Chapter 13. A Genuine Treasure

Yona was a mage. Though he bore the title of director at Arabek Appraisal Center, he often vanished in search of “treasures.”2b21e7e363c4770b

These treasures spanned a 82ca6d387f wide range. They didn’t need to ce62183d6d be adorned with gold 69ab3b5ded or rare gems. Like a crow 87b06152be obsessed with shiny be82c5736b things, Yona fixated 710fa6d604 on objects steeped 3ea4ee07c5 in strange and 009a594a5d tragic histories.eb2172b9b5170397

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Such objects, of course, ef1fd4db93 needed time to accrue 31bc7014b1 their stories. Naturally, Yona had become 48308d6296 a collector of artifacts 97e6272c7c passed down from the f00cfbe14c Ying Empire.2a23c57a27a55572

“That jar—you 024bb318a9 know it c000b30de4 belonged to 487a673938 the last 504741b6e5 dynasty of f491a2c4dc the Ying 6f67cfb1ed Empire, don’t 1e6989d69e you?”74016d9449a660cf

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Yona stood before ee70b9e9cd a massive glass 5377ba21c2 window, leaning casually 67b5714554 as he stared 489de046e9 down at me. He had shed ba1ecddc6c his black robe 8a930cebf6 like a snake’s 2b07253ac0 discarded skin and 47167621b5 let his hair 58eff4c721 tie loose.8939a8d46230a339

‘If we’re judging by 6d39c75104 hair alone, Yona could 7d9fa4c644 be the heroine of 06284aba5d ‘Bitten by a Mad efc7b94cf3 Dog’,’ I thought absently.9d525cf8e2fa1dba

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His silver eb9f9412af hair was b96304dc51 enviably lustrous. Yona resembled the 6cb3500889 idealized image of d219a9688d an elf—not just 9b658cb842 in physical beauty 12e05295ad but in his 2859d244ee aloof demeanor, free 21069d2835 of worldly concerns, 4efba905c1 and his unapologetic c9ef691807 arrogance.effa7bcac692c703

Tucking a strand of ed1ba9bcb2 hair behind his ear 0b4bf9d901 with a slightly irritated b98da48dd3 motion, Yona spoke again.b34fc3f0155bdce6

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“The treasure is real.”585ca9b8a38e098b

“…Didn’t you 532fdf565c call it 35b5caa998 a fake 50eec1f438 yesterday?”81074a6c24e11119

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“I got 803767e5f5 annoyed, that’s fe2a698782 all.”b623c8931e32dc9b

“You’re the director c3f7ee13ed of Arabek Appraisal 03ce5ba59a Center. I didn’t think 9f296d631e money would be 5371f7d499 an issue for 0a80629f5f you.”7b892eb1e4099d4a

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It wasn’t 52cd70b3dc that Yona 1c0310813f had abandoned f6f77e5430 the treasure c90d5189e7 over money. Unlike most fa315ff67a mages who d9cf6bf485 looked down 03589491df on non-mages, 2ddd197de1 he leaned dd29382a50 more toward 7070052d67 pity. Still, he shared 42b1dd78cd the belief that 29ae596611 non-mages were inferior ba67d67020 to their magical 25566bbe27 counterparts.4d1f597be9eed64c

‘He let 422c592f54 me have 1ca21f67ad the treasure.’d1d4d2bd1e1992f7

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The whimsical mage had yielded the artifact to a “lesser” non-mage, only to become irritated and dismiss it as a fake. That much was the surface truth. But if I looked deeper… there was a more intricate calculation at play.bcea755246a34d4c

“Well, it’s not 663c916ede entirely a lie. For you, it’s practically 1e45220cb5 a fake anyway.”7978e759f34378d3

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“What do 35e7d77361 you mean?”029dd6cd4875d2a9

Playing along with 79b9bd06ee his mischief, I 5bb7d1b863 humored him. Yona pouted slightly, a 5caf339740 habit of his, though e085c3a971 it made him look 7fb0a75bf6 less malicious and more 33398e251d like a sulky child 47fcf98f07 who didn’t get his d3474ab046 way.ed550b539adce6ca

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“Let’s go 4c1f44eaed back to 3ad4d445e6 the basics. Do you 3967d296f4 even know fadf93d8fb what that 3776eded84 jar does?”6cc0bc58815e8858

