Chapter 651: Transactional.

‎The inn was quiet, in fact, it had been quiet because nobody dared to even cough while Anastasha Asghar was breathing in the same space as them. Every time she shifted in her chair, they would tense up, but at the same time, their curiosity weighted more than their own lives.

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‎"Transactional..." Anastasha muttered as she stared into Rasmus’ eyes after what he said. "I almost forgot that what we have is nothing but transactional," she added.

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‎"The moment something has a value, it becomes transactional. Even friendship and relationship are transactional," Rasmus responded as he wrote something in his notebook.

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‎"In my case, your words are correct. However, I doubt that’s the case all the time. There are people who love others without asking something in return," Anastasha pointed out with her brows raised.

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‎"That in itself is already transactional. They offer themselves in exchange for the presence of the person they love. Even if the person they love doesn’t give anything back to them or even their presence to them, deep down they know the cost of such devolution. And cost in itself is a transaction," Rasmus pointed out. "What we have is transactional, and so others toward the ones they believe they love and care so much. So it’s not really that different when you just ignore the fact that it’s transactional, just like those who are unaware that it’s transactional," he added as he kept writing in his notebook.

‎ ℯℯ𝘭.

‎Anastasha arched her brows and listened to Rasmus’ words. She noticed it was a rare moment where his thoughts were poured out and unfiltered because his mind was somewhere else.

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‎"Value doesn’t necessarily create a transaction, but the recognition of value introduces transactional logic. As social beings it sounds selfish, but we are also individuals and we care about ourselves as well," Rasmus muttered and his eyes scanned his writing to see if there were any errors. "Everyone chose others based on value before they decided to put themselves into the relationship and thought if it was worth the cost."

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‎Anastasha smiled at the fact Rasmus kept talking and was unaware that he had been pouring all his unfiltered thoughts. In itself, she realized that perhaps she was already a part of the group where Rasmus could speak his mind so easily.

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‎"Do you see us merely transactional, or do you ignore that fact because as you said earlier... it doesn’t matter?" Anastasha asked.

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‎"I wasn’t the one who questioned what we were, was I?" Rasmus glanced at her with his brows raised.

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‎"You really love to avoid questions by giving indirect answers, don’t you?" Anastasha narrowed her eyes.

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‎"If my direct answer is being evaluated and questioned afterward in their heads, it’s better for them to interpret it however they want from the very beginning. In the end, they might get the same conclusion or something similar because they believe what they choose to believe," Rasmus glanced at the entrance to the inn and watched a tall woman walk in.

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‎Rullein, who was still acting as the Soundless Beauty and busy enjoying her food, she suddenly stopped chewing her dumplings when she saw the tall woman. There was one habit that she couldn’t remove, and it was the way she stared at someone like a predator staring at her prey. She looked at the tall woman with a lean body, long black hair, and fair smooth skin that made her look nothing like a martial artist. The woman had two blades on each side and two more blades on her back.

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‎The woman sat at the table in front of Rullein, and she was aware that she was being stared at. However, she wasn’t bothered by it and waited for the servant to approach her so she could order something to eat.

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‎"(You see that woman?)" Rullein telepathically asked Rasmus as her eyes kept staring at the woman.

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‎"(Yes)" Rasmus answered as he kept talking with Anastasha and writing in his notebook.

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‎"(That’s not a woman)" Rullein revealed.

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‎Rasmus paused his writing and slowly lifted his head to look at the woman once again. The way he stared at the woman was different compared to Rullein’s, his gaze was like a scalpel that cut the layers that people stacked to hide what was hidden underneath. He looked at the woman’s ‎shoulders and they weren’t as broad as a regular man, then he looked at the woman’s neck, but there were no hard bumps. It was hard to tell if the woman was actually a man, and somehow Rullein could see through it immediately.

"(What makes you think so?)" Rasmus asked.

"(The scent)" Rullein answered. "(He’s a man for sure.)" She added.

Rasmus didn’t question Rullein’s ability since she was a spirit who could see and smell things that no humans could see. However, he was curious about it and asked Anastasha about it as well. Since Anastasha was sitting across from him, she couldn’t see the woman who sat behind her. The moment she looked over her shoulder and stared at the woman, the woman looked away because she knew who Anastasha was.

"That’s not a woman?" Anastasha looked at Rasmus with her brows furrowed, shocked as he was.

"Rullein said so," Rasmus answered.

"If that’s the case..." Anastasha paused and glanced over her shoulder one more time to look at the woman. "There are groups in the Khan Empire who do this kind of things for entertainment," she pointed out.

"Entertainment?" Rasmus asked.

"Yes, they called them the Troupe of Masks," Anastasha nodded. "There are levels to this type of performer, and the one that sits on top of the craft is the Moonlight Dancing Troupe. They have a unique martial art where the women dance while this so-called The Flower performs a martial art dance using blades while blindfolded. The Flower cuts through the dancers’ dresses until the dancers have nothing to cover their bodies but a few cloths to cover their waists and breasts. The blademanship is extraordinary because every cut is close enough to cut the dancer’s skin and flesh," she explained.

"And this so-called The Flower, they’re always men, usually an orphan from a baby, and they somehow know how to prevent them from growing into a man’s physique. Turning a man into a delicate flower, more beautiful and more graceful than any women could be," Anastasha revealed and took another glance at the woman.

"A martial art made to perform," Rasmus hummed as he continued writing in his notebook.

"But she shouldn’t be here, she’s far from home," Anastasha pointed out.

"Far from home?" Rasmus asked.

"Yes, the Moonlight Dancing Troupe is in the Unrighteous Clans territory, they’re a part of them," Anastasha answered. "I suppose it has something to do with the tournament, since it was revealed that the Heavenly Alliance also allowed the Unrighteous clans to join. So, she’s here for the tournament."

Rasmus hummed and glanced at the woman, once again, and something struck him about her. Based on what Anastasha said about the martial art and what it did, he couldn’t help but wonder.

"If a martial art specifically made for perfomance, what would happen if it used to kill?" Rasmus asked.

"Extremely dangerous with such precision and dedication," Anastasha answered.

"I think so too," Rasmus nodded in agreement.