Deep Sea Pawnshop (2)

"I can't tell if this is supposed to be a weapon or art, but I like it." Graham murmured as he walked around the "collector's weapon exhibit."

It was set up like an art museum, with each weapon mounted behind glass, a small description of the weapon's functionality, and a small screen showing a demonstration of the weapon's capabilities.

Graham was looking at a pair of antique handguns with a cherry-red wooden handle inlaid with intricate gold designs and rubies.

The description said that it was a pair of gold LePage Flintlock Pistols modified to use mana and mana stones as the energy source, and the video demonstration showed it blasting through a human dummy, a basic mana shield, rocks, trees, and different types of metal depending on the amount of mana fed into it.

The moment he laid eyes on it, Graham wanted it immediately. 

More than anything else.

The pistols called to him.

It was classy, could be easily hidden, would work with his current skill set, but most importantly, it was aesthetically pleasing.

He wasn't sure whether it was due to the increase in charisma, but whenever Graham looked in the mirror, he felt that he looked a bit more handsome than usual, and he wanted his outfits to enhance that handsomeness.

Seeing the inlaid rubies and the cherry wood that matched his hair and eyes, Graham wanted it even more.

Unfortunately, the price…

Price: 500,000 credits.

It was quite expensive.

And that wasn't even the most expensive thing inside the weapons gallery of the deep-sea pawnshop.

There were things like large sea-pearls that created illusions, staffs that shot different types of magic, one-off magic scrolls, and defensive items.

Since they were considered collectors' items, they were all quite exquisite in both appearance and functionality.

But what Graham could afford was something cheap and scrappy, which means he needed to get out of here.

"I'll come back for you, my precious."

With regret in his eyes, Graham flagged down his assigned attendant, a woman with a familiar blue tint to her skin.

She was wearing a formal pant suit and had her hair tied into a long, flowing ponytail. Dark eyes looked him over from head to toe before she bowed her head.

"Will you be making a purchase, sir?"

"Not at all. I'm ready to leave."

"One moment. I'll have someone check if the manager is free so he can see you out."

"No thanks, just give him my regards and take me to my vehicle."

"Understood."

Graham was led down an empty hallway, and he took notes of the setup and decoration as he walked past them.

Who knew? Maybe someday he would have an establishment like this.

When he arrived, the driver quickly opened the car door for him, and as he settled comfortably in the back, the car smoothly peeled off.

Unlike his expectation that the next destination would be close by, the driver drove for almost an hour before stopping in front of a large nondescript warehouse.

As Graham stepped out of the vehicle, the faint scent that could only be attributed to animals wafted by him, and he wrinkled his nose.

"Is this the right place?" Graham asked the driver as he saw a sign that said:

- Marvin's Exotic Pets - So exotic that they're out of this world! -

Although the name Marvin was familiar, the last time Graham met him, he had a smaller location located close to the illegal fighting rings in Crimson Lane.

"Yes, sir. Please follow me."

Graham whistled as he took in the large warehouse.

It seems business had been good for Marvin. He was a bit jealous.

The driver led Graham inside what turned out to be an open warehouse with undone ceilings and different types of cages lining the walls and creating aisles.

As he was led to an office to the left, Graham spotted some employees wearing white hazmat suits as they interacted with various cages and little grey blobs crawling on the ground, absorbing everything they slid over.

Within the bodies of the grey blobs, things like pellets, straw, fur, and dust could be seen floating around before slowly dissolving.

Graham remembered Marvin calling them his cleaning slimes, and that was what he wanted to purchase today.

The driver knocked on the door before opening it and gesturing for Graham to enter.

As Graham walked in, his eyes met the bulbous ones of Marvin, and he put on his best business smile.

Marvin was on the shorter side with short blond hair, bulging blue eyes, and a greasy smile. With his pinstriped purple suit, he looked more like a pimp than a pet shop owner who sold creatures for death matches in illegal fighting rings.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Crimson Graham. Howdy, partner. It's been what, 3 years since the big 18?"

"Yessir. Looking good, Marvin. Big Money Bigger Spot. You're killing it."

"Not as much as your siblings are kekeke. Mr. Trench told me you're looking to buy something? Are you having another beast roulette fight with your friends? I got a couple of new breeds that I would love to show you. They're doing numbers in the ring these days. Highly worth the investment." Marvin laughed gleefully as he shook Graham's hand with his damp hands.