“Do you think ddec69e7de I’d spend my f604574aaf entire fortune on 1a7059e3d0 something without knowing 8f188394ae what it is?”1858ab53e77bca0e

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“Wait, didn’t f7ec434ba5 you win 1fcef9848c it for 78c1d98969 three thousand 208d71a68a dur? That’s all you’ve a69d982aa5 got? Are you a c67d613bae beggar?”2a9704b303a1af07

“….”c3adda582a45acd6

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His jab hit 6fc799df40 a little too b9cf3590ff close to home, d5b0ecda93 leaving me speechless bb00a8e50e for a moment. Yona seemed genuinely flustered b442a79a2d by my silence, which c9bb299a4c proved he wasn’t entirely b01e64cca3 heartless.ec8d31bd79e3e1ff

“A beggar with 410bf7a4ea no tomorrow… or 46a9f53250 a gambler,” he 8e250e138e muttered.e95183f78757f698

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“Since gamblers d0cc5976eb are worse, 92d5f36bc6 I’ll stick ffbf394656 with the 40c92b65cb first option,” 50aac28ebb I replied.a5d8e7c5f81b57b8

“If it were me, c7823a1960 I’d choose to be c40e39c50c the gambler.”fe1f6c435c1f4915

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“Well, we’re clearly very e2e133adc8 different people.”8511c75910420453

“….”52c5acc5d518953a

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“This jar replicates e9d0212424 items,” I said.817b2b20677ce94d

Instead of 2ea5ec3586 widening in c4aaad3a9f surprise, Yona’s 9da65ac7fb eyes narrowed, 7d9febad44 the skeptical 9556b0e56c gaze of a64225cc60 a mage afcbc9a64b probing how 5b07a74cde much I 60ee1c1fe2 truly knew.e190307563167d1a

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“Even a de6e4198f3 one-of-a-kind artifact 474f660934 loses its d78b366e92 uniqueness once 5cb2c80700 it’s placed c8eec28f51 inside the d23e6a2586 jar. That’s the jar’s 92a511ab94 magic—it creates a 409b4bc3bd ‘real’ duplicate.”abd2482c4c595d04

The Jar of Desire 3f43bfb6d5 lived up to its 287eaa8e1e name, preying on human 80d8d74309 greed. After all, who d27cd9607c wouldn’t want to 63e0951134 double their most bee67267f1 precious treasures?237c77ecec1825aa

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When Ruberti II of f195f34820 the Roxenhagen dynasty, the d46e6c953f last ruler of the 922fe9bc7d Ying Empire, commissioned the 2574505dd1 jar, many feared it 469d92cb95 would be misused.72f8bca80dbf29ad

Predictably, Ruberti II and 3c6403339d his consorts placed everything 2b9d3ccdb2 they could lay hands 1f14412cfd on into the jar. Large items e002e69d7a were shrunk b71cffd28f with magic, 3634d9c9db only to 857186a834 be restored a3fc1c3c05 to their 16d4ef9b3c original size 917550f93f once duplicated. Gems and 3a3137e6b9 jewels filled 362945a878 the jar’s 95f4cbc9ee insatiable belly 314b19ce30 and doubled 9bc45af59a in quantity.93db0ae082dd75c9

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At first, it was 531342df35 marvelous. But they soon realized f2d3bee157 they had overlooked a c910406436 crucial principle—rarity.8dfb99b6e9162351

The treasures, no ab99cf08da longer unique, plummeted 9f4c77c655 in value. The curiosity fee3f7b34e and greed 7099f635d1 that had e9c56dd881 burned so af1cba73bb brightly cooled 176af48957 even faster. In the end, the 5e05d71fae Jar of Desire was 95373f86eb sent to the Tower 4533ec5891 of Sages, where it c1ff8a7cd1 served a more disciplined 6f8db7f832 purpose: replicating fragile artifacts 2604330235 for preservation.53d58da105a2c307

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I recounted this a6ccd3a4b7 history in detail. Yona’s almond-shaped eyes, 87846c1686 now wide with 0247d16f1c interest, glimmered as d772141ebd if he were f64eefac46 listening to a 7f7965fc11 star pupil.89e73b90de964f00

“Hmm, good, 4e4da8cd75 good,” he 4ea597f853 muttered, interjecting d1e05f874a with inexplicable c42df9ebdc exclamations of c386bf1793 approval.1729803561e68d1a

