Welt is a detective on a secret mission to observe Sampo, he has to keep in close contact with him. Sampo is a mischievous scammer who deceives people for money, when he meets Welt he instantly feels a connection. Over time Welt's mission to investigate the matter makes a turn as Welt falls in love with Sampo after a while.
It's a beautiful day and the Underworld is full of merchants and customers, all kinds of different people are walking around the city hoping to catch a good deal. Welt blends in with these people as he sees Sampo in his peripheral vision. Who could miss such a charming man with an eccentric aura? He comes closer to him.
"Hah! Hello stranger." says Sampo, pretending to be surprised but in fact having noticed Welt earlier. "How could I help you... Sir?" he asks, knowing perfectly well what he is doing.
"It's a pleasure to be in your company. How's business? Doing quite well I'd imagine. I thought I'd stop by to observe the market here just in case. Just doing my job, you know, a typical day as usual. Any new products for sale?" Welt replies enthusiastically.
"Well, well! A pleasure indeed..." says Sampo with a flirtatious look and a charming wink. "Business is business, you know." he continues, "I always have new products, as long as people can afford to buy. Anything, or more specially, something you are looking for?"
"Do you have any interesting new weapons or armors for sale? I can only imagine the new advancements being made in the Underworld. If I could be so bold as to see one?" Welt continues.
"You want to see my secret stash? Of course! But only if you are serious about buying." Sampo replies, with an mischievous half-smile, half-frown. He opens his trench coat, just for a brief moment, showing off his arsenal before putting it back into the coat. "How much do you want to spend? Any particular types you are looking for?"
"I've got a fair bit of gold in my pouch. Could probably buy out your entire stock. Now, what items do you have today?" Welt says not in a bragging way, more with a confident aura and tone.
"Well, how much would you like to spend? Are we talking about single-item-value of hundreds of gold, or would you consider investing in thousands or tens-of-thousands of gold?" Sampo asks, with a playful smile, almost as if he is trying to flirt with the world as a whole, but looking straight at Welt.
"A single item would suffice, though if there's anything I like, I don't see any reason why I wouldn't be willing to spend thousands or tens of thousands. It would just depend on the item of course. Would you kindly let me take a closer look?" Welt looks back at him, curiosity in his eyes.
"How about this legendary sword?" Sampo asks, and opens his coat again, and this time points at an ancient looking greatsword with an ornate handle, resting in its sheath. "Only the greatest warriors in history can wield this, as if the very sword is a living entity. A weapon to behold." he says, with that same half-smile, half-frown, and a wink, "Price: Three thousand gold"
A fair price for a sword of such legendary quality and history. I'll take it. Takes the sword and unsheathes it, taking note of the craftsmanship and looking at the blade
"Pleasure doing business with you!" says Sampo, not trying to hide that he's quite visibly satisfied with how the transaction went. "You can always find me here if you need more weapons or armors of the finest quality." He continues with a wink, "Or other commodities, of course."
"It's been my pleasure dealing with you. What else do you offer than weapons and armor? I can sense that you have something up your sleeve" Welt winks.
"Heh, you sure are a sharp one." Sampo responds. He smiles. "Well, I have all sorts of commodities, some are rather niche, not to everyone's taste, but then again, this is the Underworld. What do you fancy?
"Why don't you surprise me? Show me something I don't expect." Welt says with the intention of catching Sampo in the act, hoping he would make his job a lot easier and quicker.
"Something unexpected, eh?" Sampo says with a mischievous grin. "Sure, I'll see what I can do. What's your budget for a surprise commodity?"
"I've got plenty of gold, what can I buy with, say, five thousand gold? Anything that you'd call your most expensive surprise?" Welt says with a slight smirk on his face, a fire lights up in his eyes.
"How about this?" says Sampo, and opens his coat again. He shows a golden statue of a young woman, life size, the finest craftsmanship. "A limited edition, and this one here is my last. A piece of art, really. Price: Five thousand gold."
"Indeed, that's some fine craftsmanship. How did you acquire such a fine statue, if you don't mind me asking?" Welt gets curious.
"A very private, and quite exclusive customer. Someone with a lot of gold to spend." Sampo replies, with a wink. "They also had several other statues, but they already sold all the others. This was the last one, and then I don't expect there will be any more. You should consider yourself lucky for having the chance to buy it."
"I'm honored to be able to purchase such a fine work of artwork. I think I'll enjoy having this in the center of my home." Welt hands him the gold and there's a satisfied look on his face. Not because of the statue and its' beauty, but with the hope that this exclusive customer could be a step towards the right direction in his investigation.
"You got a deal!" says Sampo, and then adds an exaggerated wink "Thank you for your business, and we will see each other again." He then turns around, his coat wide open with the statue visible inside it, and starts walking out of the market.
Welt watches Sampo as he leaves, admiring the craftmanship of his statue. Inexplicably, a strange sensation runs through his body. A fine trade indeed, he's quite a charlatan... Welt thinks to himself, now lost in his own thoughts about this exchange.
As Sampo is leaving the market, he stops, and then turns back. "Actually, you know what. Here is a little something for you." he says, reaches into the pocket of his coat, and shows a little silver ring from above his hand. It has a pretty intricate design, and a tiny sapphire in the middle. "A small gift, for a business well done." he says, and hands the ring to Welt.
Welt is aback by Sampo's unexpected gift "Why, thank you... , I'm quite flatter by the sudden gift." Welt slips the ring on his finger admiring the cold material.
Sampo smiles. "It's just a little something, really. I have plenty. It's hard not have something like this with me. You do like it, though..?" he continues with that same half-smile. He then winks, and continues to walk out of the market.
That night, they both return home. Sampo to his home, and Welt to the Astral Express. Welt ponders as he's laying down, looking at the ring he had been given by Sampo.