Liora stumbled slightly, turning to glare at him.
"Hey! What the hell was that for?"
The old man only chuckled and continued leading her into the living room, where he casually sat down on a couch, stretching lazily as if nothing had happened. His expression was filled with a playful glint, one that made Liora narrow her eyes.
"Now, young lady," he said with a sly smile. "You’ve seen the goods. But before you get any ideas about getting it..." He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. "What do you have to offer me?"
Liora clicked her tongue in annoyance.
She should have known. This old fox never intended to let her get close enough to examine it properly. He had let her see it just enough to make sure she understood its value, but not enough to check for any hidden flaws.
"You really are a cunning old man," Liora muttered under her breath.
The old man laughed. "I take that as a compliment."
Liora crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly. "How many crystal cores do you want for it?"
The old man raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Ah, so you’re willing to trade crystal cores?" He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "And here I thought you might offer something a little more... interesting."
Liora’s eyes sharpened. "I don’t deal in vague transactions. State your price."
The old man leaned back with a smirk. "That depends. How badly do you want it?"
Liora felt the pressure shift. He was testing her, seeing how much she was willing to give up. She knew how these kinds of negotiations worked. If she showed her desperation, the price would only skyrocket.
So instead, she shrugged casually.
"Not that badly," she said. "I was just curious."
The old man let out a deep chuckle. "Oh? Is that so?"
Liora didn’t respond, only raising an eyebrow.
The room fell into a tense silence. The old man tapped his fingers against the armrest, clearly reevaluating.
"Fifty high-grade crystal cores."
Liora let out a short laugh. "You’re joking."
The old man smirked. "Am I?"
Fifty high-grade cores? That was a ridiculous price. Even a high-level mutant beast didn’t always drop high-grade cores, and she doubted this generator was worth that much. Sure, it was rare, but not priceless.
Liora leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm. "For fifty high-grade cores, I expect at least three generators."
The old man gave an exaggerated sigh. "Ah, young people these days. Always trying to haggle."
"You’re the one who set a ridiculous price first," Liora scoffed.
The old man rubbed his chin. "Fine. Let’s cut the nonsense." He met her gaze, and this time, his expression turned serious.
"Thirty high-grade crystal cores. Final offer."
Liora didn’t respond immediately. She knew she could afford it, but she didn’t want to accept too easily.
She tilted her head. "Throw in some extra fuel, and we have a deal."
The old man laughed again. "Smart and greedy, I see. Fine. I’ll throw in some fuel, but not a full supply."
Liora extended her hand.
The old man grasped it with a firm shake.
"Pleasure doing business with you, young lady."
Fuck! But now that’s the problem—where was she going to get thirty high-grade crystals? She didn’t even own a single intermediate crystal, let alone a high-grade one.
Liora could only force a smile and make herself look as confident as possible. Who knew when this sly old man might suddenly change his mind?
She had to hurriedly sell that Aether fruit. Then suddenly, an idea struck her—should she sell it to this old man? After all, he looked filthy rich. He could definitely afford it.
She couldn’t directly go to that auction. What if they decided to steal it from her? She was alone. She could never fight so many individuals at once.
Directly taking out your treasure in front of a crowd was no better than committing suicide.
"Old man, do you also buy? I have something you will like."
The old man’s expression suddenly shifted, and light started shining in his eyes. He was right. This girl was no ordinary person. He had known it from the moment he laid his eyes on her.
Liora soon reached into her bag and pretended to take something out of it. But in reality, she was taking it from her inventory.
She gently took it out and placed the item on the table like it was the most precious thing. After all, she had to pretend to be very careful to make it look as valuable as possible.
The old man’s eyes suddenly widened with shock, and a light appeared in his eyes that was not there before. He had expected something interesting, but this... this was beyond his wildest imagination.
His fingers twitched slightly as he stared at the fruit sitting on the table. Even without touching it, he could feel the energy emanating from it.
Liora, watching his reaction, kept her expression neutral. She couldn’t afford to show even a hint of hesitation. She had no idea how valuable the Aether fruit was in this world, but judging by the old man’s stunned expression, she had guessed correctly—it was rare. And now, she was hell-bent on getting a good amount from this old man.
"Where did you get this?" the old man finally spoke, his low voice filled with suppressed excitement.
Liora smiled with confidence. "Does it matter? Do you want it or not?"
The old man finally looked away from the fruit, his sharp gaze locking onto her. "You must know what you’re holding. Something isn’t just ’sold.’ It changes hands in the dark, under careful negotiations, with people who understand its worth. If you’re not careful, just possessing this could get you killed."
Liora remained silent, letting him talk. She needed to know how much she could get for it.
The old man leaned back, exhaling deeply. "Fine, I’ll bite. What do you want for it?"
Liora crossed her arms. "Five hundred high-grade crystals."