"Whoa, this rift really is incredible."

From the Aresgute side of the border, we stood gazing into the enormous chasm. The view here was far better than on the Arclight side, with broader observation platforms and even carved-out stairways leading down to seating areas on the cliffside. Tourism here was alive and well.

We paid the entry fee to explore, but the place wasn’t crowded. Something seemed to fall from above during our visit—probably just my imagination, right?

"…Should we get going?"

"…Yeah."

We didn’t get our money’s worth of sightseeing, but I couldn’t focus with that nagging thought about the falling object.

"Alright, let’s walk from here on."

We’d flown quickly through the kingdom to get out as fast as possible, but this was the Mercantile Nation of Aresgute.

"Just stepping out of the kingdom, the atmosphere feels different somehow."

We walked south along the road, letting caravans and wagons pass us by. After half a day, we reached a fairly large town. Being the first major settlement near the border, it was bustling with activity.

The most eye-catching feature was the abundance of food stalls lining the streets. A delicious aroma wafted through the air.

"Oh, that looks like a sandwich over there."

"And that stall’s selling hot dogs, maybe?"

Alongside classic skewered meats and soups, there were many bread-based foods. However, I didn’t see anything fried—perhaps oil was expensive here.

"Tasty."

"Seems like you can’t go wrong here."

We sampled street food while exploring the town. It was large enough to house an Adventurer’s Guild, so we decided to sell some of our spoils here.

"Come one, come all! We’ve got treasures galore! Great deals await, don’t miss out!"

As we searched for the guild, a loud voice from a large stall caught our attention.

"A merchant."

"Definitely a merchant."

The sight was enough to prompt such an obvious comment. The man was rotund, his appearance reminiscent of someone who’d explore a mysterious dungeon only to sell its wares.

"Oh, you two! Interested in something? My top recommendation is this—an elixir said to heal even the loss of limbs! And it’s yours for the unbeatable price of just ten million flons!"

An elixir? That’s... suspicious. Said to heal? Even if it were true, why would something that miraculous be sold at a roadside stall?

The yellow liquid was contained in a translucent, glass-like bottle.

"Don’t look at me like that! Sure, I’ve never seen it in action, but I guarantee this is a genuine elixir!"

"Uhh…"

Rio’s skeptical groan made it clear what she thought, but the merchant’s expression didn’t falter. I decided to use my appraisal skill, and to my surprise, the result read Elixir. While it didn’t tell me its effects, the label itself was legit.

"You’re kidding me."

"Haha! Told ya! It’s an elixir! Now, how about it? Only ten million flons, and there’s just one bottle in stock!"

"Should we buy it? We have the money."

"I think so. We’ve got, what, two billion flons in the wallet? This won’t even make a dent."

She whispered the latter part just for me. I knew we’d accumulated a lot, but I didn’t realize it was that much.

"Deal!"

Pulling a platinum coin from my pouch, I handed it to the merchant, who cheerfully handed over the elixir. Now we’d be prepared for any emergency.

"Rio, you hold onto this."

"What? No way, you keep it."

"If something happens to you, I’d be the one in trouble."

"Fine, fine…"

After some back and forth, she relented and took the elixir. Turning back to the stall to browse more goods, we found…

"Wait, he’s gone."

The merchant and his wares had vanished without a trace.

"Ga-ha-ha-ha! Don’t tell me you bought that elixir!"

A booming laugh erupted nearby. We turned to see a burly, bald man in a tank top, his hands on his hips as he towered over us.

"Yeah, we did. Why?"

"Ahh, you got scammed, didn’t ya?"

"What?"

He slapped a hand to his forehead, shaking his head as if we’d made a rookie mistake.

"But my appraisal skill confirmed it’s an elixir!"

"Ah, appraisal user, huh? That makes you an even easier target."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

Rio stepped closer, demanding an explanation. If even appraisal wasn’t foolproof, what was the point?

"That guy’s got a special ability—he can assign names to things. Try pouring the contents into another container and appraising the bottle."

Following his suggestion, I emptied the yellow liquid into another container and appraised the original bottle. The result still read Elixir. Appraising the yellow liquid instead, the truth was revealed:

"Yellow water…"

"Ga-ha-ha-ha! You got played! Painful loss, sure, but consider it a lesson learned!"

The muscular man walked off, laughing heartily as we crumpled in defeat. I scanned the area for the merchant’s presence, but his signature had already blended into the crowd.

"There was a trap like this…"

"Ha…haha…"

Thus, on our first day in the Mercantile Nation of Aresgute, we experienced our first scam.