Watching the old man concentrating on drawing a map, he did not speak to disturb him.
His gaze swept over the many maps displayed on the counter, and he picked one up with interest, flipping it back and forth.
The clear routes marked on it made him nod in quiet satisfaction.
Such dedication.....excelling in one's chosen craft.....was truly admirable.
As the Ice Mystic Dou Qi within his body began to stir, Xiao Jian understood that he had indeed come to the right place.
His eyes slowly scanned the room.
There were only two customers present.....a man and a woman.
The man was bare-chested, his skin dark and sturdy, clearly experienced.
The woman's complexion was also dark, but hers held a sensual bronze tone.
Her attire was nothing like the modest clothing worn by women within the empire.
A tight leather outfit clung to her figure, covering only her chest and a small area beneath it.
Her slim waist was boldly exposed.
Her long, toned legs were wrapped only by short shorts that concealed little....strikingly seductive.
Xiao Jian merely glanced at them casually. He did not linger, avoiding unnecessary trouble.
Suddenly, his eyes sharpened as he walked toward an old wooden shelf in the corner.
The shelf looked ancient, cluttered with yellowed maps.
The torn edges and worn surfaces suggested they were failed products from map-making.
After confirming that the old man remained focused on his drawing, Xiao Jian smiled and—quite impolitely.....dug through the pile of aged maps. Soon he found a palm-sized piece of a broken map.
The familiar material pleasantly surprised him, and he ignored the musty odor seeping from the old stack.
Rubbing the fragment between his fingers, Xiao Jian smiled and prepared to speak.
Just then, though the old man behind the counter had not raised his head, he seemed to sense Xiao Jian's discovery.
His aged, flat voice echoed through the room:
"You're here to buy a map of the Tagor Desert, aren't you?"
Hearing this, Xiao Jian walked toward the counter and nodded with a smile.
"Old sir, might I have the most accurate and detailed map of the desert?"
"They're on the counter. Choose one yourself."
The old man didn't lift his head, speaking with indifference.
His buy it if you want, don't if you don't attitude was entirely unlike that of a businessman.
No wonder the shop was so empty. Even the few earlier customers had already left because of such behavior.
So he's pretending.
Xiao Jian knew Hai Bodong had only spoken because he noticed the map fragment.
Since the shop was empty, Xiao Jian decided not to drag things out and instead confront things directly.
With a casual smile, he opened his hand, revealing the ancient map fragment.
"Old sir, do you happen to have more pieces like this one?"
At that question, the old man.....in the middle of carefully drawing—paused.
His hand trembled slightly, causing the line he was drawing to slip off its path.
Hai Bodong frowned, then slowly raised his head. His gaze swept across the fragment in Xiao Jian's hand, and a strange glint flashed in his cloudy eyes.
Looking at the aged face, Xiao Jian confirmed once more: although a frightening scar ran from his left cheek to the corner of his eye, and though wrinkles covered his face, it was clear that the old man had been exceptionally handsome in his youth.
The portrait given by Mittel Tengshan had been artificially aged, yet still looked younger and bore no scar.....quite different from the man before him.
"You… have seen this type of map fragment before?"
Hai Bodong studied Xiao Jian, surprised that he couldn't see through the young man's aura.
After a moment of thought, noting that Xiao Jian's appearance was even more handsome than his own in youth, he asked with doubt.
"I have. So I want to buy it for research."
Xiao Jian answered simply.
"Oh."
Hai Bodong replied without interest:
"No more. I only obtained that one by chance.
From my years of map-making experience, this seems like just a small piece of a much larger map."
Xiao Jian nodded, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes.
He took out a purple-gold card and set it on the counter, holding the fragment as he smiled.
"Old sir, would you sell this map fragment to me? I'm willing to pay a high price."
The moment he saw the familiar card, Hai Bodong's pupils contracted sharply.
"You're from the Mittel family?"
After a brief silence, he asked in a deep voice.
"Half, I suppose."
Xiao Jian replied after thinking.
"Oh. Not selling."
Hai Bodong nodded lightly and firmly refused before lowering his head to resume his drawing.
Xiao Jian mentally rolled his eyes and sighed helplessly.
"Hai Lao, you wouldn't want Great Elder Tengshan to learn that not only have you hidden yourself away here, but your strength has also been sealed… right?"
Crack.
The pen in Hai Bodong's hand snapped in two.
Staring at the large blot of ink spreading across the map, he slowly raised his head to meet Xiao Jian's eyes.
After a moment, he said:
"Kid… you've mistaken me for someone else."
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