City of Sin

Book 1, 51

Collision

Sharon was about to say something, but then she saw a few black crystals on Mountainsea’s braid as the girl nodded. Her stomach immediately dropped— those were isla diamonds, one of the most prized spatial crystals! This item was beyond rare, not something that could be acquired with money. Even if one traded for it with magic crystals, they’d still have to bank on their luck. Materials like these usually only traded for others of the same grade. Sharon herself only had about a dozen of these diamonds, but there were seven on Mountainsea’s braid!

The legendary mage continued to scan the girl’s other braids, her vision unsurpassable when she was serious. And just as expected— crystal dragon tooth, millennial unicorn horn, phoenix crown feather... These were things of similar rarity to the isla diamonds. What really shocked her was the sheer skill required to shrink items like dragon teeth and unicorn horns to a tenth of their original size to turn them into mere accessories!

She suddenly felt her head spinning. If one were to take all the accessories to Mountainsea’s hair and sell them, they would be worth over a hundred million coins. But the problem was, even if one had that much money there wasn’t normally any outlet to buy such items. Sharon couldn’t bear the thought of carrying that much money on her head.

It wasn’t like she was intimidated by just this much; she had her own collection of rare items. But the very fact that all this was just in Mountainsea’s braid implied that this was just the tip of the iceberg. Maybe, just maybe, her wealth really could only be described by mountains and seas.

Sharon swallowed whatever words she was about to say, the peculiarity in her expression growing impossible to hide. The feeling of defeat she exuded could suddenly be felt from miles away, her imposing aura withering. She finally stretched out and waved her hand, the golden pot of fruits flying before Mountainsea in no time.

“There! Mountainsea, these are for you. Stay as long as you want to, and look for Blackgold if you need anything. He’s that grey dwarf over there. I have urgent matters that I need to see to right now, and I’m not sure when I’ll be back. Don’t wait for me.” Before getting any replies, Sharon open a teleportation portal on the spot and disappeared from the place.

“I will pay my fees!” Mountainsea shouted in Sharon’s wake. In that moment, everyone looking at that departing back had an illusion that the legendary mage’s mood changed for the better.

The grand mages left one after another, but all of them cast inexplicable gazes at Mountainsea. Blackgold alone stayed, his eyes overflowing with adulations for the girl. Said girl was in no hurry to leave; she stayed behind and cleared the pot of fruits Sharon left for her at lightning speed. Within a minute the pot was wiped clean, and she stared with dissatisfaction at the empty pot as she licked her lips. This obviously wasn’t enough to satisfy her.

The grey dwarf immediately said, “There are more fruits! As long as you pay the school fees...”

A spider crystal came flying and hit the grey dwarf, making him swallow whatever he was about to say. Mountainsea waved her hand dismissively, “Get 50 pots to my room!” and then turned and looked at Steelrock and the old man before saying, “Another 50 for them too, send them to our campsite on the beach. Do it daily!”

Mountainsea was strikingly similar to Sharon in terms of appetite. If one went by the legendary mage’s theory of appetite determining power, this young girl would surely become a legendary being, maybe even surpassing that level. And thus Richard was left forgotten in the corner, his own future still a mystery.

“That won’t be a problem at all!” the grey dwarf replied loudly. He was holding onto the spider crystal with both hands, his movements growing rigid again. Thankfully he was still in the right state of mind as he asked, “But, Your Highness, you don’t have a residence in the Deepblue yet. Should I get one for you?”

“No need for the trouble. I’ll just stay with him for my duration in the Deepblue!” Mountainsea directed her finger at Richard.

Richard was stunned. The grey dwarf could sense something amiss too, but the spider crystal was so bright that he did not raise any objections towards her suggestion. Richard’s own opinion? Nobody asked for that.

The girl stood up and said the to old man, “Weird, didn’t elder say that we need to bring out our profile and background when dealing with people of status, and that money is only used to bribe second-rate people? Why is mentor not afraid of my background but rather my wealth?”

She could feel the grey dwarf’s hesitation from the side and prompted him, “Say what’s on your mind!”

The grey dwarf spoke as softly as possible, “Um... Actually, Her Excellency can tolerate people who are stronger than her, but not people who are richer than her. So I’m guessing that she’s out to earn more now...”

Mountainsea was flabbergasted, “Do you need any effort in earning money? Just dig the mines in the mountains! Shaman, what do you think about this?”

Urazadzu touched his bare chin and smiled, “Your granny found you a cute mentor.”

Mountainsea nodded in full agreement, “Yes! And mentor smells really good as well, I want to take a bite of her! Just wait till the day when I can beat her!”

“It won’t be a long wait... Just half a...” the grey dwarf muttered under his breath, but the young girl had heard everything. Richard felt iffy about the whole situation the moment Mountainsea mentioned smell, quickly backing away and leaving this bizarre place.

The competition against Steven was due soon, and he didn’t have the time to take an extra shower with his packed schedule. He didn’t want Mountainsea to be added on top of all this. Moreover, he was already a man, and naturally knew that Mountainsea staying over would upset Sharon. He got shivers just thinking about the mage’s bright, blinding eyes. However, with her departure, the girl suddenly became the most influential power in the Deepblue. She could probably do anything she wanted now, and the grey dwarf had betrayed Sharon right before his eyes to join her side.

Richard found it hard to deal with this genuine ‘friend’ of his.

‘I guess I’ll hide...’ he thought, but before he could take even two steps forward Mountainsea had emerged before him. She was all smiles, and her eyes lingered on his lips. All unrelated personnel looked away at that moment, acting like they could not see anything. However, they kept their ears alert.

“Ugh!” Richard let out a suffocating noise, but then a slap sounded followed by a roar of fury, “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”

What he got in reply was a satisfied ring in the girl’s voice, “Why are you angry? It’s just a kiss. You don’t lose anything from it. Richard, can you give me a gift again tonight– Hey! Why are you running? You think you can run away with my gift?”

On that very night, Mountainsea moved into Richard’s place.