A small brass bell chimed brightly as the heavy wooden door swung open. Stepping inside, Annie found herself standing in a place that looked exactly like the fantastical adventurer shops Xain used to read about in his books—except she had never realized such places actually existed in real life.
The air inside smelled of dried herbs, oiled leather, and the faint, static crackle of enchanted goods. Sturdy wooden shelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling, packed tightly with a chaotic but fascinating blend of mundane survival gear and possibly mystical artifacts. Thick coils of woven silk rope sat beside neat stacks of glowing paper talismans. Heavy bamboo canteens rested next to intricately carved jade compasses that hummed with faint spiritual energy, while thick, weather-resistant cloaks were draped elegantly next to displays of reinforced climbing picks.
Annie let out a low, impressed whistle as she took in the eclectic inventory. Her gaze swept over the room before naturally settling on the figure sitting behind the front counter.
A woman was perched on a stool, completely engrossed in reading a thick book. She wore a sleek, high-collared red dress with intricate golden embroidery—a graceful style Annie recognized as being incredibly popular among the women of Aeruna. Her straight black hair was cut sharply at the chin, framing a face with eyes so deeply brown they appeared pitch-black in the warm lantern light.
Hearing the chime of the door, the shopkeeper smoothly marked her page and looked up. A bright, welcoming smile instantly stretched across her face.
"Welcome to the—" she began, her voice bubbling with a practiced, vibrant energy.
Then, her dark eyes landed directly on Tiyun and Zamin.
Her welcoming smile completely vanished. Her shoulders slumped, and every single ounce of cheerful energy drained from her voice, replaced by a deep, bone-weary annoyance.
"Ugh. It's you two again," she deadpanned.
"Nice to meet you too, Lady Chae," Zamin replied, forcing a polite smile.
The shopkeeper let out a sharp huff. "Are you two finally going to pay off your debts? Or are you just here to mooch off this poor old woman some more?"
Annie let out a bright chuckle. "So that's why you two were so terrified of coming in here? You had a massive debt to pay off to a young woman who thinks she's old?" she asked, glancing amusedly between the hunters.
Chae shifted her dark eyes toward the blue-haired foreigner. "And who exactly is this little lady you brought with you?"
"I am literally taller than everyone in this room," Annie remarked flatly.
Tiyun quickly stepped forward to keep the peace. "This is Annie. She hired us for a job, and we are actually here to buy the items needed to complete it." To prove his point, he pulled out the heavy pouch Annie had given them and placed it firmly on the counter.
Chae snatched the pouch up with a skeptical scoff. "I highly doubt whatever she gave you is going to clear out the sheer mountain of debt you two have accumulated over the years. I'm sure I'll be long turned to dust before you actually pay it all... off..." Her words trailed into a dead stop as she untied the string and peered inside. She stared at the contents, aggressively rubbed her eyes, and leaned in to look closer. Slowly, she looked up at the two men, then shifted her bewildered gaze to Annie.
"You... you paid them this much for a job?" she asked, her entire demeanor instantly shifting. She pointed an accusatory finger at the two hunters while keeping her eyes locked on Annie. "You think these two are worth this much? I wouldn't even pay a single gold shiro to buy the pair of them."
"First of all, rude," Zamin crossed his arms defensively. "Second of all, we are still standing right here. We can hear you perfectly fine, so please don't treat us like objects anyone can just buy and sell!"
Chae completely waved off his complaints. Reaching into the pouch, she extracted two gleaming platinum shiro and slipped them away.
"Huh? I thought a single one of those was worth a hundred gold shiro?" Annie asked, tilting her head in genuine curiosity.
"You heard correctly. That is just the exact amount of debt these two idiots had managed to rack up," Chae explained, shooting a withering glare at the two hunters, who suddenly found the shop's floorboards incredibly interesting, both looking in entirely different directions to avoid her gaze.
"Wow... you two are awful," Annie chuckled.
Desperate to change the subject, Tiyun cleared his throat loudly. "Anyways. We need a lot of camping and mountaineering gear. Specifically, equipment that is entirely waterproof. We will also need something to easily collect rainwater, rations that will not spoil if they get wet, and—"
Before he could list anything else, Chae firmly raised a hand to cut him off. "Hold on a second. Just where exactly are you going, and what in the world did she hire you for?" she asked, a suspicious brow arching upward.
Zamin let out a deep, heavy sigh, the playful banter completely vanishing from his voice. "It's... a very dangerous one, Lady Chae. The likelihood of this being our very last meeting is pretty high."
The annoyance instantly drained from Chae's face, her dark eyes going wide. "Excuse me?" she breathed, genuine shock and sudden worry lacing her tone.
"He is not lying, Lady Chae," Tiyun added, his expression entirely grim. "We are going to fight Joshua Ambrose and his disciples. That is what she hired us for."