Chapter 98: Intelligent

After deeply thinking about revealing her crystal generation talent capabilities, Gemma hurriedly shook her head, a soft clinking sound echoing from the movement of her neck joints. ‘No. I can’t reveal that.’

The memory of the human world... the restaurant, the frantic, desperate struggle for meagre salary... reminded her of the harsh realities of power imbalances.

‘He possesses very few orange magic crystals. They are extremely precious to him. If I reveal that I can create a mountain of crystals that are rare and priceless for him, the dynamic will shift instantly. He might get frightened. He might consider me a threat, or worse, he might try to block my path by revealing my abilities to others.’

‘I can’t trust anyone,’ she concluded, the realization cooling her excitement into a focused, guarded resolve. ‘Not yet, I need to keep the secret of my crystal generation hidden.’

Taking a deep, stabilizing breath... a physiological habit she maintained despite her new form... she began to draft her response. Her fingers moved rapidly through the interface, her mind framing the offer with a blend of honesty and tactical negotiation.

“I am willing to exchange as many magic crystals as you can provide,” she typed, her thoughts echoing the text. “To be honest, I don’t fully understand the market value of these magic crystals yet. However, I can tell you that the flame, wind, and lightning crystals are far more potent than the light crystals I provided before. They don’t just carry energy; they store wind, lightning, and flame powers, and all of them possess extreme lethality.”

She paused, then calculated the exchange with a mix of optimism and anxiety.

“How about this for a ratio? I will provide an equal amount of wind crystals according to the ratio of light crystals I exchanged before for one thousand Tier 2 crystals. I will trade an equal amount of flame crystals for one hundred Tier 3 crystals, and an equal amount of lightning crystals for ten Tier 3 crystals. If you are fine with exchanging just one Tier 4 magic crystal then I will double the amount.”

She hovered over the 'Send' button, her expression becoming hesitant.

‘Is this ratio fine?’ she wondered, her internal light dimming slightly as doubt crept in. ‘I hope it’s higher than his expectation, not lower. If I ask for too much, he might refuse. If I ask for too little, I’m reducing the sheer value these elemental crystals possess. Please, let this be the right balance.’

With a final, sharp movement of her hand, she hit send, and then sat back, her crystalline body motionless, waiting for the notification that would determine the next step in her evolution.

…

Back to the Universe 8888888888,

Keon, sitting inside the ship, glanced at the flickering panel in front of him… the response from universe 339 materialized immediately in front of him.

[Universe 339]

“I am willing to exchange as many magic crystals as you can provide. To be honest, I don’t fully understand the market value of these crystals yet… If you are fine with exchanging just one Tier 4 magic crystal then I will double the amount.”

As he read the whole message, Keon's expression became thoughtful, his neural nexus cooling as it simulated the variables. ‘This exchange ratio is really optimal... I can come up with this many magic crystals easily. But are these crystals really worth it?’

His internal logic matrix immediately processed the request for the Tier 4 crystal. A flicker of dismissal crossed his optics. ‘As for the orange crystal, it is really out of the option. I can't give anyone Tier 4 resources yet. It is likely the current power threshold for the majority of top-tier candidates. To distribute it would be to surrender a strategic advantage without sufficient intelligence.’

After thinking about it, he shifted his focus to Gemma’s simple explanation of the wind, flame, and lightning crystals. These are indeed elemental crystals, able to store different types of energies... His processors whirred, recalling his past experiment failures.

‘I have tried to store lightning energy in a luminous crystal, but it failed. I couldn't find the reason... Probably the crystal lattice couldn't handle the different properties of energy. Now, I will understand the molecular reason after researching these crystals.’

He thought of something, his pupil flickering with a cold, focused light as he composed his reply.

“Your explanation is not up to the standard. Can you provide samples of these crystals? Just small pieces are enough; I want to test their effect in my world. If they are not useful, then it will be a waste of resources. Also, I need a hundred times the amount of the light crystals that you provided before. I will pay in Tier 1 crystals.”

After sending the message, Keon silently glanced at the panel, his attention shifting to the immense logistical requirements of his future interstellar expedition… Although he can synthesis quartz crystals into luminous crystals, resources like quartz crystals are precious, used in various other technologies, including other crystals like photon crystals. It’s more cost effective to exchange quartz crystals with Trosso and gain magic crystals in return, rather than synthesizing them into luminous crystals. At the same time, exchanging a Tier 1 crystal for a ton of luminous crystal is more beneficial, resource and time saving.

‘If there are quartz crystal reserves in surrounding planets like UHS2 and others, the first thing I will do is to test their magic absorption properties. If they do not possess the similar properties as the one found in UHS1, then the quartz resources on UHS1 are more unique and precious.’ Keon thought to himself and then he glanced at the system panel silently, waiting for the response.

…

On the other side, inside the Crystal Continent,

[Universe 88888888888]

“Your explanation is not up to the standard. Can you provide samples of these crystals?… I need a hundred times the amount of the light crystals that you provided before. I will pay in Tier 1 crystals.”

Gemma froze as she read the request for samples from Keon. A profound hesitation took root in her beast core. ‘Should I provide the samples? If he has a similar copy-and-generation talent like me, then it will be a loss. He’ll become a competitor.’

As she thought, her gaze fell on the latter part of the message. Her pupils brightened as she processed the second request of Keon... he was still asking for light crystals, and in quantities a hundred times greater than before.

‘I am thinking too much,’ She reasoned, her mind flashed with countless thoughts. ‘If he still requires light crystals, then how can he possess a talent like mine? If he could generate them, he wouldn't need to purchase them from me. I am truly a unique species with such special talent.’

Pride surged through her heart... a warm, intoxicating feeling. She immediately typed her reply. “Sure, I am sending you samples now. Please accept them.”

Gemma raised her hand, and three kinds of elemental energies surged through her body. With a sharp, crystalline hum, three distinct shards emerged from her palm: a cyan crystal carrying the compressed power of the wind, a jagged red crystal pulsing with flame, and a jagged, crackling purple crystal holding the lethality of lightning.

She consigned these crystals to the system, requesting a single Tier 2 crystal in exchange, and clicked the sent button.

Keon, on the other side, received the system alert that Universe 339 had initiated the exchange. Upon seeing the request of a single Tier 2 magic crystal for just three samples, he nodded thoughtfully with an appreciative light flickering in his pupil. ‘It definitely looks like an intelligent species… unlike someone it knows how to avoid loss. Anyway, sending a single Tier 2 crystal is also not a loss for me.’

He connected his consciousness with the Neural Nexus. Within one of the warehouses of UHS1, the floor rippled like disturbed mercury. An exoshell emerged from the ground, and Keon, controlling it remotely, walked toward the storage container ahead. He opened the Tier 2 container, glanced at the glowing green bundles of Tier 2 magic crystals, picked one up, and consigned it directly to the system.

[Exchange Complete]

At the same moment system confirmation rang, three different kinds of crystals appeared in his hand, their energies vibrating against his synthetic palms.

…