Chapter 120: Negotiation With Olide

"Indeed," Olide said as he narrowed his eyes at the three monster corpses, his attention moving from one Dark Thorn to another before he finally asked, "What rank are they?"

"Warrior," Elias answered.

"I see," Olide mumbled as he rose from his chair and walked toward the Dark Thorn in the middle.

He crouched beside the corpse and placed one hand against its dark skin, pressing his fingers against the rough surface before moving them toward the white fangs protruding from its mouth. He then examined its black claws and thick tail, occasionally poking at different parts of its body while murmuring, "What a strange beast..."

Olide carefully searched the corpse for any indication of how it had been killed. Although there were several sword wounds along its side and feet, the injuries were remarkably clean.

The cuts had pierced the monster without destroying the surrounding material, meaning the corpse remained almost perfectly intact despite having been struck multiple times.

His eyes narrowed as he examined one of the wounds, and for the briefest moment, he glanced toward Elias from the corner of his eye.

’Did he kill it?’

The thought seemed absurd.

’The trash of the Crimson Ducal Clan? How is that possible?’

Olide frowned and continued inspecting the corpse, searching for the attack that had actually ended its life. After several moments, he finally found it.

A single stab wound had pierced directly through the monster’s heart.

Olide’s expression darkened as he studied the injury.

’It was killed in a single attack...’

His gaze lingered on the wound as he calculated the force and precision required to inflict such damage.

’That would require him to be at least an Advanced swordsman...’

He immediately shook his head.

’Someone else must have killed it and brought it here. As for why they chose Elias, I do not know.’

Olide rose to his feet and returned to the chair, wearing a pleasant smile as though he had not just spent several minutes questioning Elias’s competency.

"It is in much better condition than most monster corpses that I have seen," Olide said as he sat down.

"Is that so?" Elias mumbled flatly, although inwardly, he could not help but feel overjoyed.

’They should get enough gold then.’

The three corpses had been sitting inside his Inventory ever since the rift expedition, and he had never known exactly how much they were worth. If Olide was impressed by their condition, perhaps he could finally turn them into a decent amount of gold coins.

"I want to buy them, Lord Elias," Olide said with a smile. "Give me your price."

Elias stared into Olide’s eyes, his expression becoming serious as he considered the question.

’How much should I ask?’

He had absolutely no idea how much a monster corpse was supposed to cost. He only knew that the corpses could be sold easily, as the merchants were willing to buy them.

’Let’s just try throwing out a random amount.’

"Five hundred," Elias said.

"Five hundred gold coins?" Olide asked, his brows furrowing as he shook his head. "It is far too much. I cannot do that."

Elias’s expression remained unchanged, although inwardly, he felt a little bitter.

’They cannot even get me five hundred gold coins?’

Considering how much he had expected to gain from the corpses, Olide’s refusal was somewhat disappointing.

"Then how much do you think they are worth?" Elias asked.

Olide’s expression became thoughtful as he glanced at the corpses again, carefully considering their quality before finally answering.

"Two hundred fifty."

"Three hundred fifty," Elias countered immediately.

Olide smiled faintly as he shook his head.

"Let’s just agree to disagree and do three hundred. What do you think, Lord Elias?" he asked.

Elias remained silent for several seconds.

Three hundred gold coins were considerably less than what he had expected to receive after hearing Olide praise the corpses, but gold was gold, and Elias was not in a position to reject even a single coin.

"Alright," he nodded.

"That is great," Olide said with a wide smile before turning his head toward the slender woman standing on his left. "Go get it."

Elias and Benjamin both furrowed their brows at his words, while the slender woman simply nodded before turning around and leaving the building.

Elias watched her disappear through the doorway, his expression remaining calm.

Olide looked back at Elias with the same pleasant smile.

"Lord Elias, I believe there is one more thing we have to talk about," he said.

Elias immediately understood what he meant.

The Riftstone.

He reached beneath his clothes and took out the pouch he had prepared earlier, then opened it and retrieved a piece of Riftstone roughly the size of a finger. Without saying anything unnecessary, he extended his hand and handed it to Olide.

The merchant leaned forward and accepted it immediately.

The moment his fingers closed around the Riftstone, excitement flashed across his eyes.

"You really had it..." Olide said, staring at the strange stone with glimmering eyes.

Elias watched him carefully before speaking.

"I have a deal that I wish to propose."

Everyone’s attention immediately shifted toward him due to the effect of Storyteller’s Captivating Tongue.

Olide’s smile widened slightly as he leaned forward.

"What deal, Lord Elias?" he asked.

For a moment, Elias wondered whether he should go ahead with it.

"I do not want you to buy this pouch of Riftstone in gold coins," Elias said while lifting the pouch.

Benjamin’s expression turned somber, and he leaned closer to Elias’s ear.

"My lord, we require gold. Why are you proposing something like this?"

Elias glanced at his butler and said calmly, "Do not worry."

The old butler, however, couldn’t help but worry.

"What do you want me to do then?" Olide asked, knowing well that nothing was for free.

"Take this pouch and have the Riftstone within refined. In return, I will give you twice as much Riftstone as this," Elias said.

The merchant fell silent for a long while, staring at the pouch with a strange look before he nodded. "It is a deal."

Elias smiled while the old butler wanted to pull out his already graying hair in frustration.

Right at that moment, the slender woman covered in black fabric from top to bottom returned.