Round Seven: Jewelry Shop

“I’ve just gotten my body back to perfect condition. Look, I think it’s shining brilliantly at all times.” Forty-Seven glanced down at the gray leech skin covering his body. “I don’t want to go back. I’m no longer interested in cleaning out the mud from my joints!”
“Shut up, you metal-headed fool! Even if I admit you’re an unusual construct, defying your master’s orders is way too extreme!”
Forty-Seven shrugged, if his shoulder joints could move up and down.
“Blood Axe must be using me as a pawn… Hmph, wishful thinking… But could anyone else understand Blood Axe’s intentions? Once word gets out, all the factions in Rain City will try to get involved. I can almost sense this adventure turning into a huge mess…” Moriel fell into deep thought for a while, then looked up to find Forty-Seven curled up on the ground, motionless. “What are you doing? It’s not time to sleep—do you need sleep?”
“I don’t want to go to the swamp, but I want the Magic Banishing Ball!”
A brief silence filled the room. To Forty-Seven’s surprise, Moriel didn’t shout or mock him as usual. Instead, she stared thoughtfully into Forty-Seven’s eyes in the darkness.
Forty-Seven’s eyes were just supernatural red lights glowing from his metal eye sockets, so it was impossible to read any clues about his thoughts from this “window to the soul.” Moreover, theoretically, he shouldn’t even have a soul.
“I don’t think I’ve mentioned anything about that thing to you.” Moriel stretched out a leg and kicked Forty-Seven, hurting her own toe in the process. “And even if we got that thing, I would never install it on you. I guess we still don’t fully trust each other, though it’s ridiculous for a master and a construct to talk about trust.”
Disappointed, Forty-Seven sat up and recalled the first time he met Moriel. His mind was like a memory storage device. Though he didn’t know how it worked, anything that had happened could be recalled if he wished.
Forty-Seven had lived in the mage tower for too long. He wanted to see the outside world, as he wasn’t sure if there were cartoons elsewhere in this world. Of course, cartoons were just a secondary goal. Moriel was a mage, and if he had to find a guide, a mage was far better than a thief. Other than that, Forty-Seven had no other choice. But it wasn’t until now that he realized he needed to think about his relationship with Moriel.
Although he was a construct, Forty-Seven knew he wasn’t an ordinary one—at least his core wasn’t. But whether others could understand the difference between ordinary and extraordinary constructs was uncertain. Even if they could, they might have ulterior motives. So Forty-Seven never intended to explain anything. It was enough for Moriel to think of him as a construct and herself as his master.

“Well then, as ordered.” Forty-Seven stood up, turning his head, arms, and legs at the same time, as if performing some unknown and strange dance. “But I need lubricant now—please give me some silver coins.”
Forty-Seven had quickly gotten used to this world.
The next morning, only Jason came to deliver a message.
“Lord Bloodaxe has agreed to your request.” Jason placed a small bag beside the black crystal stone. Through the loosely tied opening, one could see the gold coins inside shining brightly. “This is a partial payment. Lord Bloodaxe will inform you of the exact departure time later. He also hopes that during this preparation period, you can help him deal with any unwanted interruptions… such as preventing spying spells from other mages.”
Sure enough, they’re using me as a scapegoat. Moriel sent Jason away and washed her face with clean water. Purifying the water was a spell she prepared every day, and it was one of the few things she was quite satisfied with in her life as a mage.
Although she hadn’t slept very well, most of those complex runes had successfully appeared in her mind. Though they would mysteriously disappear after Moriel recited them, as if never having existed, at that moment, no matter how frail and exhausted she seemed, Moriel was still a formidable presence—this was what a mage was.
Moriel stepped outside. She didn’t tell Forty-Seven where she was going; she only ordered him to watch the house before disappearing around the corner. Forty-Seven gladly accepted this order, as he had discovered last night that behind the Stone of the Future there was a small courtyard. It wasn’t large, but it was enough for him to exercise there.
Forty-Seven’s head moved with creaking sounds to accommodate the flexible and efficient movements of his wrists. The weight of his sword wasn’t a burden to him, but an excellent swordsman could even utilize the sword’s weight—a level he still aspired to reach.
The wooden stick used as a practice target was quickly broken into several pieces, yet it couldn’t conceal the awkwardness and strangeness of Forty-Seven’s swordsmanship.
But the results were satisfactory.
Turning a corner, Moriel knocked on a door. The door, which seemed wooden, emitted an icy sound.
“Come in.” The icy door transformed into a curtain, gently parting to reveal an entrance—exquisite craftsmanship.
The furnishings inside the shop weren’t particularly elegant. Rows of shelves displayed various magical potions and spells, which surprised Moriel a bit. After all, a place that invested so much effort in its entrance should have been as thoughtfully designed as she had imagined.
“Please feel free to choose.” The voice came from nowhere but was soft, making one feel very relaxed and comfortable.
“Kaylo?” Moriel called out tentatively, but all she got in response was silence.
A wooden wall suddenly transformed into a crystal mirror. First, a hand seemed to reach into cool flowing water before emerging from the mirror, followed by a cute-looking girl who leaped out of the crystal surface.

“Morril! Thank the gods you’re back safe!” Kairo appeared devout, crossing her arms over her chest. She was a fine girl—though young, it didn’t hinder her business at all. Her crystal products were popular among female mages, and even Amazons armed with bows and spears would occasionally stop by, as Kairo inherited her parents’ excellent magical skills.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you sooner, and I’ll be leaving again soon!” Though Morril liked this girl, like all the residents of Rain City, she didn’t want to get too close to her. Besides, peace between spellcasters was always questionable.

“Going to the marshes again?” Kairo looked worried, her large, always-teary eyes fixed on Morril.

“Are you here to do business or just ask questions?” Morril replied with a teasing smile, then glanced at the items on the shelf. “Your magic has gotten even better. You scared me when I first came in—do I need any supplies, or do you have anything good to recommend?”

“I do!” Kairo placed her index finger on her thin lips, standing on tiptoes to search the shelf. Then she took out a very old-looking bottle from behind a pile of enchanted charms.

“Concentrated magic!” Morril’s face lit up. “I didn’t know such a thing existed. After all, battles between mages aren’t children’s games—having an easy way to replenish mana would be amazing!”

“It does exist!” Kairo blinked her big eyes as she handed the bottle to Morril. “But it’s not that magical. It just helps you recover your mana faster!”

“It’s surprising that such a thing exists in a remote town like this. I’ve never seen it even in Vatan City.” Morril paused for a moment before asking, “How did you get this?”