At that moment, Shao Yun—who had been silently watching from nearby—saw Dehya take the money and turn to leave. He stepped forward, waving toward Dori.
"Hey! Dori?"
The moment she heard his voice, Dori flinched slightly. Her hands froze mid-motion as she was arranging her goods, a look of surprise flashing across her face.
But it lasted only an instant. Her bright eyes flicked quickly, and the corners of her lips curved into a sharp, foxlike grin—her signature merchant's smile.
She hurried over enthusiastically, launching straight into her sales pitch.
"Aiya! So, it's my distinguished customer! What brings you here today? Is there something you'd like to buy? You know, in Dori's Universal Bazaar, there's nothing you can't find—if you can imagine it, I can sell it!"
The reason for her sudden warmth toward Shao Yun was simple: last time they'd met, he had casually mentioned that he wasn't short on Mora.
From that moment on, the sly merchant had marked Shao Yun as a highly promising "VIP client."
Unfortunately for her, getting any Mora out of him wasn't going to be easy…
Shao Yun, meanwhile, looked at Dori's overly flattering smile with complete indifference. He waved dismissively.
"What were you just talking about with Dehya?"
The question made Dori's heart tighten.
But she recovered almost instantly, smoothing her expression into a calm smile as she replied, "Ah… that? Hehe, nothing serious, really."
"I just did a little business deal with her. Nothing worth mentioning, I swear."
Shao Yun clearly wasn't buying it. His tone turned direct. "Don't dodge the question. Be honest—how much did you pay Dehya for her claymore? I'll buy it back from you."
Hearing his firm tone, Dori bit her lip in hesitation. "Well… I promised to keep that private. If you were to resell it, I couldn't exactly explain myself to her, could I?"
"I know her," Shao Yun said calmly. "We're traveling together. I'll be returning it to her, not selling it. Besides, I don't even use claymores—it's useless to me. What's there to worry about?"
Seeing his expression so steady and serious, Dori finally sighed and nodded.
"Alright then. One million, one hundred and thirteen thousand, five hundred Mora."
Shao Yun blinked, surprised by the oddly precise number. "Huh? Why's it so exact—down to the hundreds?"
Dori tilted her head. "What's wrong with that? Do all prices have to be round numbers?"
It might have sounded strange to anyone else, but for Dori—the Queen of Shady Deals—pricing something down to the last Mora wasn't unusual in the slightest.
"Fair enough," Shao Yun said with a shrug. "I'll round it up. One million, one hundred and fifteen thousand Mora."
He reached into his Legend of the East satchel, pulling out several bags heavy with coins, and handed them to her.
Seeing he had even added extra, Dori's grin brightened to pure joy. "Wow! I knew from the start you were a generous customer! Thank you kindly!"
She said this while handing over the still-warm Beacon of the Reed Sea claymore.
Shao Yun accepted the weapon and had the system store it away. Then he waved off her gratitude. "No need to thank me. Consider it a favor—for Alice's sake. But I have another question for you."
Hearing that, Dori patted her chest confidently. "Ask away! If I know the answer, I'll tell you everything—no secrets!"
"Were you selling goods at Port Ormos a few days ago?"
Dori nodded quickly. "That's right! What about it?"
Shao Yun continued, "Did you run into a man named Alhaitham?"
At the mention of that name, Dori's cheerful smile instantly deflated.
"Aiya, don't remind me of him! What a pain that man is! He's the very definition of scheming and ruthless! He ambushed me—ambushed me!—and interrogated me about the whereabouts of a certain item. Worst of all, he didn't even pay me a single Mora for the information!"
Shao Yun's curiosity piqued. "Ambushed you? What exactly happened? Tell me the whole story."
Dori puffed up her cheeks angrily and began describing the scene with animated gestures.
"So, here's what happened! I thought I'd picked the perfect spot in Port Ormos—safe, hidden, quiet. But that cursed Alhaitham showed up behind me out of nowhere like a ghost!"
"And before I could even say a word, he was already glaring at me, interrogating me about that thing's location… I had no choice but to tell him!"
"And because of his interference, my entire business operation went down the drain! I had to flee back to Sumeru City, completely ruined!"
She spread her hands in exasperation, her face full of injustice and frustration.
Shao Yun listened silently, weighing her words. Half-truths, he thought. After a moment's contemplation, he looked up sharply.
"I'm guessing… he was asking about the Canned Knowledge, wasn't he?"
The moment he said it; Dori nodded furiously like a pecking bird. "Yes, yes, exactly that! Is that thing really so famous? I could've sold it for more—what a loss!"
Shao Yun quickly steered the topic back. "So you're saying Alhaitham managed to recover the Canned Knowledge all by himself?"
Dori nodded emphatically. "That's right! I used to think the Akademiya was full of useless scholars who couldn't tell a Mora from a pebble—but that man proved me wrong. He's dangerous. After that, I decided I'd better double-check every deal I make from now on!"
Shao Yun listened until she was finished, then nodded calmly. "I see. Thanks for telling me."
He turned to leave.
"Hey, don't be a stranger!" Dori called out cheerfully after him, waving. "Come visit Lord Sangemah Bay's Universal Bazaar again sometime!"
Just as Shao Yun walked away, a mechanical voice echoed coldly in his mind. The system displayed a message:
[I really can't figure you out. You're willing to spend over a million Mora to buy back Dehya's Beacon of the Reed Sea, but you refuse to chip in even a little to cover the missing funds for the Sabzeruz Festival. What gives?]
[You're generous one moment, stingy the next—your behavior makes no sense.]
Shao Yun's expression didn't change. He answered calmly, "Humans are complicated. You don't need to overthink it—just follow instinct."
The system paused for a moment, then asked again:
[Fine… but tell me this—why are you suddenly so interested in what happened at Port Ormos?]
A cunning smile curved Shao Yun's lips. "Because," he said, "I have a plan."
If Alhaitham could track down that Canned Knowledge on his own… then things were going to be a lot easier.