Questionable
Currency
Chapter 11
$
[ DEPOSIT COIN TO VIEW COST ]
ITEMIZED DEDUCTIONS
AMOUNT
One (1) Very Dangerous Cartridge
- (Probably too much)
One (1) Morally Questionable Life Choice
- Comfort
One (1) Swindler Tax
- [ Use Cursed currency? ]
Remaining Balance:INSUFFICIENT
Lloyd.
It was as if he had paid a construction crew to leave their flashlights on, and that's how he managed to keep the lights on.
“That’ll be 75 spirit stones,” Lloyd grunted. He was currently smearing a gray rag over a counter that had long ago surrendered the concept of “clean.”
Xu smiled with a practiced ease. “Of course.”
I hate him.
He meandered his hand around Lee’s pouch.
Xu’s smile remained fixed, but his soul quietly seeped out through the back of his neck.
Shit.
ZZZT.
A fly buzzed against a purple zapper.
The shop felt very, very quiet.
Xu suddenly became overly aware of the pouch tied on his hip. It rested against his hip, moist and uncomfortably warm.
How long has this been in my desk?
“Two…seven…nine…? Xu trailed off, inhaling sharply.
Oh god.
Please no.
With the delicate touch of a bomb disposal expert, Xu cracked the burlap bag open just a sliver. He peered narrowly into the gloom of the pouch.
But something in its inky depths peered back.
Xu frowned.
Maybe I’m imagining—it blinked.
…
Fuck. Okay. Assess. Don’t panic.
I’ll just come back once I get some fresh spirit stones.
I’m sure Taylor has more.
The shop door creaked open. A scripter in a luxurious black coat squeezed through, the frame snagging threads from his sleeve. He carried himself like a collector who was seeking his next silver spoon.
“Welcome! What could such a young hero be seeking at a humble shop such as mine?” Lloyd clasped his hands together as if he were scooping handfuls of rubies.
Xu’s brows furrowed momentarily.
I can practically feel his tongue slithering across the floor to lick the soles of his boots, ugh.
“I heard you got your hands on an enhancement cartridge called Divine Fission? Wrap it, I’m taking it.”
AND TOM SAID NO ONE HAD COME LOOKING FOR THIS THING FOR YEARS!?
I mean... I’m sure some are normal. And if they aren’t… money is money, right?
“Just a step too slow, I’m purchasing it as we speak.”
The cultivator frowned. “I’ll pay 40 grade spirit stones.”
“Did you come here just to blow your own reputation? Are you offering less than half its worth on purpose?” Xu scoffed.
“Actually—“
“Besides, you’re implying this respectable shop would rip a product mid-sale just to make a few measly spirit stones? Do you truly hold this establishment in so little regard?” Xu forcefully cut off Lloyd.
I have a feeling that whatever he was trying to say would be, at minimum, inconvenient.
With a swing of black and another “donation” of threads to the door frame, he angrily left the shop.
Xu let out a deep breath of relief.
“You're a sharp kid, I’ll give you that, but you’re right, it IS worth twice as much. Pay up.”
Anxiety rushed back like a freight train.
“I mean, you were already going to sell it for 40. Here, I’ll graciously meet you around the middle at 55 despite already defending the honor of your shop.”
Lloyd's face scrunched. “Kid, first off, that’s not the middle. Secondly, he would have paid it, so how about you pay eighty, or you fuck off, and I’ll go grab the last guy.”
What a prick.
Regardless, I’d consider eighty as more than “some”. That’s all I have in Lee’s and…There is no way that many of mine are still—no, no, how could I know if I haven’t checked?
Xu steeled himself and gazed towards the heavens before reaching inside his pouch. The spirit stone resting on top was pulsating. It physically contracted under his palm like a throbbing heart.
Nope.
Too obvious.
The one nestled next to it was sweating a thick, grey slime that smelled faintly of rotten eggs.
Absolutely not.
He dug deeper.. His fingers brushed against something soft, wet, and textured. It felt suspiciously like a cat’s tongue. He flinched violently, suppressing a full-body shudder, and jammed his hand to the absolute bottom to grab a handful of whatever felt hardest.
As he tried to drag them out into the light of the shop. The mouth of the pouch tightened on his forearm, leaving everything below it sopping wet. A shiver shot through his body as he yanked his hand out.
Did… did it just taste me?
Drip.
Lloyd glanced at his hand with a raised eyebrow.
Xu held his breath.
They look… fine?
They were a smooth, translucent blue and emitted a faint, steady hum. They were hard to the touch.
