please calm down and relax. We can still negotiate the discount,” the clerk’s voice came from nearby. The clerk was leaning against the wall, close to a double-barreled shotgun mounted there.

Only then did Klein realize he had been swinging the cane, testing its feel. His earlier intense stare at the other customers as they walked away looked more like he was about to strike them from behind.

Klein forced out an awkward yet polite smile, expressing satisfaction with the 7 sulers and 6 pence cane. After the painful payment, he quickly left.

Behind him, the clerk opened his mouth to ask him to stay a moment longer, at least until the two customers Klein had fixated on had left.

In the end, he dared not speak.