Looking at his son, Luen asked, “You said you wanted the black core, correct, Fuen?”

“Yes, Dad!” Fuen replied with a smile before looking at the merchant and eagerly said, “Miss! We would like the black core! How much is it?”

The lady shook her head. “If you buy one piece, you must buy the other. The two are actually one and the same, like peas in a pod.”

Luen arched up one eyebrow. Taking a closer look, the bumpy jagged cores did possibly look like two halves of a whole. But that issue alone was another major problem.

“I must be hearing incorrectly. Are you saying the two pieces are part of the same core? So, the core is not only flawed but shattered? And you are still trying to sell the broken thing? To us!?!”

The merchant expected Luen’s reaction and calmly replied, “Strange, I know, good customer. I understand your skepticism. I, too, believed it was destroyed at first when purchasing it from a Hunter of the Western Continent near the End of the World. However, looks can be deceiving. Your son should know better than either of us that the core is still fine.”

In utter disbelief, Luen turned and glared at his son for an answer. Fuen flinched at the sudden jerking sharp look, but he nodded while making a confused face at the core pieces. The contradicting actions baffled Luen.

“Well, is it, or is it not, Fuen?” Luen questioned.

“The lady isn’t lying, Dad. The core is fine somehow. I’m certain of it. But it’s what she just said. It’s confusing. Can a core still work if it’s broken in half? But it is. Weird.”

Luen felt something was wrong with the whole ordeal. He was not going to gamble his son’s future on a broken irregular Beast Core. “Let’s find another core, Fuen. We did not even take a look at a quarter of the marketplace. Who knows, maybe you can find a better core that you like. Let us go find a merchant from the High Mountains.”

“Dad! No cores from Monkey Beasts!”

Not wanting to lose a chance to offload the odd core pieces, the merchant quickly interjected, “Wait, dear customers! How about this? I will give you two a discount and sell another core along with this core. A two-for-one deal! As you can see, I have traveled far. Please help me and buy my Beast Cores.”

Luen looked at the merchant lady dressed in an unusual black business suit that was unlike the robes of everyone else around. He did not know the lady’s situation, but he surmised she was low on funds by her desperate tone.

Feeling bad for raising his voice to the lady, Luen apologized, “Sorry, Miss. I could not refrain and shout at you. I am sorry.”

Shaking her head, the merchant smiled and replied, “I understand. I did the same when first dealing with the core.”

Wanting to hear what she could offer, Luen asked. “What kind of core did you have in mind, and how much did you want to trade them for?”

Hurrying to pick up another box, the merchant opened it and showed the orange core inside. A clear but deep orange octagonal core, half the size of the broken black core, glittered vibrantly in the light. “How about this one? It is from a Minotaur.”

Luen tilted his head. He never heard of the name of the beast before. “What is a Minotaur? What can it do?”

“Ah! Right, I forget the Eastern Continent does not have any Minotaurs. This beast is a powerful Ox with basic intelligence and resides in tribes across the Western Continent. Minotaurs are massive bipedal creatures capable of bearing arms and with naturally thick hides. Their cores and Spirits would be great for enhancing physical attributes.”

“Dad! It’s perfect! I can help you and Mom on the farm! Let’s take it!”

“Absolutely not! I specifically wanted the core of a beast that was not all brawns with no brains. For some reason, Beasts of the Ox family are brutes. Miss, do you have the core of a more intelligent Beast?”

“I do. However, it is a green core of the sly Lycanthropes. With a discount, the price for both cores would be eight gold pieces.”

Shocked at the price, Fuen asked, “How about the broken core along with the Minotaur core?”

“I can make do with six gold.”

Luen’s jaw dropped. “Six...gold pieces.” His hands touched the thin coin pouch that only held silver in his pants pocket. He turned to his son and woefully said, “I am sorry, Fuen. But these cores…we cannot afford them. And the broken core is likely not something simple.”

Fuen kept quiet and did not complain. Two gold would be what his parents could earn before expenses on a monthly basis. The hefty fees to the Ardent Mercenary Guild for protecting them while they farmed ate almost half of his parent’s earnings, and most of the remaining went to the Ardent Academy to support his studies.

Luen looked at the merchant lady with many questions and first asked, “Is the reason for the high price because the broken core is beyond the Intermediate Stage? Although the color and shape are poor, a core of that immense size meant it came from the body of a highly evolved Beast. I dare say even a Demonic Beast.”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

However, the farmer was dumbstruck as the merchant shook her head again. “I am not certain, but this core did not come from such a mighty creature. All that the Hunter who sold it to me said was that it was a relatively weak Void Beast of the Viscera Stage.”

“Void Beast? And only the Visera Stage? So, only above the Blood Stages?

“Sorry, dear customer. I forget you do not know. I do not know if the Hunter was exaggerating, as Void Beasts are rare to begin with. Few of their cores are ever taken as the Beasts are masters at escaping predators. But they are professionals at trapping prey. To answer your second question, yes. According to the Hunter, the core of the Void Beast was on the verge of evolving from yellow to orange.”

“Are the cores of those Void Beasts typically as large as the one you showed us?”

“No. This one is a strange case. I am not certain why it is so large. Such size would be closer to the cores of Advance Stage Beasts and on the verge of becoming Demonic or Heavenly Beasts.”

