The next morning Haldryn climbed out of bed, ate a quick breakfast, and left the house with the tonic.
He walked the streets scanning every reflective surface. Anything that caught the light drew his attention.
After only a short distance he stopped short, struck by a sudden thought.
The tailor shop owner he had met when buying the satchel—wasn't that man bald?
He headed straight for Taylor's Tailoring Shop. Before long the familiar sign came into view.
Taylor glanced up as he entered. "Looking for something? Browse around."
This was Haldryn's first time attempting a sales pitch. He eyed the distinctive Mediterranean pattern on the man's scalp.
"Master Taylor… have you ever been troubled by the state of your hair?"
Taylor's expression soured at once. He frowned, already looking ready to show him the door. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"I'm here to recommend a hair-growth tonic. It's an entirely new preparation, one you've never seen before. All it takes is—"
"If you're not buying anything, leave." Taylor waved him off impatiently.
"I guarantee it works." Haldryn pulled the crystal bottle from his satchel, ready to continue.
Taylor was already advancing on him. "Even if every last hair on my head fell out—even if the rest of my body went bald with it—I still wouldn't use a growth tonic. So you can go now."
"Only five Rune coins!" Haldryn said quickly.
Taylor stopped mid-step. His expression shifted. "Five Rune coins?"
Haldryn nodded. "You know how expensive tonics that work on the Aesir usually are. The cheapest still cost more than a dozen Rune coins."
"How effective is it?"
Haldryn had never tested it himself, but anything produced under the guidance of the Holy Light ought to be reliable. And this was a sales pitch—better to oversell than undersell.
"It cures baldness in any living creature."
Taylor hesitated, brow furrowed in thought.
Five Rune coins was a bargain compared with every other treatment available, yet for most Asgardians it was still a sum that required consideration.
A woman facing baldness would not have hesitated even at fifty Rune coins if it meant recovering a full head of hair. Men were far less willing to spend on the problem.
"Can you go any lower?" Taylor asked.
"This is already very low. Five Rune coins for a thick head of hair again—exactly the way you looked in your youth."
"I was already bald in my youth," Taylor said flatly.
"…Right."
Haldryn recovered. "For someone in your position, five Rune coins is hardly a fortune. Five Rune coins to try a completely different life. There's nothing to lose, is there?"
Taylor considered a while longer, then nodded. "You have to guarantee it works."
"Of course. Try it first. Pay me in a few days if you're satisfied." Haldryn handed over the bottle. Asgard's order was good; he was not worried about a man with a business and a family simply walking away from a debt.
Taylor turned the crystal bottle in his hands. "How do I use it?"
"Apply it to the bald area."
Taylor opened the bottle, poured the tonic into his palm, and rubbed every drop across his scalp. "It itches a little."
"That's normal."
"How long before it works?"
"Within three days you should notice the change. I'll come back then. I'm confident you'll be happy to pay."
…
Three days later Haldryn returned to the shop. The moment he stepped inside he saw Taylor standing in front of a mirror. A fine layer of stubble now covered the previously polished scalp.
"I take it the tonic didn't disappoint, Master Taylor."
Taylor laughed, set the mirror down, and kept running a hand over his head as though he could not quite believe the texture. "You were right. The effect is astonishing. I could already feel the new growth on the second day."
He rose, took five Rune coins from a drawer, and pressed them into Haldryn's hand without hesitation. "Take them. I'm more than satisfied."
Haldryn smiled. "May your days be pleasant."
"Thank you."
Outside the shop Haldryn weighed the coins in his palm and walked home humming under his breath.
Five Rune coins—nearly a full year's ordinary income. At this rate he would have enough for Verigan's Fist before long.
By the Holy Light, may Asgard be blessed with a few more bald heads.
Back at the house he found a small bronze trinket and placed it on the Verigan's Fist plans.
[81% substitute for Jordan's Refined Ore]
Asgardian bronze was common enough within the realm, yet measured against the materials of the wider cosmos it was still excellent.
Eighty-one percent was more than acceptable.
Asgard possessed far superior metals, of course—Asgardian iron, Asgardian steel, even the Uru used to forge Mjolnir—but those were far beyond his current means. Even if he could afford them, he would not waste such materials on a rank-4 weapon.
Verigan's Fist was excellent for its level, but in the end it was only a low-to-mid-level piece. Once he had real wealth he would be swinging Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker in one hand and Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros in the other.
…
Landveti Town.
Haldryn stepped into an herbalist's shop. "Do you carry Greenchou Grass?"
The proprietor looked surprised. "You're looking for Greenchou?"
"Yes."
Peter's shop had only one plant left. Using it would be noticed, and given the cool relationship between uncle and nephew, that would only invite trouble.
"It's neither common nor frequently used. We had one plant, but it was used recently. We don't have any at the moment." The man shook his head. "Even if we did, we wouldn't sell the last one unless the price was very high."
Haldryn's earlier optimism dimmed. He had already checked several shops with the same result.
Yesterday he had felt wealth within easy reach. Today a single missing herb stood in the way.
Making money was never as simple as it first appeared.
He turned to leave.
"Wait."
Haldryn looked back. "Yes?"
"If you need Greenchou Grass, try the Brave Hunter Tavern. Look for a man named Tjalfe. He hunts in the Landveti Forest every day and sometimes brings herbs back with him—Greenchou among them."
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