Time Merchant

London's rain always comes without warning. When Edwin Carter flipped the bronze sign of his antique shop, "Corner of Time," to "Closed," the first raindrop struck the shopwindow glass. He rubbed his sore temples—twelve hours without a single customer, which was all too normal for a small antique shop on the edge of Soho. "Another day's rent wasted," he muttered, fingers unconsciously stroking the bronze pocket watch around his neck. It was the only relic his father had left before disappearing, and the vine patterns on its cover glowed with a strange sheen in the damp air. Just as he prepared to pull down the shutter, an untimely jingle of wind chimes sounded. "Sorry, we're closed—" The woman standing at the door made Edwin swallow the rest of his words. She wore a sharply tailored black trench coat, had an Asian face, and a teardrop mole beneath her right eye. Most striking was the dripping oil-paper umbrella in her hand—exquisitely painted with Jiangnan ink wash, utterly out of place in London's rain. "Lin Xia," the woman introduced curtly, her gaze sweeping past Edwin to scan the shop's interior. "I need you to examine something." Edwin noticed she spoke in a statement, not a request. Rainwater trickled from her umbrella tip, forming a small puddle on the floor. "Come back tomorrow, please, ma'am," Edwin gestured toward the door. "Closing time." Lin Xia suddenly stepped forward, close enough for Edwin to smell the faint sandalwood on her. She unbuttoned her coat and took a velvet box from her inner pocket. "Open it," she said. Inside lay a bronze pocket watch almost identical to the one around Edwin's neck. The only difference was the pattern on the cover: not vines, but a blooming lotus. When Edwin's fingertips touched the case, the watch emitted a faint blue glow, and his own watch began vibrating in unison. "This can't be..." Edwin gaped. "Father said it was one-of-a-kind..." "Your father was a liar," Lin Xia's voice suddenly turned sharp. "Or rather, he hid most of the truth." She pulled a leather-bound notebook from her bag and tossed it onto the counter. "Recognize this?" Edwin's fingers trembled. It was his father's handwriting, and the front page bore the Carter family crest—a raven clutching a gear. But what shocked him most was the photo tucked inside: a young father standing on Shanghai's Bund, beside an Asian woman in a cheongsam, each holding a bronze pocket watch. "Who is she?" Edwin heard his voice go dry. "My mother," Lin Xia's nails left half-moon indentations on the photo. "Twenty years ago, they both disappeared on the same day." She suddenly grabbed Edwin's wrist. "Our watches are keys, Edwin. Keys to time-space rifts." Just then, the shop door burst open again. Three men in gray suits charged in. The balding man at the front removed his sunglasses, revealing a mechanical prosthetic eye on his left side, the faint whir of gears echoing eerily in the silent shop. "Hand over the watch, Mr. Carter," he said, his East London accent mixed with a strange metallic tone. "The Chronos Committee doesn't want to hurt you." Before Edwin could react, Lin Xia flipped over the display case. Amid the crash of shattering antique porcelain, she dragged him toward the back door. "Run! Unless you want to become a half-mechanical monster like them!" Rain lashed Edwin's face as he followed the stranger through labyrinthine alleys. The heat from his pocket watch burned through his shirt, its hands spinning wildly as if alive. Rounding a corner, Lin Xia suddenly pulled him into a telephone booth. "Listen," her breath hit his face. "When I say 'now,' press the gem button on both our watches at the same time." "What? Wait—" "Now!" The moment the two watches touched, Edwin felt the world sucked into a vacuum. The telephone booth's glass began to shimmer with countless symbols: cuneiform, Mayan numerals, even geometric shapes he'd never seen. The floor beneath turned into a rotating star map, and Lin Xia's hand became his only anchor. "Don't let go!" Her voice seemed to come from afar. "The first jump is always the worst!" Edwin tried to scream, but his voice warped into slow motion. He saw his arms decomposing into countless light particles, then his torso, legs... Last to vanish were his terrified wide eyes. When his senses returned, the first thing he felt was scorching sunlight. Edwin knelt on rough sand, retching, as cries of vendors and camels' snorts filled his ears. "Welcome to Baghdad, 790 AD," Lin Xia patted his back. "First lesson for time merchants: Jumps severely disrupt the vestibular system." Edwin looked up. Gilded domes shimmered in the sun, and caravans laden with silk and spices threaded through the market. Most astonishing was the sky—three silver rings encircled the sun like brackets drawn by a god. "This can't be..." Edwin murmured. "History says Baghdad's sky never had—" "Because this isn't your history," a hoarse voice came from behind. An old man in a star-and-crescent robe approached, leaning on a serpentine staff. His pupils were eerie double rings. "Welcome to Parallel Time-Space No. 37, young merchant. I am Tabit, astrologer to the caliph's court." The old man smiled, revealing gem-inlaid teeth. "You've arrived just in time for today's Time Market." Lin Xia performed a strange salute, tracing a spiral on her chest with her right hand. "We come for knowledge, master." Tabit's staff suddenly pointed at Edwin's chest. "Then what will this novice with a damaged watch offer in trade?" Edwin looked down, shocked to see a third hand—previously unnoticed, red—slowly moving backward under the watch glass. Tiny words appeared inside the dial: Remaining Time: 71 hours 23 minutes "What does this mean?" he asked in panic. Lin Xia's face paled instantly. "Damn... Your father didn't charge your watch?" "Charge it with what? I had no idea—" "Time merchants sustain their watches by collecting energy from historical moments," Tabit sighed. "His watch is counting down. When it reaches zero..." "He'll be trapped in the time rift forever," Lin Xia cut in, her eyes resolute. "Looks like our lessons need to speed up. Master Tabit, lead us to the market." The old man nodded, his staff tracing a burning path in the air. The market's faded, and Edwin felt a cold metallic touch creep up his neck. "Before meeting other merchants," Tabit's voice turned menacing, "let's discuss the debt you owe the Chronos Committee..." Edwin spun to run, only to find his shadow nailed to the ground. Lin Xia cursed and drew a copper coin sword from her waist, but it was too late—the surroundings melted into endless gray mist. "Time prison..." Fear laced Lin Xia's voice for the first time. "Edwin, don't trust anything you see!" From the mist came the clatter of gears, and countless mechanical arms stretched from the void. Edwin's pocket watch emitted a shrill alarm, the red hand accelerating wildly. Remaining Time: 68 hours 15 minutes