"Thank you for your patronage. That will be three million valis in total!"
Lyra wore a charming smile as she looked at the adventurer standing before her.
Another fat sheep delivered right to the door!
"O-Of course..."
Cold sweat trickled down the adventurer's forehead, as though Lyra's smile were something utterly terrifying.
Even so, despite his fear, he still forced himself to bring up the condition they had discussed earlier.
"What about the discount we agreed on before?"
"Rest assured. As a member of the Astraea Familia, I would never break my word! If I said I'd give you a discount, then I absolutely will!"
Lyra thumped her chest confidently, and only then did the adventurer breathe a slight sigh of relief. For a moment, he had thought he would end up like those who came before him—ruthlessly butchered by this Pallum...
"Then... two million nine hundred ninety-nine thousand valis. Thank you very much for your purchase!"
Huh?
The adventurer's mouth fell open. Wasn't she supposed to give him a discount?
Why had she only reduced it by one thousand valis? What kind of discount was that? Had anyone in the world ever discounted like this?
Seeing the stunned expressions on their faces, Lyra's smile grew even wider. So selling things could actually be this enjoyable!
Agreeing to help Elise back then had truly been the right choice!
A discount?
Yes, it would indeed be cheaper—but she had never specified how much cheaper. One valis was cheaper. One hundred valis was also cheaper.
Not to mention, she had already reduced the price by a full thousand valis. They should know when to be grateful!
At present, the Astraea Familia ranked within the top five Familias in Orario—at least on the surface. Although their numbers were not large, every single member was regarded as an elite in the eyes of outsiders.
Cause trouble for the Astraea Familia?
Do you even know who our captain is?
The Saintess of Scales.
Can you beat her?
Because of that, Lyra could fleece people as much as she pleased without worrying about retaliation.
There was another reason as well.
Ever since Stigmata had been introduced, quite some time had passed. The name of the Saintess of Scales, Elise, and the Stigmata she created had already spread throughout the entire world.
Countless people harbored fantasies about this Saintess. Recently, more and more individuals had been coming to Orario—not only merchants seeking business opportunities, but also newcomers hoping to join a Familia.
Especially the Astraea Familia.
After all, the one who created Stigmata was right here in this Familia!
If they managed to join, wouldn't that mean free benefits?
Maybe they could even cling to Elise's thigh and say, "Rich lady, I'm hungry, please feed me."
Stigmata—items that enhanced abilities simply by being equipped—had effectively become a second piece of gear for adventurers. Countless people scrambled to purchase them in order to strengthen themselves for Dungeon exploration.
Under the current circumstances, in this world, only Elise was capable of crafting Stigmata. Even those who possessed the development ability of Mystery could not necessarily replicate them.
That made Stigmata incredibly rare. The boost they provided was immense, which naturally drove their prices sky-high. As long as Lyra set a not-too-outrageous price, they would sell easily, earning massive profits and making many members of other Familias green with envy.
During this period, Lyra had been helping Elise sell Stigmata. According to their agreement, the split was eight-two—but the sheer price of each item more than made up for it.
As a result, Lyra had quietly built herself a secret little treasury, accumulating several hundred million valis. By her own words, she was saving it as a dowry for when she became Finn's wife.
And that wasn't all—Lyra's fame had grown as well.
On the world stage, Lyra's notoriety was now no less than that of first-tier adventurers like Finn—perhaps even greater.
Just look at how the outside world described her...
It was said that at the center of the world, in Orario, there existed a Familia known as the Astraea Familia, filled with gentle and beautiful young maidens.
But every Familia had its exception. The Pallum named Lyra was precisely that anomaly.
Her smile was said to resemble a demon from hell. Her words were like the whispers of a devil. And her hands—like the claws of a monster—would silently empty every last valis from your pockets.
A humanoid demon!
If you ever encountered her, you must be extremely cautious!
Of course, the real Lyra was not quite as exaggerated as the rumors suggested. She merely lowered her prices very rarely.
Mm... plus just a tiny bit—on a cosmic scale—of miserly greed and ruthless merchant instincts...
Trying to squeeze even a slight discount out of Lyra was famously difficult. And even if she did give you one, it would usually be a discount in name only.
One thousand valis?
I just paid three million—why would I care about a mere thousand?
Thus, among Orario's adventurers—especially those who had purchased Stigmata—the mere sight of Lyra was enough to make them shudder as they recalled that terrifying smile.
And so, the cunning mouse Lyra earned her fearsome reputation!
Even when walking down the street, she would receive strange looks from others. But Lyra didn't care about those gazes at all.
Are you kidding?
Her current rate of earning money was faster than flying in an airship. Strange looks?
Bring it on—who's afraid of whom!
Lyra's reputation in Orario was truly terrible. Yet ironically, because of that, the public image of the other members of the Familia improved instead...
What a fascinating world.
Of course, the sale of Stigmata had not been entirely smooth.
Before Elise began selling them, she had already sought out Uranus, the founding god of Orario, to inform him in advance.
The old god seemed quite interested in this new creation. So did Fels at his side.
That veteran who possessed the development ability of Mystery had even asked Elise for a Stigmata to research. Unfortunately, she was unable to replicate it.
According to Fels, when attempting to create a Stigmata, she felt as though something was missing within her body. As a result, the Stigmata collapsed at the moment it was about to take shape.
So others truly had no way of producing Stigmata. Perhaps once Elise left this world, Stigmata would become permanently discontinued.
But that was a matter for the future. At least for now, Elise could earn a fortune through Stigmata.
She would remain in this world for a long time yet.
...
"Get in there!"
A masked man grabbed a golden-haired elf by the wrist with one hand and, using brute force, hurled her into a cage.
The golden-haired elf clenched her teeth, enduring the discomfort wracking her body. She felt utterly lost about her future, while the people outside the cage pointed at her and whispered among themselves.
"Boss, this one's top quality! I wonder how much we can sell her for!"
"How about we let the brothers have some fun before we sell her?"
"No. If she's not untouched, we won't get a good price."
They were clearly planning to sell her. But how could a frail elf possibly resist?
The elven girl had run away from home, yet she never expected to be captured by a group of men along the way.
"Is my future... going to end like this?"