Fighting off the urge to wipe his hands on his pants, Graham shook his head before sitting down on the proffered chair in the small sitting area.

"Not this time. I'm actually here for something smaller."

"Come on, Crimson Graham, are you still worried about what happened last time? Don't worry, I've tightened the control collars so no beast I sell will harm its handler or others unless commanded. You have my word."

Graham remembered the incident he was talking about.

For his 18th birthday, he and Chubsy decided to gather a group of their misfit acquaintances to celebrate his step into adulthood, as well as the grand opening of a new fighting ring underground in Crimson Lane.

They had each bought a random beast from Marvin to participate in a beast roulette, and long story short, Graham would have won if not for his beast breaking free of the control device and mauling another boy with red hair halfway to death. 

The boy was scarred for life despite extensive magical reconstruction surgeries, and to this day blamed Graham for the mishap, saying that the beast had aimed for those with red things on, so Graham must have done something to the beast.

Of course, Graham denied it, but the damage was already done, and he gained the name Crimson Graham for drawing blood in Crimson Lane. Marvin somehow avoided trouble and continued to grow his business.

Naturally, that was the last time Graham participated in such a thing, and he steered clear of any beasts, magical or otherwise, from then on.

If there were a cheaper way to get functionality instead of buying a magical creature, he would do so with a heartbeat. 

But unfortunately, he was currently short on cash.

"Let's say I believe you. I want to start with something small this time, and if it goes well, maybe next time we can go big."

"Is that right? Then what are you looking for? Something fierce? Or perhaps something cute for a lady?" 

"Nope. I want that." Graham pointed to a small grey blob that was moving across the office's smooth ground like a vacuum cleaner.

"…a cleaning slime?" Marvin looked completely confused.

Cleaning slimes were not just cheap; the grey variety had been selectively bred to be completely incapable of combat.

It barely even qualified as a magical creature after having all its capabilities bred away and because of an unknown mutation, these grey slimes were incapable of disintegrating bones or living creatures, which was the main reason many people wanted them.

To completely erase the evidence.

He couldn't understand why someone from the Kubera family would especially want to buy one, especially as the family had contracts with more reputable vendors if they wanted such a thing.

"Yes. I'd like one."

"You understand that these ones are defective and refuse to process the remains of creatures? Their combat ability is next to zero as well. I have more versatile slimes to show you if you're interested. There's a new breed of volcanic ash slimes that are all the rage." Marvin replied as he kicked at the grey slime on the ground.

It flew and splattered against the wall like goo before falling to the ground, reforming itself into a sphere-like shape, and crawling on the floor once more.

"That's fine. I don't plan on using it to fight. I plan on taking a special trip and using it as a toilet." Graham replied ambiguously.

He planned on flushing all the garbage sludge in front of his building on Planet Onia into that slime's mouth.

"Oh?" Marvin glanced at him with a strange smile before his face lit up and he whispered conspiratorially. 

"Even though they can't eat the bones and living things, their internal acid stings quite a bit, especially near sensitive parts, so be careful. And if you like to experiment in that direction, I have other pets that might suit your needs better. Just let me know your 'special needs' and I'll give you some options."

Immediately understanding where Marvin's thoughts went, Graham kept his face from wrinkling through sheer force of will.

He didn't want to know how or why the man knew those details; he just wanted to get a slime and leave.

"Let's table that option. I'll take that one. It seems to be the right size." Graham pointed to the gray slime Marvin had just kicked.

It stood out from the other two creeping around because it had a dark, ink-like blot to one side.

"Ah, old inkspot, hey? That's my most experienced slime, greedy little thing. Eats everything as soon as it hits the floor."

"Excellent. Please pack it up for me. And what did you say the cost is?"

"It's cheaper than dirt. Remembering our long years of friendship and Mr. Trench's recommendation, I'll give it to you for a cool 300 credits. I'll even throw in an extra one for free."

Marvin smiled widely as he rubbed his hands together in excitement.

Although it wasn't the big sale that he was looking for, he was always glad to get rid of useless things that could be broken easily.

Graham: "..."

Cheaper than dirt?

What part of this was cheaper than dirt?

With tears in his eyes, Graham brought out his card to pay.

And 10 minutes later, he owned two tiny grey slimes.

One with a black dot floating inside of it and one with a white line.

He tentatively named them Spot and Stripe before entering the vehicle and heading toward his final location.