He lied to everyone that he was still a level 3 space awakener. His breakthrough was very recent and a high secret.
No one should know.
No one.
...But why?
"That's not it. I know more. Your real identity, what you have done in the past, what are your plans for the future, your enemies, your friends, everything." Varian said in a nonchalant voice.
But to the stall owner, it was more than scary than anything else.
A man who knew this much…
Would he hold back because of laws?
No. Perhaps, he would even twist the laws for his goals.
After Varian revealed his level, he didn't think Varian was bluffing.
With trembling legs, he stood up from his seat and bowed. "I-I was too greedy."
Varian shifted his gaze to Sarah who was still bewildered by the situation.
"Ah! Yes, yes!" The stall owner's eyes lit up and he hurriedly reached for the book, but when he actually touched it, he slowed down.
With utmost care, he held it and presented it to Sarah.
"M-Madam, please…honor me by taking this. It's free for you." He said in a pleading tone.
Sarah looked at Varian in doubt.
"Of course, we'll pay," Varian said like it was a matter of fact.
The stall owner nearly collapsed.
Would he still dare to take a penny from this devil?
Never. He just wanted to send them away as soon as possible and get out of here. Payment be damned!
"S-Sir, it's free! You don't have to pa—"
"I. Will. Pay." Varian said with an irrefutable smile.
"Y-Yes."
"6 cp."
"…" The stall owner wanted to cry.
Son of a bitch, even the soft copy of the book cost 12 cp. You want the hardcopy, a vintage one at that but for half the price?
But he didn't dare to utter a word.
Looking at the [6 CP received] notification, he even smiled brightly. "Wonderful! Thank you. Thank you very much~"
Sarah took the book and walked away from the stall in hurried steps.
Others were already giving them weird gazes. The guards even came to enquire if Varian was 'pressuring' the stall owner—that was a punishable offense.
Of course, the stall owner said that Varian was his benefactor.
"Then why are you crying? Even your nose is running, you know?"
"T-That…I'm sooo happy! Yes, I can't stop my tears of happiness!"
Like that, the guards also left.
From the stall owner's behavior, everyone decided that Varian was some kind of bigshot and bully.
So, all the stall owners on the fortieth floor shivered when they approached him and started crying in fear.
In exasperation, Sarah and Sia ran all the way to the sixtieth floor.
"You two, why are you in such a hurry? We could've missed some really cool stuff, you know?" Varian complained after he caught up with them.
Sia glared at him. "Everyone was giving us strange looks."
Sarah nodded weakly.
"Isn't that because you two are gorgeous?" Varian smirked.
"…good try, but we're in a disguise." Sia clicked her tongue in amusement.
Varian coughed lightly but refused to give up. "That only means even disguise can't stop your beauty. My girlfriends are too beauti—"
Sarah covered his mouth to stop the further embarrassment. "Everyone is looking at us. I'll die from shame."
Varian also noticed that the crowd was giving them, to be precise, him, strange looks.
Even though Sarah and Sia in disguise were still beautiful, they weren't so beautiful that he could sing praises in public.
So, he appeared too narcissistic and like a playboy deceiving innocent girls.
"You won't say anything after I remove my hand, right?" Sarah asked him with a serious expression.
Nod. Nod.
Vairan nodded obediently.
With a sigh of relief, Sarah removed her ha—
"Too beautiu—umph!"
"Argh!" Sarah closed his mouth and glared at him.
Varian felt an invisible force pinching his waist.
It was, of course, Sia, who was now glaring at him from the upper floor.
Sarah took him to a corner while still covering his mouth.
With a half-embarrassed and half-curious face, she groaned. "Why are you doing this?"
Varian pointed to his mouth signaling. 'I can't speak like this. Remove your hand.'
Sarah shook her head.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Varian shrugged.
"Becof-yor-hanfs-…"
"Ehhh~ use your telepathy." Sarah shivered from the tickling feeling on her palm and said with a red face.
"Tsk." Varian clicked his tongue and answered directly in her mind.
'Because your hand is soft and you're pressing so hard against my mouth. I feel like I'm kissing it all the time.'
"?!"
Sarah immediately pulled back her hand and lowered her head with a blushing face.
