Chapter 257: A Nasty Move

Chapter 257: Chapter 257: A Nasty Move

Seraphina Sinclair read the resentful reply, her expression completely unfazed.

Her fingertips tapped lightly as she replied in a placid tone:

[Blacktiger Ford]: That deal was then. This is now. I’m offering one Purifying Flame Rune in exchange for the location where you acquired this item, as well as priority trading rights for any similar illustrated information you find in the future. This is my final offer. ℯ

After sending the message, Seraphina Sinclair ignored any potential emotional outbursts or attempts at haggling from the other party, turning her attention to her other private messages.

’She knew very well that in this environment, information was sometimes more valuable than physical items.’

’Rather than waste time getting entangled with someone in an unstable state of mind, it was better to state a clear price. Take it or leave it.’

’The runes in her possession were hard currency; she wasn’t worried about finding someone to work with.’

Sure enough, after Seraphina Sinclair completed a few more trades—exchanging Purifying Flame Runes for Black Fog Crystals and other rare materials—the other person messaged her again. Not only had his tone softened considerably, but his attitude could even be described as submissive:

"Boss, I was being impulsive just now. I’m really sorry. Of course I’m willing to trade! Let’s keep things friendly, keep things friendly, haha! We’re all friends here!"

The person didn’t even wait for Seraphina Sinclair to send the rune over. A follow-up message came right after, detailing how he had obtained the item. His attitude was crystal clear:

"You must know about Unknown Seeds, right? Even someone like me could figure out how to plant them, so a boss like you definitely knows. I planted a whole bunch of seeds before I finally got this one to sprout. The plant that grew is called Illustration Grass, and after it fruits, you can harvest this thing."

This message explained the source perfectly, and Seraphina Sinclair even began to understand why the other person thought his item was so valuable.

’It came from a randomly grown Unknown Seed, and you had to wait for it to bear fruit just to harvest one illustration...’

Seraphina Sinclair suddenly felt that the price she had offered was indeed a bit low.

’But he had already agreed, and hadn’t he vented his frustration already?’

Seraphina Sinclair gave a slight cough and decided not to dwell on it.

She promptly traded over a rune, and the deal was officially concluded.

By now, the runes she had created were nearly depleted. And although her private messages were still full of unread inquiries, most of the offers no longer piqued her interest.

Seraphina Sinclair decisively stopped all trades and posted a brief announcement in the area channel:

[Blacktiger Ford]: All rune trading has concluded for now. I will provide another announcement if and when I have more.

The moment the message appeared, the channel was filled with wails of despair. Comments begging to buy and expressing regret flooded the screen, but Seraphina Sinclair was no longer paying attention.

She had acquired quite a few things from these trades, and she hadn’t had a chance to examine them closely yet.

’First up, of course, was that Skill Book!’

’Seraphina Sinclair considered her own attribute points to be quite good. If that guy couldn’t use it, maybe she could?’

Filled with hope, she opened it, only for Seraphina Sinclair to deeply understand the meaning of "the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."

[Skill Book—Basic Concealment (D-level)]

[Description: A Skill Book that records a systematic Concealing Breathing Technique and concealing posture. Learning it will grant mastery of the Skill! To learn the art, you must first strengthen the body!]

[Learning Requirements: Strength ≥ 29, Constitution ≥ 29, Speed ≥ 29!]

Seraphina Sinclair gave a wry smile. Not only was the Skill Book’s description similar to the Basic Knife Skill, but even the learning requirements were exactly the same.

With a hint of resignation, she placed this Skill Book on top of the Basic Knife Skill book.

’Oh well.’

’I’ll just learn them both at the same time.’

The next thing to deal with was, naturally, the crucible.

Seraphina Sinclair took it out for a look, but since she wasn’t a Pharmacist, she couldn’t even see the item’s Description.

After a moment of thought, she decisively contacted Pretty Guardian.

[Blacktiger Ford]: I’ve got something interesting here.

Seraphina Sinclair’s phrasing was clever. Just that one sentence, followed by the crucible’s information.

’If Pretty Guardian needed it, she could naturally raise the price. If she didn’t, Seraphina could still offload it for cheap.’

’A perfect no-lose situation.’

Not long after she sent the message, a reply came from Pretty Guardian, her tone carrying obvious surprise:

[Pretty Guardian]: A damaged alchemy crucible? E+ Level?! Where did you get this? Even though it’s damaged, with a grade like this, it’ll be incredibly valuable once it’s repaired!

The corner of Seraphina Sinclair’s mouth curled up. ’Looks like she’s interested.’

’Not only was she interested, but it seemed she also needed it repaired. And Seraphina just so happened to have an E-level repair toolkit.’

Seraphina Sinclair’s fingertips tapped lightly as she replied:

[Blacktiger Ford]: That’ll be extra. You’re interested, right? I happen to have the tools to fix it. Do you want it repaired or as-is?

’Repaired or as-is?’

Pretty Guardian checked her own inventory. A repair toolkit was a rare item, and she didn’t have one anymore.

Thinking of this, she opened the trade channel to check the price of one.

After seeing what was required for the trade, she gritted her teeth and closed the channel window.

[Pretty Guardian]: Repaired, of course. You name the price. But Boss, you know I’m not as loaded as you are. If you ask for too much, I definitely won’t be able to afford it. Besides, we both know each other’s profession now, so that’s practically a life-and-death bond, right? Shouldn’t you give me a friendship discount, Boss?

’Listening to her talk, you’d think the two of them were best friends.’

’She didn’t even have to scroll up far in their chat log to see Pretty Guardian’s firm rejection from their last conversation.’

Seraphina Sinclair laid out the harsh truths first:

[Blacktiger Ford]: Let’s be clear. After it’s repaired, regardless of whether it becomes a D-level item or not, the price will definitely be higher than it is now. You’d best be mentally prepared for that.

[Pretty Guardian]: ...Fine. Just give me a number, Boss. I’ll see if I can scrape it together.

Seraphina Sinclair looked at the reply, which was tinged with grievance yet feigned composure, and tapped her fingers lightly on her knee.

’She couldn’t care less about Pretty Guardian’s feelings. Besides, she could tell from their last conversation...’

’...that this person wasn’t as harmless as she was pretending to be now.’

’Seraphina Sinclair did need a stable source of Potions, and Pretty Guardian was currently the most suitable candidate.’

’Squeezing her too hard and ruining the relationship wasn’t worth it; the loss would outweigh the gain.’

’But letting someone take advantage of her so easily wasn’t Seraphina Sinclair’s style either.’

After a moment of deliberation, she presented her plan:

[Blacktiger Ford]: I don’t need anything from you right now, and I don’t need any Black Fog Coins. I just need you to sign a trade contract with me.

Pretty Guardian’s heart sank. ’This is bad,’ she thought. She had dealt with this woman before. ’When she talks like this, she’s definitely planning something nasty.’

The next second, a message from Blacktiger Ford arrived.

’Of course.’