Chapter 4: Dragon Blood

"Dragon Blood!" Eden happily grabbed the box on the table and quickly opened it to see what was inside.

"It's Dragon Blood powders, fresh produce is hard to come by these days, and it's expensive. God damn the Somdet and their embargo, the filthy bastards, the filthy sprayers..." Eden cursed that the butterfly fairies had learned those swearings from here and nowhere.

Eden ignored the shop owner's verses. He was so used to the heavy swearing frequency of this brother. The young wizard glued a hand-sized transparent glass jar. Inside the box were purple-blue powders that clumped like they were wet with moisture. With this, Balan can safely pass Winter Day this year! The blood of animals could help Balan get through 10% of pain, the blood of humans was 30%, and the blood of mighty magical creatures (like a dragon) - even if it's not fresh blood - would most likely keep him alive. Balan could move as usual (could not use strength but did not need to lie down like every year).

Beside that jar was a golden wooden bead bracelet with red veins the size of the tip of an adult man's little finger. Eden's eyes widened, jerked his head up to look at Jin.

Jin seemed to be waiting for Eden's reaction, too, and it was clear that the apprentice wizard's wide eyes had won him over: "Dragon-Blood wood, watered by fire dragon's blood, has lived in the Burning Ground for more than five hundred years." His hoarse voice sounded even and calm, but looking at his arrogant eyes and raised chin, everyone could tell how proud he was.

"Jin, my brother!" Eden grabbed the blue-haired guy's cold hand, his eyes sparkling brightly: "I'll take this bracelet too. I'll sell the blood if need be."

Jin Iblisamal brushed Eden's hand away. Aside from his partner - the incubus who was always smiling downstairs - he refused all close skin contact, especially young wizard-in-training and his vampire brother. Jin didn't bear any grudge against these two. In contrast, he even liked them a lot. Both of them did not look down upon him. Many people have done that before being reminded in a friendly manner by him using his fist). The problem was that Balan had always been full of mint, a pungent smell like punching his nose and making him blush. As for Eden Noldorasga, besides mint - he guessed that because this boy stuck to his brother's side all the time - there were all sorts of other weird herbal scents. The sense of smell of a ghoul-like him refused to tolerate this smell, nor did he intend to make love to his poor nose like that.

Jin Iblisamal glanced at the Extreme Strong Deodorant Charm hanging from the ceiling. It was better to keep apart.

Eden had not paid attention to his action. He was no stranger to the avoidance society of the blue-haired brother, and besides, he was still calculating how much more he had to pay to own the bracelet. If Balan had had this bracelet, his brother would not have to worry about the energy conflict in the body anymore, or at least it would help a great deal. Dragon-Blood wood could even prevent the passive energy from the outside and protect the wearer from diseases (including those of supernatural beings). 

"Let was see! The money to buy herbal seeds this month can be beggar until next month. The money from selling herbs, potions, and basic protection charms can be advanced. And I can make a deal with the Magic City Council about the adolescent wizard's allowance, right? So..."

"Hey, hey? Hey! Little devil! Are you sleeping with your eyes open?" The ghoul with playful hair snapped his fingers in front of his eyes.

Eden woke up from his thoughts filled with money and money. He started begging mode: "Give me a few days, is that okay? Don't sell in a hurry to others. Because it is very..."

Jin stopped the pitiful laments in his ears. He rubbed his goosebumps on his arms, reached out to close the lid of a box, and pushed it towards the boy who had complained about the economy and compassion or something else: "Shut up, the amount you paid me in advance is enough for both of these. Take it and go for me."

The black hair struck out. Eden hesitated for a moment, then pushed the box back again: "Brother, you just need to keep it for me for a few days, no need.."

Jin glared at him with a burning face: "I do business, not charity. I say enough is enough."

Eden snorted: "Sure! Brother, I know the price, especially the price of these trees. Genuine Dragon-Blood wood is never cheap, especially the kind that can last up to several hundred years like this. And it is still living in the Burning Zone..."

The ombre yawned and sank into a dark green velvet chair that looked extremely comfortable: "First, I didn't rush to the Burning Zone to buy it myself. Second, this is a trophy, so I don't spend a dime on it aside from the money for sharpening the shape. Third, you don't need to pay extra, but I need some potion that - I know - the Noldorasga are experts at manipulating. Don't you agree?"

He silently watched the ghoul with an appearance like not to give a damn sitting in front of him. With the amount of gold selling Dragon-Blood wood, he could have hired every potion master to work for him. Eden knew that even if his family had ever been one of the most famous experts in the field, that would have been a hundred years ago. Now black-hair was just an apprentice wizard, so he had a lot to learn to achieve the level of excellence people wanted.

"Thank you, Jin. I'm grateful."

Jin Iblisamal wasn't too comfortable with emotional scenes like this. The ghoul quickly got up from the velvet armchair he was sitting in and shooed the black-haired boy out of the room: "Okay, now go away. I'll call you back when needed."

When the two people came out of that secret room, laughter immediately poured into their eardrums. Jin and Eden looked at each other and sighed. Why in so many people in Asgaphra, the two men with the most terrible laughter gathered in the same place?

Downstairs, the incubus and elf-vampire were laughing until tears came to their eyes. The butterfly fairy Greta both was laughing and rolling in the air. Fairy powers were strewn all over (thank goodness this is also easy to clean).

Balan wiped his tears with the back of his hand, looked up, and saw his precious brother had come out with a gray box clutched in his lap. Immediately, his mother's hen mode was turned on: "Are you okay?" He knew very well that anything in this shop had a price tag far beyond the ability of an apprentice wizard, and even a full-fledged wizard had to think very carefully before he dared to show his face here. Swag Items, so their prices are equally swag.

Well, he could handle this case. The thought of the boy was enough to make him cry.

Contrary to his worry, Eden was happily shaking the box that looked like he had found in the other trash can: "It's all right."

"Um, well... So, let's go home. I'm starting to get hungry."

"When are you not hungry?" The incubus poked fun.

Eden ignored the two talking and laughing. He turned to hug a ghoul frozen by his action: "Thank you, Jin, thank you."

The shoulder-length-haired guy clumsily patted his back and hummed something in his throat. In a warm

atmosphere, Hisashi interjected: "Do you smell anything, little wizard?"

"Huh?"

A sly smile spread across the incubus' handsome face: "The smell of something that belongs to me that's sticking to him?"

Balan screamed disgustedly: "Ewww!". Then he grabbed his teenage brother and rushed out of the store. Behind them was the delighted laughter of one of the shopkeepers, mixed with the swearing words of another shop owner.