Lock chest

bells above the door rang as a man entered the shop, his eyes full of determination born of desperation and great need. He had a broad forehead and a strongly receding hairline. His remaining thin black hair was gathered in a braid that fell to his shoulders. He had round cheeks, a broad nose and a goatee. He wore an oversized traveling coat over an undyed cotton tunic, baggy trousers held in place with a cord belt, and a pair of worn old boots. He carried a woven straw hat and an old shoulder bag on his back. At her side hung an upright sword in a copper-inlaid scabbard

He didn't stop to look at the stuff on the shelves, but went straight to the back, where a seventeen-year-old girl with long black hair sat at the counter. She was five feet tall, with the slim build of a girl who moved little and ate even less. She wore a simple beige sundress and a black woven cardigan with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows.

I need a loan.” She said she, then added softly, “Just for a few days

The girl didn't move, her attention fixed on the book in her lap. That man was so silent

"Excuse me, I'm

The

looking for a loan-"

He was interrupted by a single finger pointing at him as the girl motioned him to wait. He was so taken aback by the gruff action that he stopped talking and waited. He calmly read the section of the book, then placed his thumb on the page to indicate his position, not even bothering to close the book.

Light gray eyes looked at him questioningly. He looked at him once and in that simple movement he felt that he was being accurately judged. "What do you offer as a guarantee?" she asked.

“My hat…” she began to take it off her back where the round conical hat hung.

"Ten Bells". she said sharply. "With five interest sheets a week."

The man stammered for a moment, surprised again by the girl's blunt attitude. 'Excuse me, how much does it cost? I don't know the currency of this country.'

With a deep sigh, the girl took a slip of paper from under the desk and slid it into the spine of her book, marking her spot as she closed it and set it on the counter. Leaning forward on her stool, she rested an elbow on the counter as she took a string of coins from a container at the end of the counter.

“You are from the nation of Huan, yes? I can tell by your haircut. The main denomination in Huan is the silver crown. Here at Kumin, our parts are smaller and called brands. Three marks of silver are worth one of your crowns. A mark is worth twenty copper bells. A bell is worth ten sheets of copper. I can offer you ten bells for your five-leaf interest hat a week. I got it?"

She put a few coins on the wooden counter. The marks were circular, about two fingers wide, their dull silver surfaces imprinted with ancient seal writing on one side and flowers on the other. A square hole was cut in the center of the part. The bells were slightly smaller, about the width of an inch, made of copper and also had seal writing printed on one side. On the back, instead of flowers, there were bells and ribbons. Like the silver hallmarks, the bells also had a square hole in the center. The copper leaves were identical to the bells, but had leaves on the back and round rather than square holes.

“You are travelling, aren't you? If you're looking for a meal, you can get a cheap bowl of noodles next door for five leaves. If you want meat, add two more leaves. the girl said with an almost bored expression. She had obviously given this game many times. "Down the street, the Black Horse Inn charges seven sheets a night. If you need cheaper, you have to go to the River District.

The man listened patiently to the girl's explanations, frowning in thought as he digested the information. When she was done, he said, "I see, thank you. It's clearer."

Excitedly, he rubbed his nose sideways: “Actually, I need a bigger sum. There are things I have to buy at the market - the dealer offered me a price of six marks."

“That sword by your side looks very ornate. the girl said, gesturing lazily with her chin, "Should I take a look?"

He hesitated and stirred. "I can't part with it."

"Well, you certainly wouldn't expect your straw hat to be worth six marks," said the girl. The man nodded in response and took a quick look at the girl's expression before looking around the corner. Both sides were fully aware of the unspoken situation – that the man had something to offer as security, but he hadn't yet mentally prepared himself to reveal it.

As if to save time, he began to browse the shop lazily. It was a modest space, with a large window out front that let in the daylight. In the corner of the window was armor, ancient but in good condition. On the shelf next to it was a variety of goods: a curved saber in an ornate scabbard resting on a wooden stand. An assortment of necklaces and amulets lay on a velvet cushion. A brass pocket watch shared the stage with a self-winding wooden bird dipping its beak into a bucket at a steady beat.

Sturdy dark-stained wooden shelves lined the walls, half filled with various trinkets and objects. They have been sorted according to broad categories. Clothing and accessories were displayed along the wall near the main entrance in the far right corner of the room. Smaller, everyday items such as calligraphy brushes, cutlery, crockery, etc. They made up most of the left side of the room. Some large furniture and a Guqin formed an island in the center of the room. Behind the counter where the girl sat was another shelf with an assortment of precious objects - a bonsai tree, a set of bound scrolls, an ornate hand mirror, a broken geode with lavender crystals.

"Your company is very well organized, miss-"

"Juzu," she said, putting the coins back in the tray under the counter.

“Miss Yuzu. It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Hakuya, I traveled here from Huan, what you so skillfully deduced-' He trailed off, noticing her puzzled expression. "Well, the truth is, I have something here - as collateral. I'll be back for that in a few days. It's very important to me, you see..."

He reached into a large inside pocket of his robe and slowly pulled out the object. With great care and a bit too dramatic a flourish, he placed her on the counter between them.

