"The water of the sacred mountains?"
Looking down at the list Jinn handed to him, a middle-aged merchant with bushy brows showed a stiff smile. He managed The Opal Trading Company branch in Veloria.
The shop was only ten minutes walk from the orphanage. It was well known in the business of importing and selling precious goods.
They were arguably the most trusted and fair company in the city, where one could find anything.
Jinn leaned back in the cushioned chair he was sitting on inside the small cozy room. Draped over his uniform, he wore a baggy robe that covered him from the neck down.
The scent of polished furniture and scented candles lingered in the air. The soft music in the background made Jinn relax his muscles and let go of the invisible tension.
This was the personal room of the manager in the back of the shop. The man himself was sitting behind an old antique desk on an imposing tall wooden chair.
"Boy, if you had not worked for me for the past four years, I would have thought you were some brat messing with me." Said the manager.
Jinn smiled wryly but kept looking straight in the man's eyes. Since there was no law against child labor in this world, he did not have difficulty getting himself a decent job.
'This is a terrible idea? Are you sure you can trust this man?'
Jinn kept hearing the voice whispering near his ears, but he acted as if he could not hear anything.
Mr. Powell, the manager, saw another ingredient listed on the page and could not help but raise a brow. "Then there is the dew of the moonless night."
He took a short pause before parting his lips, well hidden underneath his heavy mustache. "Jinn, are you sure you want to buy these things?"
His voice was gentle and caring. "I know you are a good kid, and I am sure you know how rare these things are.
So much so that the royal family personally oversees their supply. I won't ask why you need any of this, but tell me one thing: are you in some sort of trouble?"
'Mr. Powell… It was really a great choice coming to work here.'
Jinn let a small smile appear on his face when he heard the concerned tone in his voice.
Being an orphan in this world, Jinn did not have access to the resources he needed or desired, so once he turned ten years old, he started looking for a job.
No one knew about his job beside the matron. Although she was against it at first, Jinn managed to change her mind.
With the knowledge he had from his previous world and his sharp mind, Jinn easily managed to find a job at this shop.
Later, recognizing his brilliance, Mr. Powell allowed him to work as a salesman, promoting him from a mere server and cleaner in the shop.
Even though the world did not have any objections against child labor, finding a decent job was not easy.
With time, Jinn realized how kind and loyal Mr. Powell was to his staff.
This kindness and loyalty encouraged Jinn to come here to acquire two of the most precious ingredients on the list.
"There is no need for you to be worried about Mr. Powell." Jinn reassured the man that no one was forcing him to buy things for them, nor did he need those things for shady purposes. "I have heard about the magical effects of the two items and wanted to use them on myself."
The water of the sacred mountains and the dew of the moonless night were both ingredients of the ritual, but they were also precious items people of upper-class society liked to enjoy on a daily basis.
The former was the purest water on the planet, which could make those who drink it gain healthier skin. It was most popular among the noble ladies and the stage artists.
In contrast, the latter was a magical ingredient accessible to ordinary people. It was also called the peace giver. Drinking the dew gives a person a sense of peace and calmness.
After hearing his explanation, the man finally let out a relieved sigh before asking, "You could have asked one of the salesmen in the front for this. Why come to me?"
Jinn replied with a chuckle, "If an orphan like me buys things like this, they are bound to attract unwanted attention."
The manager's eyes widened slightly, and he burst out in laughter, "You have always been a perceptive boy, Jinn. Don't worry…" The man opened the drawer and casually took two vials out from it before placing them on the table. "You can take these from my collection."
"Naturally, they are not for free. You can pay me the market price." The manager pushed the items towards the young boy sitting across from him. "The total is 154 Kals, but since you are one of our own, I will give you an employee discount. Just pay me 150 Kals."
Kals was the currency of the Mars kingdom. It was a coin made of silver, the second highest coin in value after Tula, made of gold.
There were four metal coins; each one had a different value. Fen, the cheapest coin made out of copper, was used for trading by common people for simple things like trinkets or snacks from a street vendor.
Dor was what the commoner used for their daily necessities like bread, milk, or clothes.
2 Dor, each made of bronze, could be used to buy a simple loaf of bread.
Jinn himself received a salary of 130 Dor every month. Being an orphan, he did not have to care about food or shelter at the orphanage. Even his clothes were provided by the orphanage. So with not much to buy, he had saved close to 300 kals.
At that moment, Jinn was surprised by the man's generosity. He knew about the policies and the prices of the store items by heart, and he was sure that no employee ever got such a generous discount.
But since he got it, he was not going to refuse it.
"I will take it." With a smile, he reached inside his robes to take out a bag of coins and placed it on the table. Over the past few years, he had managed to save over three hundred Kals.
"So, I heard a member of the church had come to your orphanage to help the kids with their awakening." Jinn's hand, which was about to take the vials from the desk, froze midair. Mr. Powell's words caught him off guard. "Did you already have your chance?"
'This is bad!' The voice in Jinn's head returned, more panicked than before. 'Did he guess why you need these things?'
Normally, someone like Mr. Powell should not be aware of such a thing, but here he was.
The boy raised his eyes to meet the manager's, but the man was not looking at him. Mr. Powell turned his head towards the record player, lost in the nostalgic tone it was playing.
"I still remember when I was a kid, I also had the chance…" Mr. Powell's voice trailed off before he snapped out of his daze and turned to look at Jinn with a warm smile, "But as fate would have it, it was not meant to be."
"Being a normal person is nothing bad, as long as you know the path you take in life is yours to carve."
'He does not suspect anything.' Jinn muttered in his mind. It was not certain whether he was reassuring himself or the voice.
He simply shook his head on the outside and said, "Not yet. My turn has yet to come."
Mr. Powell nodded slightly before saying, "If things did not work out for you, you are always welcome at my store."
"This time, you will be a full-time employee, paid the same wages as the others."
"I will leave that to our fate, Mr. Powell." Jinn smiled back and stood up from his chair while adding in his own mind, 'You are a good man to work for, but I already have carved the way I want to walk—no, I have to walk on.'