Chapter 706: Striking it rich

The official’s expression changed, a knowing look settling into his eyes.

"There was. Several, in fact. But I believe most of them have already been traded, sold or used already. I’d have to check our current inventory to be certain." He paused, "But even if one were available... the body of the lesser elf wouldn’t quite cover it. Undiluted Black Tortoise blood sits in a higher value bracket entirely."

Moon caught the hint immediately.

The message was clear. If he wanted an undiluted vial, the body wasn’t enough. He’d likely need to put the heart on the table.

Moon considered it for a moment, then nodded without committing to anything.

"Understood. I’ll take the diluted vial for now, alongside the Spirit Art, in exchange for the body. We can discuss what an undiluted vial might cost, separately."

He wasn’t ready to part with the heart yet, not until he understood the full range of what the Association might offer for it. But now he knew undiluted Black Tortoise blood was on the table if he wanted to go that direction, and that was worth knowing.

The official smiled and made a note.

"A wise approach. The Spirit Art and the diluted vial for the body, then. Finalized. Now..." He folded his hands. "Shall we talk about the heart?"

The official leaned forward, ready to make his play for the heart.

"Let me put something on the table for the heart specifically. If an undiluted vial of Black Tortoise blood were to become available, and I believe I could arrange that given the significance of what you’re offering, would that move you toward parting with it? Constitution, defense, longevity, at full potency. A material worth its own weight several times over. For a fighter of your ranking, it could at least increase your constitution by twenty."

Moon made a show of considering it, his expression thoughtful.

"I’m not sure yet. The heart is the single rarest thing I walked out of that gate with, and I want to be certain before I let it go. I’ll discuss it with Ascender Tom first, see which path serves my progression best, and then I’ll decide. No sense making a hasty call on something this valuable." ℴ

The official sighed inwardly.

Two shrewd foxes. The young one negotiates like the old one, and the old one will squeeze every drop before he lets his protégé part with anything. This heart isn’t going to come easy.

Outwardly, he kept his professional smile.

"No problem at all. Take some time to think about it, these decisions shouldn’t be rushed." He changed topics smoothly. "Now, regarding the cores you recovered from the gate’s beasts, we’d like to make an offer on those as well. May I run a quick assessment?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

The official led Moon to a large appraisal machine at the side of the office and gestured to it.

"Please empty them in here. The machine will assess each one and calculate a running total."

Moon nodded and released the cores from his storage ring into the machine. The device drew them in one by one, and its display ticked upward with each core, the value climbing steadily as it processed the entire haul.

When the last core vanished into the machine, the final number appeared.

[$535,254,000]

Moon fought to keep a massive grin off his face.

Over five hundred million dollars. From the cores alone.

He was going to be absurdly rich, on top of everything else he’d pulled out of that gate. But a number that large was well worth negotiating, and he wasn’t about to accept the first offer.

"That’s your offer?"

The official smiled. "You don’t find it fair?"

"I’m just wondering. I’ll want to see what others would pay, so I can compare properly. You understand."

"No problem. Compare, and let us know. We’ll see if we can work something out."

Moon smiled. The official gave no promises and made no commitments, but he didn’t shut the door either. The perfect posture for a negotiation, leaving room without giving anything away.

"Give me a moment."

Moon stepped aside and pulled out his phone, dialing Tom.

Tom answered on the first ring, his voice bright and warm.

"My boy! Moon! How’ve you been? I heard you walked out of that death trap in one piece, I never doubted it for a second. Had half the kingdom’s news channels writing your eulogy and you just strolled right out."

Moon smiled at the joyous energy but cut to the chase.

"I came out with a hundred and eighty cores. Second Order beasts, all Five-Star ranking. Over a hundred of them carry the ice affinity. I’m being offered five hundred and thirty-five million for the lot right now. What can the Glassy Group put out?"

Tom didn’t hesitate. "Five hundred and seventy million. And I’m being generous on the ice cores because they are high in demand, with buyers lined up for them."

Moon turned to the official, his expression expectant.

The official raised a hand and gestured, the meaning clear. They were willing to part with five hundred and eighty.

"Others are at five eighty," Moon relayed into the phone.

Tom clicked his tongue. "Fine, five hundred and ninety."

Moon glanced at the official again.

The official raised his hand once more and moved it in a small, final gesture.

Six hundred million. And the way he held it said this was the maximum they were willing to pay.

"Six hundred," Moon told Tom.

There was a pause on the line, and then Tom laughed.

"Six hundred? Then I’m out, my boy. Take that offer, it’s a good one, you both benefit well."

Moon smiled and ended the call, then turned back to the official.

"It seems like we have a deal."

The official smiled, and the two shook hands.

Moon did not call Tom for no reason, he was doing it to bring a competitor and raise the price. And even without any previous set-up, Tom knew to raise the price the moment he heard about money.

600 Million wasn’t a bad deal, but it wasn’t the one the association was expecting.

’Almost seventy million extra...not bad, not bad at all... I will need to give the old fox a gift.’