Rose stood up with a smile and took out two bottles of cola from the light sphere, handing them to the guests. “Here you go, one bottle for ten gold coins.”
The guests took the cola, placed a small bag of gold coins on the counter without even glancing at Hawthorne, and quickly walked away after the transaction.
Hawthorne watched them leave, incredulous, and exclaimed, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t sell? What is this?” He pointed at the small bag of coins.
Rose didn’t look up as he placed the coins into his system space, converting them into energy coins. “I won’t sell to you.”
“Hah.” Hawthorne scoffed. “Did Wolis tell you to do this? Don’t worry, I have much more money than he does. If you sell to me, you won’t lose out on gold coins; he’s just a commoner. You should understand the benefits and disadvantages.”
Rose shook his head again, his movements slow but firm, indicating that he would not be swayed. “I won’t sell.”
“I’m giving you a chance. You’re rejecting my generosity and choosing punishment instead. I was going to grant you another opportunity, but go ahead, attack! Don’t hold back!”
Upon this command, three or four warriors immediately started to move.
Hawthorne raised his sword with a cold smile, targeting the oblivious shopkeeper in front of him!
As he swung down, time seemed to slow. The strike moved in a barely perceptible manner before Rose, and at the same time, a clear voice rang in his mind, icy and penetrating.
【Detected external intruder; would the master like to activate high-level alert mode?】
Huh?
What an unexpected surprise.
Rose ignored the massive sword coming down, turning to Rong Qing, asking, “What does high-level alert mode mean?”
Rong Qing’s voice softened a bit. “Master, if the shop enters low-level alert mode without your permission, it will only provide basic defensive measures such as ineffective attacks and rebounds.”
“If you activate high-level alert mode, the rebounding force will directly target the opponent’s energy core, potentially leading to a decrease in their power. Additionally, depending on the intensity of the attack, a monetary penalty will be imposed.”
Rose’s eyes lit up; he felt somewhat ashamed for having quickly devised a way to get rich.
Clearing his throat, he thought to himself, I mustn’t lead the children astray, mustn’t lead the children astray.
“Then let’s activate it.”
After all, they came knocking on his door; who better to take advantage of than them?
As soon as he finished speaking, the blade that had just been frozen in place came crashing down.
The crisp “ding” sound echoed; not a hair on Rose’s head was moved, while Hawthorne maintained his grip on the sword.
Gradually, he began to retreat, slowly at first but then stumbling back.
With a clang, the sword fell to the ground, and a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of Hawthorne’s mouth.
He looked at his hand in disbelief while clutching his chest.
He felt it.
…The shattering of his magic core.
It had disintegrated to the point of being almost pulverized, and the magical energy was dissipating slowly within him.
He stubbornly inhaled the remaining magical energy, disoriented.
Failure, failure, yet another failure! Where could his magic core be? No, it’s impossible.
Hawthorne, dazed, looked up to see Rose’s smile.
The previously unnoticed jet-black hair and eyes now radiated a chilling terror.
He finally understood the meaning of the demon shop—this is what a demon is.
This person is a demon!
His pale lips trembled, wanting to say something but unable to open his mouth.
【Users: Hawthorne Andy, Emma Ford, Samson Arnold, etc.】
【Violation of dimension system shop rules; penalty payment of five thousand gold coins required. Failure to pay will invoke dimensional enforcement laws.】
【Payment due within seven days.】
Rong Qing’s voice rang out across the shop, audible to everyone inside.
As soon as the high-level alert mode was activated, it wasn’t just Hawthorne’s magic core that suffered issues.
Those subordinates who aided him also exhibited varying degrees of cracks in their magic cores.
Only, for some reason, Hawthorne’s condition was the worst; it was more than just cracks—it was utterly ruined.
Hawthorne was already terrified; upon hearing that paying money could save his life, he immediately burst into tears, exclaiming, “I have money! I have plenty of money! Don’t kill me; I… I’ll go get the money right now.”
He had completely forgotten that his original intention was to rob the shop and crush Wolis.
After his magic core turned to dust, he wished to escape the demon’s gaze at once to preserve his life.
He hurriedly retrieved a large bag of gold coins from his person, frantically searching his pockets for any coins he might have missed.
Five thousand gold coins was a considerable amount, not something even a noble could easily produce. Ordinary people would rarely carry that much cash.
Moreover, Hawthorne hadn’t planned on making a formal purchase, only thinking of directly robbing the place; thus, he wouldn’t have brought that much money.
The system detected: “Collected one thousand thirty-two gold coins; remaining balance of three thousand nine hundred sixty-eight coins. Please pay promptly.”
Hawthorne’s face turned pale as he caught sight of a few nearby subordinates, suddenly yelling, “What are you doing standing there? Hand over the gold coins!”
The guards trembled, fumbling in their pockets, barely managing to gather a few dozen coins.
Seeing that they couldn’t produce even a single coin, panic spread among them.
“I will be waiting here for you within seven days.”
Rose’s expression remained unchanged, but in Hawthorne’s eyes, it was nothing less than a blatant threat and growing impatience.
“Okay, okay, you… you wait just a moment.”
Hawthorne hastily wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and trembled as he spoke.
The few guards stepped forward to support him, and together they stumbled away from the abyss.
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