Wait.
Xu squinted, leaning in closer. The shop’s dust motes swirled around the crystals.
Did that one just… scuttle over?
No. It could have been a reflection. It was definitely just the candle flickering—
FLASH.
Xu’s heart tightened.
Okay, so kinda moved-ish. Spirit stones vibrate with energy all the time—
FLASH. Sharper this time.
OKAY, SO IT ISN’T NORMAL.
“Sir?” Lloyd asked. He stopped wiping the counter, his brow furrowing.
“You buying the Cartridge or just admiring your own wealth?”
…
Maybe he’s a bad person? For all I know, he eats people. Maybe he scams children. I’m younger, and he’s practically scamming me? Actually, he might have scammed me a few years ago.
No reaction.
Lloyd glanced at Xu’s still hefty-looking bag, then gently pulled a jade box out from under the counter and opened it up, revealing a gleaming sword that he began to “thoughtlessly” polish.
Xu’s eyes clung to it.
Lloyd’s eyes gleamed with mirth.
“Finest nanosword on this side of the river.
"But you're the only shop on this side of the—"
"Just arrived an hour ago. Care to test the edge, ? It’s only another measly twenty spirit stones.”
The blade was a sleek gunmetal silver color, engraved with deep, blood red inscriptions. It disappeared into a slim black hilt adorned with different gems, leaving a few empty sockets for loadable spirit stones, and even a cartridge integrator to boot.
No doubt this is one of the latest spirit tech models. So then… Why is it so cheap?
“I think I’ll pass this time, but possibly next time,” Xu tactfully replied. Truthfully, he was tempted, but he had only one priority.
I could afford both with the spirit stones I have on me, but…
Well… he does sell weapons.
Weapons designed to kill children?
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
FLASH.
—designed to cut through things… which theoretically includes children…?
Xu tentatively cast a deep glance at his chest as if seeking permission.
I never even thought about how I would use the cartridge. I REALLY need that too.
Maybe Lee could talk him down? But… If I leave, at best, it's gone, and at worst, he pays someone to kill me for driving away business.
Wait... How did he even know when they were going to...
Lloyd sighed, rolling his eyes in exasperation. “Look, kid, if you can’t afford—”
“I changed my mind, I’ll take both. Here!” Xu yelped. His voice cracked an octave higher.
He slammed both pouches of stones onto the counter, one with a wet thudding clatter.
He tried to smile.
Don’t look at them. If you look at them, you’ll acknowledge the movement, and he’ll notice.
Lloyd glanced down in confusion as a stone seemingly slid against the bag in a way that didn’t quite make sense.
…
Time to go.
“Keep the change!” Xu blurted as he capitalized on his confusion and snatched both the Beta Cartridge and Spirit Tech Blade.
He spun on his heel, and began to speed-walk toward the exit.
Running? Running would imply guilt. This could be like a very aggressive, busy person kind of power-walk.
He deserves this. This never would have happened if he hadn’t scammed me. What a savvy businessman you are, Lloyd, extorting so many spirit stones from me.
“What an odd kid—hm? These feel kinda… slimy? Cultivators truly have some niche pastimes, but whatever. Money is money. There’s probably like an extra twenty in here?” Lloyd mumbled.
He looked up only to see dust swirling where Xu had been and a wisp of fabric swishing out the door.
“Er—wait, I haven’t counted thi— HUH?”
Yes. I have things to do.
He had already made it across the way and turned through an alley, bursting out into a busy street. The noise of the market faintly reached over. Frantic shoppers shouting prices, the subtle hiss of neon-lit signs, and the clatter of carriage wheels over uneven asphalt.
I am a normal customer, completing a normal transaction, Xu thought, his eyes frozen on the horizon.
FLASH.
I mean, honestly, I’m practically a saint for tipping three extra stones—
FLASH. The light in his chest was practically ready to sear his meridians.
“WHAT THE—!”
Nope.
CRUNCH!
“AAAAHHHGGGG—!”
The scream curdled the air. It was a wet, gurgling sound that cut through the market noise, bouncing off the alley walls and giving pause to nearby hagglers.
VERY VERY VERY important things to do.
Busy busy busy.
Hmm-mmm-m—Is that guy in a carriage?
Weird.
Xu didn't break stride. He turned the corner sharply, and the concrete swallowed the way he had come from. He accelerated.
Maybe he’s clumsy and stubbed his toe? he thought desperately.
His face tightened.
Perhaps he dropped an expensive item?
