CHAPTER 40: OLD SHAWN

After a few hours, Charlotte and Stelle finally felt the call of the portal and began to follow it. Max was with them as he would use the same portal as they did.

The portal was just a hundred metres away from them, so they just met a single monster before reaching it.

The portal itself was a giant tear in space filled with spiralling darkness. They waited for it to stabilize before stepping inside it. They had already talked things through so nothing more needed to be said.

Max felt a little light-headed when he passed through the portal as darkness covered his vision for a second. Then, the chattering of people and a blinding light assaulted him, almost taking him by surprise.

As his eyesight adjusted to the sunlight, he found himself in the Central Plaza of Godshine City. Unlike the Royal Palace, other cities had a few portals at different locations.

Even though it was morning, the Central Plaza was bustling with activities as hunters came in and out of the portal.

Some noticed their arrival, but Max knew it was mostly because of Charlotte and Stelle. After all, they were the young misses of the Sinclair Clan, one of the two ruling clans of Godshine City.

As for Max, he was just like any other poor guy trying to become a hunter. His shirt was of poor quality to begin with and now it had many holes in it.

Because of rising in levels, his hair had turned completely black. But they were messy and dirt-filled. His sorry state coupled with the fact that he was carrying a makeshift bag with him made him look more like a porter than a hunter.

Well, he was fine with it since he didn’t want attention early on. He had killed the young master of the Shamal Clan so being in the spotlight would just do him harm.

He gave a sidelong glance to Charlotte, who had met up with a tall woman in a black suit. She was being scolded by the other woman for obvious reasons.

Their gazes met as Max silently nodded at her and walked out of the way. He didn’t want someone to create drama just because he was in their way to the portal.

’First thing first, I need to sell these Mana Shards,’ Max thought as he began to search for a shop that bought Mana Shards.

It wasn’t hard to find as the Central Plaza was surrounded by dozens of shops and vendors. Many people had even opened their little shop on the ground to sell their things.

Since Mana Shards lost their value over time, most people just sold their Mana Shards to these shops on the boundary of Central Plaza.

Choosing at random, Max went towards a two-story building of concrete and glass. He had taken the world setting as the early 21st century version of Earth, so things were pretty advanced here.

In the shop, he quickly found a few cubicles where people were buying things from the hunters. Majority of them were busy, despite it being the early hours.

’Uhh! Do I need to go to a different shop?’

Just as Max was considering leaving, he found a cubicle in the corner of the hall empty. His eyes lit up as he hurriedly rushed towards it before anyone took the spot.

In the small cubicle, an old man with a bald head with a few strands of gray hair on his temples was sitting. He shifted his golden spectacles slightly and looked up and down at Max.

"The name’s Shawn. What do you want to sell, kid?" the old man, Shawn, asked upon seeing his bag.

Max smiled and sat down on the chair. Then, he shoved the bag to Shawn and said, "You can take a look at it yourself."

Shawn raised an eyebrow, opened the bag slightly and a flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes. Then, he once again looked at Max.

Max expected him to ask a few questions given his appearance and lack of any weapons, but Shawn maintained his professionalism and kept his silence.

’He probably think I’m a porter who ran away with my party’s loot,’ Max thought in amusement.

It was possible as many had done it before, though they had to face the consequences of their actions. Maybe that was why the old man wasn’t worried.

"Don’t give me that look. I only care about doing my business and I don’t care where it’s coming from as long as it doesn’t bring me trouble," Shawn spoke after he had finished counting the Mana Shards.

"Alright, you have a total of eight Level 9 Bronze Rank Mana Shards and thirteen Level 8 Bronze Rank Mana Shards. After calculation, you are getting 1000 Sel," Shawn said in a flat voice, as he picked up the bag.

However, Max stopped him by placing his hand on the bag and said, still keeping his smile, "Old man, do you really want to scam a poor guy like me? I know how the calculations are done so give me my honest share."

Shawn once again looked at him up and down and nodded, "I guess you aren’t stupid enough to be fooled. Then, tell me how the calculations work so I can see what price I should give you."

Max’s lips twitched upon hearing that, as he wondered if the old man had gone senile from age. He was practically telling him that if Max was bluffing, he would scam him.

"Damn, old man," Max shook his head and said, "The calculations are done on the basis of the formation of Mana Stones. It usually takes two Level 9 Bronze Rank Mana Shards to form a Tier 1 Mana Stone."

Hearing that, Shawn smiled and leaned forward to listen to more. Max sighed seeing that and continued.

"A Tier 1 Mana Stone sells for 300 Sel, so normally hunters can get 60-70% of that sell, so around 180-210 Sel if they sell two Level 9 Bronze Rank Mana Shards," Max said in one breath.

He also looked at Shawn with a smirk. He had spent quite some time in forming the currency so how could he not remember it?