Illusion

I nodded my thanks to the vendor and started walking towards the other side of the market. But after only a few steps, I stopped. The man had said Hemlock would buy my apples cheap. My negotiating position with only two apples was practically zero. But what if I had more? What if my bag was overflowing?

A new strategy clicked into place. My 'useless' godly power.

I stepped into the narrow space between two stalls, out of sight of the main path. I brought up the system interface, the black screen floating reassuringly in front of me. I navigated back to the [SKILLS] menu and focused on the description for 'Perfect Illusion'. A new line of text appeared.

[ Activation Method: Just think about what you want to create and will it into existence. ]

"Just... use it?" I whispered, a cynical smile touching my lips. "No incantation, no hand signs. Vague, but efficient, I suppose."

I took a deep breath, picturing the inside of my satchel. It held two real apples. I focused, willing the bag to be full, to be brimming with identical, perfect fruit. I opened the satchel and looked inside. Resting on top of my two real apples were at least a dozen more, flawless and indistinguishable from the real things. I tentatively reached out and my fingers passed right through the topmost one. Perfect.

The system interface faded. I straightened my posture, a feeling of control washing over me for the first time since I arrived. A confident, polished smile spread across my face the kind of predatory salesman's smile I hadn't used since closing a major deal back in my old life. With my bag of illusory wealth, I walked towards the old man at the green stall.

The green stall was neat and tidy, with pyramids of polished apples arranged perfectly. An old man with sharp eyes and a stern expression sat on a stool behind the counter, polishing a green apple with a soft cloth. I approached with my practiced smile.

"Good morning," I said. "The meat vendor sent me your way. I was told you might be interested in buying some apples."

The old man, Hemlock, looked up, his eyes appraising me and the simple bag at my side. "I might be," he said, his voice raspy. "But let's be clear from the start. I buy at fifty percent of my selling price. Half. That's my business. Take it or leave it."

I gave a confident nod. "Perfectly understandable. A man has to make a living."

With that, I swung my satchel around and placed it on the counter, opening the flap wide to reveal the contents. Instead of the two lonely apples rattling around at the bottom, the bag appeared to be overflowing, stuffed with what looked like fifty flawless, deep-red apples, all seemingly identical and fresh-picked.

The old man's eyes, previously bored and appraising, widened for a fraction of a second. He leaned forward, peering into the satchel, his professional composure clearly rattled by the unexpected quantity.

"My word," he rasped, looking from the bag to my face. "That's quite the haul for a traveler. Where did you get all these?"

"A fortunate find. An abandoned orchard a day's walk from here," I lied smoothly, keeping the salesman's smile fixed on my face.

"Hmph." He reached a weathered hand towards the bag. "Let me see the quality."

This was the critical moment. Before his fingers could touch an illusory apple, I quickly reached into the bag myself, my hand plunging past the shimmering fakes to the solid weight of one of the two real ones at the bottom.

"Of course," I said, pulling it out with a flourish. "The best of the lot, right here."

I handed it to him. He took the apple, felt its weight, turned it over in his hands, and gave it a sharp rap with his knuckle. He even sniffed it. "Good weight. No blemishes," he admitted grudgingly. "Alright, son. The offer stands. Five copper coins apiece."

I had my first piece of crucial information. Copper coins.

"Five coppers sounds fair," I said with a decisive nod. "Let's just do two for today. That should be enough to get me a hot meal and a room for the night. I'll save the rest of the stock for the next town."

I reached into the bag again, my hand finding the last real apple, and placed it on the counter next to the first. Hemlock eyed the still-full satchel with a hint of disappointment but took out a small coin purse. He carefully counted out ten small, dull copper coins and pushed them across the counter.

"Pleasure doing business with you," I said, sweeping the coins into my hand. I closed the flap on my bag of "valuable" apples and gave a final nod before turning and walking away, the weight of the ten coins feeling heavier than any gold I'd ever handled.

With ten copper coins in my possession, I finally had capital. The first step was to determine its value. I walked through the market, my eyes scanning the stalls, trying to overhear prices and see what goods were available. My immediate goal was to acquire essentials—a water skin, maybe a simple cloak or a better shirt.

My focus was so intent on a stall selling bread that I didn't watch where I was going. I turned to move down the main path and walked directly into someone.

"Oof—"

I stumbled back, my hand instinctively going to my satchel. The person I'd bumped into was a girl who was in the middle of swinging her leg over a strange, metallic contraption. A bicycle. It was a simple, clunky-looking thing, but it was unmistakably a bicycle. The sight was so jarringly out of place in this rustic village that I stared for a second too long.

"Oh! I'm so sorry," she said, steadying the bike before it could fall. "I wasn't watching."

"No, it was my fault," I replied automatically, snapping back to the present. "I was distracted."

