"Help selling magic water as much as you can until the promotion time expires…"
The sentence lingered on the last page of the old book long after the ink stopped glowing. Meanwhile, Baston stared at it in silence.
Regarding magic water, the old book did not explain. It surely never explained because it only gave an order. Since the quest stated help, the product was clearly not his. That meant he needed to identify the item himself.
The book was precise and it always was. He closed the book slowly. The quest was confusing but there was one thing he had known.
The old book always read his circumstance.
At the moment, he was browsing the goods on the aisle. Certainly, the product was nearby and the goods must belong on Rembrant's store.
When he stepped out, the store was already alive with noise. The attendants shouted, the goods and money were exchanged, and the smell of sweat blended in the air. He continued his little exploration before he saw it.
A shelf near the back and it was almost hidden from the sight. It was neatly arranged with the glass bottles that were filled with faintly shimmering liquid.
Its color was pale blue which was almost transparent. The small labels with the emblem of the research center stamped on the cork seal. Supposedly, it must be the magic water.
However, the shelf was full. It was too full in this crowded store and no one stopped in front of it.
People passed by with casual glances. Some with faint smirks while the others whispered. In the end, none reached out. To this case, Baston approached calmly.
Rembrant was standing nearby, pretending to supervise another staff but his eyes betrayed the unease.
"These things came from one of our reliable suppliers," Rembrant muttered when Baston wandered around the shelf, "At the first day, the sales were acceptable. After that, it soon collapsed."
"Why?" Baston asked.
Rembrant exhaled, "Rumors…"
He lowered his voice, "Several customers complained publicly. They claimed the water did nothing and they said it was fake."
"Fake?" Baston tilted his head, "If it's fake, why hasn't the Research Center intervened?"
"Because it isn't fake…" Rembrant replied quickly, "It passed the official testing but magic perception varies from person to person. The water enhances the clarity of mana sensitivity. If someone's aptitude is low, the effect is subtle. It will be almost very subtle that people often diminish it."
"In summary, they expect the explosive result in the beginning," Baston murmured.
Rembrant nodded bitterly, "People want immediate results. If they don't feel a surge, they call it as a fraud."
Baston glanced at the bottles. Eventually, this wasn't a product problem. It was a perception problem.
"Tomorrow is the last day of promotion," Rembrant continued, "After that, it will be removed from the shelves. After all, the supplier won't extend such support forever."
The shelf remained untouched. The bottles glimmered quietly under the daylight like the truth that no one wished to test.
Baston nodded casually, showing little interest. Inside, however, his mind accelerated. He only had one day and one chance before the current quest ended. It was such a short time to finish the issue.
He returned to his inn before Rembrant could insist on more hospitality. He declined the offer of a better inn again. The current one was close to the store and such distance mattered more than the comfort.
Once inside, he locked the door and leaned against it. He didn't need to change the product since he only needed to change the belief. The product of magic water did not fail entirely because the problem was on the expectation.
The rumor spread faster than the fact but such rumor could also be redirected. After all, the rumor was a peculiar creature.
It did not require the proof and did not demand the logic. It only required the repetition and a host who was willing to carry it forward. Once released, it moved like a mist. It was thin, invisible, yet capable of obscuring the mountains.
Baston walked toward another window of his inn room and looked down at the street.
The market below appeared chaotic but beneath that chaos was the pattern. The merchants sold not only the goods but his confidence. After all, the buyers did not purchase the items alone.
They purchased the assurance and the magic water had lost its assurance.
He recalled Rembrant's wording carefully.
Several customers complained publicly even though the public complaints were unusual in this city. Most dissatisfied buyers preferred the quiet refunds. Eventually, the open accusation meant it was either emotional outrage or the orchestration.
Was the rumor spontaneous or planted?
If it were planted, then the culprit would benefit from either collapsing the supplier's reputation or buying the remaining stock cheaply after the confidence fully eroded.
Baston's fingers tapped lightly against the windowsill. If he could reverse the perception easily, then someone else could have initiated the collapse just as deliberately. The market was not merely a place of trade. It was a battlefield of the belief.
He closed his eyes. He could not adjust the price nor he had the managerial authority. There was no promotional banners and no official endorsements.
He was just an outsider in this big picture which meant he needed to operate where the outsiders thrived in uncertainty.
*****
When the dawn had appeared, Baston already had a plan.
When the store opened at the morning, he did not enter personally. He used his puppet to replace him.
The figure wore plain clothing with average build and forgettable face. He was neither poor nor wealthy, exactly the type of people who would be ignored soon. In the meantime, a second puppet lingered near the entrance.
Baston observed everything from the inn where his consciousness was split calmly between the two vessels.
The magic water shelf looked identical to yesterday. It was still full and untouched. The puppet approached casually and began talking to nearby customers.
"Excuse me, what do you think about this product?"
He asked lightly and the responses came easily.
"It's useless…"
"My cousin drank it for months but the result is nothing."
"I heard the batch was switched…"
"I believe on the Research Center's reputation but that doesn't mean there will be no mistakes."
The whispers were consistent and no one dared to accuse loudly but everyone believed quietly. That was enough since the rumor did not need the fact. It only needed the repetition to spread far.
He smiled faintly since it was quite good at the moment. He needed the resistance so there would be a contrast later. He then moved the second puppet to the counter.
"Excuse me…" the second puppet said politely, holding one bottle, "How much is this?"
The attendant blinked in surprise. A genuine customer finally asked about the magic water which left her baffled. She soon straightened instantly.
"Sir, you are fortunate... Today is the final promotional day and the price is reduced by half."
Before she could finish, another word came up, "Don't waste your money!"