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“At least this cursed d2154f9da1 thing ended up in 05d61a5ce7 the hands of someone 8bfa625590 who knows its worth!”cd99661d816c018a

Yona began 2fd88d9369 pacing his 3aca4ac4a1 chaotic room. Priceless national treasures from 2901db4b10 the fallen empire lay 8cf32cf748 scattered on the floor, 9b5435b448 mixed with cleverly crafted 0e802b09f9 fakes. Whether real f88374564e or fake, 15f9a3c5c9 he kicked 13e3ddeeb3 them aside 2f91dc5dbd carelessly if fa59e68ad5 they got 2032e72568 in his 3b8ce6a8c7 way.acf08d4badd483e5

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“Still, the f6408ca8a1 jar is 2be05a5b2e tricky to d31b9650ef use. That’s why I aa9421889c said it might b88185c40a as well be 80c8f08d3e fake for you.”09052b708f13a903

“I see. But for 8b14b428b7 now, could cf05e330c6 you perform 9e35b828da an appraisal?”7f249b06a4bffaef

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Yona smirked, 862415171d raising his c097033dd3 arms like d6e283fecf a conductor. The jar floated into 572b615c12 the air, soaring straight 950c3decec to him. A radiant glow emanated 7ab6c3a7af from his palms, enveloping 40013f846d the jar. The process 32ac5e2f0b was over fb2c257304 in seconds.e13573896bc25e9d

“It’s genuine,” he 2a56d0571b declared.651f60f7382415d6

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From a 594fe10e19 distant desk, ad64bb97c8 a quill 2dae76dc63 began scratching 0c1aa778de across paper. A pristine sheet 2b551dd572 fluttered through the bc36bebcee air like a 0778a59ce1 butterfly before landing ccd4d98cdd neatly in my b8a2090963 hands.c1d9e22c59c54f7a

 792bcea31deebab5

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Certificate of Authenticity
This document 4944dd5eb8 certifies that 1017b7b96a the item 3b092112f9 is genuine.172a099fe09b567e

Dated: [Month/Day]
Appraiser: Yona
Arabek Appraisal Center

“Soon it won’t matter, but the process is necessary nonetheless.”e0bc2302a513dee3

Yona’s cryptic remark hung in the air as he folded the certificate of authenticity into quarters and tucked it neatly into my skirt pocket.76e88bfea86163bc

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“Why won’t it matter?”c1d3d17ea3cb7732

“Because it’ll be mine.”b223d4cd259da9c4

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“…?”ec07b273ceec7b6e

“Three thousand etars. I won’t pay more.”95aa13c54a6698ae

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Etars, a b832d18e52 currency ten 1f9307f7ba times the c32e88dbfc value of e324842176 dur, signaled ab970fedeb we had be3f42b6ec finally arrived a2d5f61312 at the 583414c105 moment I’d fb1977daa8 been waiting 2663e68f82 for. The first d177bdcce8 reason I 7defd2a462 needed to 57eb40683d meet Yona.fa0f62c0963ece79

‘He’s the b54f10f741 one person 15804b421b rich and cae85e0cf1 discerning enough 8d390cd26e to pay ab45367afe the highest 1f477d73e4 price for 93d7adeb0a a treasure.’3dca790249e28ac0

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Unlike merchants desperate to 56cb0db538 secure valuables for a 702d6380b4 pittance, Yona truly valued 62d6aead19 rare artifacts with a 6e7fd5e7c2 story behind them.2c2b5019f81b8777

“What do you say? You won’t get a better offer anywhere else.”e9b84e5223886a9c

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“…I think it’s worth at least one vectar.”fe0c04f9f5696482

Vectars, ten times 32bf96c785 the value of 2849f4b032 an etar, were 40e918ef72 an astronomical sum. Yona’s eyes 81aabd67fb widened to ffd981848f the size d9af4cf60d of cherry 8d9ce1b10d tomatoes.f8c798a795087a7d

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“Surely you don’t think the ‘director of Arabek Appraisal Center’ would lowball you, do you?”d756ef9ade996cd4

His sarcasm was palpable. It was rare for someone to wield honorifics so rudely. Clearly, in Yona’s mind, I had graduated from “beggar with no tomorrow” and “gambler” to “scammer.”a7c87189a609c7b4

