Only once outside did Rick notice Dale's horribly bruised body. With the limp and swollen face, he really presented a sorry state.
"Hi, I am Rick. I am so glad you are alive", Rick started with a broad smile.
But Dale was definitely not in the same mood.
"Leave the niceties for later. I saw you go into the Library as well. How did you come out of that hell-hole without a scratch on you", Dale snapped. He could not understand how the scrawny kid could survive the ordeal without harming even a hair on his head.
Not expecting the aggressive line of questioning, Rick was suddenly at a loss of words. He could not just come out and say that he was the Master of the Library dungeon! Even if Dale thought it to be not believable, there was a probability that he would not get the beast core after his ‘hilarious’ joke.
Rick wrecked his brain trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. After a sudden moment of inspiration, he replied.
"It was scary in there and everything was happening so fast right from the start. Thankfully I had this in my hand. After I activated it, it was as if suddenly I had disappeared and no one could sense me", Rick started. Reaching into the breast pocket of his overcoat he pulled out the Aura Concealment Artifact.
"What is that thing?" Dale asked eying the bamboo piece on Rick's hand.
"It's an artifact," he answered, "it can conceal your aura completely if you remain stationary while holding it!"
Dale could hardly believe that such an amazing artifact even existed. He too had an artifact on him, but it was nothing as extraordinary as the artifact what the kid had described. But if this was true, it would definitely explain how he could come out unscathed.
"Can I check it?" Dale spoke, reaching out his palm.
"I have only one of these," Rick replied, refusing Dale's request outright and pocketing the Aura Concealment artifact back. If he had to hand it over, his story would immediately fall apart into pieces.
"But I do have a few other talismans that maybe I could interest you in", Rick added.
"Talismans?" Dale asked confused. He knew what artifacts were but had no idea about these talismans!
“They are kind of like artifacts, I could sell it to you for the beast core", Rick replied. He took out a [Noise Scroll] and held it up for Dale to see.
"What is this? It looks like any an ordinary piece of paper with doodles on it", Dale spoke, getting impatient at Rick’s antics by the every passing moment.
"I know it looks ordinary, but look at this", Rick insisted.
He touched the rune at the middle of and poured his Mana into it and in a soft voice whispered into the talisman, "What's your name?"
Thinking Rick was referring to him he snapped saying, "What? I didn't hear what you-", but stopped midsentence after Rick tore the talisman into two.
"WHAT'S YOUR NAME?” a scream resounded from the torn paper.
A lot of people around them stared back at the duo with reproach. But Dale who witnessed the astounding miracle right before his eyes was dumbfounded.
"So, will you be willing to take this in exchange for the beast core?", Rick asked, satisfied with his performance after noticing Dale's bewildered expression.
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Dale composed himself before thinking it through and answering Rick with a question of his own, "What's the use of something that just amplifies my voice? It's not of any use at all!"
"I am sure you can put it to some use. Besides, I don't see people queuing up to buy your beast core either," Rick retorted, deicing not to tell Dale about him using the [Noise Scrolls] to take down the Red Fox.
Dale fell silent for a moment before making a decision. He knew that what the kid said was right. After walking around the market with his bruised face, he had figured out that there was no one who willing to buy beast cores. On the other hand, someone or the other would definitely buy the talisman no matter how useless, if for nothing else then out of curiosity.
But the fact that the kid wanted the otherwise useless beast core made Dale more suspicious that maybe he was giving away something precious without knowing its actual value!
But Dale felt this itch in his body that was urging him to sell the beast cores to the lad in front of him. Unknown to both of them, this was Rick’s Negotiator Skill acting up!
"Well, how many beast cores do you want?", Dale replied, finally giving in to the urge.
'He has to have more than one!' Rick’s heart skipped a beat in excitement but kept a straight face on the outside. He had to make a calculated offer here. Too high the sale might not happen, too low and he might not get what he could actually get.
"I am willing to exchange one of the talismans for three beast cores", Rick made his offer with a straight face, praying with all his might.
After a tense few moments, Dale finally answered, "Okay that sounds fair".
"Here, you can take these three", Dale continued, reaching into his jacket and fishing out three beast cores from his pocket before handing them out to Rick.
"I am Dale," he said, as Rick reached out to take the beast cores.
With a quick nod, Rick grabbed the cores and handed over the [Noise Talisman] swiftly, afraid Dale would change his mind if he took too long.
With the deal done, Rick let out a relaxed smile.
"Oh and take this as well. It’s a talisman we can communicate with…" Rick explained to him how the [Word Transmission Scroll]., “See I have the same message here on my talisman...”
Dale inspected the talisman and turning around bid goodbye, "Stay safe kid".
Rick watched Dale walk back in before himself leaving. It was really a profitable encounter for both of them. While Rick was counting his lucky stars having got the beast cores he was searching for, Dale did not feel he had lost out either, having sold off the best cores which were worthless to him.
'Maybe I should set up an auction for the [Noise Scroll]', Dale mused.
---
Inside the Pharmacy Dale inspected the two talismans he now had with him with wonder. Although he did not know how he would use the [Noise Scrolls] yet, but the [Word Transmission Scroll] was an amazing discovery at a time where communication had become so difficult. He had a few found admiration for Rick that he was definitely not ordinary having incorporated the new world’s powers into making things like this.
‘If I can groom him well, he can definitely become an upright youngster’, Dale wondered, finding in Rick his younger self, ‘together with others, I will crush the cursed Library!’
He swiftly made his way out of the settlement and reached his cycle parked away. Rick did not wait around. It would already be dark in an hour or two and he wanted to reach back home before sunset and start working on the golem project.
He put Pip in the front basket and started cycling away.
He took a turn and got onto the empty main road. He had to rush back if there was any scope for him to reach back home on time. But just then, two men wearing white everything walked onto the road and extending their palms signalling Rick to stop.
“Nope,” Rick mumbled refusing to stop. He did not want to give in to the whims of people stopping him in the middle of the road. He knew there was nothing good that could come out of it.
But just as he started to speed up after making up his mind to not stop, his front tire started to wobble and he was flung off the cycle and crashed into the red fire-hydrant next to the road, his cycle sliding past him.
Rick scrambled onto his feet and rushed to check on Pip who was still snoring away in the cycle basket when the crash happened. This was too much of a coincidence for him to not associate his accident with the arrival of the two men less than a hundred feet away.
Pip had also been flung off a few feet off the cycle after the impact. Rick immediately reached her. She had no wounds visible on her, but neither did she show any movement, she lay on the grounds without any movement. Only once he picked her up and felt her heartbeat, did he calm down. Pip was just a heavy sleeper!
He put her in his overcoat pocket and immediately checked the cycles, there was an icicle sticking out from the wheel.
This was definitely not an accident. Furious, he looked at the two men who were still standing in the same place. Noticing Rick looking, one of them finally spoke, “Why did you not stop?”
“Just be a good boy leave the bird and run away,” the second continued, in a slow matter-of-fact tone.