Aries let out a long, steady breath before dispelling the illusion cloak skill, leaving the cloak as nothing more than an ordinary piece of fabric. He adjusted it around his shoulders and walked toward the shop he had marked earlier while exploring the city.
When he reached the entrance, he exhaled again, and stepped inside with forced confidence. The system had warned him that for a proper exchange, he needed to look like someone who knew exactly what he was doing.
The shopkeeper was a beastman dressed in plain, well-sewn clothing. Since leaving the tiger palace, this was the first time Aries was truly noticing that not everyone outside wore fur, fur, and more fur. Their outfits here were simple materials, likely woven from whatever fibers they harvested.
"Beastman, what can I get you?" the man asked. Aries tore his gaze away from the man's clothing to look at his face. He looked decent.
'Good. He should treat me well.'
"I heard this is an exchange shop, so I came to exchange some of my properties."
"Oh… esteemed customer, please take a seat."
With a casual wave of his hand, a chair a few steps away slid across the floor and stopped perfectly behind Aries. He sat, even though he hadn't planned to.
It happened so quickly that Aries blinked and asked, "How did you do that?"
"One of the simpler spell techniques. Now, what do you have to show me?"
'I think staying in the palace walls for that long after just reaching this world made me forget what it is. It's a Beastworld, of course there should still be wizards… or whatever supernatural beings these people count as. Not that they aren't already supernatural, but they clearly have things that bend physics for fun…'
He shook his head internally. 'Focus, Aries.'
He took out the beads he'd removed from his wrist and ankle and placed them on the table. The beastman picked them up, examined them carefully, and set them back down.
"They are well-crafted. If you don't mind, can you tell me where you got them? Just for credibility."
Aries didn't hesitate; he lied smoothly. He even added a sniffle.
"You see, my brother is a warrior. He fought in the just-concluded war we won against the wolfmen. But when he returned, he found out his wife and child died during labor… so the king gifted him these beads to help him get a new wife. He doesn't want to offend the king, but he doesn't want the beads either, so he asked me to sell them for him. Please, don't be upset. You understand, right?"
'What kind of lie is this? Will he even believe this? This story has too many holes! Why did I say this?' Aries wailed inwardly but kept his teary voice steady on the outside.
The man's expression tightened as he considered it.
Finally, he nodded. "Well, the king meant well in his own way, but your brother is grieving. How about this? Don't sell it. Pawn it instead. Later, when your brother is ready to want it back, you can retrieve it."
"It's not nice discarding the king's gift."
"Oh… I see. Thank you."
The man turned, carrying the beads away, and when he returned, he held a pouch filled with coins.
He placed it on Aries' lap. "That's two gold coins as two hundred silver coins in there."
"I priced the king's gift at one gold coin each even though it's only a bracelet and an anklet, but since it's from a king, it deserved that value."
'System, I'm not familiar with the world, but is this good?'
[Host, this man seems very trustworthy. He gave you far more than the beads are worth. They are worth at most 1 gold coin combined, but because they came from the king, he increased the value to 1 gold coin each.]
"Wow…" Aries mouthed. He was genuinely surprised to find a kind man right outside the domain of a tyrant.
"Thank you."
"And when you come back for your properties, you'll need to pay 3 gold coins."
'Ah, so that's how you get your money back. Fair enough. Shame I'm never coming back for the beads—that's a loss.'
Aries stood and bowed in gratitude before leaving the shop with the pouch.
"System, is there a storage where I can keep items inside you?"
[Yes. I thought you'd never ask. Simply say 'Inventory' when you want to store something and it will automatically be saved.
Note: Inventory space is currently 10 slots for outside items.]
'Keep money pouch, /inventory./' Areis thought and the pouch vanished instantly.
"This way, I won't get mugged. Now… what next?" Aries muttered, already activating his illusion cloak again. Who knew? The man might still tail him to confirm the story.
Aries found a quiet corner to settle himself. Once he felt steady again, he began the first step of his disguise—his face.
He painted black stripes across his skin, then headed to a clothing shop and bought a brown cloak. Afterwards, he went to the fruit stalls, purchased the available fruits, and even collected a blade from the beastlady.
By the time he was done, Aries was an entirely new being. He shaved his head bald, giving him a younger, cute look, and the brown cloak complimented his skin, blending and making him look mysterious. And his stomach had stopped grumbling at last.
Then suddenly, guards flooded the street, and panic slammed into him.
"Curfew starts by 7pm! Leave the streets now!"
He watched stalls close and shopkeepers pack up in a hurry. Just as he turned to move away from the guards, he collided with someone. Before he could speak, a hand grabbed him and yanked him aside.
Aries was stunned. "What are you doing?" he said aloud.
"Just cooperate," the stranger said calmly. "I'm taking us to a tavern."