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.”ab2ec55797cb76cd

These treasures spanned a 5a2e72b8e8 wide range. They didn’t need to dc58b48dcc be adorned with gold cd8107583a or rare gems. Like a 23aae422a4 crow obsessed 081f9be09e with shiny 78a9a85f06 things, Yona 89b1767275 fixated on 376a62381f objects steeped c9c2e7acef in strange 249a1bd787 and tragic 2868323027 histories.733ea2b20b3fbc89

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Such objects, of 1f21cd0f8e course, needed time 7236aeff43 to accrue their 51c006958d stories. Naturally, Yona had become 59ce870057 a collector of artifacts bf4bf105ca passed down from the a71ade5f76 Ying Empire.d850c2fc65685d0e

“That jar—you know it fff0166568 belonged to the last b34d8000b3 dynasty of the Ying 1523541296 Empire, don’t you?”b60d926e654096ec

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Yona stood before ef7c356f85 a massive glass a34cea305e window, leaning casually 89fc8f6d84 as he stared 39cf93d621 down at me. He had shed his 61b36d5f90 black robe like a 944c6da70e snake’s discarded skin and 472be5eb75 let his hair tie 5378d51819 loose.3b539b3fecd58f41

‘If we’re judging baeccb0e08 by hair alone, 9534c87239 Yona could be 5b6726886d the heroine of 8aa87b4dc7 ‘Bitten by a 85e6f1f503 Mad Dog’,’ I c6b448d2da thought absently.ec1d47eb19bcd297

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His silver hair was 5f53225543 enviably lustrous. Yona resembled the idealized 2f4726014d image of an elf—not 28e3a639ca just in physical beauty 64807abfb6 but in his aloof 65817b4645 demeanor, free of worldly a7ff4f64f1 concerns, and his unapologetic c179378a73 arrogance.d2e24ce60f2fb4db

Tucking a strand of 04ac25c49f hair behind his ear 30739db420 with a slightly irritated 190336807e motion, Yona spoke again.7681029e2cba00c3

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“The treasure 9eae3736d7 is real.”ce6425c12512f8c5

“…Didn’t you call it 3ef4128096 a fake yesterday?”6c7066797b9a04c0

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“I got annoyed, a2cd9cbc5a that’s all.”88eeb6ff1ad2c7fd

“You’re the director of c00bfca6bb Arabek Appraisal Center. I didn’t 140ff82982 think money 350d16647b would be af6e84ba16 an issue 0e0ef702f8 for you.”e821cb8027fc47f9

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It wasn’t that 58fc233040 Yona had abandoned e5c61b6331 the treasure over 3af0d0539d money. Unlike most 86bab8c535 mages who c9b4798007 looked down 2990ad172c on non-mages, dc42174807 he leaned 678d73ae2f more toward ce308c4020 pity. Still, he shared the 6b98d01ee5 belief that non-mages were cf9ee4c28f inferior to their magical 786a4d8f3f counterparts.8f718612991e8b71

‘He let me b3f898baec have the treasure.’63bca6cf55c6eb2e

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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.3ba6c8bdbf7c6d2e

“Well, it’s d21144dc2a not entirely 6b6e6902df a lie. For you, it’s b2ac911ff0 practically a fake e91ec7f957 anyway.”6cb87ea094d327e3

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“What do you 49c3a79e5d mean?”d00d5672da0290f9

Playing along with 4c5c634569 his mischief, I e06bd89903 humored him. Yona pouted slightly, a 6f0d14c395 habit of his, though f1bdb57093 it made him look ff9bfbcb4f less malicious and more 93558b2174 like a sulky child 6c827f5477 who didn’t get his bdf42a8572 way.fd8fcf62ac2e7942

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“Let’s go back to a807df8f29 the basics. Do you 6f6c048f2b even know e72ee1a63f what that d86556c6c1 jar does?”1789fc198e575cf9

“Do you think 7f243869f8 I’d spend my 6f40f34cc7 entire fortune on 905bc2d759 something without knowing c9f5e39699 what it is?”475e7d110d153285

