Deva Wizard: The Great Xian in King Arthur's Realm

Merlin looked back at the old man with emotionless eyes, then he said,

“Do you believe now that I am well-qualified to own these power-restoring potions?”

After Merlin revealed his identity, the tone of “you” he used to call the old man changed.

From how the shop owner was acting, it seemed like the alphabet user was very powerful.

So, Merlin behaved with his alphabet user’s influence.

“Forgive me, alphabet user, I’m just a stupid old man for my eyes could not see who you are. Forgive me for offending you earlier.” The old man walked out of the counter and bowed down to apologize to Merlin. He then said, “I believe now that these potions are valid. With your position, I do not dare to question anything about you.”

He spoke humbly and changed his manners as if that was a different person. Certainly, he wanted to please Merlin.

As a known fact that aside from the aristocrats, the people that nobody should agitate were the alphabet users. They were those figures who if you were unable to befriend, you should never be their enemies. Even an archwizard bowed down to them.

“Hm...” Saying nothing, instead, Merlin made a low, deep voice in his throat. He stood there for a while, but it seemed like the old man was not going to say anything.

“Well, if you are not interested in these potions, I will have to excuse myself,” Merlin spoke in a chilly voice.

Seeing that, the old man became suddenly anxious and said hurriedly,

“No...no...please...alphabet user, do not be angry. I am very interested in these potions.” He was stuck too deep in his daydream to care how he was acting.

Merlin glared at him and said coldly,

“Let’s say I wish to sell these for two hundred thousand zenis each, do you have any problems with that?”

In the blink of an eye, Merlin earned an advantage to increase the price from one hundred and fifty thousand zenis to two hundred thousand zenis.

And of course, alphabet users could arbitrarily increase the goods’ prices; Merlin would never let this opportunity go.

“No problems...if that is your wish, so there is no problem. I will take all of these potions at the price you just offered. Please forgive all my mistakes.” The old man agreed immediately. He did not want to risk upsetting an alphabet user. Even if Merlin had offered a higher price, he would have said yes.

Merlin smiled with satisfaction and said,

“I have a lot of things to do so give me the money already.”

The old man ran back to the back of the shop immediately after hearing that.

The cost for twenty power-restoring potions was high. It was a large amount of money, so he needed to pay Merlin with his savings.

Walking back, the old man handed eight diamonds to the boy.

Merlin was surprised as he had calculated in his head: two hundred thousand zenis for each of twenty potions would cost four million zenis which, actually, could be turned into four diamonds.

But why did the old man hand him eight diamonds?

So, did that mean he sold each potion for four hundred thousand zenis?

Merlin squinted then asked,

“Why did you give me eight diamonds, not four?”

The old man smiled obsequiously then stated,

“Ahhh...alphabet user, it is true that each of these potions costs four diamonds; another four diamonds are a gift from me.”

Four million zenis is not a small amount of money. But this old man handed it to Merlin like it was nothing.

Merlin nodded slowly a few times then spoke in a monotonous voice again,

“It seems you know the right way to live. Time did not stop your brain from evolving.”

Merlin knew what the shop owner was thinking. As soon as he revealed himself as an alphabet user, he almost cried and bowed down to ask for mercy.

Befriending an alphabet user was great luck. So, Merlin was not slightly surprised when how he was welcomed had changed completely like the boot was now on the other foot.

“If you insist, I am going to say no more and take these diamonds,” Merlin said prudently and powerfully.

He took all eight diamonds calmly. His expression was cold and indifferent.

Now, Merlin was considered a rich person. He turned back and walked out of the shop.

The old man was nervous. He was not sure how much his manner earlier had pleased the little alphabet user. He could not press the boy to answer. Even though he was just a boy, that boy was an alphabet user.

If you cannot be friends with an alphabet user, do not be an enemy to him. He remembered this saying clearly because it was a rule regarding how to treat the alphabet users which all the merchants had been passing down.

Standing there, the old man sent the tiny alphabet user out with a sad look in his eyes.

Meeting an alphabet user was a fortune for a merchant. But his fortune was walking away in front of him. So, he could not help feeling sad.

However, at that moment…

Merlin’s monotonous voice sounded.

“Hey...shop owner”

The old man looked up with hope. It seemed that the fortune was turning back to him.

The young alphabet user paused before he reached the door and said something.

The old man’s face was beaming out of a sudden.

“Alphabet user, what can I do for you?” He answered merrily and humbly. Although he did not know what the boy wanted, he was willing to help wholeheartedly. The gleam in his eyes showed that he was hopeful.