"S-Shameless~"
Uttering those words, she ran to the upper floor.
Varian smirked. "I'm not shameless."
Then, he shamelessly went to the next floor.
"You two, don't leave me behind!" Varian said behind the two girls who increased their speed once he caught up.
"I don't know you." Sia snorted.
"Sia! My heart is breaking apart!" Varian clutched his right chest, oops, he quickly changed it to his left.
"I don't know this shameless Varian! The one I know is hardworking and pure." Sarah looked at her hand and said with a red face.
"But I was always shameless!" Varian argued.
"…"
Sia and Sarah suddenly paused and turned around.
"…What?"
They nodded in sync.
"You're really shameless."
"…" Varian opened his mouth, dumbstruck. "Excuse me, when did you two unite to bully me? Weren't you cat fighting and breaking everything…like yesterday and the great me had to remind you of your friendship?"
"Hmph! You're the common enemy. Even if we have strifes, we will join forces against you." Sia declared.
Sarah nodded with a serious expression like she was ready to prepare for a bloody war.
"Fuck." Varian cursed in depression.
Sia's and Sarah's lips curled up. They felt like they paid back for what Varian had done so far.
But Varian suddenly began laughing, much to their puzzlement.
He punched his fist into the air and declared. "I lost the battle but won the war.
Harem Unity: Achieved.
Achivement: Mythical
Respect: SSS+"
"…"
"…"
Sarah and Sia stood frozen, with widened eyes and open mouths, unable to utter a word at his blatant shamelessness.
Whistling into the air, Varian walked forward with a smug smile.
"A-Argh!"
"This guy!"
Sarah and Sia caught up to him with frustrated faces.
Looking at their faces, Varian laughed from time to time. "You are the best."
As they continued the tour and reached the eightieth floor, they heard a cute voice.
"Boss, the versions packaged after 400s are still available in the market, 1 million CP is a bit too high. How about we take a middle ground and settle for 600,000 CP?"
"600? That's too low. I won't sell it for anything less than 900,000."
"700 is my last call, boss. Only a small number in the old generation remember this clock. After a few years, you won't even find them. It's best to sell it now rather than wait. I'm sure this is the best price you'll get."
"Ugh, 800, girl. I can't go lower."
"Deal!"
A girl around sixteen years struck a bargain with a shopkeeper and bought an exquisite clock.
With a beaming smile, she bounced out of the shop like a little bunny.
Even though she appeared like your next-door girl, she had a certain elegance that was found only in elite houses.
Yet, she had a bargaining skill that was unexpected for a young lady.
"Sarah," Varian called out to the blonde beauty, who was also a noble miss by birth.
"Hm?" Sarah shifted her gaze from the girl to him.
"This is bargaining. You can learn it if you don't want to get ripped off in the future. Even though…" He smiled lightly. "You won't need it."
Sarah bit her lip lightly and said in an embarrassing tone. "Bargaining…I never did it."
"It's fine. I can teach you. See how I bargained with that guy? I bargained from 600,000 CP to 6 CP. It's awesome if I say so myself." Varian bragged.
Sia's eyebrows twitched. "So awesome that he was scared for his life, ended up in tears, and sold the item for a price 100 times less than its actual market value."
"Exactly! That's bargaining!" Varian nodded strongly.
"Varian, did you ever wonder why you weren't sent to buy groceries?" Sia covered her face and asked.
"…Because I was too busy?"
"Sigh." Sia's shoulders drooped and she shook her head. "You know how to bargain in theory, but what you do in practice is coercion."
"B-But on that floor, I just—"
"That's worse. It's daylight robbery."
"…" Varian rubbed his chin and tried hard to refute.
He knew he was actually scaring that guy and not really bargaining, but he didn't want to admit it, you know? He wanted to appear as an expert, after all. But now, his image crumbled.
Rolling her eyes at the guy who tried hard for a comeback, Sia grabbed Sarah's hand and said. "Don't listen to him. I'll teach you how to bargain."
Sarah nodded at Sia and winked at Varian. 'Better luck next time.'
Then the two moved to the next stall.
"Teach me too!"
Varian followed.