The first puppet interrupted loudly. Several heads turned and the atmosphere quickly shifted. The first puppet crossed his arms.
"That thing is just ordinary water. Haven't you heard that the goods are not working?"
The murmurs began and the second puppet frowned, "Is that true?"
The attendant's professional smile tightened, "Sir, please do not spread such misinformation. This product is already certified."
"Certified?" the first puppet scoffed, "Then why does it do nothing?"
The crowd had been gathering for a while. No one intervened since they could only watch. They always listened toward the commotion, believing it would be more interesting than browsing the goods.
The first puppet leaned closer to the second, "I did my research before. It only works for certain talents. For the others, it's worthless."
There was a pause before another voice came up, "Is it really not suitable for everyone?"
That phrasing mattered. It meant it was not fake but the effect was selective. The second puppet then hesitated visibly.
"Then, I will reconsider first..."
He returned the bottle and the attendant's frustration flickered lightly. Soon, the crowd dispersed slowly while the whispers were intensifying.
Baston withdrew both puppets briefly. He allowed the rumor to simmer. Five minutes later, the first puppet returned and he walked directly to the shelf.
Without hesitation, he grabbed two boxes. Each box contained twelve bottles. There were audible gasps from the surrounding people. He slammed them onto the counter.
"How much the price?"
The attendant was startled, "It's 1200 pounds after the promotion."
"I will take it… Here's the money…"
He paid in full. There was no bargaining and no hesitation. Before everyone could react, he quickly left. Such action made the contradiction lingered in the air.
The moments earlier, he criticized the product. Now, he purchased in a bulk. The suspicion soon was ignited and the second puppet reappeared near the exit. It was truly a coincidence that they accidentally collided.
"You!" the second puppet snapped, "Didn't you say it was fake?"
"Mind your own business…"
The first puppet pushed past him and exited. There was a silence. The second puppet stood still for three heartbeats before his expression shifted.
He turned slowly toward the shelf since the realization was dawning upon himself. He walked briskly back.
"Give me two boxes..."
The attendant blinked again, "Two?"
"Yes... Quickly!"
As he paid, he muttered loudly enough for others to hear, "That bastard tried to mislead me since he wants to clear the stock himself."
The whispers surged and a theory formed. It was the scarcity, the manipulation, and the hidden value.
The first man discredited the product publicly to lower the competition before he bought it secretly. Therefore, it surely must have its worth.
People soon exchanged looks. No one wanted to be the fool who missed such hidden opportunity. After all, the human minds disliked such unresolved contradiction.
If a man insulted a product yet purchased it in a bulk, there were only two possible explanations. Whether it was a madness or a hidden motive.
The madness rarely involved such precise cash payment without hesitation. Thus, the hidden motive was more attractive.
Baston observed how quickly the logic shifted. Earlier, they believed the product failed. Now, they feared being excluded from the opportunity.
The transformation was not gradual. It was instantaneous like a flock of birds which were suddenly changing direction mid-air.
"I'll take one box…"
"Two for me..."
"I don't want to regret it later…"
"Maybe the new batch is different..."
"Better safe than sorry..."
The shelf began to empty and the attendant could barely process the shift.
Meanwhile, Baston leaned back in his inn chair. He did nothing extraordinary. He did not lie about the product and did not fabricate the evidence. He only redirected the suspicion.
The humans feared of being deceived but they feared of missing advantage even more.
Within one hour, half the stock had been gone. By the midday, the shelf was nearly empty. By the afternoon, everything was completely cleared.
Rembrant soon arrived in confusion, "What happened?"
The attendant explained in fragments. It began from two strange men and when they started the argument before the first one proceeded to bulk purchase.
Slowly, the rumors of hidden value from the magic water appeared before the crowd made a reaction.
Rembrant looked at the empty shelves like a man who was staring at a miracle. His relief was genuine, but beneath it, there was something else.
The merchant quickly called for one of his assistants and whispered few instructions.
Meanwhile, Baston already closed his eyes and the old book pulsed faintly. He did not open it yet since he understood something now.
The magic water did not need the belief in its effect. It needed the belief in its importance.
People did not buy based on the truth. They bought based on the story and such story was built on the contrast.
When something was universally dismissed, one decisive contradiction could shatter the certainty. He stood and approached the window on the inn's balcony.
The market buzzed louder than usual before he noticed something subtle. Two men were standing across the street.
They were watching toward Rembrant's store. They did not focus on the passing customers and the merchants. They were observing something other than that.
Their gaze lingered on the store, much on the emptied shelf and on the crowd.
Baston's eyes narrowed because it was unexpected. He moved his puppet who was still on the perimeter to get closer.
The men were dressed plainly but their posture was disciplined. One of them scribbled notes while the other scanned the street. Their action was quite interesting.
What was their identities?
Whether they were friend, bystander, or foe, he felt a small thrill. The mystery deepened and the old book did not warn about the consequences. It never did since it only judged the current issue without thinking about the next.
The two men across the street did not behave like the common observers. Their boots were clean despite standing near the dust. Their posture remained symmetrical and alert but they were not restless. Even their silence felt disciplined.
The one who was holding the parchment wrote only occasionally as if he was recording the specific data rather than random observation.
Perhaps, it was about the sales quantity. Perhaps, it was about the customer reaction. Perhaps, it could be also about the time intervals.
Baston felt a thin thread of caution tightened inside him.
If they were from the Research Center, they might be investigating the abnormal sales behavior. If they were the competitors, they might suspect the coordinated manipulation. If they were neither, then the mystery expanded further.
He resisted the urge to probe deeper. Sometimes, the observation was more powerful than the action.
He wanted to let them wondered first. The more uncertain they were, the safer he remained.