"I wish the Seika could see this," Gruen said with regret. "If only he didn't kill that nobleman." He whispered to the door beside him while looking at the artifacts neatly arranged in their cases.
"That man deserved to die." A voice answered him from behind the door. "But yes, I wish he could be here as well."
Gruen swallowed as he heard the cold words the young girl said. She was even younger than him, but she acted like a puppet more than anything.
"The sale will begin in an hour. Put up a sign that anyone who tries to negotiates the price or cause trouble will be frozen." Lady Dia said before disappearing.
"Ma!" Gruen hurried to follow the orders. The human butler rushed forward to answer his command. "Prepare a sign that says this..."
Ma rushed forward to prepare the sign as Gruen walked out of the shop. As their opening approached, the street in front of their shop
He could spot a few well-dressed people, which he assumed were the nobles that the Seika mentioned.
'There will be a few people who try to find fault with the shop, don't let them intimidate you. They are nothing but talk. You have me as a backer, so never fear.'
Gruen guessed these were the nobles that were here to slander their products. As he looked at the bustling street and the waiting farmers, a person approached him from the crowd.
"Greenhorn?" A gruff voice barked from the crowd as an old, short dwarf walked over. Gruen's body stiffened the moment he heard this voice.
"Old Joe?" Gruen frowned as bad memories came upon him. This old bone was someone he knew from their village. Old Joe was also the person who named him Gruen, Greenhorn, because of his lacking crafting skills. "What are you doing here? I thought you stayed at the village."
"Haha, a member from the Magic Vault invited me over to work for them. It happened a short while after that incident where you left the village."
Gruen's stomach turned as the old dwarf mentioned that incident. At that time, Gruen had a massive fight with the old dwarf after the latter asked him to work in the mines instead of crafting.
"From the Magic Vault..." Gruen muttered as his heart sank. "Are you the inspector of our shop?"
"Our?" Old Joe laughed as he caressed his beard. "For an apprentice to proclaim this shop as his, I'm guessing their standards are quite low."
"Insult all you want, but never insult this shop." Gruen glared at the old dwarf. "You're still the same, old man. As arrogant as ever!"
"Boy, you better behave." Old Joe glared at him as he made sure to showcase his Magic Vault robes. "Otherwise, I'll make sure they kick you out of here!"
The people around them began noticing the robe of the dwarf, which had a vault drawn on it. Whispers emerged from the crowd. They served to inflate the ego of the dwarf further.
As Gruen glared at him, Ma came out with a servant carrying the warning sign. Ma asked him to place the warning sign in front of the shop by the vases.
"Ah, I guess you are the manager." Old Joe walked toward Ma with a complacent look. "Listen here, I'm from the Magic Vault, here to inspect this shop. Fire this apprentice, and I won't make things difficult for you."
"Ah?" Ma looked stupefied by the words of this dwarf, and he turned to look at Gruen with shock. "Manager Gruen, what is this gentleman talking about?"
"Ma...Manager Gruen?" Old Joe was dumbfounded. "Is this a prank? I'll heavily fine your shop if it is!"
"Don't embarrass yourself, Old Joe." Gruen walked over with a smirk. "You've chosen the wrong day to try hurting my pride. Today, I'm no greenhorn, but Manager Gruen of Hidden Gems!" He said with pride as he walked toward the sign.
"Listen here, old fart." Gruen pointed at the sign. "I'm warning you because we're from the same village. Behave in this shop, or you might lose your life!"
"You dare call me old fart again?" Old Joe was shaking with anger. "I'll make sure to close this shop down once I find a single marked item! Be sure of that!"
"Be my guest," Gruen waved his hand in dismissal. "For now, walk back. We have a shop to open and a city to upturn!"
"Bold words!" One of the bystanders clapped his hands. It was an aged man with a monocle. "I've only come here because they said a shop sold a hundred artifacts in a day!"
"Dear customer, our shop isn't that small anymore," Gruen said with a smile. "Today, we'll be selling twice that amount!"
His words made the crowd explode with disbelieving shouts. People started bidding already, and their voices drowned Old Joe's voice. Ignoring him completely, Gruen walked into the shop.
'Oh, Gruen. This moment is the best in your life. To slap that old dwarf's face like this is a memory to cherish. Many thanks to the heavens, no, to the Seika!'
The servants laid the final touches under Gruen's command. A salesperson stood in front of each section, with Gruen standing in the Vegetation section himself.
'I wanted to forge items, but I ended up as a manager. The Seika said that he'd help me awaken when the time is right.' Gruen adjusted his clothing as he waved toward Ma.
"Allow the customers in!"
There was no striking opening with important characters or an advertising campaign. Ma pulled a rope, rolling their shop's sign along with the slogan.
Two servants opened the double doors and the customers flooded into the shop. There were all kinds of people, and all of them were amazed by the slogan used.
"Bold words for a new shop. These words are a direct insult!" A wise old farmer said.
"I like their style, bold and confident!" A young man beside him said.
The two rushed toward the Vegetation artifacts straight away. Gruen welcomed them humbly as he took out one of the iron poles with a plate on top. It looked like a giant nail, which was quite bizarre.
The Seika requested him to make these only. Since they were pretty easy to make, Gruen made a template to create them quickly. That's how they got a hundred of them now.
"Please stand back. I'll demonstrate the artifact's function now. We have this small garden over here." Gruen walked toward the small garden that they prepared.
The soil has been seeded and watered. All that left was for the Seika to create another miracle. Gruen stuck the pole to the ground and placed a mana-crystal on the plate.
The artifact began absorbing the mana and glowing bright green. The green light seeped into the soil, and the seeds started to vegetate under everyone's eyes.
"It's true! I thought such artifacts only existed as ancient ones!"
"Someone managed to replicate the runes?" Another exclaimed.
"This... This..." Old Joe was among the crowd, and his body shook. "Give me one of the artifacts!" He demanded.
"Is this an official inspection?" Gruen asked with his hands behind his back. Old Joe glared at him and nodded. "I want a verbal confirmation."
"It is!" He spat.
Gruen handed him the artifact, and the old dwarf inspected it for the artifacts registered in the Magic Vault. He had a handbook with all of the marks, but he couldn't match it to any known runemaster.
"It is... the work of a new master..." Old Joe muttered with shock. The aged man with the monocle peaked from beside him as he asked.
"What does his mark look like?"
This question was on everyone's mind. After all, such a capable runemaster was worthy of the public's attention. However, Old Joe shook his head as he looked at Gruen with a complex gaze.
"There are... none."
***
The people bought all of the artifacts in less than a day, and the shop had to close down. The money they got from these artifacts was enough to rival the fortune of a minor noble.
The news shook the kingdom, and the name Hidden Gems knocked on every merchant's door to slap their faces. The amount they sold was enough to quench the market's demands for artificial artifacts, albeit only for a moment.
The unique trait of Contracts City was its versatile network connecting it to every corner of the world. The moment these artifacts came to the surface, they spread to the surrounding cities and even nations.
The Magic Vault couldn't close down the shop because there were no issues with their work. As for the fact that their runemaster didn't have a mark, there were no rules against that.
By the time Old Joe could report back to the Magic Vault for guidance, the people have already named the mysterious runemaster.
"What?" Arthur blinked his eyes as Gala told him the name they chose. The name the people called him for not inscribing a mark was a nickname he had before.
The reason Arthur didn't inscribe any was for the lack of time. After all, he only needed to wave his hand to create an artifact.
"Because you didn't leave a mark, the people decided to call you The Ghost Master, or Ghost for short."