A clattering sound clinked out in the room as Aubin reached under his cloak, groping his hands around at his various pockets.

Taking his arm back out, two glass vials could be seen gripped between his fingers, dangling in the air. A small clattering sounded out as he lay them out on the table for inspection. The glass vials both contained an extremely vibrant, blood-red viscous liquid within them. The liquid literally sparkled in the vials, shining with a life that was obvious even to the untrained eye.

“These two vials are elixirs of healing, brewed from the unsparing efforts of multiple tier-three alchemists. It took them over three months of constant diligence and many failures to produce these two vials.” As he set them down, Aubin waved his hands smugly in obvious pride. “The main ingredients are cinder fairies, and believe me they weren’t cheap, especially with all of the failed products. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that these potions are a second life, and even if not, regenerating a lost limb or two wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility.”

“…” In reply to his enthusiasm, Melinda only silently stared.

“Don’t worry, I’ll even throw in the recipes to craft these elixirs free of charge! You of all people must understand well the value of it.” Unfazed, he gestured wildly with his fingers as he smiled at Melinda.

It was only then that the caravan leader showed a slight interest in adventurer’s words, raising an eyebrow and looking up thoughtfully.

“That would indeed be quite beneficial, and Everly would also love such a recipe…”

In the young man’s words, Mican noticed a sly tactic used by businessmen. Offering someone an item for “free”, when it’s really just a part of the deal in the end. Trusting in Melinda’s obvious superiority in business, he decided against mentioning anything.

After a moment of watching Melinda think, the blonde-haired man reached into his cloak again, clearly expecting that the elixirs wouldn’t be enough.

Pulling his hand back out, Aubin revealed a large, transparent glass-like orb that was slightly smaller than a soccer ball. The orb was entirely pink in colour, and not as fully transparent as it first seemed. Squinting his eyes, Mican noticed that the orb was likely not pink at all. Inside of the orb, there was a hazy pink mist that seemed to swirl around in a constant motion, giving the orb the appearance of being pink.

“This is my second item that I have to offer, Miss Melinda. This is a crystal ball that I had prepared for this specific day, made from the hearts of several crystal guardians.” Aubin’s excitement visibly grew as he talked, his hands waving around to emphasize all of what he was saying. “It was forged from a collaboration of a pseudo tier-three blacksmith, and a tier-three jeweler.”

“A crystal ball…” While Melinda was still looked unperturbed, a hint of seriousness expression had appeared in her expression as her brows narrowed slightly, for the first time since the beginning of the meeting.

“Yes!” The adventurer’s eyes didn’t miss the expression on her face, his tone rising an octave upon noticing. “While it’s not of a variant, it’s still very rare, perfectly suitable scrying.”

This time, a silence came over the room as Melinda crossed her arms, a serious expression on her face as she deeply thought on the matter. She was clearly tempted by the offer, but obvious hesitation still showed in her face and actions.

Although Mican didn’t know the young woman very well, he had a strong suspicion that she was merely putting on an act. He felt as if she was completely calm, the entire situation under her control.

After several moments of silence, a bead of sweat rolled off of Aubin’s forehead as he watched Melinda carefully. The adventurer was no longer confident in his movements, hesitatingly reaching once again into his cloak.

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Throughout the next twenty or so minutes, several more items were set onto the table beside the crystal orb and the two elixirs.

The first item was a strange red stone which would enhance one’s strength upon holding it.

The second item was a token of the Whirlwind Guild, that allowed the owner to make one request of the guild.

The third item was the one that surprised Mican the most, being a potion named ‘potion of minor flight’. Aptly named, it would allow one to soar through the skies for a certain period of time without needing wing. What sort of liquid could allow such a feat? It was a drink that gave you wings! Such a discovery completely shocked the young man.

Aubin, on the other hand, was not in such a good mood. With each and every item set out on the table, his countenance continued worsening until he was almost standing. He leaned over the table with a smile that wasn’t a smile, looking more like a grimace on his face. He gripped the table with both of his hands, his breathing heavy. Evidently, he was struggling to keep his smile.

His eyes continuously darted towards the small box in front of Melinda on the table, seemingly not fully conscious of his own movement. Mican was quite wary of any sudden movements, due to his desperation, but the adventurer gave no sign of making any sudden movements or impulses.

Mican was inwardly shocked. It was not to mention the auction she had hosted last night, in her own house, but this was a private room with a fully A ranked adventurer. There was no need to think about guards or the like, as she had told him that Aubin had requested the meeting spot for anonymity. Isolated in such a private room with a treasure that was clearly quite dear to him, Aubin didn’t even show the thought of snatching it away or acting rashly in any manner, only further taking out items from his cloak.

Mican didn’t know if there were any unspoken rules or repercussions that he had to go through, courtesy of the guild, but it didn’t seem that way. It was especially so with how the adventurer treated Melinda. Aubin treated her with complete respect, bordering flattery, while it seemed like she had no such qualms in being humble, giving the man a slight cold shoulder while he purposely ignored any disrespect.

It was clear to Mican who had the upper hand in the negotiations here, and the mist surrounding the caravan leader thickened slightly.

Taking a deep breath, Aubin sat back down on his seat, deeply exhaling. Although the matter was clearly of utmost importance to him, he forcefully calmed himself down in a swift and experienced manner. His gaze towards Melinda was one of defeat, his facial features relaxing as he shook his head slightly.

He had clearly realized that the young woman had been fooling him, as her expression had not changed even slightly throughout the entire negotiation. The slight changes in her expression before that had been to goad the adventurer into further showing his bottom line, only widening her lead in the negotiation.

Mican could do nothing but hold back a chuckle. The caravan leader had played the adventurer for a fool, and the negotiation had been in the palm of her hands since their very meeting. A truly intimidating woman.

“Alright, I understand.” Closing his eyes, Aubin nodded and reached into his cloak, shuffling around for a while. “This is the most I can do, really.”

Reaching his hands back out, Aubin brought out a small wooden box, about the size of a grown man’s head. He placed the box gently on the table, treating it with clear care and delicacy.

Turning the box around, he faced it toward the caravan leader before reaching down, flipping the lid open in her direction. Immediately afterwards, the thick smell of blood filled the room, invading the three people’s senses.

Mican grimaced, wrinkling his nose to avoid the smell. This smell was much thicker than the usual smell of blood, almost like a mist instead of a liquid. A chill ran down the young man’s spine as he furrowed his brows. The scent reminded him of, well, evil. It was in a manner difficult to explain, but smelling it brought about only bad memories, making him feel unpleasant.

“A cambion’s still-beating heart.” Also grimacing, Aubin introduced the item to them.

Inside of the box, there was a large black disformed shape of some unknown composition lying on a bundle of white silken cloth. Meaty veins ran through the organ, and yet it looked quite smooth at the same time, as if it was a porcelain vase that could shatter at a single touch.

A dull thumping sound could be heard every ten or so seconds, confirming that the heart was indeed still beating. The veins protruded outwards every time the heart beat, slowly falling back into the mass of ‘flesh’ in a disgusting manner.

Mican felt a strong sense of disgust while looking at the heart, giving him a twisted feeling, as if the heart wasn’t meant to be. It felt like staring at an abomination of nature, at something that just didn’t belong.

It was the same sort of feeling that Mican had gotten when he looked at Rose, the cambion.

As the box was opened, Melinda’s calm expression finally showed a slight crack, her lips pursing as her eyes narrowed at the heart in the box.