"Do you always have to hug your beast in broad daylight?" Rubina said from afar, a little jealous of the display of affection the boy showed his beasts.
"Why not? It's hard to ignore their loyalty," Logan replied, patting his creatures one last time.
After doing so, he took out the saddle and placed it on his raptor. The creature was overjoyed that it would not go back to the small room.
Before he could move, he was called. It was the treasurer, Golman, who had come via warp portal, with the elderly Archmage Aldric beside him.
"You don't think I would forget, right?" the merchant said while taking out three objects from a storage tool.
"Now then, let's hurry, as I know you have a long road ahead of you. From these, you can only have one, hero. I only brought three because I know a sword would not help you, but one of these tools has to be good enough for you." The archmage helped create a hovering disk that let the treasurer place the three items on it.
One of them was a small badge that resembled a shield.
The second was a pair of glasses that looked normal, but the part where the lenses should have been was strangely empty.
The final item was a small lantern that must have some kind of function.
"I guess you need an explanation. The first is an Evershield Badge. Using mana, it can grow in size and partially reflect magic," the merchant explained.
The treasurer picked up the badge and fed it a bit of mana, allowing it to grow to the size of a small dish in a matter of seconds. He then placed it back, and after leaving his hand, it returned to its small size.
"The next item is a pair of glasses that let you see information about the item you concentrate on. I thought, as someone not from this world, it would be a helpful tool for you." Golman signaled for Logan to put them on.
The glasses adjusted themselves to his features, and as soon as he saw through them, he could appraise things with ease.
However, he needed to be careful about what he was looking at, as checking too many things at once overloaded his mind, causing a headache.
He took them off and looked at the final item with expectation.
"The final one is a lamp. It lights the way," the treasurer said, as if it held no importance.
"Don't be like that, Golman. That last one lights the way one should take, as if guiding them to a destined event or item," the Aldric added with a wink.
"Why do you have to talk…" Golman remarked angrily, but huffed and returned to trying to act normally.
"Now then, which will you choose?"
Logan thought hard about his choice. He sort of needed all three; the shield was amazing, the glasses would help him as someone not from this world, and the final item sounded like a must-have.
"How much would all three of them cost…" the boy tried to negotiate, staring at the three items carefully.
"I am only giving you one to show our intent, kid. If we were selling them, I would ask no less than one hundred thousand for the three." The man looked at Logan as if his time was being wasted.
Logan thought hard. Would the guy yield for two crystals more, but then ask questions?
He turned to Rubina, who knew how many crystals he had and could help him make a decision.
She only knew the old guy from afar, but even for her, the offer of the three artifacts was impressive.
Rubina even thought about how the glasses would help her dad, who researched many things.
The girl nodded, and Logan came to the same conclusion.
"You know… I have another crystal... How about a trade for all three items," Logan whispered, trying to keep his voice low enough for only the treasurer to hear.
He saw Golman's eyes twitch, showing he was tempted, but his overall features remained unmoved.
"Fine, two, one is nearly the size of the one I gave you and another my last is smaller by a third." Logan tried to negotiate.
The Archmage Aldric Spellweaver wanted to cry, but he was unable to join the conversation since he had wasted his money on research.
It was now the treasurer's turn to turn to his helper, who showed a wide smile and nodded.
"Fine… fine, take them. Now give those here," he said, ordering the mage to cast a visual effect spell that concealed the items.
Logan quickly took out the crystals he intended to give the treasurer and picked up the three tools.
He tested the badge as soon as he got it. It was lightweight, but as it grew in size, it equally got heavier.
He tapped it and heard the sound of metal. It was wonderful for the boy who would be in the rearguard.
He made it shrink again and placed it on his chest as if it was a button. It had a small pin that let him hold it when it got big and adjust it in his shirt when it was small.
He then picked up the glasses and put them on, causing a headache but helping him identify his final item.
Lantern of Destiny: lights the way to a spot ideally chosen by destiny. It can be either good or bad for the user, but it is where fate has chosen for you to go.
Logan smiled as he picked up the last item, transferring mana to see its reaction.
The light pointed him north for some reason, producing a white radiant light that strangely curved towards that direction.
"Well, at least I will be heading the right way," Logan said to those present. They all nodded in agreement, seeing the direction the light was pointing towards.
"We are done then. I thank you for the successful trade. Hope you find what you are looking for. Bye, hero," Golman said as he turned to the Aldric to make a portal.
The Archmage Aldric turned to Logan, hoping to get a crystal-like last time. He then took out a book. "How about it, hero? You must have another part of a crystal. I think it would be a fair exchange for this…"