“You....” Merlin glared at the old man then said,

“Are you interested in doing business with me?”

After the boy’s words finished, like heaven was coming down to him; great fortune had arrived. His face was painted with a smile. His body was shaking uncontrollably because of the joy he was feeling.

“Re...really, alphabet user?” The old man’s eyes were filled with disbelief. He was in shock and feeling the happiest of joy.

“My words are made of gold, and I never break them. Or do you not value them?” Merlin lowered his gaze and spoke.

“No..no, thank you so much, alphabet user. Your heart is bigger than the ocean. I am willing to be loyal to you. Thank you for giving me the opportunity.” Excitedly, the old man replied.

“Hm..I don't have much time so we should make an agreement now.” Merlin kept his calm. He was acting in a powerful manner.

Of course, the shop owner was not surprised by how the boy was acting. Even though he was an arrogant child, he was an alphabet user.

“Of course, please come in then.” The old man said cheerfully. He showed Merlin respect through each word he spoke.

When the backdoor was opened, both of them disappeared inside immediately. The old man brought Merlin deeper and deeper past the warehouse inside until they got to a small living area.

And unsurprisingly, the old man asked Merlin to sit at the biggest chair in the middle. It meant that he respected the boy very much.

Throughout the walk, the old man’s face was still filled with a smile. He was so grateful for his luck.

“Are you interested in doing business with me?” Merlin asked the person in front of him again for assurance. Meanwhile, he was sending out the magical alphabet aura around the room to show the old man his power.

Somehow, that aura did not make the old man feel pressured. He, on the other hand, was glad that the young alphabet user wanted to give him an offer.

“I am...I am and I am really glad and willing to do business with you.” The old man answered in a delightful voice. Undoubtedly, he would never turn down these words that were worth like gold.

“Do you know why I wanted to do business with you all of a sudden?” Merlin said plainly and stared at the shop owner without blinking. He moved a little to relax himself from the gracious manner he was putting on.

“I am too stupid to answer your question. If you want anything, please say. I am willing to follow your desire without saying anything.” With a smile on his face, the old shop owner tried to please Merlin.

“Good...” Merlin paused then said, “Do you know that the trade we did earlier was a test that I gave you?”

Hearing that, the old man was stunned.

“I...I had no idea.” He answered anxiously then sighed with relief.

He did not know that that offer was a test from the alphabet user. If he had been cheap and taken out only four diamonds, it would have been his misfortune to fail the alphabet user’s test.

“With your generosity, you have shown me that you are sincere to me. So, I am happy to do business with you. Clearly, if these potions were to be sold in the market, their price would not stop at two hundred thousand zenis. Because their latent property is even more powerful than power restoring itself, four hundred thousand zeni was the right price for the time being.”

Smilingly, Merlin then continued, “When all the high-rank wizards use big spells, the casting is the indication of their fate. If they can cast spells faster, they will be stronger than their opponents. Four hundred thousand zenis for that benefit is surely the price all the high-rank wizards are willing to pay. And if these potions become more widely-known, the price will get higher.”

Merlin slowly explained—artfully and simply. Every word he said was powerful and respectable.

Right at this moment, Merlin was no longer a little boy.

“Doing a business partnership with me is an easy process. I will produce these potions for you only. So, you could set the price as you wish. Are you interested in this offer?” Merlin looked at the old man and smiled.

“This old man has no objections. Everything will be as you said.” The shop owner quickly responded to Merlin's offer. This offer, undoubtedly, benefited him a great deal. Even though the boy had offered a more brutal price, he would have agreed.

“My cut is seventy to thirty of the whole profit. Do you find it proper?” The child said calmly.

“Proper indeed. I am willing to take all your offers.” Even though now the old man was losing the advantage, he agreed happily. There was no regret or disappointment in his eyes.

Even if he got a smaller cut, he would still earn a great amount of profit.

“But after all, I need to know the details of the medicine shops around here. Other than me, are there any other shops that have made a deal with an alphabet user?” Merlin asked for the marketing survey. Definitely, alphabet users had various kinds of skills: carving alphabets on armaments, creating magical tools or alchemy. He needed to know if he had any rivals in his business field.

“As of my knowledge, the potions in this market and other lands are made by alchemists. I have never heard of an alphabet user choosing the potion-making path. So, there is no shop in this market that has made a business deal with an alphabet user.” The old man answered with a smile and continued,

“It is probably because potion-making is not worth their time. They often make deals with the shops that produce expensive goods like a magical tools shop, an armament, or a jewelry store. From my years of experience, you are the first alphabet user that has stepped into the path of potion-making.”

