"Owner, don't worry, I don't plan to haggle," Lux said. "I'm here to buy the most excellent of items, so if you can show me your wares, I'd be very grateful for it. Also, money is not a problem. I have loads of it!"
The Owner immediately looked at Lux as if he was a VIP customer and flashed him an award-winning smile.
"Young Master, the moment you entered my shop, I knew that you are not a simple individual," the Owner said. "You must be Sir Lux, the famous Highlander who had recently won in the Gladiator's Coliseum. Although I wasn't there to watch the battle, I've become your fan ever since. Now, please come with me to the VIP Section where items costing tens of thousands of gold coins are being displayed."
"Lead the way, Owner," Lux replied. "I plan to spend a lot today."
The Owner smiled and escorted the Half-Elf to the VIP section, leaving Cleo behind.
The Saintess no longer felt like staying, so she decided to leave and check out the other stores. She'd just meet up with Lux at a later time.
"Young Master, are you looking for a specific weapon?" the owner asked. "If you can tell me your weapon of choice, I can give you some recommendations. You can rest assured that all of them are high quality because they have been crafted by Grandmaster Blacksmiths and Jewelsmiths who wielded Transcended Flames."
"Really?" Lux was pleasantly surprised after knowing that the items at the VIP section were all crafted by craftsmen who commanded Transcendent Flames. "Now, I'm really looking forward to seeing what you have on sale. I don't really have a specific weapon in mind, but I plan to buy anything that catches my interest."
The owner nodded his head in understanding because he had previously encountered customers like Lux who just wanted to browse their wares and choose what they like before making a purchase.
Since that was the case, he switched to his "business mode" before opening the door that led to the VIP section of their store.
Meanwhile, outside the store, Darren glanced at a man, who was standing not far from there.
The man then scratched his ears before glancing in Darren's direction.
'I see, so Sir Sion has already given the go signal to start,' Darren thought.
He then scanned his surroundings and saw several men and women, who were acting normally.
However, for someone who was in the same line of work, he understood instantly that all of them were Bounty Hunters.
Professionals who only moved to target people who had high bounties on their heads.
'Looks like I have competition,' Darren mused. 'Fortunately, I don't mind competition.'
As one of the best Bounty Hunters in El Hazard, Darren was confident in his skills.
His only advantage was that he was able to make the first move and approach Lux before the others beat him to it.
The Half-Elf didn't know that currently, there was a bounty of five million gold coins for his capture.
The client specified that no matter what happened, the Half-Elf must be captured alive.
If for some reason, Lux died in an accident, then the bounty would be void because this was not part of the client's wishes.
What they didn't know was that, outside of the establishment, a Shadowy Figure was all observing them from a distance.
His Master, Gaap, had given him an order to ensure Lux's safety, but that didn't mean that he wasn't allowed to take the initiative to weed out some thorns along the way, who had plans to harm his Master's interest.
Surprisingly, floating beside the Shadowy Figure was a black coffin.
Similar to Gaap's servant, Blackfire only moved to protect Lux's interest.
After becoming a Divine Artifact, it had gained sentience and could move autonomously, appearing beside anyone who was allied with its Master.
Blackfire only cared about two things.
They were the living and the dead.
If they were dead, it would gladly take them inside its body.
If they were still alive… Well, it could just ask Lux's allies to beat them until they were near death.
That way it could swallow them inside its body and turn them into loyal servants for its Master, who was now going to play a larger role in the world, after becoming the Necromancer of Heaven.
Inside the Store…
"Owner, this is quite an impressive collection," Lux said with a genuine look of surprise on his face as he gazed at all the Mythical and Legendary Items that were displayed in the VIP Section.
"But of course, Young Master," the owner replied. "I don't want to toot my own horn, but we are the best store in El Hazard when it comes to high-quality weapons, armors, and accessories. Everything here is the best among the best."
Lux smiled after hearing the Owner's words. However, his next words made the "businessman" stiffen.
"Are these the only things you have for sale?" Lux asked. "I'm also a collector of sorts, so cursed weapons are also good."
The Owner's body stiffened upon hearing that Lux was interested in cursed weapons as well.
"Young Master, how did you know that we have a cursed weapon in our store?" The Owner asked in a solemn tone.
"A little bird told me," Lux replied.
Truth be told, his Soul Book was currently floating beside him because he was using it to appraise the equipment that was on display.
However, after looking at its mini map, he found a black blinking dot not far from him, and after using his Elysium Compendium to check what it was, the label "Cursed Weapon", appeared on his map.
This was the first time that Lux had encountered a cursed weapon, and he was very curious to see what it was like.
According to the compendium, the cursed weapon was a spear.
As soon as he verified this information, the image of the blood-soaked Leonidas appeared on his head.
He didn't know why he had immediately thought of the Mercenary Leader after finding out about the weapon's existence.
But since he trusted his gut instinct, he believed that this weapon was meant to be wielded by the man who had faced his Deus Gigantia head-on, carrying the weight of the people who trusted him on his shoulders.
