Weapon seller in the world of magic

”Forget about me, Mister,” Tianzhu said firmly with his eyes turning serious. ”What the hell are you doing here, in Hangzhou, 7000 kilometers away from home? Didn’t you refuse to come with us?”

Of course, Tianzhu didn’t need to question. He was just doing it for the sake of formality. He already knew how Theo was here, who brought him here, everything.

However, his nephew doesn’t know that fact. So, Tianzhu had to act as a part of the norm, and of course, to see whether this 18-year-old would be honest with him or not.

Theo fidgeted at the enquiry at first. ”I... I... changed my mind yesterday. I wanted to come here after all and surprise you. But then Uncle Ray volunteered to bring me here. I asked him not to tell you. So, don’t blame him, please...” He hung his head down to look at his feet in the end and apologized. ”And also, I’m sorry. I wasted the flight ticket money.”

”It’s not about the money, Theo...” Tianzhu sighed before his voice rose slightly, ”It’s about trust. If you do these things behind my back and keep things from your parent... how am I supposed to trust you in the future?” After a pause, acting as if he was angry, Tianzhu clenched his fists while looking around, ”And where’s your Uncle Ray.”

Theo lowered his head and apologized again without exactly answering the question. ”I’m sorry.”

Before Tianzhu could scold more, a familiar voice then called out from behind. ”Uncle, I’m back... look what I fou...” Vera came around the corner with her cart overflowing with a bundle of items.

She froze on the spot, spotting Theo standing right in front of Tianzhu all of a sudden. ”Wait... Theo?” Her eyes widened in shock, but then lit up in joy. ”What the heck! What are you doing here?”

Theo smiled sheepishly and waved his hand. ”Hey, Vera...”

Tianzhu then had his gaze shift to Vera, followed by an employee pushing an increasingly full cart. It had only been 20 minutes since they parted ways, and she came back with a mountain load of things.

He sighed, almost feeling like slapping his forehead. ”Seriously, Munchkin. You want to gift all of those?”

The nickname made Vera groan. ”Uncle, stop calling me that in public! It’s so embarrassing. I’m not a kid anymore.”

Tianzhu shook his head with a chuckle. He leaned forward and playfully pinched her nose. ”Even if you turn fifty, you’ll still be my munchkin.”

Theo watched both of them and made a disgusting expression. ”Ugh... sometimes, I get cringed so hard, looking at you two. And matching attire, seriously?”

At that, Tianzhu snapped at the boy, his expression turning serious once again. ”Do you think you were in a situation where you could make comments, Theo? We aren’t still done yet.”

As Theo looked down at his shoes again, Vera asked. ”Why are you here anyway? I thought you didn’t want to come with us.”

Theo was about to answer, but Tianzhu sighed again, interrupting him. ”Forget it. Since you are already here, go and buy gifts for your mom’s family. We are going there for dinner.”

After a brief pause, he added. ”By the way, the budget’s still 10000 credits. Anything over that comes straight out of your allowance. I have to remind you both that today is the 21st. That means your next pocket money won’t arrive for at least 14 days.”

Vera’s face twisted in horror at once. She whipped out her phone. ”I know. I’m calculating it now...”

Meanwhile, Theo took a deep breath and asked. ”Uncle, how many gifts are we supposed to buy? Are we buying for everyone? Or are we splitting the responsibilities?”

Tianzhu answered. ”It is not mandatory for you two to buy them anything, but since Vera is already buying and you caused trouble behind my back, here’s how it goes. Vera will buy a gift for Park Soojin, and you will buy one for Little Alice.”

Theo nodded in understanding.

After a while;

”Uncle, I bought this for Alice...” Theo brought a plush toy with him. Vera couldn’t help but take it into her hands to check its price. Her eyes widened instantly. ”9,990 credits? Theo... seriously?” She looked at him in almost horror. ”Alice is a 3-year-old. Why would she need such an expensive toy?”

”Why not? I bought within the budget limit set by Uncle.” Theo calmly shrugged his shoulders and placed it in her cart.

Tianzhu, standing beside, cleared his throat. ”That’s alright. Let’s go.”

As the shopping was done, the three of them were standing at the reception desk, in a long line, to pay the bill.

Everything seemed sorted out. With both of his children together, he can have a hearty dinner with his sister’s family, too.

But, just three minutes later, a sharp, sudden noise erupted, followed by a loud alarm. Hundreds of shoppers also received government-issued alerts on their smartphones at the same time.

The lights flickered as the PA system crackled with an urgent, robotic voice all over the mall:

”ALERT. This shopping center has been designated as an Instant Dungeon. Grade 3 detected. Please follow safety protocols immediately.”

People froze. The buzz of excitement that had filled the mall evaporated in an instant, replaced by panic.

Vera clutched the cart. ”Uncle... what’s going on?”

Theo, on the other hand, clenched his fists. A smile could be seen on his face as he muttered under his breath. ”An instant dungeon. Just one day after I came to Hangzhou, the opportunity fell right into my lap.”

At once, the people started rushing as the standard 90-second timer started on their smartphones. Once it is over, the barrier will be materialized and everyone will be stuck inside. From then on, only the entrance will be possible until the dungeon boss is defeated.

Pushing the carts away, Tianzhu also acted in instinct. ”Let’s go now...”

He instinctively grabbed Vera’s and Theo’s hands and made a run for it.”Please stay calm! Hunters are en route. Please move orderly!” A young employee nearby directed the traffic and tried to manage the rushing crowds, although his own voice was shaking in panic.

Around him, shoppers ran frantically, not heeding his calls at all. He got pushed by many, but he tried to manage, using his voice as loudly as possible.

Uwaaa

A child started crying as she was abandoned in the middle of a rushing crowd. The employee saw it, and his facial expression changed, his body turning into a blur of lightning sparks by the surge of mana. He then rushed forward, passing through the people, and picked up the little child in almost an instant, dragging the boy to the side. ”Damn it. This is getting worse.”

Meanwhile, reaching the balcony of the second floor, Tianzhu spoke aloud. ”Use mana to protect your bodies.” They followed his instructions, enveloping their bodies with a layer of mana to prevent any damage from the fall. However, Tianzhu didn’t move. He stood there, watching down.

”Uncle?” Vera asked. ”What happened?”

Theo followed it up with, ”Why was no one leaving?”

Tianzhu’s face hardened instantly as his gaze fell outside through the glass, where a translucent barrier had already materialized. ”It’s only been 30 seconds. Why...”

Across the mall, countdown timers lit up.

114:58

114:57

114:56

Tianzhu’s brows furrowed in irritation. ”Tch. We had to be stuck in a dungeon, at times. And that too, a Grade 3.”.