“Huh?”
“A few years ago, I picked it up on a whim. The outer shell is half-ruined, and the inside is a total wreck. It hasn’t been able to move for a long time.”
The man shrugged lazily.
“I thought dealing with it would be a hassle, so I just left it there. If you really want to see it, well, it’s not impossible.”
Helos’s pupils widened in an instant, eyes practically bursting with excitement.
“Really?!”
The man was startled by her reaction and nodded instinctively.
“Really. But don’t get your hopes up. That thing is nothing but a pile of scrap metal now.”
“Hehe, even scrap metal has its uses!”
Helos gripped the hem of her cloak tightly with both hands, so excited she looked about ready to jump up. “Come on, take me to see it!”
The warehouse’s iron door creaked open with a “squeak,” and a thick wave of dust rushed out.
In the corner, a human-shaped figure sat quietly against the wall, covered with a thick, oil-stained cloth.
Helos practically dashed over and yanked the cloth away with a sharp tug.
As the fabric slid down, a broken golem appeared before her eyes.
It was an alchemical automaton about 1.6 meters tall, its proportions similar to a young girl’s, but its former splendor was long gone.
The silver metallic shell was mottled and rusted, with a gaping crack in its chest; the inner parts were scattered, tangled like broken blood vessels.
The right arm had fallen off entirely, and the left arm’s joints were barely held together by a few twisted rods.
The face was even more badly damaged—half of it still bore the carved features of a doll, while the other half was a cold, exposed frame, the eye socket empty as if it might shatter at any moment.
“That’s the one.”
The shopkeeper crossed his arms, speaking casually. “Picked it up as junk a few years ago. All the magic arrays engraved on it are useless now, and the exterior is in terrible shape. It’s completely immobile.”
“I originally thought of dismantling it for parts, but it seemed too much trouble, so I just left it here.”
Junk…
Helos repeated softly, but the corners of her mouth slowly curled upward.
What others saw as scrap metal was, in her eyes, a treasure from the heavens.
She squatted down and tapped her fingertips gently against the ruined metal shell. The dull, hollow “thud-thud” sounded, with rust powder falling in a shower.
But her gaze shone brighter than the lanterns, as if she’d already started mapping out a repair and reconstruction plan in her mind.
“You don’t actually want to buy it, do you?”
The shopkeeper frowned at the way she practically glued her eyes to the golem. “Don’t get any wild ideas. Even a big workshop would think it’s a hassle—there’s no way to fix it.”
Helos’s eyes were nearly glowing as she looked at the broken automaton.
But the next moment, she suddenly coughed and, imitating Kyle’s laid-back tone, crossed her arms and grumbled, “Tsk, this thing’s about to fall apart, isn’t it? Missing an arm, half a face gone, engravings all ruined. Keeping it here is pointless; you might as well toss it in the scrap yard.”
The shopkeeper was about to retort, but suddenly his body swayed and he put a hand to his forehead, frowning hard.
“Ugh…? Why am I suddenly feeling dizzy?”
Helos blinked, heart skipping a beat.
The shopkeeper might not know what was happening, but how could she not know?
Her own curse was acting up again!
Still, she kept a straight face and added another jab. “Besides, it’s just taking up space in your warehouse. It won’t sell, so what’s the point of keeping it? Why not let it go cheap and save yourself the trouble?”
Cold sweat beaded on the shopkeeper’s forehead. Even his breathing turned unsteady, and he couldn’t even be bothered to say much, just waving a hand weakly.
“I don’t care either way. Name your price—doesn’t matter to me.”
“Five hundred soli.”
Helos immediately held out a hand, beaming.
The shopkeeper nearly fainted from anger. “Are you joking, miss? Even in this state, it’s still a golem, not some random scrap on the roadside!”
“It is just scrap now.”
Helos spread her hands in all seriousness.
“How about I take it off your hands for free?”
“Fine by me. You’re quite generous, boss.”
The shopkeeper was momentarily stunned, almost choked by her words.
“I’d love to give it to you! But I paid a good sum for it back then!”
He rubbed his temples hard, sounding helpless. “If you really want it, I paid a hundred thousand soli for it. I’ll give you half off—fifty thousand. How about it?”
“Twenty-five thousand.”
Helos didn’t hesitate, haggling decisively.
“Forty thousand.”
“Thirty thousand.”
“Ah, you little—…”
The shopkeeper sighed and slumped weakly against the warehouse doorframe, face turning pale.
“Fine! Thirty thousand it is!”
He rubbed his temples, feeling drained all over, barely able to speak.
Was this from the girl driving him crazy, or was something strange happening to him?
“Deal!”
Helos’s eyes sparkled, and she grinned widely.
The girl fished out several gold coins from her pocket and placed them in his hand. “Here’s the deposit!”
Noticing the shopkeeper’s pale face and sweat still clinging to his brow, she felt a little guilty and quickly added, “So it’s settled! I’ll have someone come move it tomorrow!”
With that, she carefully took two steps back, turned, and left the workshop.
She was afraid that if she lingered any longer, the shopkeeper might actually faint right in front of her.
***
Early the next morning, Julius followed the address Helos had left and arrived at the shabby alchemy workshop in the lower district.
The shopkeeper sat listlessly behind the counter, but when he saw Julius walk in, his eyes lit up.
“Oh? You must be that girl’s messenger from yesterday, right?”
Julius nodded, sighing as he slapped the pouch Helos had given him onto the counter.
“Here’s the rest of the money. Count it.”
The shopkeeper hefted the pouch, and at the sound of coins clinking, he smiled in satisfaction.
“Alright, no problem. Follow me.”
Soon, the warehouse door was pushed open.
The automaton-sized golem shell was wrapped tightly in layers of burlap and rope, looking for all the world like an ordinary bundle of goods.
The shopkeeper had even wrapped it one more time for good measure, patting it.
“Take it out like this, and no one will recognize it.”
Julius stepped forward and hoisted the bundle. It was heavy, but just manageable.
He shifted his shoulder and secured the load on his back.
“Alright, it’s yours now.”
The shopkeeper waved, as if wishing the thing would disappear from his shop as soon as possible.
So, with a helpless sigh and a belly full of questions, Julius carried the golem back to Helos’s workshop.
The wooden door creaked as it swung open. Julius stepped in, morning light behind him, lugging the tightly wrapped bundle.
“Hey, I brought the stuff back.”
He called out casually.
Before he finished speaking, Helos’s head popped out from behind the workbench, her eyes sparkling like two gems.
“You brought it back already? So fast?”
“It wasn’t too bad. Not too heavy, I guess.”
Julius put down the golem and rubbed his shoulder.
“You didn’t tell me you bought a golem?”
“Didn’t I?”
“No, you didn’t—why’d you buy it, anyway?”
“Isn’t it obvious? For research, of course! We need it to deal with Werner!”
Your a dangerous customer.