Chapter 103: Trading

[STATUS]

Name: [Julian Clair]

Rank: [D] — [53.8%]

Talent: [Unbroken Mask] — [SSS-Grade]

Skills:

• [Unshaken Facade]

• [One Slash] — [D] — [33.7%]

• [Flash Step] — [D] — [44.7%]

• [Unbidden Prophecy] — [C] — [6.1%]

• [Fate’s Blind Spot] — [E] — [40.8%]

• [Frost Edge] — [B] — [9.1%]

• [Hunter’s Hearing] — [D] — [9.0%]

• [Sky Mirror] — [E] — [0.0%]

• [Afterimage] — [E] — [0.0%]

• [Fearless]

• [Winterfall] — [B] — [16.0%]

Unique Authority:

MASTER

Disciple Slots: [2/5]

Halfway to Rank-C.

Julian felt like he could still push for more. But invaded territory wasn’t called that without good reason.

The territory itself was fairly vast, and it turned out each region had its own dominant Alien species, constantly moving to expand their own territory.

It seemed to be driven by an instinct they’d developed over their long history of living under the rule of eat or be eaten.

Ultimately, aside from a few Breaches sitting dormant or occupied by an entirely different species, Julian found it genuinely difficult to locate more Nym.

Of course, he could always consider hunting a different Alien instead. But the area surrounding the Nym’s territory was populated exclusively by Varg and Kark.

Everything else lay further out, beyond the safe route Ilunia’s acquaintance had mapped out for them.

Feeling a slight pang of regret, Julian held himself back and chose to be patient instead. And, finally, here he was again.

Within Rank-C invaded territory, the exact spot where Julian had once stood alongside Aveela before.

Julian’s gaze drifted briefly toward the distance.

He spotted the remnants of destruction left by Aveela’s A-Grade skill. Even now, Julian could still faintly sense traces of her Mana lingering in the air, dancing, subtly shifting the surrounding atmosphere.

Not extreme, but undeniably present.

Without wasting any time, Julian resumed walking. Ilunia stayed quiet beside him as they made their way into a building, arriving at a wide field blanketed in thick white fog.

An expansive field where the very air itself seemed to shift, something clearly felt wrong, the atmosphere heavy and cold.

Then, right at the center of it all, stood a massive Breach, flickering with a strange, pulsing energy.

"Master?" Ilunia murmured beside him.

Julian blinked. "Ah, right. We’ve arrived."

Yes, they’d made it.

And all Julian needed to do now was approach the Breach, and according to Aveela’s guidance, Aclyris would emerge on their own the moment they sensed someone’s presence.

Julian had no idea exactly how the creature managed to detect someone’s presence, but it sounded genuinely unsettling regardless.

’An Alien capable of moving in and out of a Breach at will, possessing genuine intelligence, and one that apparently doesn’t limit their operations to just this planet, given they call themselves a universal merchant.’

That title sounded fairly grand. Though Julian had no way of knowing whether it was simply the creature’s own claim, pure bravado, or genuinely accurate.

Well, none of that mattered much anyway.

Kririring—! Kring—! Kring—!

Julian lifted his head slightly as he caught that familiar bell-like sound.

A hand crawled out, gripping the edge of the Breach. Then, a leg followed, and finally, Aclyris’s entire body emerged, still looking exactly as Julian remembered from their first encounter.

Aclyris looked no different at all, the creature still wearing that necklace strung with white paper strips bearing unique symbols. Their entire body remained draped in dark cloth from head to toe, a bone crown fixed atop their head, followed by a transparent, dark blue veil covering their entire face, scattered with flickering stars.

That indifferent gaze met Julian’s, then shifted toward Ilunia. Aclyris’s whole body went still for a moment, something Julian couldn’t quite interpret.

But right after, Aclyris quickly bowed their head, extending both arms wide in welcome.

Their voice, still that same odd blend of male and female tones that never fully merged as before.

"Welcome, esteemed customer!"

Then, they stood facing him normally, maintaining a safe distance, and continued.

"I am Aclyris, I’m curious, how may I assist you both today, and... it’s good to see you again, Lord Julian."

***

Julian’s objective was weaponry.

He could probably obtain something through the human Hunter Association, but there was no harm in searching here as well, something originating from an entirely different civilization.

Who knew, right?

Julian might actually find something genuinely excellent.

Especially since Aveela had endorsed this decision too. Because Aclyris was a merchant far beyond ordinary capability.

Given that, Julian didn’t hold back on what he was willing to trade. He didn’t think Aclyris needed something like an expensive Serum or the like.

Instead, the value of every item traded depended entirely on Aclyris’s own assessment. So, something genuinely valuable, one with a high trade value, wasn’t necessarily an item difficult to produce, nor was it necessarily difficult for humanity specifically to produce, since another civilization might churn it out with ease.

So, what exactly qualified as valuable enough, impossible to reproduce, and rare enough to carry substantial trade value?

Something genuinely valuable that Julian currently possessed...

’Definitely not my black coat.’

Rather, it was the B-Grade skill Julian had recently created. He felt a small pang of regret having to hand this skill over into someone else’s possession.

He wanted to keep it for himself, for his disciples, sharing it only with a select few close to him. But circumstances dictated otherwise.

If he wanted something genuinely good in return, he needed to offer something of equal value.

Without a shred of hesitation, Julian pulled out the book he’d tucked into the small bag he’d brought specifically to carry it.

Julian blinked for a moment.

’Oh right... I rewrote this skill book again, but I forgot to buy one with a nicer cover this time.’

Julian’s lips twitched.

Well, the cover wasn’t really the issue here, what mattered was the content inside, right?

That’s why people say don’t judge a book by its cover. What’s inside the book Julian was carrying is far more important, after all!

He pulled the book out, revealing a cover depicting a herd of cows grazing peacefully in a field.

Julian paused for a moment, then looked up at Aclyris.

"I need a weapon."