Or maybe he just remembered a deeply embarrassing memory from his childhood and screamed in retrospective cringe…?
Silence.
Yes yes. It's a stressful economy. People scream sometimes. It’s a release.
FLASH.
It wasn’t accusatory anymore, just… flickering with confusion. Like a candle caught in a draft.
Its subtle presence made Xu’s skin crawl with trepidation. But for now, he would just bury that feeling. Deep, deep down.
He rounded another corner and slowed to merge with a group of monks.
Finally. Peace.
“Hmmm.”
…I mean, I didn't SEE what happened, Xu reasoned carefully. So I can't actually KNOW it was the stones.
He cast a sidelong glance down at his chest.
The light remained quiet.
Yeah… I mean, statistically, it probably wasn't the Stones—
FLASH.
Ugh.
It… was—COULD have been the stones.
The light settled, dimming slightly.
But also MIGHT… not… have been…?
His eyebrows raised in anticipation.
Nothing.
Xu visibly relaxed, his shoulders dropping two inches. The Source accepted uncertainty.
That’s better.
Three streets over. The sounds of screaming had faded, replaced by the mundane chatter of the market.
He stopped in front of a herbalist’s stall, the scent of dried roots and medicinal powders filling his nose. He picked up a bundle of Star-Anise. The rough texture of the dried husk felt grounding.
He put them down. But his mind wandered.
Xu looked towards his pocket where the cartridge lay.
He stared at the herbs vacantly. He picked the herbs up again.
Who cares about why he screamed? The transaction is finished. The scream was definitely unrelated.
FLASH.
“DAMN IT!”
“Touching so much of my product?"
Xu gritted his teeth. His grip tightened on the Star-Anise until the dry pods crumbled into dust, coating his palm in brown powder.
Now you're definately gonna buy somethi—”
“Don’t rush me.” Xu hissed, his eyes squeezed shut.
He exhaled deeply and relaxed. Or at least he tried to.
I can’t leave it on “Maybe”. If I leave it as “Maybe,” this is going to haunt me in ways I can’t afford right now.
I don’t care about Lloyd.
FLASH.
Okay, I care a LITTLE about Lloyd.
FLASH.
I mostly just care that Lloyd might be dead, and I haven't technically categorized the cause of death yet, and I could maybe kinda be responsible… after I already....
The light hummed, a warm vibration of satisfaction at the semantic distinction.
His face dropped.
Fine.
I’m just checking.
I’m just going to peek, everything will be fine, and I’ll have wasted my time.
He reached the corner of the weapon shop’s alley.
The screaming had stopped. This was either a very good sign or a catastrophic one.
Xu pressed his back against the rough concrete of the door frame. He took a breath, holding the air in his lungs, and slowly, carefully, slid one eye past its edge.
The store was empty.
Well… empty was a strong word.
The counter was shattered, splinters of wood scattered across the cobblestones. There was a distinct, worrying lack of Lloyd. But on the floor, where Lloyd had been standing, a pile of spirit stones sat.
Could be… unrelated?
Except they weren't totally stones anymore.
They had fused into a small, pokey mound of blue crystal that vaguely resembled a crab with too many joints. It was currently dragging a very heavy, very limp leather boot into the darkness of a storm drain.
Squelch-chi-chi.
The boot disappeared into the pipe with a wet suction noise.
Xu pulled his head back instantly, flattening himself against the wall. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird.
Okay. Woah.
What the FUCK happened to Lloyd?
This city sure can be dangerous.
But one thing’s for sure.
Whatever the hell happened to him happened when I was not here. He was alive the last time I saw him. I definitely did not—
…personally kill him.
Besides, technically, our transaction was complete. The stones were HIS property. If a man cannot control his own property, how could that be my fault? No, of course it's not. It’s a failure of its keeper. It’s basically like tripping down the stairs on the fabric of a new robe.
Yes yes.
Xu let out a long, relieved sigh. The itch in his brain vanished.
Great.
Mystery solved.
He turned around and walked away, a genuine spring in his step.
Hmmm, Taylor and Lee would kill me if they knew I planned to use this thing.
No problem, some secrets aren't meant to be shared.
Besides, there's always the Lower City.
>_ AIO_MONITOR // NARRATIVE_ANALYSIS
User_Query: "But wait? I thought this was supposed to be horror, too?"
> Scanning genre parameters...
> Tightening cheeks...
> WARNING: APPROACH AREA WITH CAUTION
Yes. Yes, it is.
BUCKLE UP.
[FLUIX CITY RULE 2 VIOLATION ]