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“Wait, didn’t you 4fc772c33f win it for baf961755c three thousand dur? That’s all 215da1af85 you’ve got? Are you 53cd5df8ac a beggar?”4b1560f21e339f3b

“….”b761b1404a9614d6

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His jab 7ee2f5587a hit a c900e79c06 little too 4ea62b4d13 close to 45dd7a125f home, leaving 8671a806af me speechless 782c0d53da for a 3febbd5461 moment. Yona seemed genuinely flustered 7377e34461 by my silence, which 671d8b859d proved he wasn’t entirely 8db57a2fb4 heartless.ddc8d56b5bbff75e

“A beggar with no f82ca38874 tomorrow… or a gambler,” e751e8ebb0 he muttered.4cb72ee9e15f7e90

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“Since gamblers are worse, 79e2f428e6 I’ll stick with the 5a626ebf89 first option,” I replied.f8ff250b4a765ecf

“If it were 23a74b2ce0 me, I’d choose 479809af37 to be the 856c1bcb57 gambler.”9adea4035b5ba480

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“Well, we’re 24b5851d32 clearly very 1b4c2a7769 different people.”f0f0b403069dd6cc

“….”c904aa9532d90ea6

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“This jar e3ce481a5e replicates items,” e62edf3ba6 I said.a6724e1903697baf

Instead of 20bb7d3521 widening in efd353919c surprise, Yona’s 218d09aa75 eyes narrowed, a861f78c10 the skeptical bc2c7839c2 gaze of b1c3f858c5 a mage 6af802a226 probing how 2150567d4a much I ed327bc307 truly knew.1a58b3aa2bdce23f

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“Even a one-of-a-kind artifact d3385b0da7 loses its uniqueness once 7e5dd04194 it’s placed inside the 004128f64a jar. That’s the e457ad5866 jar’s magic—it 3785249a67 creates a 46d302312e ‘real’ duplicate.”7c2126e39542b289

The Jar of Desire 2d905c80f4 lived up to its e1506f47c8 name, preying on human dc48271d89 greed. After all, who wouldn’t 364760787e want to double their 3fd8e06432 most precious treasures?f29786a839a19d29

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When Ruberti II 3cb0719a68 of the Roxenhagen ac1e0e0a13 dynasty, the last 03781009b2 ruler of the 9f97f4798b Ying Empire, commissioned 27a32b8957 the jar, many 1d37d14ed7 feared it would 431575fb24 be misused.2e8465c7c9aeb999

Predictably, Ruberti II and c30272a80e his consorts placed everything d5d73c6667 they could lay hands be369c5486 on into the jar. Large items 73fde96f85 were shrunk 434ad3841b with magic, 720f03cc31 only to 4ba8cdf884 be restored b39f997a42 to their 390ab6627c original size 8a5283af7d once duplicated. Gems and jewels filled 183eff8838 the jar’s insatiable belly c8ff55bf37 and doubled in quantity.465f7cdbc68c4a1e

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At first, it 1c55ffea6b was marvelous. But they 7ec5c72d41 soon realized 901c938416 they had c2e32b8f0f overlooked a 87cb7db020 crucial principle—rarity.ff483eca5823f244

The treasures, no 495c687576 longer unique, plummeted 9f86b2dbb3 in value. The curiosity and 1edc90efbf greed that had bd1a918616 burned so brightly ebe5a778f2 cooled even faster. In the end, the 23bced4031 Jar of Desire was 4e98f01521 sent to the Tower 632ef2e8bd of Sages, where it a2f197b06c served a more disciplined 01a127fed6 purpose: replicating fragile artifacts a2f386152c for preservation.29a13f9742cd5f39

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I recounted 45b14d49f8 this history 0e37bde2e8 in detail. Yona’s almond-shaped f542b73c3f eyes, now 737e99bc66 wide with 8de1016a1a interest, glimmered 6b15bb5dca as if 5fbb6d6d1b he were 768d37e9d0 listening to 7d760e6694 a star a0868e3fbe pupil.c6ea9193c6282619

