Eternal Thief

Alchemy Pill Trading was maybe the biggest industry in the entire world. Because Alchemy Pills are used for many things, such as healing grave injuries rapidly, curing unmanageable diseases, and most importantly for cultivation. Legend has it some of the mystical alchemy pills can even resurrect the dead!

Alchemy Pills were divided in ranks, the same goes for Alchemists who made them.

There are Eight known Grades of Alchemists in these lower lands below royal lands. But in the lands of cities, there were hardly any 'Third Grade' Alchemist. There are only 'Fist Grade', also known as 'White Alchemist' and 'Second Grade' or 'Green Alchemist' available in low-level lands.

In River-Flower City there was only a single White Alchemist and he lives in the inner region of the city in City Lord Mansion like some Kings.

Alchemists were treated like rare treasures in this world because only one person in a million has the talent to become a real alchemist. They were treated like rare gems, especially in places like Land of Cities where even a 'White Alchemist' was rare like Phoenix Feathers.

River Flower City was only a 2-Star city, and it has a White Alchemist and that alone gives the city very high standing even among 1-Star cities. The reason for the alchemist being here was unknown, though.

In the outer region of the city, the Pills were made by Novice Alchemists and even they were treated with respect and because of it; they were quite an arrogant bunch. A novice can easily practice alchemy if they had a formula of a low-level or 'Half-White Grade' pill and required medicinal herbs.

Just by selling those low-level pills to these alchemy pill shops, one can easily earn enough money to buy more materials. Even their failed pills were sold for quite some money. That's why even a novice alchemist didn't put anyone in its eyes.

___________

Ace reached the outer region pill market in a hurry.

Ace was gloomy as he was thinking about Alina's 'special condition' and, 'How the hell I'm supposed to rob that swindler's shop?!?'

Ace loiter around that Fatty Shop as he slowly observes him from some distance. He notices that Fatty treated everyone differently. He didn't see anyone's appearance and only looked at their clothes with that he judge them if they were poor or rich.

If they wore high-quality clothing, then he would treat them like they were his father. But if someone like him with tatter clothes comes, he looked at them with disdain and didn't even listen to what they need and gave them 'Black' or 'Trash Pills' just like he did with him.

Ace clenches his teeth in anger after noticing this and his heart bleeds just by thinking of being cheated by that bastard of 8 Gold Coins! He controls his seething anger as he thought of a scheme to test the waters.

He hurriedly looks around and saw a cloth shop near. He goes to the clothes shop; there was a young lady inside the shop. She was fair and beautiful, with a good slim figure.

"Welcome Customer." Clair Aaron was an 18-year-old girl. She often came to her Dad cloth shop to help him sometimes.

Today is one of those days. When she turns around to greet a new customer, she saw a young skinny boy looking around curiously. The boy's face was very attractive. If it wasn't for his tattered clothes and his skinny figure, she would've thought that he was some rich family Young Master.

Ace was looking for clothes when he hears a crispy voice of a young lady. He turns around and saw a beauty was looking at him with a hint of curiosity in her eye.

"Do you want to buy clothes or are you just looking around?" Clair asks with a smile on her face. The little boy was looking at her embarrassedly and she finds it quite amusing.

"I-I want to buy clothes." Ace said tensely. Since he hardly bought clothes for himself before so he was quite nervous.

He never talks to a girl before except Alina and if he didn't see her level of beauty before, he would think Clair was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He was now immune to it.

"What type do you prefer?" Clair asks while smiling. However, inside she was startled by this boy's clear eyes as if he was seeing a normal girl.

Ace looks around, and he saw black attire. That attire was simple and had only some silver embroidery on it. "I want that Black Attire." Ace pointed his finger as he said.

Clair looked in the direction that Ace pointed, "That black attire price is 10 Silver Coins."

"So expensive!" Ace muttered to himself.

Ace takes a deep breath and half-heartedly takes out a gold coin from his pocket. That was the last gold coin left. His heart was bleeding; he never thought that just a single Attire would cost him 10 silvers!

When Clair saw a trembling gold coin in Ace's hand, she giggles while receiving his gold coin. "If you want to change it here, there is changing room on the rear, or do you want me to pack it for you?" 

"I'll change it here." There was a clear pain of losing money in his voice.

"You can change first then, and I'll get your dues in meantime." She gives the new Attire to Ace and left to retrieve his ninety silver coins.

Ace quickly grabs the attire and goes towards the changing room. After some time, Clair returns with 90 silver coins in a pam-size money pouch. Moments later, Ace comes out from the changing room in his new Black Attire.

When Clair looks at Ace in his new clothes, she was stunned there 'So handsome'. That was the thought of Clair when she saw him now. He didn't look like the beggar like before. Even with his skinny complexion, he looks like someone with a status no one can tell this young boy was dirt poor from his look.

When Ace looks at Clair, he thought she looks silly. "Is that for me?" he points at the small pouch in her hand.

Clair awakes to Ace's voice from her daze. She quickly cleans her drool from her lips and replies in a panic as her face reddens, "Yy-Yes!" And Give him a pouch with silver in her hands.

Ace receives the money pouch and hung it around his waist. Now he looks like some rich kid from a prosperous family.  He was just turn around to leave the cloth shop when he hears Clair's voice from behind.

