Chapter 705: Equivalent Exchange

The official’s expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker of understanding in his eyes. He’d expected Moon to not give them up easily. Whilst he had signed the contract to give them priority in selling, he ultimately didn’t need to.

They had to provide him with an offer that caught his eyes and surpassed others.

"I see." The official nodded his head, smiling subtly, "Then, tell me, do you have anything in mind?"

Moon’s smile widened just slightly.

He’d already thought this through. The heart, in particular, was worth holding onto for the Supreme turtle egg still incubating in his beast space, and he had no intention of selling that one at all, no matter what they offered, unless, it was something better of course.

"Let’s start with the body," Moon said. "That, I’m willing to part with, for the right number. It’s a corpse, valuable for study, but it’s not something I have a personal use for. The heart, though..." He tilted his head. "The heart is a different matter entirely. Before we even discuss a price, I’d want to understand exactly what the Association is prepared to put on the table. Cash is good and all, but I’m more interested in things money has a hard time buying."

He folded his hands, meeting the official’s gaze evenly.

"So why don’t you tell me what you’re authorized to offer, and we’ll see whether it’s enough to make me want to part with something this rare."

The official studied him for a long moment, then reached for a fresh sheet of paper, a thin smile crossing his face.

"Haha, of course. You know, you remind me of Ascender Glassy, you guys are not easy to negotiate with. Very well, let’s see what we can work out."

The official grabbed his tablet and began browsing through a vast catalog of items.

"Based on the estimated research and monetary value of the Lesser Elf’s body, our system has identified these items as the closest matches in value. You’re welcome to select one from any of them."

He handed the tablet to Moon and watched as he scrolled through the array of treasures.

To Moon’s surprise, the selection was genuinely impressive. Bodies of powerful beasts, though nothing he needed. Elemental cores of most affinities, ice, fire, water, and even lightning.

Rare materials, crafting components, consumables of high tiers. The Association hadn’t lowballed the offering. The body was worth a great deal, and the options reflected that.

Then one entry caught his eye.

This one isn’t bad.

[Excellent-Grade Spirit Art]

[Details: Opens a total of fifty spirit acupoints within the human body.]

Before entering the gate, he’d promised Rowan an Excellent-Grade Spirit Art. Rowan had said he’d try to find one himself first, but Moon doubted he’d manage it. Spirit Arts of that grade weren’t easy to come by, and a subordinate on the floating island had limited avenues to acquire one.

It’s a good investment either way. If Rowan somehow gets one on his own, I can pass this to another subordinate down the line, or hold it for myself if a Sacred-Grade Art stays out of reach. Nothing wasted.

He kept his expression calm, letting a hint of dissatisfaction show.

"I like the Excellent-Grade Spirit Art. But on its own, it’s a little lackluster in exchange for something as rare as an evolved lesser elf’s body. Spirit Arts of that grade do surface at auctions from time to time, for the right money. It’s not the kind of thing I couldn’t acquire through other channels if I—"

The official raised a hand before Moon could finish.

"May I?"

Moon nodded and handed the tablet back.

The official tapped through a few menus, adjusting something, then returned the device to Moon.

"You can choose anything else from that list to go alongside the Spirit Art, in exchange for the body. Consider the Art a baseline, and pick a second item to sweeten it. How does that sound?"

Moon smiled and gave the list a slow, appraising scan, taking his time, not answering just yet. ℯ

He’d known that pushing back would open the offer up, and it had. Now the body would net him both the Spirit Art for Rowan and a second treasure of real value, and he still had the true elf’s heart entirely untouched.

His eyes moved through the catalog, weighing his options carefully, and he let the silence stretch, in no hurry at all.

Near the bottom of the list, something caught his eye.

[Diluted Black Tortoise Blood]

[Details: A diluted vial of blood extracted from the S-Rank Black Tortoise. Increases constitution, defense, and longevity when consumed by humans. Effects scale inversely with the consumer’s power, weaker fighters gain more, stronger fighters gain less.]

Moon paused on it, intrigued, and looked up at the official.

"Tell me about this one. The Black Tortoise blood."

The official’s brows rose slightly, a note of approval crossing his face.

"Not a bad choice at all. The Black Tortoise was an S-Rank beast that terrorized an entire region of the Second Sanctuary a few years ago. A creature of immense defensive power and longevity, it was nearly unkillable. Over the years it claimed the lives of hundreds of Evolvers who ventured into its territory, and it killed several promising up-and-coming Surpassers who thought they could handle it. Its defense was so absolute that ordinary attacks simply couldn’t penetrate its shell."

He leaned back, "In the end, the Association assembled a team of peak Surpassers to hunt it down. A full team of the strongest fighters available at the time. Even then, the operation took three days and three nights of continuous battle before they finally brought it down. Its blood, harvested from the corpse, is one of the rarest constitution-enhancing materials we have on record. That vial you’re looking at has been diluted, roughly ten drops of the original blood mixed with a carrier solution to reduce its potency and make it safer to consume. Undiluted, the raw blood is far too intense for most fighters to handle without preparation."

Moon asked the obvious question.

"Is there a more potent version? An undiluted vial, rather than this diluted one?"