Chapter 261: Loan Paid Off

Chapter 261: Chapter 261: Loan Paid Off

’A discount is one thing, but what does this wretched human think she’s doing, only pulling out the principal?’

’Wait, no!’

Traveling Merchant 001’s eyes shot open as she finally realized she’d missed the point. "You earned fifty thousand Black Fog Coins in just one short week?!!"

Seraphina Sinclair nodded. "Not a coin more. Besides, I’ve only had this loan for a week. Your system isn’t going to make me overpay, is it?"

"Are you trying to get out of it now?"

was fuming. She was the one who’d signed the contract, so it was only natural that Seraphina Sinclair had to negotiate the repayment terms with her.

The contract did, of course, cover early repayment. There was a discount, but paying zero interest was absolutely impossible!

It was written in black and white. This detestable human couldn’t get out of it even if she wanted to.

But 001 was still furious. She even started to wonder if this human was her personal jinx! Why else would she get so worked up every time she had to deal with her?!

Seraphina Sinclair offered a flawless smile. "I’m just asking, aren’t I?"

’We can just settle the difference.’

’Why would I pull out so much? I have no desire to show off how many Black Fog Coins I have to this Traveling Merchant.’

A vein throbbed on 001’s forehead. Her brows were knitted so tightly they formed a deep valley. "Asking? You’re obviously just trying to find a loophole!"

She was so angry she hopped on the spot. With a wave of her small hand, a virtual contract shimmering with a ghostly light appeared between them.

She pointed to a line of flashing text and all but roared:

"Look closely! The early repayment discount means waiving a portion of the processing fees for the remaining term! It doesn’t mean the interest is completely waived! And it certainly doesn’t mean a discount on the principal! You borrowed fifty thousand, and one week’s interest is five thousand! It’s in black and white, certified by the system. Don’t even think about stiffing me one cent!"

Seraphina Sinclair’s eyes scanned the contract’s terms. It was just as 001 had said.

There was no trace of embarrassment on her face at being called out. Instead, she nodded in understanding, as if she had just confirmed something.

"I see. Five thousand in interest." She leisurely counted out another five thousand Black Fog Coins and placed them with the previous fifty thousand. "There. Fifty-five thousand. Principal plus interest, all settled."

Staring at the small mountain of Black Fog Coins, 001 was overcome with mixed feelings.

On one hand, this bad loan had finally been recovered, saving her performance metrics.

On the other hand, watching this infuriating human so casually produce such a huge sum after teasing her for ages left her feeling incredibly resentful.

She snatched up all the Black Fog Coins, and after confirming the amount was correct, she huffily went to work on her interface.

Seraphina Sinclair watched as the debt on her system panel instantly reset to zero. At the same time, a system notification popped up:

[Ding! You have paid off your loan from Traveling Merchant 001 ahead of schedule. As a result of your early repayment, you have received a discount: partial processing fees waived. Amount paid: 55,000 Black Fog Coins. Your loan agreement with Traveling Merchant 001 is now terminated.]

"Hmph! Fine, you know what’s good for you!" After finishing, 001 crossed her arms, her little face still in a pout. "Don’t you ever come to me for a loan again! We Traveling Merchants have our pride!"

Seraphina Sinclair glanced at the 33,998 Black Fog Coins remaining in her account, her mood excellent. She paid no mind to 001’s harsh words, asking instead with keen interest, "But what about doing business? Selling you runes, for instance?"

The moment she heard the word "runes," 001’s eyes lit up uncontrollably, but she immediately suppressed the reaction. She turned her head, presenting Seraphina with the back of it. "...That depends on the quality of the merchandise, and whether the price is right!"

"Don’t worry. Good products naturally fetch good prices." Seraphina Sinclair chuckled softly. "It’s been a pleasure, 001. I look forward to our next transaction."

She held out her hand, expecting the merchant to shake it, but 001 just snorted. "What about the runes?! We had a deal for a weekly supply! Now that you’re in a new region, those F-level runes are probably obsolete. I’ll be blunt: if you’re willing to provide E-level runes, our business can continue. If you’re not..."

huffed again, seeming as though she really didn’t want to work with Seraphina anymore.

Seraphina propped her chin on her hand and studied 001’s youthful face, pondering for a moment before asking, "What kind of price can you offer?"

’The F-level runes went for 45 Black Fog Coins apiece. If E-level runes only fetch one or two hundred, and I have to supply twenty of them every time...’

The scales in Seraphina Sinclair’s mind slowly tipped in favor of the survivors on the regional channel.

’But such opportunities are few and far between. Besides, scarcity creates value. If she sold them too often, the runes would no longer fetch a high price.’

’Besides...’ Seraphina paused, suddenly realizing why she’d struck this long-term deal with the Traveling Merchant in the first place.

One reason was that she had wanted to buy attribute fruits, and this deal allowed her to trade her runes at a higher value.

And the second reason...

Seraphina Sinclair’s brow furrowed.

’Back then, Traveling Merchant 001 had made it sound so promising!’

’She had said that by partnering up, not only would the buyback price for the runes be higher, but Seraphina would also get a piece of exclusive intel every time they met!’

The last time she met the Traveling Merchant, Seraphina had basically robbed her and had completely forgotten about the intel. And since the merchant held a grudge, she probably wouldn’t have mentioned it even if she did remember.

This time, 001 had even brought a bodyguard. If not for the loan that absolutely had to be repaid, she probably never would have sought Seraphina out again.

’That would never do!’

’Setting aside the fact that the Traveling Merchant was breaching their contract, if 001 stopped coming, would 002 or 003 really take her place?’

’That... might not actually be a bad thing...’

Seraphina furrowed her brow in thought for so long that 001 took it as a silent refusal. Just as she was about to lead her bodyguard away, Seraphina suddenly said, "Wait."

’Regardless of what the merchant was thinking or whether she’d ever return, the exclusive intel was part of their agreement. She couldn’t just weasel out of it without a word, could she?’

"We did establish a long-term partnership, didn’t we?" Seraphina narrowed her eyes, her expression turning dangerous as she stared at 001’s back. "If I recall correctly, the agreement was that Traveling Merchant 001—that’s you—would visit once a week and provide valuable intelligence. Correct?"

With every word Seraphina spoke, Traveling Merchant 001’s back seemed to shrink a little more with guilt.

That had indeed been the agreement. Not only did Traveling Merchant 001 remember, but she had also been secretly gloating for a long time about not having honored it last time.

After all, this client of hers—Seraphina Sinclair—had started shamelessly threatening her!

’So what if she didn’t provide the intel?!’

’Even if it went against the rules, even if it violated the contract, from her own personal point of view, it was completely justified!’

’It was only natural!’

’It was the absolute truth of The Black Mist World!’

’It was Seraphina’s own fault for threatening her!’

’And at a ninety percent discount, no less!’

The best discount an ordinary Traveling Merchant could offer was seventy percent off, but she was 001, which was why she had the authority to offer ninety percent off.

’And who would have thought this person in front of her would get all the benefit!’