Chapter 93: Cooperation

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Cooperation

The little girl took the rune paper with both hands and examined it carefully. The way she looked at Seraphina Sinclair changed.

But she didn’t say anything, instead pointing to a Potion nearby. "Same price as that one. They cost me 40 Black Fog Coins, and I sell them for 50."

’Oh? So this kid makes a 10 Black Fog Coin profit for every Potion or rune paper she sells.’

Seraphina Sinclair fell silent for a moment, quickly calculating how many runes it would take to buy one attribute fruit at the merchant’s purchase price.

Twenty-five.

’Uh... that seems... acceptable?’

Seraphina Sinclair currently had thirteen Fire Drawing Runes, twenty-six Corpse Suppression Runes, and twenty-eight Blood Stopping Talismans.

She had originally thought she could only get two attribute fruits, but if they were 750 each, she would only need 19 runes to trade for one fruit!

And she had a whopping 67 of them!

This meant she could trade these runes for three whole attribute fruits! Combined with the Black Fog Coins she already had, she could max out the attribute points from them today!

Seraphina Sinclair’s smile suddenly became much more genuine.

But when the little girl noticed the change in her expression, she quickly said, "It’s 750 Black Fog Coins a piece! I can’t go any lower!"

Black Fog Coins was already very cheap.

Seraphina Sinclair was delighted. She pulled her runes out from her Silver Moon Earrings, starting with the Corpse Suppression Runes. Their effect was just too situational.

You didn’t need them for weak monsters, and they were useless against strong ones. That was why she still had so many left, even after using a bunch last time.

Next were the Blood Stopping Talismans. Seraphina Sinclair had never used one, so it was reasonable that she had the most of these remaining.

So far, Seraphina Sinclair had only been injured once, and she had used the E-level Healing Potion from her starter pack.

The talisman’s effect was definitely no match for a Healing Potion. Plus, Seraphina Sinclair still had the Medical Bag from the tutorial dungeon, so it was no great loss to sell them.

Parting with the Fire Drawing Runes, however, hurt a little.

They had a very high usage rate and were useful in many situations. Seraphina Sinclair was genuinely reluctant to give too many away.

Seraphina Sinclair shook her head and took out 56 runes. It was all of her Blood Stopping Talismans and Corpse Suppression Runes, plus two Fire Drawing Runes.

With another 760 Black Fog Coins, she could buy four attribute fruits!

Seraphina Sinclair took everything out and pushed it all in front of the little girl.

The little girl paused, her mouth falling slightly open. She asked, "Are you a Rune Master?"

’Rune Master? A fine title!’

But Seraphina Sinclair only knew how to make these three types of runes; she wasn’t sure if that made her a Rune Master.

’But since she’s asking...’

Seraphina Sinclair nodded, shamelessly confirming the girl’s assumption.

The little girl’s eyes lit up instantly!

"Can we have a long-term partnership?! I can come find you once a week, and you’ll need to provide me with a stable supply of goods!"

Seraphina Sinclair narrowed her eyes, not agreeing rashly.

"Partner with you? What’s in it for me?"

The little girl leaned forward eagerly, her face flushed with excitement. "Of course there are benefits! First, I can give you a better price! I buy runes from ordinary survivors for 40 Black Fog Coins a piece, but for a long-term partner who’s a Rune Master..."

She held up five fingers. "I can give you 45 Black Fog Coins a piece!"

’That’s not bad.’

But Seraphina Sinclair didn’t let her thoughts show. Instead, she let a hint of dissatisfaction cross her face, letting the girl know that this alone wasn’t enough to sway her.

The little girl paused, carefully observing Seraphina Sinclair’s expression. Seeing she didn’t seem satisfied, she hastily added, "And exclusive information! As a Traveling Merchant, I know many secrets of The Black Mist World, like the locations of special materials, clues to hidden quests, and even... ways to avoid certain dangerous areas."

She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "This kind of information should be quite valuable to a Rune Master, don’t you think?"

Seraphina Sinclair’s heart skipped a beat.

A better price was nice, but exclusive information was far more appealing.

Perhaps she could get clues about the unfamiliar materials she needed to craft the Water Dragon Roar from her.

"How many do I have to provide each week?" Seraphina Sinclair asked cautiously.

"At least 20, any type," the little girl answered quickly. "Of course, the more the better! Especially hot items like the Fire Drawing Rune. I’ll take as many as you can make!"

Twenty runes wasn’t difficult for Seraphina Sinclair; she could make that many in a single day.

’But...’

"What if I can’t meet the quota one week?"

The little girl blinked slyly. "Then you can just make up the difference with an equivalent value in Black Fog Coins or special materials. This is a partnership, not an indenture contract!"

’That sounds reasonable.’

Seraphina Sinclair thought for a moment, then asked, "You just said you’d come find me every week. Does that mean you can pinpoint my location?"

"As long as you’re still moving within this area," the little girl said, proudly puffing out her chest, "we Traveling Merchants have special tracking methods. But don’t worry, it’s a trade secret. We’d never leak it to anyone else!"

Seraphina Sinclair finally nodded. "Alright, I agree to the partnership."

"Awesome!" the little girl cheered, pulling a yellowed parchment contract from her cloth bag. "Then let’s sign a contract! This is the standard partnership agreement for the Traveling Merchants’ Alliance, and it’s protected by the system!"

Seraphina Sinclair carefully read the contract’s contents. After confirming the terms were consistent with what the girl had said, she pressed her fingertip onto the parchment. A faint light flashed, and the contract was formed.

[You have established a long-term partnership with Traveling Merchant 001]

[Minimum weekly provision of 20 runes (any type) required]

[You will receive a 12.5% increase in the buy-back price for runes]

[Traveling Merchant 001 will visit once per week and provide valuable information]

"Pleasure doing business with you!" The little girl happily stored the contract away, then pushed the four attribute fruits toward Seraphina Sinclair. "However, this current trade isn’t part of the new deal, okay? And we already agreed, so you can’t back out."

The partnership was an unexpected bonus, and Seraphina Sinclair had no intention of backing out. She handed over the agreed-upon 760 Black Fog Coins and 56 runes.

The little girl began to count them carefully, one by one, her expression as serious as an old bookkeeper’s.

"Corpse Suppression Runes... 26. Blood Stopping Talismans... 28. Fire Drawing Runes... 2..."

She mumbled under her breath as she counted, finally snapping her head up. "These runes are worth a total of 2,240 Black Fog Coins! Plus your 760 Black Fog Coins, that’s exactly 3,000!"

Seraphina Sinclair raised an eyebrow. "And?"

The little girl deftly fished four exquisite little wooden boxes from the depths of her cloth bag. Inside each box lay a sparkling, translucent attribute fruit.

"Here, four attribute fruits, for 3,000 Black Fog Coins total!" The little girl shoved the wooden boxes toward Seraphina Sinclair, moving so quickly it was as if she feared she’d go back on the deal. "Transaction complete!"

Seraphina Sinclair opened the wooden boxes to inspect them. After confirming the fruits matched their Description, she nodded in satisfaction and stored all four boxes in her Silver Moon Earrings.

And the little girl, just as gleefully, tucked the runes and Black Fog Coins into her magical, oversized cloth bag.