"They're not all the same—you just have to pay attention to the differences," Ace explained, handing her another talisman. "The one you used earlier is called a cleansing talisman. It cleans surfaces of most things."
Delores brought the new talisman closer to her face, inspecting it curiously. "What does this one do?" she asked, trying to spot any differences between it and the first one.
"Try it," Ace encouraged putting on his most sincere expression.
Without a hint of suspicion, Delores channeled her curse energy into the talisman—only for it to explode in her hand, covering her face and fingers in a thick layer of black soot.
Ace doubled over in laughter looking at her soot-covered face informing her, "It's a smoke bomb talisman! Hahaha!"
Before she could react, he launched himself off her board, not giving her chance shove him off it. However, seeing Delores float her board toward him with sharp glare full of silent threat, Ace with a sheepish grin, he handed her a talisman in compromise, "Here, take this cleansing talisman and let's call it even."
Delores snorted, snatching the talisman from his hand. But this time, she wasn't about to fall for another prank. Holding the talisman at arm's length, she activated it cautiously.
To Ace's fortune, it was exactly what he claimed—a cleansing talisman and not another smoke bomb. Otherwise, he might have been making a detour to the emergency ward instead of the auction at the local C.I.B. headquarters.
As she finished cleansing herself, Delores studied Ace, debating what to do with him, when a voice suddenly cut in.
"You two sure you're a mentor and mentee out on a hunt? Because it sure looks more like a couple on a date."
It was Cyclops. For reasons only he knew, he had decided to make himself known again.
Delores ignored him, choosing instead to scoop Ace into her embrace, her stance subtly shifting—ready to flee at the first hint of aggression from Festus's side.
Meanwhile, Ace—shameless as ever—took full advantage of the situation, burying his face in Delores' bosom while wrapping his arms snugly around her waist. She frowned but still didn't push him away.
Seeing this, Cyclops awkwardly cleared his throat, offering, "Ahem. Young man, I overheard that you're in need of a Sky-tier innate curse tool. I happen to have a few on me. I'd be willing to trade them for a handful of those consumable curse tools—and a brief inspection of that rifle-shaped curse tool of yours."
At the mention of a deal, Ace immediately lifted his face from Delores' bosom, turned, and walked to the edge of her board, preparing to negotiate.
But before he could speak, he felt Delores' palm press firmly onto his shoulder as she leaned down, whispering into his ear, "Don't be greedy. If you like his offer, just take what he offers."
"I know what I'm doing," Ace replied, his voice steady. Pulling out a cleansing talisman, he handed it to Cyclops, adding confidently, "My consumable curse tools are one of a kind. You won't find anything like them in either the mortal or curse world. It's a unique knowledge I derived from my innate curse tool."
Cyclops took the talisman, scrutinizing it carefully. After a moment, he nodded in agreement, his sharp gaze lifting to meet Ace's uttering, "Name your price."
Ace didn't hesitate before his eyes grew firm and he proposed with an unwavering tone, "I want curse crafting arts and techniques—a complete set. Enough to help me grow into a capable Void-tier curse crafter. In exchange, I'll provide you with a generous supply of these consumable curse tools and allow you to briefly study my rifle-shaped curse tool."
He knew there was no avoiding someone as powerful as Cyclops. Instead of dodging him and risking offending him, Ace decided to be upfront and cooperative from the start. That way, they both stood to gain.
His encounter with Mrs. Martins had taught him a hard truth—no matter how much one tried to keep a secret, it would come out sooner or later. Instead of fixating on hiding his abilities, he should focus on growing so strong that he wouldn't need to hide anything.
And right now, he needed curse crafting arts and techniques. Since he couldn't trust the ones sold on the open market or on the curse web, he might as well obtain them from one of the most brilliant curse crafters the World of Curses had ever seen—Festus Norges, aka Cyclops.
Meanwhile, Delores slapped her forehead in frustration thinking, 'Why did he always have to do the opposite of what I tell him?' She warned him not to be greedy, and yet here he was, pushing for more. It was like he enjoyed ignoring her advice.
She sighed, trying not to dwell on it, but her mind raced with how to handle the situation now. Social interactions weren't her strong suit—Janice's short-lived acting career and non-existent list of sponsorships were proof enough of that. The only solution she could think of was to escape as fast as possible, though she knew that was the last thing they should do in situations .
While Delores struggled with her thoughts, Festus fell silent, seemingly deep in thought as he considered Ace's proposal. Noticing this, Ace quickly added, "Mr. Festus, I'm not asking you to share your entire legacy with me. I'd be happy with any curse crafting arts and techniques, as long as they help me improve step by step into a capable Void-tier curse crafter. I don't think I'm asking for much, considering that the knowledge behind my curse tools is completely unique and new."
"No, you aren't," Cyclops admitted with a nod yet he rejected Ace, "But I still can't agree to it—it wouldn't be fair."
His response puzzled both Ace and Delores. Before Ace could even ask why, Cyclops continued, "Let's add a condition to the deal—neither of us is allowed to teach what we learn from each other to anyone else without the other's permission. This will balance the scale."
His proposal took both Ace and Delores by surprise. Ace hadn't expected someone with the title of Cyclops to be so... principled. And as for Delores, she was even more shocked to realize just how valuable the knowledge behind Ace's curse tools truly was.