The Useless Skill Became The Most Powerful

008

The whispers started almost as soon as Ronan stepped out of the stall. A trader who had been watching the entrance turned towards the man beside him and smiled.

"The newcomer must be disappointed by now."

"What did he expect? We told him before he took that fellow inside."

Ronan heard them clearly, but he continued adjusting the bag against his side. Several people had stopped looking at their own goods to watch him and the merchant.

"He can't say we didn't warn him," another trader added. "All that time wasted, and for what?"

A few people laughed, glancing towards the young man standing beside Ronan. They seemed to be waiting for him to complain about what had happened inside.

The merchant looked from one face to another. He had just bought crystals he was pleased to obtain, yet the people outside had already decided that the meeting had been a disappointment.

"Perhaps he thought he would find something valuable in that bag," someone said.

"From Ironclad's healer? That fellow can't even kill an ordinary beast."

Ronan recognised the voice. It belonged to one of the traders who had dismissed him before he reached this stall.

The man was looking at him with the same confidence now, as though the time he had spent inside had proved everything he said.

Ronan briefly met his eyes before looking away. He could still feel the money inside his pocket, and his sister's treatment mattered more than whatever the man wanted to say.

However, the merchant's smile had disappeared. He turned towards the trader, his hand moving towards the entrance of his stall.

"You seem very sure about..."

Ronan stretched out his hand and stopped him before he could finish.

The young man turned towards him in surprise.

"Let them believe whatever they want to believe," Ronan said. "It doesn't make any difference."

The merchant glanced at the people watching them, then back at Ronan.

"They're talking as though you came here to waste my time."

"You bought what I brought to sell. We both know what happened inside."

Ronan lowered his hand, his expression remaining calm. He had obtained what he came for, and there was nothing the crowd could say that would take the payment out of his pocket.

He wasn't going to bring it out for them to count or explain what the merchant had paid for. They had already refused to listen when he approached them with something to sell.

Now he needed to leave.

The merchant watched him for a moment before slowly lowering his own hand. He had expected Ronan to be angry, especially when the trader questioned whether he could obtain anything valuable.

Instead, he seemed more concerned about getting on his way.

The young man's admiration for him increased. He had been ready to tell the crowd about the crystals, but Ronan hadn't shown the slightest interest in using the sale to silence them.

He glanced at the bag again, remembering the unusual egg Ronan had put away. Anyone who possessed something like that should have been able to attract the attention of every trader nearby.

Yet Ronan had carried it into his little stall without even trying to draw attention to himself.

Perhaps that was why he had been so reluctant to explain where it came from.

The merchant studied his clothes again. Earlier, they had made him think Ronan couldn't afford a meal, but now he was certain he had been mistaken.

Ronan was probably doing exactly what he had done, moving around in ordinary clothes so that nobody would know who he was. He had even tried to return the extra payment instead of taking it without question.

He must have been a wealthy man.

The merchant smiled as he looked up again. Ronan had given him no explanation, but he felt that he finally understood why the young man had been so difficult to figure out.

"I won't keep you, then," he said. "And before I forget, my name is Jackie."

"Ronan," he replied.

Ronan nodded and stepped away from the entrance. The people nearby continued watching, some still smiling as though his refusal to answer them meant they had been right.

He moved past the nearest stall without stopping.

There had been a time when he would have tried to make them listen. He had come into the market looking for a buyer, and being dismissed before anyone examined what he brought had angered him.

However, he had found someone willing to buy from him. That was enough to let him continue his sister's treatment, and he wanted to get to the hospital.

He tightened his grip on the bag and quickened his pace.

Behind him, the merchant remained at the entrance, watching him make his way through the market. He still looked pleased, despite the curious glances being directed towards him.

Ronan had almost passed the row of stalls when he found a clearer space ahead. He broke into a run, holding the bag against his side as he hurried away.

The movement shifted its opening, briefly exposing part of the egg inside.

A man standing near one of the stalls caught sight of the markings across its shell. He leaned forward, his attention suddenly fixed on the bag.

His mouth fell open, and he hurriedly raised his hand to point after Ronan. The trader beside him was still smiling when he noticed the alarm on the man's face.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

The man drew a sharp breath, his finger trembling as he pointed towards the bag.

"Isn't that one of the True Bond eggs he's carrying?"

The crowd fell silent, their eyes fixed on Ronan's bag as they stood frozen in shock.