Upon hearing the prices, Tiana's and Kafla's eyes widened once again in shock and astonishment.
They felt as though they had misheard him.
Kafla stuck a finger into her ear, twisted it lightly, then looked back at Jonathan. "What did you say?" she asked in disbelief, her tone sharp.
Both her and Tiana's gazes locked firmly onto him.
"I meant every word," Jonathan replied calmly. "You can check the price tags yourself if you still doubt me." He pointed tiredly toward the small price tags beside each item on the counter.
Jonathan decided that after this encounter, he would write out clear descriptions and prices for every product and display them correctly, so he wouldn't have to keep explaining things to future customers.
Thankfully, the system automatically translated his writing to match the language of anyone who entered the store, so there was no need to worry about language barriers.
He made a mental note to handle that later.
Kafla and Tiana leaned over the counter to look at the price tags. The moment they saw the listed amounts, both gasped audibly in shock.
"Hey, are you kidding me? One Medium-Grade Mana Crystal… and one High-Grade Mana Crystal?!" Kafla exclaimed, her voice rising. "Do you even know how much that's worth? With that, I could rent a luxury room in a five-star inn, order mana beast meat from the best restaurant in the capital, and still have enough left to tour the entire city!"
She pointed at the items furiously. "There's no way these are worth that much! You're definitely trying to scam us!"
"Forgive my junior sister's outburst," Tiana interjected, her tone was polite but firm. "However, she's not wrong. An item like this wouldn't fetch even a single Low-Grade Mana Crystal outside or even a silver coin. Spending a Medium or High-Grade Crystal on something like this is absurd. Why don't we negotiate for a more reasonable price?"
Despite her calm tone, Tiana's expression was serious. She hadn't forgotten their original purpose, and she knew Kafla hadn't either. Even if the store's prices were outrageous, this was the perfect opportunity to gather more information and report everything back to their sect elders.
Nonetheless, any thought Tiana once had of purchasing something vanished instantly.
"No. I don't do bargains," Jonathan said flatly. "The prices are fixed; you either buy or you don't. The rules are final. You can read them over there yourself." He pointed toward the section of the wall where the store's rules were displayed.
"Of course, if you don't have the required Mana Crystals for payment, we accept items of equal value as stated there."
Both women turned toward the wall and read the remaining rules. Their expressions grew increasingly solemn as their eyes moved down the list.
6. The store does not offer credit, loans, or delayed payments.
7. Fighting, duels, or killing inside or around the store premises is strictly prohibited.
8. Customers must handle items with care; damage or misuse may result in penalties.
9. The store is neutral — no clan, empire, sect, kingdom, race, or divine entity may claim ownership or demand exclusive service.
10. The store owner reserves the right to refuse service to anyone at any time.
[The first five rules had already been mentioned before, so I decided that mentioning the rest rather than repeating them would be better. ]
Kafla's brows furrowed deeply. "What kind of ridiculous rules are these? Even the Sword Lake Pavilion doesn't have this many restrictions! Do you really think anything in this store is more valuable than what's sold in the Sword Lake Pavilion?" she snapped, glaring at Jonathan.
Jonathan didn't respond. Compared to her senior sister, he found this younger one far more troublesome. She was fiery, impulsive, and nothing like the graceful image he'd imagined when he first saw them.
Kafla's irritation flared even more when she realised he was ignoring her.
"Fine," she said sharply. "If I buy this item and it turns out to be worthless, not even close to a high-grade Mana Crystal's value, do I get a refund?"
Jonathan exhaled and pointed tiredly at the wall. "Rule number one," he said.
Kafla's lips twitched in anger. 'Is this man insane? Could he not tell that we are inner disciples of the Ice Phoenix Sect?' She thought.
Any other merchant would be grovelling at their feet by now, yet he dared to speak to her like this? If not for the fact that she and Tiana were here to investigate the strange store, she would have already taught this insolent man a painful lesson.
"Calm down, Junior Sister," Tiana said softly, glancing at her with concern. She could see Kafla's growing fury and didn't want things to escalate.
"We came here to look around, not to cause trouble." She turned to Jonathan and added politely, "I'm sorry, but the items in your store are really expensive. If there's nothing else, we'll be taking our leave."
Jonathan nodded. "If you don't mind, please refer our store to your friends and acquaintances," he said with a calm smile.
Tiana frowned slightly, her brows knitting together.
His words struck her as disrespectful. Was it proper for him to ask for referrals when they hadn't even purchased anything? Just like her junior sister, she was growing irritated by the man's nonchalant, dismissive attitude.
Tiana turned to leave but noticed Kafla still standing where she had been.
"Kafla…" she called, her tone warning.
"Hold on, Senior Sister," Kafla interrupted, her voice firm. "I think I'm interested in buying one item, just to see what makes it so special. If it's good, I'll recommend your store to my sisters and acquaintances. But if it's bad… you'll regret it. Not only will you lose customers, but you'll also have to worry about keeping your store open."
'And when that happens,' she thought, 'I'll personally make sure you pay for your arrogance.'
Tiana's expression tightened. She wanted to stop her, but she knew her junior sister too well. Once Kafla made up her mind, without their teacher, not even their sect elders could sway her easily. Besides, given how rude the seller had been, she couldn't entirely blame her for being angry.