Later that day, Ray, Davin, and four exhausted young men left 'Ray's Secret Domain' and headed home.
Ray was anxious to avoid Gaela's scolding for bringing her precious baby home late at night.
'Where's the good book you mentioned earlier?' Davin asked the voice in his head as he looked around after they arrived at the village's center.
The boy was eager to learn more about the world the Time Orb had dumped him into.
[When you reach the vendor selling fruits, take a left at his stall and walk past three other stalls. You'll find it at the fourth stall.]
'Got it!'
"By the way, Sir Ray, will you help us solve the case of the hundred dead chicks across our village?" one of the boys training under Ray, the young man with dark brown hair, asked.
His question caused a certain seven-year-old to almost trip and fall.
'How did they notice? I thought you said it was unnoticeable!'
[It was, unless you killed some that belonged to them. And didn't burry the bodies.]
'…'
"Huh? It's still unsolved after two years?" Ray said in surprise.
"Yes, Sir Ray. My parents lost forty chicks, and after examining them closely, we discovered they were strangled to death! To make it worse, when we complained to Lady Eleanor, she dismissed it as a passing fluke and seemed uninterested in helping us!"
"I see."
"I believe the psychopath behind it should be captured and punished for intentionally killing defenseless baby chickens!" the young man protested, his tone demanding justice.
"Huh~ you should have said something sooner. Now, it's a bit too late to track the killer. It might as well be some stupid brats out there who decided to bully the chicks," Ray replied with a sigh as he patted the young man's back.
Meanwhile, his son, who was walking ahead of them, was finding it hard to keep a straight face.
'Shit.'
[No worries, host. We'll find other animal babies to farm for Pulse Points.]
'!?'
Suddenly, the boy took a left turn, surprising his father, who immediately bade farewell to his students and chased after his son.
"So powerful, yet he's easily manipulated by his wife and son," one of the young men commented as they watched Ray leave in a hurry.
"Married life is truly frightening—"
"No, but women are."
"I think it's both…"
~
'Umm… are you sure this is the vendor you want me to get a book from?' Davin asked the System as he eyed a suspicious-looking individual.
His gut feeling told him they shared almost similar characteristics!
[Yes, he's the one.]
The man was a wiry figure, his frame slightly hunched as if he carried the weight of secrets on his shoulders.
A loose, old threadbare tunic hung over his thin frame, paired with trousers that had seen better days.
His face was gaunt, with sharp cheekbones and a narrow jaw that gave him a somewhat feral appearance. His eyes, however, were the most striking feature—quick and darting, constantly scanning his surroundings like a predator on the lookout for danger or opportunity.
A thin layer of beard covered his chin, and his hair, a messy mop of brown, looked like it hadn't seen a comb in weeks.
He stood at a makeshift stall in the village's center, a tattered cloth spread out on it with an assortment of items laid out for sale.
The goods were an odd mix: a silver candlestick that looked too ornate for a common villager, a few pieces of jewelry that gleamed in the sunlight, and a handful of trinkets that seemed out of place in such a humble setting.
The items were arranged haphazardly, as if they'd been tossed onto the cloth in a hurry.
The man's movements were quick and nervous, his hands fidgeting as he adjusted the items on display. Every so often, he would glance over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing as if expecting someone—or something—to appear.
When a villager approached, he flashed a toothy grin. His voice was low and raspy, his words hurried as he tried to make a sale.
"Interested in something, friend?" he asked, his tone overly friendly but with a hint of desperation.
"Everything here's a bargain, I promise. Just looking to make an honest living."
But the way his eyes darted around, and the way he avoided direct questions about where he got his wares—it all hinted at something far from honest.
To the keen observer like Davin, it was clear: this man was no ordinary merchant. He was a thief, and the items on his makeshift stall were likely stolen.
'Yep, we're quite similar,' the kid chuckled inside as he approached the man.
'Huh? A kid?' the vendor wondered as he stared at the little boy walking toward his stall. 'What's this brat up to?'
"There you are! How in the world did you get here so quickly?" Ray appeared suddenly, stopping the boy from going closer.
"I want that book!" Davin commanded like the little angel he was.
"Huh? Why?" Ray asked as he scanned the stall for the book his son was talking about.
"It looks awesome!" the boy added in a haughty tone as he pointed at it.
Ironically, the old book didn't come close to looking good. Its pages were wrinkled and faded, and it was adorned with a leather cover that had the words An Adventurer's Diary written on it.
In short, it was a lame excuse since Davin couldn't come up with a better one…
Ray raised an eyebrow as he eyed the book.
'Can he actually read it? But if I don't buy it, he might cause trouble for me with his mother. Huh~ why did my son have to have such a character…' Ray wondered as his gaze shifted to the owner of the stall, who was smiling ear to ear back at him.
"How much for the book?" Ray asked with a sigh.
"A hundred silver!"
"You can't be serious…" Ray protested with a pained expression.
"It's non-negotiable!" the vendor replied with a sweet smile.
'I'm going to regret this,' Ray thought as he took out his pouch.
Meanwhile, Davin gave the vendor a thumbs up for swindling his dad, which made the vendor almost lose his composure.
'What a strange kid. I can't believe he made him buy the only thing I never stole,' the vendor thought as he gazed at the father-son duo carrying a small leather book, and walking further away from his stall.