Chapter 209: The Wandering Merchant (2)
No one knew where the Wandering Merchants came from. One day, they might appear in a bustling royal capital; the next, in a sleepy village at the edge of civilization. They seemed to slip into human society at random, sometimes vanishing for years, only to reappear as if nothing had happened.
Wherever they appeared, a miracle followed. The Wandering Merchants sold the rarest of artifacts—wondrous things you couldn’t find anywhere else. There were legendary items that most people considered mere myth; artifacts that even the greatest nobles and adventurers could only dream of; materials from ages past, their secrets long since lost to history. And somehow, the Merchants sold them for a price that, compared to their true value, was almost laughably small.
Ketal himself had received the artifact pouch he relied on from a Wandering Merchant—a bag the size of a small room, capable of holding just about anything. Such a thing was priceless in any other market.
Now, that very same Wandering Merchant had arrived in the capital of the Denian Kingdom. It took Milayna several moments to calm herself before she could speak. “Yes... The Wandering Merchant appeared just a few hours ago. I immediately sent my staff to queue up in line for me.”
“Impressive. You’re well prepared,” Ketal replied with a chuckle.
“Would you like to go see?” Milayna asked him.
“Of course,” Ketal answered immediately, eyes bright with curiosity.
The Wandering Merchants were enigmatic beings who appeared out of nowhere and traded in every imaginable thing. Since Ketal first heard of them, he had always hoped for a chance to see one in person. There was no way he’d let this opportunity slip by.
Also, Ketal had another reason in mind.
The Wandering Merchant is said to trade in all things, Ketal reminded himself. Perhaps they have something that could grant me Myst... or something even more extraordinary.
His excitement mounting, Ketal followed Milayna out of the building.
What greeted him was a sight unlike anything he’d ever seen. A line stretched out before them—so long it seemed to run across the entire city square, then snake around the far side of the plaza and disappear down a neighboring street. Women and men, children and elders, nobles in finery and commoners in rags—everyone, it seemed, had come to try their luck with the Wandering Merchant.