Chapter 260: The Shrewd Little Traveling Merchant

Chapter 260: Chapter 260: The Shrewd Little Traveling Merchant

"This talisman... I... I can buy it for a thousand Black Fog Coins! But rarity dictates value. If you have a lot of talismans like this... they won’t sell for this price, you know."

Traveling Merchant 001 offered this as a sincere reminder, but in truth, she was hoping for as many of these talismans as possible.

That way, she could justifiably push down the price and earn even more Black Fog Coins on the resale—and who wouldn’t be happy about that?

She reached out with her little hand, as if the moment she grasped the talisman, it would be hers.

What made Traveling Merchant 001 even happier was that Seraphina Sinclair showed no sign of taking the talisman back, looking as if she really intended to sell it.

D-level Talismans weren’t exactly rare, but even if she couldn’t find a human buyer, the distinction of it being ’the first D-level Talisman created by a human’ would be enough to attract some systems with... eclectic tastes!

A profit was guaranteed. Traveling Merchant 001 could almost see the Black Fog Coins waving at her.

But just a second before her little hand could touch the talisman, Seraphina Sinclair snatched it back with a Speed the merchant couldn’t possibly comprehend!

"What do you think you’re doing?!"

was genuinely getting angry now.

She hated this kind of customer more than anything. If you want to sell, sell. If you don’t, don’t. What was the point of dangling it in front of her only to snatch it away?

001’s heart ached. Even though she’d never actually had those Black Fog Coins, it felt as if she had owned them and then lost them. This inexplicable anguish was all because of the human standing before her!

"Are you going to pay me back or not?! If you don’t, I’ll request sanctions against you from the system!"

Humiliation turned to fury. 001 was completely flustered, her little face flushed crimson as she glared wide-eyed at Seraphina Sinclair.

But Seraphina Sinclair just dangled the talisman from her fingers as if teasing a puppy. She laughed. "Of course I’ll pay you back. And yes, I drew this talisman myself. It’s the one and only."

’She was driving up the price of her own merchandise.’

Normally, the shrewd little Traveling Merchant would have caught on by now. But blinded by rage, all she could think was that this wretched human was deliberately provoking her!

"Are you selling it or not?!"

Her tone was furious.

Seraphina Sinclair pretended not to hear, replying in a tone so infuriating it could make one’s blood boil, "I brought it out, so of course I intend to sell it to you."

Hearing that confirmation, the merchant froze for a moment. Then, her anger giving way slightly to reason, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

She crossed her arms, tilting her little chin up high as she tried to regain the upper hand. "Hmph. That’s more like it. Name your price. And let me be clear: if there’s only one, the price can be higher, but it can’t be anything outrageous!"

Seraphina Sinclair held the faintly glowing talisman between her fingers, waving it unhurriedly in front of 001 without any sign of handing it over.

"As for the price... that’s negotiable. If I recall correctly, the amount of Black Fog Coins I’m supposed to repay this week is ten thousand. Do you think a single talisman like this..."

Before Seraphina Sinclair could finish, she was cut off by the merchant’s incredulous shriek, "You want to use this talisman to cover this week’s payment?!"

"Impossible! That’s absolutely impossible!"

The merchant shook her little head back and forth like a toy drum, her expression as if she were listening to some outlandish fairy tale. "Even if this talisman is that rare, there’s no way I’m buying it from you for ten thousand Black Fog Coins!"

After shouting this, the gears in 001’s little head started turning at high speed.

She really did want to get her hands on this special talisman, but the human before her was proving to be far more difficult than she’d imagined.

She feigned composure, trying to intimidate her opponent. "I’m being perfectly fair! One thousand Black Fog Coins for the talisman. That’s what was said!"

"I never agreed to that. Besides, that was your offer when I suggested I might have more."

Seraphina Sinclair corrected her, slowly and deliberately. "And now, I am telling you explicitly, this is one-of-a-kind. It is the only D-level Talisman produced by a human in existence! Do you still think it’s only worth a thousand?"

Seraphina Sinclair paused. Seeing the subtle shift in 001’s expression, she knew she was on the right track.

’For systems bored enough to place bets in The Coliseum, the title "one of a kind" truly held a special kind of value.’

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t realize the key detail was "produced by a human," but the point she’d seized upon wasn’t far off. She continued to raise the stakes:

"You’re Traveling Merchant 001, the one with the most trade connections in the entire Black Mist World. You must understand the value of this item far better than I do. As it is, I find your offer far too low. Perhaps I could sell it to 002... or 003. What do you say?"

Those last three words were a fatal blow to 001.

’If she got the talisman, it would just be a matter of earning a little more or a little less. But to just hand over this opportunity to another Traveling Merchant...’

"Five thousand Black Fog Coins. That’s the highest I’ll go."

squeezed her eyes shut. ’If I were selling this to a human, I’d definitely be taking a loss.’

’But if I take it to The Golden Auction House and publicize its pedigree, this talisman’s starting bid would be ten thousand Black Fog Coins, easy!’

’And if I get lucky and a few big shots rolling in Black Fog Coins are there, selling this talisman for hundreds of thousands wouldn’t be a problem at all!’

A surefire profit like this was a deal 001 was, of course, willing to make.

Which is why her offer came out far too smoothly—so smoothly that Seraphina Sinclair instantly realized there was still room to negotiate.

She replied without missing a beat, "Seven thousand five hundred Black Fog Coins."

"Seven thousand five hundred! Why don’t you just rob me?!" 001 shrieked, her cheeks puffing out in anger. "Six thousand! Six thousand is the most I can do! And that’s only because it’s rare!"

Seraphina Sinclair smiled faintly, twirling the talisman between her fingers. "Seven thousand. It is the only one, after all."

That single sentence hit 001 right where she was weakest.

She bit her lip, completely torn.

Finally, she practically ground out the words through her teeth. "Sixty-five hundred! That’s my bottom line! Not one coin more!"

’Excellent,’ Seraphina thought. ’I’ve managed to anger a system into acting human. She’s even starting to sound like a common haggler.’

Deeply amused, Seraphina Sinclair decided to quit while she was ahead and handed over the talisman.

"Sixty-five hundred Black Fog Coins. Here are the goods. Where’s the money?"

grudgingly handed over a bag of Black Fog Coins. Seraphina Sinclair watched as they transformed into a stream of light that flowed into her account, the number changing to 88,998.

Seraphina Sinclair glanced at the number, extremely satisfied. She waited for 001 to carefully put the talisman away as if it were a precious treasure, then, mimicking the merchant’s earlier demeanor, she produced 50,000 Black Fog Coins with a grin.

This was something she’d recently figured out. She used to think only the system could manifest Black Fog Coins into physical form, but after checking the regional channel, she learned that survivors could do it too.

With the prop in place, it was time for her line. "There’s a discount for paying off the loan all at once, right?"

The Traveling Merchant only needed a single glance to see just how many Black Fog Coins the woman was holding.