Luen’s eyes glued on the broken core pieces in the bronze box, wanting to give them to his son after hearing the merchant’s story. Especially since his son resonated with the rare Beast Core, but alas, he could not afford such a price with his current finances.

Seeing the father-son duo’s plain brown robes and their hesitation, the merchant could guess their main problem: money. Something she was also short of as of currently.

“How about this? I am willing to exchange the green core of the Lycanthrope along with the broken core of the Void Beast for monthly repayment of food and housing until you have reimbursed the totality of eight gold.”

Luen was shocked by the merchant lady’s bargain. It was a good deal that leaned in his and his son’s favor. But he worried about the possible accommodations he could provide the lady. Her sleek black suit was sewed with ornate ivory buttons and shimmered in the light. The poor farmer was uncertain if his modest abode would suit the tastes of someone so fancy.

“Miss, I do not know if you heard earlier, but my family and I are lowly farmers. Our plain home and food may not fit your usual palate.”

“No worries, good customer. Or should I say, host? Would two years of room and board be alright? That would be about how much I would spend at inns for about eight gold. I have traveled and camped in the wilderness for many years. Two years' worth of room and board in your home will be lavish in comparison. I am also not a picky person.”

“Are you sure, Miss? Ardent City has many places with better quality and service. We would have to leave you packed meals when we work our fields.”

“Yes. I am certain. Packaged food is not a problem. Your place better suits my needs as I would like to have a place close to the Kune Mountains to harvest cores from Beasts of the East to resell to the West. It would make my quest more convenient.”

“I see.”

Luen knew the deal was highly favorable, and if the merchant told the truth, then it would be a win-win situation for all of them. He would save his silver coins, his son would obtain amazing Beast Cores, and the merchant lady could collect her cores to resell.

The lady smiled and said, “So, we have a deal?”

Extending out his arm, Luen said with a grin that stretched from ear to ear, “Yes, Miss! You have benefited our family greatly. Thank you. I am Luen Kang. And this here is my son, Fuen.”

Grasping Luen’s hand for a shake, the merchant lady returned the farmer’s smile with a blossoming smile of her own. “Pleasure working with you two, Fuen, Luen. My name is Leandra Wilxby. I look forward to working and living with your family for two years.”

Fuen excitedly rocked back and forth on his heels, unable to contain his excitement. “Thank you, Miss Leandra! I’ll make sure to take care of the cores and the Beast Spirits inside!”

“I am sure you will, Fuen.”

“Haha! Alright, Fuen. Calm down a bit.” Turning to the merchant, Luen asked, “Did you want to come later, Miss Leandra? We can wait until the marketplace closes before heading back to our farm.”

“How far is your farm? Will it take long? We should leave earlier to avoid any dangerous Beasts that come out at night.”

Feeling bad for interrupting the lady’s day of selling her wares, Luen meekly replied, “Well…we are good ways away. Walking will take us half the day to reach our home.”

“Oh, then we should make haste as it is already midday. You really are on the fringes of the Ansui Kingdom that borders the Kune Forest and Kune Mountains. Let me pack up real quick. I would like to get a better understanding of the area and plan for the coming days.”

Internally, Luen breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want to travel in the darkness of night while the nocturnal Beasts awoke and prowled for food.

“Did you need help putting anything away or carrying anything else, Miss?”

“No problem,” Leandra said. “I could actually help carry some of your stuff. Would you like me to hold your cores until we get to your home, Fuen?”

Fuen’s father replied before he could. “Please do so, Miss. I think they would be safer with you until we get home.”

“I will do so then,” Leandra said with a nod.

Tapping the ring on her finger, a fissure ripped up the fabric of space as the lady walked toward the cores on display. The array of fiery Beast Cores clinked and clattered as the merchant quickly swept them off the counters and into the portal that opened up beside the counter’s edge. Folding the legs of the table, she lifted the display counter and shoved it inside. She walked over to the center area under her tent and, one by one, slowly placed in the pile of boxes of the rarer Beast Cores.

The father-son duo was most surprised by the sheer size of Leandra's Ring of Holding. It even fit the never-before-seen foldable tent that the lady collapsed and wrapped up before dropping it inside the portal. Done packing up, she looked at the astonished faces of her new hosts and shrugged, nonchalantly saying, “Ring of Holding, a must-have for any merchant.”

Fuen fervently nodded his head, replying, “I’m not a merchant, but I want one too!”

Leandra tapped her chin and said, “Well, you might just get one soon, Fuen.”

“Do you have a spare, Miss!? I’ll start saving now! Keep it for me, okay?!”

Leandra chuckled, nodding her head, but she thought otherwise. You won’t need one, Fuen. If the legends of the Void Beasts are right, you might get an even more amazing holding space.

“Shall we head home?” Luen asked before turning and saying to Fuen, “Your mother will be most surprised by today’s events, son.”

“Okay! Don’t blame me though, if Mom gives you an earful. Mom doesn’t like surprises.”

“I am sure she will come around soon after hearing the details, Fuen. Ready, Miss Leandra?”

Leandra smiled like a blossoming flower and nodded. “I am. Lead the way, Mr. Luen.”