“Hmm, good, good,” 816169dd4a he muttered, interjecting ce5612a05b with inexplicable exclamations 64b172411d of approval.f9d9ffe4a7489153

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“At least this cursed c8578f6d19 thing ended up in c1eec9876a the hands of someone 2ea807070c who knows its worth!”eadc521e52fee2d0

Yona began pacing 1c5fe65cde his chaotic room. Priceless national treasures from 604cc5455e the fallen empire lay 84345b7c1b scattered on the floor, 2fb008afd9 mixed with cleverly crafted 857eef8536 fakes. Whether real or c48acde45d fake, he kicked ad98cfa1e6 them aside carelessly d594e94dc7 if they got 2fa96bb4d5 in his way.85a4b72b1e73507e

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“Still, the jar is 65a6e61a4a tricky to use. That’s why 8429dbcfb5 I said 5f5b5f6ac1 it might 30daf37f4e as well 682e0fa2cb be fake 36f05ed3cc for you.”54a1ba8748d816bb

“I see. But for 9cd1847ee7 now, could bf7ecfb3c8 you perform a7dc606325 an appraisal?”9ed16229223054a8

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Yona smirked, 257b2383fb raising his b8dae1bfb9 arms like 432910eece a conductor. The jar floated 799ca1ec11 into the air, a540020ae4 soaring straight to 7c4218beab him. A radiant glow emanated 808ebef6a4 from his palms, enveloping 6921e9bf1a the jar. The process f20b33882f was over ce024dab33 in seconds.c180471179024ce4

“It’s genuine,” he declared.826be7d66da7aeaa

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From a distant desk, 5847efc9d5 a quill began scratching ead2a59e39 across paper. A pristine sheet fluttered a70f39bb96 through the air like 30cd1541b6 a butterfly before landing 3e2dea66f1 neatly in my hands.794b76f2a46b0e82

 ba456d692115e1fd

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Certificate of Authenticity
This document certifies that 8864e63a22 the item is genuine.36684841ef2aab26

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

“Soon it won’t matter, but the process is necessary nonetheless.”89475f84915caa43

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.d55e0fab05c6d4a6

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“Why won’t it matter?”d6301f8d15000224

“Because it’ll be mine.”2d7d500dd65724a8

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“…?”f2e0d9c02e05eb91

“Three thousand etars. I won’t pay more.”487f154d12d624a8

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Etars, a b708a28677 currency ten 3d5244b167 times the fb111bf5bb value of daf7f8d2ea dur, signaled 16e491d833 we had b819b52607 finally arrived 23982203e3 at the 579ed4377e moment I’d 36de776b2a been waiting 71fe0d3f70 for. The first f1e49b4334 reason I 0b77ee0b11 needed to ddcf5d9968 meet Yona.5cdae5d9f98c6981

‘He’s the eaa1eb3f47 one person aa23f92456 rich and 37e180878e discerning enough 8e8d25db95 to pay 964de93d32 the highest cdda6fc025 price for 1b158daf37 a treasure.’41b9fe0b4707d0d5

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Unlike merchants ac29d07585 desperate to e8134373bf secure valuables 64b3bd2eff for a f7e5e2297e pittance, Yona 9860154ca2 truly valued a1e99446e2 rare artifacts 9c5d6ad288 with a 7ba16507cc story behind 53cdac083d them.c6b94c353fecd338

“What do you say? You won’t get a better offer anywhere else.”e46e44401175b0d6

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“…I think it’s worth at least one vectar.”b2ae1bc1ec93f6dc

Vectars, ten f973edff41 times the caedf0cdd3 value of 44a9512b7a an etar, 925d7c6104 were an dc87d87c0f astronomical sum. Yona’s eyes widened 589e1b6f2c to the size 2075cdddad of cherry tomatoes.cd3ba968d1d89a0b

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“Surely you don’t think the ‘director of Arabek Appraisal Center’ would lowball you, do you?”eaa5bf270c4a70e3

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.”e3d4927f71735311

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I calmly 17fb4b39d4 shook my 03c7741f2e head.ea3c60d8be2344c3

