Free Trade City of Aquarius, Exrump Corporation Headquarters
1st Year of God, Wednesday, 4th Week, 2nd Month Of Noah.
Elom Tusk was a broker for the Exrump Corporation, one of the leading and foremost commercial establishment powerhouses in Aquarius.
As a sharp man in his early thirties, Elom had supervised and personally handled countless deals that went down in Exrump's businesses. As a result, he had a good feel for sales, contracts, and the subtle art of extracting maximum value for his employers.
That was precisely why he was surprised when he stepped into the reception area to meet the seller he was informed of.
'Who are these people…?'
From what he could see, they were not very impressive. Those two who were supposed to be guards had poor stances which seemed to be unfitting for a guard. If an enemy struck surprisingly, none of them would be able to protect their employer properly.
But even their employer, who is seated between them, was no better.
'He's dressed pretty cheaply. His sitting posture is also very crude…'
As Elom Tusk approached them, he kept up his cautious gaze while his instincts were on high alert.
'From what I can see, they're not special at all. But…' He narrowed his eyes as he took his seat. '… Sometimes, what is on the surface could be deceiving.'
Elom was curious.
'Are they frauds, or are they the real deal? Let's find out.'
"Greetings, customers. Or should I call you sellers? My name is Elom Tusk," he said with a broad smile, "And before you ask, yes, a half-Orc working for one of the largest merchant groups in the city, I can acknowledge that it is very unusual to see."
As a professional, he had to be polite to the ones he addressed, even when addressing such unremarkable guests.
"Call us whatever you like, Mr. Tusk. And we don't care if you have the blood of those walking mushroom barbarians."
Upon hearing that, Elom shook a little on his seat.
'This guy…' He tried his best not to stare hard at the man who sat opposite him, but it was difficult not to do so.
Not only had he refused to be placed under a stereotype such as a mere 'customer' or 'seller', but he had also refused Elom's attempt at friendliness.
'He's choosing to remain formal. He also disregards my suggestions while maintaining his ideals…'
These weren't the signs of a fraud.
'At least he isn't outright racist against half-breeds or demihumans. But I can't be certain, not yet,' Elom thought, smiling internally.
The biggest and most important telling as to the validity of a person's true nature was their worth. A person could fake their demeanors and personality, but they could never fake the value they possessed.
"So, dear seller… what do you have to offer?" Elom asked, getting straight to the point, as business in Aquarius should be..
'Let's see. This is wholesale, so there should be at least a thousand pieces of Monster Core. Judging by the quality of his Spatial Ring he wore, I shouldn't expect anything more than two hundred.'
Spatial Rings were used by the rich to carry money or property. As one would expect, they were separated into many categories.
The one the seller had in hand was among the cheaper variants, with a carry limit being very small, merely 10 cubic meters. Despite its limitations, it was still considerably expensive, considering how highly valued Spatial Magic was.
'If they only brought this much, then it's not that big of a deal.'
At least, not in terms of quantity.
'That means the real test lies in the quality.'
Anything in the realm of Grade 6 or higher was preferred, but Elom couldn't imagine these cheapskates had access to such quality Monster Core. Not only were Grade 7, Grade 6, and lower very rare, but those who had access to them only did so in Retail, and even then, only in small quantities.
The maximum was bulk retail.
"Well, you seem worthy of my time. I suppose I'll show you…" the seller said, seemingly not intimidated at all.
'Hmph! Big words! I won't be convinced until I see the goods.'
Based on his expert analysis obtained from his many years of experience in this business, he could already tell that these people couldn't be worth his time. He was only humoring them by staying.
WHUSH!
In a flash, several sacs began materializing out of thin air and dropped on the table.
'Eh…?' Elom had been staring at the masked seller's ring all this time, but never once did it glow. That meant he wasn't bringing these sacs from the ring.
'If not from there… then where?!'
However, before he could puzzle it out, the numerous sacs that were still being brought forth began to spill on the floor in their dozens.
So many sacs… more than he could have expected, filled his line of sight.
'Could he be…?'
Elom knew that a Spatial Ring had to be exposed and aimed at its targeted location before releasing its contents. The fact that nothing like that was happening here could only point at one thing.
'He can use Spatial Magic?!'
If that was the case, then judging him based on the value of his ring was the most unwise thing he could have done.
"All done. Good job, Poli-... I mean what time is it, my servant?" Riley asked Polities, who is the one who drops the items with his Spatial Magic, while seemingly feeling cringe when he said it.
At this point, more sacs had stopped coming. Their appearances had dazed Elom so much that he didn't notice their conversation nor when the whole thing was over.
"A-ahh… I see."
From what he could count alone, there were over 40 full sacs in front of him. The kind that could contain at least 300 Monster Cores, of course, accounting for size and value.
'Let's not get ahead of ourselves here…'
Elom remained cautious. He was still not sure of the Grade of Monster Core he was being presented with.
'Could be a Grade 9… or maybe 8?'
Elon had heard that this seller specifically claimed the Grade was considerably high, so maybe it was a Grade 7.
'That's the most generous I can be in my analysis!'
Grade 6 Monster Core and upwards were exceptionally rare, especially in Aquarius. In the other places where Monster Cores of such Grades could be found, many kingdoms had already set their sights there.
Given the ongoing conflict with the Orcs and the volatile state of the Third Civilization Zone, resources like these were being funneled into national defense and military operations. Hardly any were left circulating in the open market.
As such, it was easy to see why Elom had been so quick to dismiss the possibility of these being higher-grade Cores.
"What are you waiting for? Open the sacks." The seller's voice calmly snapped Elon out of his dazed state.
He could feel something itching the back of his throat.
"Open. The. Sacks."
Tension thickened the air as he heard the repeated words reverberate in the air. The seller's confidence was so unnerving that it sent a shiver down Elon's spine.
A thought crossed his mind.
'What if… just what if…?'
No. That couldn't be possible.
Fueled by his desire to reject the impossible, Elom finally mustered the courage to untie one of the sacks.
"A-hhh! No way!" He had no idea when his thoughts escaped his lips.
He swiftly proceeded to open more sacks, then another, each time with the same reaction.
Right now, the gleaming Monster Cores were reflecting on Elom's clearly dumbfounded eyes, and he only had one thought.
'G-Grade 6?! H-how…?! How could this be possible? I must be dreaming!'
He frantically opened more sacks, and every time, he was greeted with the same result.
His eyes had been trained from a very young age to detect the quality and quantity of items just from a glance. As a result, he could accurately guess the Grade of Monster Cores without even using an appraising tool.
'They're authentic too!'
Elom could spot fake products a mile away, but this… this was genuine! He could even feel the Mana that pulsated within each Core.
'How does he have so many? This is just too—!'
"There's more where that came from." As soon as the words of the man echoed in Elon's ears, his eyes bulged.
'WHAT?!'
"Here are fifty sacks of Grade 6 Monster Cores. You can confirm their authenticity for yourselves. Each sack contains a little over 300 pieces…"
The more the seller spoke, the more unreal it all sounded.
"That's over 16,000 pieces you have there. Feel free to count."