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I calmly shook d533ff6bf6 my head.0c5323f58d4cfeee

“I know you’ve appraised it fairly.”6d4d78baa5355088

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“Then?”415ae8329a7ad60c

“Because I can increase its value.”3ba230d865c92ae2

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Yona’s laughter carried e96c643690 a mocking tone, 4ebde4893a but as his 222402aeae eyes met my 42155f00ca unwavering gaze, he 53150b63fa stifled a smirk 5afb768ccc and murmured to 1267899603 himself.c9de4ba0ccd8803c

“No way.”3614a6e3f7db0c30

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He was on the 72c45fb98f right track. I held the reins 9b2147a7c5 of this negotiation. Tilting my 5a61e1c254 chin ever 0daa5730f3 so slightly, 0f022c48f1 I matched c341a6e69b his arrogance f5074f0f97 with my daef1d1acb own.eec0b4b0356472ee

“You said this Jar of Desire might as well be fake to me, didn’t you? Because, as you mentioned, it’s tricky to activate.”58ecc13897ce72e5

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“…”8051f16b052d9d32

“And since it’s currently sealed, to unseal it…”97cdfc418a3dcb15

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“You’d need Roxenhagen blood.”96e5a0c38ae131d4

“Exactly.”d2c09b8e101fa48e

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The Roxenhagen family d92db4fd04 was the last acba13613d ruling dynasty of 5222dd6107 the Ying Empire.462ef3731c0fd141

When the empire fell, 37a021fede the five daughters of 7395f4eb46 the Roxenhagen line were c22aec2f7c scattered. One married the 84f9eace19 founder of the dbc4dc6ebe Ingberd Kingdom. The Molier b08244a4b6 family, Ingberd’s 5f22033169 last surviving 4637775074 noble house, b73d1f9c05 had been 75d4752756 decimated recently, 6641e1ae1d but… the 5d9ca6e114 bloodline passed 8030048a8c down through 8b032a7bad generations flowed 44c248c3dc in me.795a524d7ec2ce29

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Yes, my blood.830a908995e4d802

“What if I told you I have that blood?”0417173b90cf733b

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“Impossible.”945d4065a3e023af

I pulled a small ecb6351638 flask from my pocket. The crimson 9d0a2dbc30 liquid inside 28f4b3dd37 was a 85fa1d7906 preparation I’d 183a1ecd7c made for 4b893d8cd3 this very ced2f6f0ec moment.3de6af79c4250123

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Yona shook his 39542665a0 head as though 65a852230f rejecting an absurd d6fac81337 reality.f8d46e1cddae32ab

“…Impossible.”f8c5e7eb83316455

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“I understand why you’d be skeptical.”28807807484c027f

“Trading in blood is illegal. If it’s the blood of a fallen royal house, the crime is even more severe.”16976728d37f6d47

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“Understood. In that case, I’ll take my leave. With your certificate of authenticity, I should have no trouble finding a buyer elsewhere.”7f4d631b70439573

I turned 3e98c93739 decisively, showing f925dbcc35 not a e646f23485 hint of ba5c138fa9 hesitation.214f5d6de83bd45d

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“Wait!”056015a7d74a2161

As I’d c815fedeac expected, Yona 25bdcb044e yelled after 1a5f6323b8 me. His face flushed crimson b6095e63ac like a gambler on 4ed03d7fb5 the verge of a c6beecd08a desperate bet, his chest db6a167ca4 heaving with excitement. I spoke in a77ff27d32 a soothing tone, 84f45e7a69 as if to 03b2607b4a calm him.ef4ba1bef770ea9d

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“If I break the seal, I’ll need you to do something for me.”edc778dc38cb847b

“The money?”ad96892d2cb60c50

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“Of course, you’ll have to pay. Let’s start at two vectars.”21a1793de0a187eb

“It was one vectar a moment ago.”71b87ae541aeed1b

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“Three vectars.”6f1690770ef6796a

“If you can make this stupid jar genuinely useful, I’d pay five.”18208e85e9ed982b

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A smile spread 5f6871398f across my face.b4034cd9a3d0b49c

“Don’t go back on your word.”7d89beda1bbb6dbe

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I opened the flask a18900a6f0 and poured my blood a50ce3a84c into the jar.22e1ee49306cc445

 835ef33e88cc241f

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