For the first time in the conversation, Yuzu's eyes lit up with interest. She sat a little straighter in her chair when she caught it. The item was a small wooden box, about eight inches wide, six inches deep, and four inches high. It had four small carved legs. The color was a deep reddish brown with an intricate, wavy grain that caught the light from the window as Yuzu swirled it in her hands to make the design appear to be dancing on the wood.

The box was inlaid with gold, which formed thin curved lines surrounding the rounded corners of the lid. A geometric design cast in silver has been positioned seamlessly in the center of the lid. It was a series of concentric circles interrupted by straight lines connecting the circles. The lid was locked, with a keyhole clearly visible on the front of the lid. As Yuzu carefully picked up the chest, she noticed that it was much heavier than she had expected given its size.

"The contents?" She asked.

"The trunk must not be opened." Hakuya said, "And I'd rather not say what's inside. But I think the coffin itself is delicate enough to be worth... twenty-one marks.' He did the math in his head. "And so the content isn't important."

"Ten marks." Yuzu, turning the box over and looking at the bottom, said, "With six bells of interest a week after the first two weeks."

"The gold and silver on the case alone are worth ten marks." protested Hakuya.

"Yes, but no one is going to buy a chest they can't open." Yuzu objected, "Twelve marks, if you count the key."

“I can't give you the key. The box must not be opened. ' Hakuya firmly repeated his statement. “Besides, I'll be back in a few days.

“You are a traveler, and at first glance, not a rich person. Yuzu gently put the chest down. "I have no guarantee that you will return. Not only that, you have already admitted to me that you will spend at least six points on other things. Where are you going to find the money to redeem the chest?

Hakuya bit his tongue in frustration. His brow furrowed as he shook his head. "OKAY. Ten marks.”

"Eight." Yuzu said. "Above all, I don't trust you to come back, now that I've thought about it."

Hakuya squirmed. This girl, who at first seemed so indifferent and aloof, now cornered him like a trained fighter. She was truly an awesome professional.

"Agree." he said quickly, before she could change her mind. “Eight marks. And your guarantee that it will not be sold or opened in the five days before my return.

Yuzu took two identical pieces of parchment from under the counter, a bottle of ink and a brush.

"This is a pre-written form explaining the terms of the contract." he said, writing the agreed price on both sheets. “Your item, the locked chest, is collateral for the loan of eight silver marks. We guarantee that the chest will be held for one month from today's date, with an interest rate of six calls per week, up to a total of four weeks. If you pay interest, you can extend the security period.

“Once the safety period has expired, the item is still available for sale. You can redeem the item at any time for the original cost of the loan plus interest due. Please retain this scroll as proof of ownership of the chest and present it upon your return. If you have a dispute, we are registered with the City Merchants Guild so a complaint can be made to them and they can investigate. If we are found to be in breach of contract, you will be compensated three times the contract price and we will also face other penalties from the guild. If no breach of contract is found, you must reimburse the guild for the cost of the investigation.

"Any question?" Yuzu asked, pulling out an ink pad and a stone-carved seal from under the counter. She had recited the entire contract by heart.

"No, but-" Hakuya began.

Father! Father! Yuzu stamped the seal cards in red ink. “Please add your seal here. Or, if you don't have one, a fingerprint will suffice.

Hakuya took a deep breath and thoughtfully looked at his chest. "The contract can be changed before I sign it, right?"

"What would you like to change?" he asked, making the slightest effort to hide his annoyance.

“I would like to establish that the box cannot be opened. By all means." Hakuya said.

"It's not necessary. Technically, this chest is still yours until the end of the one-month grace period. We'll just keep it safe. And if you don't give me the key, I'll still can't open it."

"That would calm me down," Hakuya said. "Please."

Yuzu gave a little sniffle and picked up the brush. "Very well. The contract will be changed to not open the box while the contract is active."

"Open or unlocked," Hakuya clarified, leaning forward to read what Yuzu was writing.

"What is the difference?" Yuzu whispered, but she wrote the words as requested.

Satisfied with the contract, Hakuya rolled his finger over the ink pad and stamped the two scrolls. Yuzu promptly took eight points from the tray and placed them on the counter to count them with a satisfying clink.

"These are for you." Yuzu gave the coins and a copy of the signed contract to Hakuya. As he did, his hand brushed against his. A shiver ran up his arm from the point of contact.

"Your hand is very cold!" Hakuya said surprised. "Sorry." Yuzu said, "I'm always like this." She then she took the box and put it under the counter with the second copy. "Thank you for your support."

"Yes thank you. This will help me a lot." Hakuya said, feeling the weight of the coins in his hand, he counted the coins again and dropped them into the inside pocket of his cloak, then folded the parchment and put it in another pocket. "I have to go."

"Look after." Yuzu said taking her book without looking at it.

Hakuya headed for the door. It rang softly when he opened it. But instead of leaving the store, he hesitated with a heavy heart. He looked at the girl who was already engrossed in her book. "Miss Yuzu," he called out. She looked at him with her piercing gray eyes. He swallowed nervously and looked away while gathering his thoughts, then said, "If...if anything strange happens...In the days before I come back for the ******... lighting some sandalwood incense can help.

Hakuya glanced at the girl. She was already looking into her book, apparently not interested in her parting words. With a sigh, she turned and left the shop

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