“I know you’ve appraised it fairly.”cd8e4911d305f92a

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“Then?”3644cfabc35171f2

“Because I can increase its value.”5f81d7763f006a13

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Yona’s laughter 9d1bee3428 carried a 9e7b17cf86 mocking tone, 516bc5abe5 but as b12e0ebf7d his eyes 62c43e1fb0 met my 2e4974d5fa unwavering gaze, 140a2591e7 he stifled 9f8d70afe6 a smirk e636fdbebe and murmured 19fdc9713d to himself.e1f8f33efef994c9

“No way.”e84001decc567749

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He was on acda6ae78a the right track. I held the 1e7088c985 reins of this 17b934081f negotiation. Tilting my chin ever 7e30463afd so slightly, I matched 59bb479ca3 his arrogance with my 206b145497 own.5ad085f0c6033815

“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.”acbf7dd138d7d0d9

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“…”3c2b03b33c0873cf

“And since it’s currently sealed, to unseal it…”a77aa5c6b9bc96ea

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“You’d need Roxenhagen blood.”228486685af9596a

“Exactly.”9caf17e72987252b

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The Roxenhagen family was d0c0c69741 the last ruling dynasty 7eaed883a6 of the Ying Empire.52f541e3af08cab9

When the empire fell, 43abf0e10f the five daughters of 441c8ed072 the Roxenhagen line were 84ab1c93d9 scattered. One married cd6552cca7 the founder 8f5f205e59 of the c5f698d1db Ingberd Kingdom. The Molier 606550b6d2 family, Ingberd’s ec6cfb9f99 last surviving a65f98e198 noble house, 2fb1f66c11 had been 9a7af1faf2 decimated recently, 19c2342a46 but… the 27f09c5d30 bloodline passed b950e81081 down through 053cb1a636 generations flowed 25c3ffa1d7 in me.a20433d0c66e0899

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Yes, my blood.31e0ce387ed3c89c

“What if I told you I have that blood?”bc1cd33be0b51ad6

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“Impossible.”470cb2be0cc471b6

I pulled a small 668ce0a596 flask from my pocket. The crimson liquid 0715233f51 inside was a a89bc28c53 preparation I’d made 923ed92516 for this very a66c809fe1 moment.71b1ec365ee759d9

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Yona shook his head 8b576ec7f1 as though rejecting an 6b1f389312 absurd reality.5f3bcf993eb298a9

“…Impossible.”89fc652f47efe634

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“I understand why you’d be skeptical.”b447bc6ff5c8edfe

“Trading in blood is illegal. If it’s the blood of a fallen royal house, the crime is even more severe.”67e520c663b14179

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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.”146558caec9c7781

I turned decisively, showing cab11e6d1c not a hint of b0cb7f4db0 hesitation.98a6cffad4677838

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“Wait!”b9b9b17b0c42938a

As I’d expected, Yona 2fbaff5139 yelled after me. His face flushed eeeed96a5a crimson like a 24c48ea8ae gambler on the e01d1e6bda verge of a fb5c07ce23 desperate bet, his 6e58954abd chest heaving with b37833eda5 excitement. I spoke in a a28cc1af40 soothing tone, as if 7d08561278 to calm him.bae3e7a3c6b6c5c5

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“If I break the seal, I’ll need you to do something for me.”a557806451054e48

“The money?”e7a0bc178ad5f211

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“Of course, you’ll have to pay. Let’s start at two vectars.”d85e05815138773a

“It was one vectar a moment ago.”d2b93a2addfbb54f

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“Three vectars.”00713f25edf8b4cc

“If you can make this stupid jar genuinely useful, I’d pay five.”dee3d8ea62a3417e

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A smile 3e91a37a72 spread across 1beb0e488f my face.733baecadf9ea51b

“Don’t go back on your word.”ca0b4b714c3c9807

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I opened e596e41772 the flask ab6c36fc2e and poured 5a2593dc72 my blood 6dc9866b15 into the 0559fdfce0 jar.90d656bfe3fdf03f

 e3636b7c45a8d539

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