Ning walked into the store with only the glow of the weapons and armor giving light to it. The store was narrow, ceilings barely a jump away from his arms when extended upwards, the walls not even 3 meters apart. There was a small bed at the end of the room where a woman lay, half asleep.

Her eyes widened a little at the sight of Ning and she got up slowly. “Are you looking for something?” she asked.

Ning looked at the old woman who seemed to be in her 50s. “Hi, I was just looking around. I’m sorry if I woke you up,” he said.

“Looking around? If you’re not here to buy anything then leave,” she said, getting back on her bed.

Ning could only give an awkward smile at that. “Alright, I’ll buy it,” he said. “But I was also hoping you could answer a few questions of mine.” He looked around the room as he said that.

The weapons and armor that covered the walls dazzled, but none as bright as he hoped to see them. Most were old and unbonded for a long time, losing their Essence slowly as the craftsmanship for them was lackluster. The design was normal, maybe even a bit too… monotone. Every sword seemed the same, every armor the same pattern. There was no diversity. It was the complete opposite of what he had seen from the other shops.

“What do you want to buy?” the woman put on her slippers and walked toward the wall. “Everything will cost you 100 Fire Coins here.”

Ning looked at her in surprise. “Everything?” he asked. “The Fire sword costs the same as that Wind Dagger?”

“Yes, now choose,” the woman said. There was no enthusiasm in her at all. She didn’t care much at all.

Ning looked somewhat confused. He picked a fire sword and the woman brought it down from the wall. “May I ask why the prices are the same all around?” he asked.

“Because I don’t care enough to make an effort to know what each one should cost,” the woman said. “I don’t know much about these things. I only sell them.”

She waited for Ning to bring out his money to hand over the sword. But Ning delayed it a bit. Instead, he spoke again. “Do you mind telling me how much you earn in this place? How many sales do you get?”

The woman frowned a little. “Why do you ask?” she questioned. “Are you buying or not?”

“I am, but I would like it if you answered it,” he said, reaching into his storage to find the coins.

The woman simply shrugged. “I’m lucky if I sell 1 a month,” she said. “Enough for old me when I do.”

“That’s enough for you?” he asked. “You run a business here. How do you go by with barely selling a single one?”

“I don’t have anything else to do,” the woman said. “And I can’t exactly leave this place.”

Ning looked around just as the woman did. He continued looking for a moment before coming to a conclusion. This wasn’t a bad place to have.

“What would you say if I told you I wanted to buy this shop?” Ning asked.

The woman looked back at Ning with a slightly confused look on her face. “Buy this place?” she asked. “Why would you do that?”

“I was looking for places to open my own shops, and—”

“You’re not someone sent by those bastards, are you?” the woman asked. “I told you all already, I’m not selling this place. God, I thought you guys stopped the last time I made it clear.”

Ning paused for a second before continuing. “I believe there’s been a mistake. I’m not who you think I am. I only came to the city today for my daughter who is entering the Institute, and I was looking for a job while I was here. I just wanted a shop to sell what I make in.”

The woman was taken aback. “I see,” she said softly. “You shouldn’t bother with a shop. They will force you to close it anyway. If you know how to make this thing, go to their workshop. I hear the pay is not bad, and you’ll have something to do.”

“No, I went through them,” Ning asked. “I don’t like how they work.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“I just don’t like the way they’re doing things,” Ning said. He looked at the walls. “I don’t believe things need to look pretty for them to be usable, and those shops only seem to sell ones that look good.” action

He heard a chuckle and turned around. The woman was smiling this time around, her frown from before vanished. It was a beautiful smile.

“I don’t think you are right,” she said, smiling as if reminiscing something. “Human beings are greedy, possessive, competitive. They only want what’s best for themselves, and at that beauty is one of the greatest.”

“I do not believe that just because something has one purpose, its beauty cannot serve another purpose,” the woman said. “Everything has its own place.”

Ning looked at her and gave a thoughtful expression. “You’re right,” he said. “Maybe I’m being a little hateful on their business strategy for no reason.”

The woman nodded. “That being said, my husband would have absolutely slapped you on the shoulder right now, calling you a kindred spirit like him,” she said. “He believed exactly what you believe.”

“Your husband?” Ning asked.

The woman nodded. “He’s been dead for a decade now,” she said. “This used to be his shop. We never had any children, so he called this shop his only child. I’ve been looking after his child since he passed away.”

“Even when the big shops came knocking on our door, giving silent threats to make us stop one way or another, he didn’t buckle. After his death, I am now the sole person that keeps it going. His child is my child now.”

Ning couldn’t help but smile. “What is this shop’s name?” he asked.

“It’s named after my husband,” she said. “It’s called Heeran’s Love.”