The old man smiled obsequiously.

“If our agreement is done; I will be the first one to sell potions made by an alphabet user.”

Merlin nodded and contemplated.

“It is true what the old man just said. Carving alphabets on the tools could make more profit than potion-making. Alphabet users all have different masteries. And potion-making is an unpopular one among those sciences. Since there are already alchemists in this realm, they would not reckon that if an alphabet user did the same thing, he or she would bring about latent qualities to those potions. After all, an alphabet user needs to have one’s own formulas for the potions. So, potion-making is difficult. I spent several months trying out all these formulas.” Merlin thought.

Each alphabet user had their own signature skill. Even though some knew how to use alphabets just like others, they still had to learn to increase their levels.

The deeper one got into the alphabet-using science, he or she would gain a higher power from the alphabets. The more knowledge about the science accumulated, the better chance to become more powerful as a green-level alphabet user one had.

“Now that you have agreed to make a deal with me, what I want are the raw materials for potion-making and a room to do that. These are the names of the herbs needed for the potions. Next time, I will come to make potions here. I hope that you will be able to handle it well.” After saying that, Merlin handed that old man a piece of paper with the herbs’ names jotted on.

Seeing the herbs list, the old man was appalled because they were all low-level herbs.

Utilizing low-level herbs to make potions was beyond any ordinary people’s common senses. If the alchemists heard about this, they would surely be spitting blood. He had no idea that the child before him was this skilled.

But as this boy was an alphabet user, the old man would not dare to daunt him.

It was a good thing, in fact, to make a cheap business deal while getting a high compensation. Even though his cut was smaller, he believed that his future gain would not be so small.

“I will do as you wish, sir.” The old man answered to the boy’s order jovially. Certainly, he would not dare to speak too much in front of an alphabet user. And these are little details that he was supposed to handle anyway.

“Perfect…” Merlin uttered satisfiedly.

“I believe you haven’t told me your name.” The boy said while peering at the old man.

The kid’s manners were different from normal kids. He seemed like a nobleman, or a powerful figure as if he had experienced a lot of the world. The old man noticed this fact.

“I apologize, alphabet user. I tend to lose my senses the older I get. My name is Devas Matin.” Matin answered.

“Hm...” Merlin growled in his throat.

Matin was reluctant, then said,

“I still haven’t acknowledged your name. How could I...” With that sentence still unfinished, Merlin interrupted.

“You could call me Elen,” Merlin said monotonously.

To avoid any difficulties, Merlin made up an alias for himself. He, before this, had already planned for his future; and these things were just the beginning. After this, he would use this place to build his power base.

As soon as he realized that he was the only alphabet user on the potion-making path, he planned to start a business that would quake the whole realm. His scheme started with the first potion he had made: magical-power-restoring potions with a latent property of decreasing spell-casting time.

This realm had five great kingdoms and other small kingdoms all over the world; so war or even an encounter with high-rank beasts was unavoidable. Only these potions, he believed, could shake all the kingdoms.

So, its formula was a crucial thing. And concealing his identity was the right thing to do.

“I see, Sir Elen it is. Is there anything else I could do for you?” Matin said meekly.

“There is. I need a magical ring. Can you find me one?”

“Absolutely, please wait here for a second Sir Elen.” Matin walked to the glass cabinet in the back and took out a small box. He opened it to check for a bit then hurried back to Merlin modestly.

Taking the box, Merlin picked the ring up and put it on his finger.

“And the price?” Merlin looked at Matin and asked.

Matin still kept his smiley face then spoke politely,

“This ring is a friendly gift from me. For the sake of my sincerity, please accept it, Sir Elen.”

Matin said obsequiously. It was certain that the ring cost a lot of money, but as his calculation for the future profit, this investment would surely give him more gain than loss.

“Good...” Merlin nodded, feeling pleased, then stood up and said.

“There is one more thing I need to warn you about. You cannot tell anyone about my identity.” Merlin’s voice was resolute and cold.

This little thing gave the shop owner a creep throughout his body.

“I will do everything as you said. I will keep your status and identity a secret.”

Even if Merlin had not said that, Matin would never have told anyone. Because for the shop supported by an alphabet user, his or her identity was important.

The fight over an alphabet user’s power between the merchants happened quite often. There was no guarantee in the world that the alphabet user supporting one shop would not turn to others. So, the shop owners rarely revealed the existence of their alphabet users. Their identities were, therefore, top secrets.

“There is nothing else. On the first day of next month, I will be back here. Prepare everything and I hope that you will not disappoint me.” Having said that, the boy in the blue ragged cloak walked out right away.