After Kaito and Selvera walked off together, Grelan clenched his fists, a sour expression twisting across his face.
"Tch… What's so great about him, anyway?" he muttered bitterly. "Just a flashy spender who got lucky. Watch—I'll be richer than him before long."
But his words rang hollow.
Leoric and the others exchanged glances, the disdain in their eyes impossible to hide. Even they weren't convinced.
Kaito had just been personally approached by Selvera—an elder of the prestigious Duskwatch Guild—for a private negotiation. That alone placed him on a completely different level. Combine that with his immense wealth and noble title, and it was obvious he was destined to become a prominent figure within the Black Market.
As for Grelan… even he understood the truth. His rant was nothing more than a shallow attempt to ease the sting of humiliation.
....
They soon arrived at The Moonlit Glaive, a luxurious establishment nestled deep within the Black Market's central district. It was one of the few elite-tier restaurants in the entire realm—renowned for both its food and its exclusivity.
Even the guards stationed at the entrance were no pushovers. Clad in ornate armor and armed to the teeth, these Level 200 Tier 2 NPCs radiated killing intent with every breath. Their presence alone was enough to discourage troublemakers.
Inside, the restaurant exuded quiet opulence. Delicate ambient music played beneath soft crystal lighting, while curated dishes arrived on shimmering mana-forged plates.
Though the food was purely virtual, the experience was anything but fake. Each bite seemed to trigger a rush of sensory euphoria, making one forget they were in a game at all.
Of course, only the truly wealthy dared to dine here.
After all, even a single cup of herbal tea cost more than a dozen silver coins.
Inside a reserved private chamber on the third floor of The Moonlit Glaive, the ambient glow from enchanted crystal lanterns cast a soft shimmer across the obsidian tabletop. Selvera had ordered a few of the most exclusive teas on the menu, her manner as casual as if they were drinking tap water. The scent of rare jasmine leaves filled the room, subtle yet soothing.
She sat opposite Kaito, one leg crossed over the other, eyes calmly trained on him.
"You can relax," she said with a small smile, her fingers gently swirling her cup. "There's no need to act so guarded. I'm only here to talk."
Kaito leaned back slightly, setting his own cup down.
"I suppose it's only fair I start, then," he said evenly. "I'm not an independent player, despite appearances. I'll be founding a guild soon, once I reach the city proper."
Selvera raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? And what name should I remember, then?"
"Genesis." His tone was steady.
She gave a slight nod, acknowledging "So, what does Genesis bring to the table that might interest Duskwatch?"
Kaito set his cup down, his expression calm.
Kaito "I can supply you with a limited number of Bronze-tier forging designs, including a design for something called the Echo Core Emberplate. I can also offer Silver-grade equipment—such as the Silverfang the one-handed sword."
Selvera blinked. "Echo Core Emberplate?"
Her expression subtly shifted. Duskwatch's intel division had already flagged the Emberplate as a rising star in Solaris, with each forged unit fetching up to six or seven silver coins per piece in player auctions. It was a ridiculously high price for Bronze-tier armor. As for it's blueprint, Even though it had never appeared in player markets, Duskwatch's intel unit had already done projections, it's value could reach as high as 3-4 gold coins.
These were precisely the kind of resources a guild desperately needed during its early development. Securing them in bulk was no small advantage.
And here Kaito was, casually offering it.
Selvera straightened slightly, her smile brightening. "I see… and would Genesis be open to a long-term supply arrangement?"
Kaito gave a slight nod. "We're open to that—under proper terms. However, in addition to that, I require a steady supply of ores and forging materials," Kaito said without hesitation. "You're well aware how resource-intensive forging can be. With Duskwatch's network, acquiring large volumes shouldn't be an issue, right?"
Selvera nodded in understanding.
"In addition," he continued, "I'll need a Black Market Entry Token. If I can't visit this place frequently, it will hinder any long-term trade between us."