"W-what is your name, little brother?" There was a deep blush on her cheeks.

Ace looks back at her confusingly, 'Why is she so polite now?'

He still answered "Ace White." And leave the shop in a hurry.

Clair mumbles in a low voice, "Ace, huh. They say 'clothes make men' It seems it's true." And her blush deepens.

Ace was proceeding toward that fatty shop with his hands folding behind his back, similar to some arrogant rich kid. He observed before many of them acting this way, so he also copied them.

Billy Bill was famous for his cleverness and shrewd nature in the pill market of the outer region. He was one of the richest shop owners in the outer region. But commoners also know him by another name and that was 'Billy the Swindler'.

Because Billy didn't have an ounce of morality in him, if he saw you are poor, he will cheat you one way or another. He disdains those poor commoners who come to his shop and will cheat them while thinking that he was collecting some interest from them for dirty his clean floor.

Today was just like another normal day of work for Billy, and he was happy doing business in the morning. He even cheats a weak-looking woman who comes to buy a healing pill.

Billy was about to close his shop to eat his lunch when he saw a young boy in a black Attire was walking towards his shop. He quickly judges him by his clothes like he always does.

'Hmm, his clothes look expensive, and the way he walks and his arrogant attitude, he is a big fish.' He hurriedly stopped closing his shop and go to greet this 'big fist' himself with a broad smile on his fat face.

"Welcome young master in this poor fatty shop."

Rich people called him fatty Billy, and he didn't mind it. As long as the other party has money, he didn't even mind them calling him a fat dog.

The young man in black robes was, of course, Ace.

When fatty Billy greets him with a hideous smile, his anger increases by few levels because Billy didn't even recognize him who he cheated on two days ago. He wanted to break his teeth with a punch but held his anger in his heart.

He was acting like a rich kid now, so he has to act like them. He snorted, "Fatty, I heard about your shop here sold good quality Pills so I'm here to check if it is true or false."

Billy's smile widens as dark lines appear on his face after hearing Ace, "Young master is polite but you didn't hear wrong my little shop Pills are No.1 in whole outer region market, I can grantee it with my life." Billy thumped his chest and his whole body wobble.

Ace wanted to murder this shameless bastard after listening to his bullshit. He inhales deeply to calm his boiling anger.

"I'm not here to buy at this moment. I only came here on behalf of my family. If your shop has good quality pills, we will buy them in bulk." Ace stated as he suppresses his urge to kick Billy on the balls.

It stunned fatty Billy as he became extremely happy. 'He couldn't be from the inner region, right?' Billy assumed, but he didn't dare to ask because if this boy was really from the inner region, then if he displeases him, he will die and no one even knows about it.

Billy tested Ace. "Yes, yes, young master, follow me. I'll show you our finest Pill Collection."

He takes Ace to the rare of the shop but there was only a wall, nothing else. Ace became confused and about to say something when suddenly he saw Billy taking a thin little rectangular shape crystal from his pocket.

It was shiny blue and there were mysterious marking engrave on it. Then Billy sweeps this strange thing in front of the empty wall. Ace thinks this swindler has gone frantic when something miraculous happens. The empty wall disappeared and a white door appeared out of thin air.

Ace was flabbergasted by this and his heart turns cold because he was here to scout and collect as much information about the shop, however, Ace didn't even imagine that there was a mysterious door here. He gravely thinks of the system's mission and thought about the rewards were based on his performance. This means If he didn't steal important things he will get only shit!

Now Ace finds out that he has to open this door that he can't even see with eyes. How could he not feel despair and anxiety?

At this moment Ace heard system voice in his mind,

"[Target in range! Did the host want to scan the target?]

{Cost: 2 Thief Points}"

'What?' Ace didn't know what this was all about but when he saw 2 TP he think in resentment, 'She is robbing me again. I didn't even earn a single TP but I keep spending it. Just who's the actual thief here?' 

He transmitted his voice in mind, "Scan the target."

His remaining TP drop from 14 to 12.

"[Scanning Start… Complete in 10 Seconds.]"

When Ace and system were talking only a second pass, Fatty was noticing Ace's reaction from the start and when he saw only a frown appear on his face and then he becomes calm the next moment, he becomes even more sure about his guess.

Billy didn't dare to delay anymore and quickly opened the secret door with the same rectangular crystal and gesture to Ace, "Young master, please."

Ace enters the secret room. He saw two big bulky men standing there and both of them were weaponized. 'They are even guards in here.'

Ace looked around. There were two big shelves on each corner of the hidden room, and on those shelves were placed rows of shining bottles, and inside them were colorful pills. He never saw this many pills before and they differed from the black pill that this bastard sells him last time.

Furthermore, after taking some breath here, Ace felt his body feeling refreshed and his mind was clearer, 'So that what real alchemy pills look like.' He was truly amazed.

"Young Master, what do you think of my little collection? They're all Half-White Grade Pills." Fatty Billy said with pride and he looks fatter than before.

(Lower Grade than White Grade.)

When Ace heard half white grade, he was inwardly shocked because he has some idea that any of these pills can be sold at the price of 10 ruby coins 1minimum and there were hundreds of them.

'This bastard is filthy rich!'