Isolde didn't feel like bickering with him any longer. She needed these supplies, and since she was flush with cash now, she didn't mind splurging a bit.
She raised her hand in a gesture. Lia understood immediately, quickly leading the faceless servants to arrange the materials Ur had specified neatly on the table.
Ur inspected the goods quickly. With a tap of his finger, all the materials were swallowed into the hidden pockets of his cloak.
Afterward, he pulled out a heavy roll of map and set it on the table.
“A map of the Celantia continent. A free gift.”
Isolde raised an eyebrow. “You actually give out free gifts?”
“Of course,” Ur said with a smile. “Premium clients are worth cultivating for the long run.”
Isolde didn't believe a single word, but her hand was honest enough to sweep the map into her possession.
Only now was the transaction truly finalized.
Isolde looked down at the items on the table, quickly prioritizing her next steps in her mind.
First, use the Mana-Conducting Thread to upgrade her Soul Threads.
Next, replace Lia's core.
As for the Malice Substitute Markers... she would stay up tonight to craft three of them.
She would keep the last one on her person as a backup.
She never believed in anything being "foolproof"; she only believed in having multiple contingency plans.
Isolde reached out and closed the black box.
Just as the transaction was drawing to a close, she suddenly remembered something and looked up at Ur.
“By the way, how much is information on me worth to you?”
Ur paused.
A cold wind swept through the garden, causing ripples to form in the black tea.
Ur seemed to be weighing his options, remaining silent for a long moment.
Isolde didn't rush him. Instead, she said slowly, “You're a merchant, so information is naturally a commodity to you. Sooner or later, someone will offer a high price to buy details on my background.”
Ur tilted his head. “And so...?”
“So, I want to buy it out.”
The smile on Ur's mask curved slightly upward.
“And what is the scope of this buyout?”
“Every piece of information regarding me,” Isolde said, enunciating each word. “My name, my identity, the castle, the Mooncrown Lock... everything you currently know, and everything you will know in the future. Any information that I have not explicitly permitted to be shared is to be bought out.”
She leaned back slightly and added, “Name your price.”
Ur didn't answer immediately. His gaze, hidden behind the mask, swept over Isolde inch by inch.
For a brief moment, a feverish intensity flickered in his eyes, as if he were staring at an incredibly rare collectible.
After a long silence, he slowly held up a single finger.
Isolde's gaze darkened slightly, and she asked warily, “Another price concerning the ‘future’?”
Ur shook his head and said unhurriedly,
“One gold coin.”
Isolde suspected she had misheard him.
“How much?”
“One gold coin,” Ur replied cheerfully. “My noble lady, I am very curious to see what will happen to you in the future. Consider this a highly promising investment.”
Isolde stared at him, only one thought running through her mind:
A profiteer is even more terrifying when they aren't trying to rip you off.
Still, she had to admit that this price was incredibly favorable to her.
Thus, she drafted the contract herself, and Ur was perfectly cooperative.
【Information Sealing Contract】
【Contracting Party: Isolde】
【Contract Holder: Ur】
【The Contract Holder shall not disclose any information related to the Contracting Party to any third party in any form, including but not limited to sale, gift, exchange, implication, misleading, riddles, product correlation, or map markings.】
【Information related to the Contracting Party includes, but is not limited to: name, identity, appearance, faction, castle location, transaction history, skills, items, routes, disguises, companions, contracted entities, as well as any items and mediums confirmed and recognized by both parties at this moment.】
【Should the Contract Holder acquire new information regarding the Contracting Party due to force majeure, such information shall automatically be included within the scope of this sealing contract.】
【Buyout Price: One gold coin】
Isolde read it through carefully three times.
Once she was absolutely sure there were no loopholes, she produced a single gold coin and placed it on the table.
She signed her name, and Ur signed his.
【Contract in Effect】
In the next instant, the innermost pocket of Ur's chest suddenly glowed.
He froze as a silver button floated out of his pocket, drifted wobbling across the table, and landed with a soft click right back into Isolde's palm.
【Secret-Peeking Button】
Isolde looked down at it, the corners of her lips slowly curving upward.
Ur looked down at his empty pocket. For the first time, the smile painted on his white mask gave off a distinct illusion of utter bewilderment.
Isolde slowly raised her head, twirling the button around her fingertip.
“It seems your God of Contracts is quite fair.”
Ur slowly looked up at her. Isolde considerately slid the contract back in front of him, tapped a specific line, and gave him a sweet, gentle smile.
“Right here: ‘any items and mediums confirmed and recognized by both parties at this moment.’”
“The Secret-Peeking Button is an item I've used, and its existence is something we both recognize right now. According to the contract, since the information is bought out, the medium holding that information naturally must return to me as well.”
Ur remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh.
“What a pity.”
Isolde was in an excellent mood. “Pity about what?”
“A pity that one day, even I would be outmaneuvered by a contract.”
He paused, staring at her as he let out another low chuckle. “But this also excites me. I'm starting to think this one-gold-coin transaction was incredibly worth it.”
Isolde slipped the Secret-Peeking Button into her sleeve. Seeing him staring so intently at her, she couldn't help but feel a sudden chill.
This feels incredibly creepy. It's like being watched by some stalker.
The heavy toll of the castle's bell rang out once, breaking the oppressive silence.
Isolde took the opportunity to stand up, politely showing him the door. “That's all for today's afternoon tea. You may leave now, Mr. Ur.”
Ur stood up as well, elegantly removing his top hat and bowing.
“Thank you very much for your hospitality, Miss Isolde. My stay over the past few days has been most pleasant.”
With that, he stepped forward and extended his white-gloved right hand. “I look forward to our next transaction.”
Isolde stared at it for a moment, then reached out to give it a perfunctory shake out of basic politeness.
But before her hand could meet his, Ur suddenly seized the initiative. He gently caught her hand, raised it, and planted a cold, completely heatless kiss on the back of her hand through his mask.
Isolde instinctively snatched her hand back.
Almost simultaneously, Lia, who had been standing silently by, suddenly stepped between them. A table knife flashed in a brilliant arc of light, driving straight toward Ur's throat.
“Lia!” Isolde barked.
The sharp tip of the blade ground to a halt a mere five centimeters from Ur's throat, the violent surge of soul power whipping up a corner of his cloak.
Ur didn't seem frightened in the slightest. Instead, he straightened up cheerfully, slowly adjusted his top hat, and pulled the brim down low.
“Until we meet again, Miss Isolde.”
Before his voice even faded, his body collapsed without warning like viscous black tar, melting directly into the shadows on the ground.
A second later, the ground of the entire castle trembled slightly.
From beyond the courtyard, the ethereal ring of bells and the deep rumble of moving objects echoed.
Isolde quickly walked over to the castle gates.
The bizarre grocery shop that had been parked outside the gates was already gone, disappearing into the distant grey mist alongside the fading sound of ringing bells.
Rate on N.U.