If Selvera was truly willing to purchase his items in bulk, that would certainly be ideal—especially when it came to the Echo Core Emberplate forging design. In Kaito's eyes, selling that was practically daylight robbery, considering its efficiency-to-price ratio. On top of that, working with Duskwatch also meant he could leverage their influence to acquire resources he needed but couldn't easily obtain on his own.
"You can rest assured, Master Raen," Selvera said warmly. "If it's ores you need, we can supply as much as you require—and at prices well below the market average. As for the Black Market entry token… even if you hadn't asked, we would've prepared one for you regardless."
"Good," Kaito replied simply.
Her smile widened, carrying a faint sparkle of satisfaction.
Duskwatch's headquarters were located in the heart of the Tharolas Empire—a territory renowned throughout Glory for its mineral wealth. The mountains surrounding Tharolas brimmed with rich ore veins, making the region a central hub for forging materials of all tiers. There, rare stones and metals flowed through the markets like water, and acquiring them in bulk posed no challenge to a guild of Duskwatch's caliber.
Better yet, such abundance kept prices astonishingly low.
To a guild like Duskwatch, fulfilling Kaito's request was not a burden—it was an opportunity.
Kaito understood this perfectly.
Unlike Tharolas, the Solaris Kingdom—where Genesis was based—was largely composed of flatlands and grassland plateaus. Ore deposits were few and far between, and even basic materials fetched outrageous prices in the open market.
In this trade, both sides had something the other lacked.
Selvera could flood her vaults with custom-forged gear at a discount, while Kaito would finally secure a reliable stream of forging materials without needing to scavenge or overspend.
It was a win-win—exactly what he needed to fuel Genesis's rise.
Moreover, even if Kaito ended up with more ores than he could personally use, it wouldn't be a loss. In the Solaris Kingdom, every major guild was scrambling to develop their own blacksmith divisions. The demand for forging materials was sky-high, and Kaito could easily resell the surplus at a profit. He wouldn't even need to look for buyers—they would come to him.
It was almost hard to believe that a single trip to the Black Market had secured him everything he needed—and uncovered yet another path to wealth.
Then, Selvera hesitated for a moment before asking, "There's one more thing. Would you be willing to provide us with a steady supply of gold coins as well? Naturally, we'll pay above market price for every coin."
"I'm afraid I can't promise anything regarding the sale of gold coins," Kaito replied, shaking his head with a helpless smile. In truth, Kaito had no intention of selling gold coins.
"Fair enough," she replied. "Then we'll focus our trade on equipment and forging designs."
"Let's trade the forging designs first," Kaito continued after a moment of thought. "As for the equipment and other materials, let's finalize those in two days."
Even as he spoke, his mind was half elsewhere—wondering about the status of the Velthorn group. He needed to return to the Ren Villa and get a full report.
Just then, Selvera cleared her throat lightly.
"Master Raen," she began, her voice uncharacteristically cautious, "as you likely know, Glory's servers only launched recently. Most guilds are… financially tight at the moment. Would it be possible to settle part of the trade in credits instead of pure gold coins?"
Her tone was polite but clearly concerned. "If that's acceptable, I'll purchase every Echo Core Emberplate design you're willing to sell."
Kaito let out a slow, deliberate sigh, his expression troubled—a performance he played with subtle grace.
Selvera's heart skipped a beat. She knew full well why he looked so hesitant. Just days ago, Glory's officials had permanently suspended the credit-to-gold exchange system—shortly after Kaito's massive gold acquisition. Now, no matter how wealthy a guild was in real-world money, they were stranded in-game without liquid funds.
Every major guild was in the same bind. They were desperate for gold coins, but unable to legally convert credits. Worse still, Glory's system only supported one-way conversion now: gold to credits, never the reverse.
If she had to use only gold for the trade, she'd be lucky to afford four or five pieces. And doing so would severely drain her guild's development funds.
But from the look in Kaito's eyes… he didn't seem short on credits at all.
If he refused to accept a hybrid payment, there wasn't much she could do.