Organ rental company in another world

The fox-man's ears twitched, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"Please, please wait a moment." He turned and walked towards the counter, his steps slightly unsteady. Less than half a minute later, a middle-aged cat-man wearing a dark blue robe and a silver badge on his chest strode out. The cat-man's fur was light gray, and the pupils behind his glasses widened sharply when he saw the box of gold coins on the ground.

"I am the branch manager here. You can call me Oleg." The cat-man manager bowed slightly to Norn, his attitude far more respectful than that of the fox-man before. "May I ask your name?"

Norn Pierre.

"Mr. Norn, please come with me to the VIP room to rest for a while." Oleg stepped aside and gestured for him to enter, while winking at the fox-man. "What are you waiting for? Go and prepare some tea and refreshments."

The fox-man readily agreed and dashed off to the back hall.

The VIP room was behind a carved wooden door on the left side of the lobby, and its furnishings were even more luxurious than those in the lobby. Several oil paintings hung on the walls, depicting street scenes of Miguang City from different eras. Norn was led to a soft chair with silk cushions, while Caesar stood behind him.

Oleg sat down in the chair opposite him, placing his hands folded on the table, his tone becoming unusually gentle: "Mr. Norn, if I may be so bold, do you intend to stay here long-term with so many gold coins stored in Miguang City?"

"I'm planning to." Norn picked up the hot tea the fox-man had served and took a sip. The tea was fragrant and elegant, ten times better than anything he had drunk at the inn before.

"That's wonderful. Although Miguang City can't compare to Baseron in terms of prosperity, it's much more secure. It's our honor to have such a distinguished guest as you stay here." Oleg's smile was so sincere that it seemed like he was a completely different person.

Over the next half hour, Norn witnessed what true efficiency really meant.

Four tiger-man guards carried all the wooden crates from the carriage into the VIP room and lined them up. Oleg personally summoned three demi-human appraisers wearing monocles. They had different jobs—one specialized in identifying the purity of gold coins, one was responsible for assessing the grade of magic crystals, and the other appraised silk and other valuables.

The lizardman appraiser in charge of the gold coins pried open all the wooden chests, his forehead scales gleaming with excitement. He randomly selected several stacks of gold coins from each chest, weighed them repeatedly on an exquisite bronze scale, and carefully examined the busts of kings on the coins with a magnifying glass. After inspecting each chest, he wrote down a string of numbers on parchment.

The one appraising the magic crystals was an elderly owl-man. His huge, round eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he saw the several fist-sized magic crystals. "This is the tentacle of the Terrifying Nautilus from the Howling Sea, this is the queen gland of the Crimson Fire Ant, and this one... good heavens, this is the magic crystal of the Raging Flame Bear, at least of superior quality." With each name he announced, Oleg's cat ears twitched, and his quill pen flew across the paper.

The previously dismissive fox-man was now standing behind Norn, holding a teapot and carefully refilling Norn's teacup with hot tea every now and then. His fox tail was tucked between his legs, and his ears drooped the entire time; he didn't dare to even breathe loudly.

"All inventory complete." Oleg pushed a parchment covered with numbers in front of Norn. "A total of 38,600 gold coins, equivalent to 40,200 gold coins according to the standard weight of the Kingdom of Eton. We have estimated the value of magic crystals and silk at 12,000 gold coins. Adding the 800 gold coins for the inscribed equipment, your total assets deposited this time are approximately 53,000 gold coins."

Norn nodded, having no objection to the figure. Seeing Norn nod, Oleg's face lit up with barely suppressed joy—such a large deposit was practically a windfall for his branch.

"Our bank will issue you a savings certificate stamped with the sealing wax seal of the Miguang Savings Bank. In addition—" Oleg turned to the door and instructed, "Please invite Master Lothar in."

A lizardman mage draped in a gray cloak entered through the door. His scales were not the usual bluish-green of lizardmen, but a rare silver-gray, and he held a short staff with an amethyst inlaid at the top in his left hand.

"Please extend your left hand," Lothar said in a hoarse, low voice.

Norn complied. Lothar placed his staff against the back of Norn's hand, closed his eyes, and began to chant a spell softly. The crystal at the tip of the staff glowed with a pale blue light, and a cool sensation spread from the back of Norn's hand. A few seconds later, a circular mark the size of a thumb appeared on Norn's skin.

The mark resembled an ancient coin, with a ring of fine runes around the edge and an abstract silhouette of a demi-human face in the center. The mark flashed with a blue light, then gradually dimmed, turning into a faint silver-gray, like a piece of silver embedded in the skin.

"This is our bank's unique depositor's mark," Oleg explained. "It's engraved with special magic and cannot be imitated. With this mark, you can withdraw your deposit at any branch of the Radiant Savings Bank in the Demi-Human Federation. Simply place the back of your hand on the crystal ball, and the corresponding information will appear."

Norn looked at the mark on the back of his hand over and over, his gaze gradually becoming thoughtful.

This mark and the curse are so similar in how they are applied. Both are imprinted on the skin with some kind of magical pattern, and neither can be removed on its own. The only difference is that this mark will not cause any serious consequences.

"Lothar the Mage," Norn looked up, "do you have any knowledge of curses or similar things?"

Lothar's vertical pupils narrowed slightly: "I know a little, but I wouldn't call myself an expert."

Norn pulled his collar down, turned around, revealing the dark red brand on the back of his neck: "Look at this, can you recognize what it is?"

Lothar leaned close to Norn's nape, his silver-gray scales almost touching Norn's skin. He stared at the brand for a full half minute, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper. Oleg and the fox-man also curiously approached, but after only one glance, they exchanged bewildered looks.

“This is no ordinary curse,” Lothar finally spoke. “Ordinary curse markings leave obvious traces of residual magic, but I can’t sense any flowing magic on this mark. It’s like… like it has completely fused with the skin on the back of your neck, becoming a part of your body.”

He paused, his tone becoming more serious: "I have never seen such a mark before. The person who applied it has a far greater level of control over magic than I do. I'm sorry, I cannot offer you any useful advice."

Norn pulled his collar back into place and said, "It's okay, I was just asking casually."

But his hand clenched secretly under the table. Even the bank's professional sorcerer was clueless; the connection to this Reaper's Scythe was probably deeper than he imagined. To completely resolve it, he'd probably have to find a proper dark sorcerer.

"Mr. Norn, here is your savings certificate." Oleg presented a piece of parchment stamped with red wax with both hands.

Norn took the voucher, handed it to Caesar for safekeeping, stood up and nodded to Oleg: "Thank you for your trouble. I'll go find a place to stay now."

"Take care! You're welcome to visit again anytime!" Oleg, accompanied by fox-men and several tiger-men guards, escorted Norn all the way out of the savings bank's gate. Even after the carriage disappeared around the corner, the respectful smile on his face remained unchanged.