As she righted her bicycle, I took a proper look at her. Her clothes were what stood out. While the villagers wore simple, roughspun tunics, she was dressed in durable-looking trousers tucked into sturdy leather boots and a well-made canvas jacket. Practical, clean, and of a much higher quality than anything I'd seen so far. That, combined with the bicycle, marked her as different. She wasn't from this isolated village. She was a traveler. A knowledgeable one.

An idea formed instantly. My reconnaissance mission just found a prime intelligence source.

My demeanor shifted from simply apologetic to politely curious. "Sorry again," I said, offering a small smile. "You seem like you know your way around. I'm new to this area and trying to get my bearings."

I gestured vaguely at the small market stalls. "I just earned my first bit of coin here, and I need to buy some essentials. You look like you might know which of these stalls are worth my time."

A friendly, genuine smile touched her lips, making her seem less like a stranger. "I might be able to help with that," she said, leaning the bicycle against her hip. "It all depends. What kind of essentials are you looking to buy?"

I took a moment to consider, running a mental checklist of what a real traveler would need after being robbed. "Something to carry water in, for a start," I began. "A proper flint and steel, a durable blanket or a cloak for the cold nights... and maybe a better knife." I instinctively touched the hilt of the small dagger Erik had given me. "Something for utility."

She listened to my list, nodding thoughtfully. "Okay, for water, you'll want to go to that stall there," she said, pointing with her chin. "They sell bottles made from hardened sugarcane. They're tough and don't leak like the cheap leather ones. It'll probably cost you three copper coins. You should grab some journey bread while you're at it."

Three coppers. I thought about the ten coins I had. Thirty percent of my entire capital for a water bottle. Things were more expensive here than I'd anticipated.

I looked from her practical clothes to the strange bicycle. "You seem to know a lot about this. Are you a traveler?"

She laughed, a light, easy sound. "Me? No, not at all. My sister is the real adventurer. I'm just here visiting her and taking the bike out for a spin." She paused. "We're staying here because she has some kind of agreement with the village."

An agreement. Not a simple visit. The word implied a formal arrangement, a business contract. My mind immediately categorized the information.

So, her sister is someone important. Someone with enough standing to make official agreements with a village leader. A government official, or maybe a representative from a powerful company or guild.

The information settled in my mind, forming a new, much more promising plan than selling apples. I looked at her, my expression turning serious.

"Where do you and your sister go after this village? To the capital? To the kingdom?"

She nodded. "Yes, eventually. We have to finish our work here first."

This was my chance. An opportunity I had to take. I took a half-step back, then lowered myself to kneel on one knee in the dirt of the market path. The gesture was calculated, designed to show respect and disarm any alarm my next words might cause. She looked down at me, her eyes wide with surprise.

"I know this is incredibly forward. But I would like to ask a favor. I need to get to the kingdom. I'm asking if I can go with you. I'm good with logistics, planning... any kind of corporate work. And I have a useful power."

She tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. "A useful power? What kind?"

"This," I said simply.

I focused my will, and a perfect, shimmering illusion of myself flickered into existence, standing silently right beside me. My duplicate gave her a polite, business-like nod.

"I can duplicate myself," I lied, building on the spectacular truth. "Or anything else, for that matter. In whatever amount is needed. I can be a good companion, and I can provide excellent security." I looked up at her from my kneeling position. "A good guard, and a helpful aide. It's a good agreement, don't you think?"

The girl stared, her mouth slightly agape. Her eyes darted from me, kneeling in the dirt, to my silent, standing duplicate, and back again. She took an involuntary half-step back, her hand tightening on the frame of her bicycle. The confident smile was gone, replaced by pure, unadulterated shock.

"You can... just do that?" she whispered, her voice full of awe.

I remained kneeling, holding her gaze. The illusion stood perfectly still, a testament to its own flawless reality.

She shook her head as if to clear it, her mind clearly racing to process my offer. "An extra guard... a companion..." she murmured, looking again at the two identical versions of me. The absurdity of the situation seemed to finally land on her, but instead of fear, a look of thoughtful consideration took its place.

"I... I can't make that decision," she said finally, her voice regaining some of its strength. "My sister, Kerina... she's in charge of our plans. I can't just invite a stranger along." She paused, her eyes locking onto mine. "But she needs to see this."

Her tone firmed up. "Stand up, please. You should talk to her. Show her what you just showed me." She gestured with her head back towards the center of the village. "We're staying at the inn. Come with me. If Kerina agrees to your terms, then we might just have an agreement."

With my demonstration over, I let the illusion dissipate into nothing. I pushed myself up from the ground, brushing the dirt from my knee. I was about to follow her when I realized a rather large hole in my information-gathering.

"I will," I said, agreeing to go with her. I paused for a beat. "I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

She looked at me, and her serious expression broke into a small, amused smile. "I never gave it to you," she said. "It's Elina."

To Be Continued.