Transaction

Not long afterward.

Karl returned to the stall.

"Six portions of soul powder in all, worth twelve Black Stones. You can have them for ten, Uncle." Aya rubbed her hands together, her little face flushed red.

Ten Black Stones was the biggest single sale she'd made since setting up her stall.

After subtracting what she'd spent buying soul powder from others, she'd make nearly three Black Stones.

"Six portions?" Karl furrowed his brow and crouched to inspect the powder, his tone tinged with displeasure.

"That's all?"

Out of respect for the late stall owner, Uncle Kolong, he'd given her plenty of time to gather soul powder, yet she'd come up with only six portions—far short of what he'd hoped for.

"Uncle..." Aya paled, then gritted her teeth. "It's my fault for not being capable enough. But if you give me some more time, I can definitely collect more soul powder."

"I swear on my life!"

Karl looked up.

She hadn't made excuses for coming up short. She'd simply admitted that she wasn't capable enough.

That was somewhat unexpected.

Most people would probably have said they'd done their best, or that nobody else had any soul powder to sell.

"One day."

Karl stood and spoke slowly.

"Give you one day. How much soul powder can you collect?"

"One day?" Aya lowered her head and thought for a moment. "Twenty portions!"

"At least twenty. If you're willing to lend me some capital, Uncle, I can collect thirty."

"All right." Karl nodded. "Twenty portions, then. I'll come back at this time tomorrow. I hope you can collect as much as you say."

As he spoke, he took out the ten Black Stones he'd exchanged and handed them over.

As for lending her capital...

He had no intention of doing that. His willingness to keep doing business with her was already the greatest goodwill he could offer.

"Thank you, Uncle."

Taking the Black Stones with an excited look, Aya thumped her bony chest.

"By tomorrow, I'll definitely have the full amount!"

Karl didn't reply. No matter how confidently she spoke now, what mattered was whether she had the goods when the time came.

He also needed to stock up on supplies.

Twenty portions of soul powder would cost forty Black Stones. If he paid in bread and cured meat, he'd need at least a handcart's worth.

There was no way he could do it all in one trip.

After returning to Signo City, he hired a carriage to go to the market and bought a cartload of bread and cured meat wholesale before heading back.

At the same time, he used the Divine Domain Fragment to send the supplies over in batches and stash them in Black City.

"Hm?"

Karl's face stiffened.

After traveling between the worlds several times, he returned to Signo City and discovered, to his dismay, that he could no longer enter the Divine Domain Fragment.

He panicked.

The Divine Domain Fragment—the other world—had been his greatest trump card since he started traveling between worlds. And now he couldn't use it?

Fortunately, after a short while, he sensed something deep in his Sea of Consciousness.

It wasn't unusable.

Making several trips in quick succession had taken its toll on the Divine Domain Fragment, too. It needed time to rest.

He wouldn't be able to use it for at least a day.

"As long as it still works. As long as it still works."

Karl let out a sigh of relief.

"I never imagined it had this limitation. Good thing I wasn't trying to escape in an emergency. That would've been disastrous."

If he couldn't use it for a day, he'd just have to wait. But that meant he'd definitely miss the time he'd arranged to meet Aya.

The next day.

Karl appeared at Laka Market.

"Uncle!"

The instant she saw him, Aya jumped to her feet, her face alight with joy.

"You're here."

She didn't ask why he'd missed their meeting the day before, and there was no hint of resentment on her face. She was as warm as ever.

"Sorry."

Karl dipped his head slightly.

"Something came up yesterday, and I couldn't make it."

"It's all right." Aya waved a hand, hearty and unconcerned. "I trust you, Uncle. You wouldn't have broken your word unless you had no choice."

"Perfect timing, Uncle. I went around to a few more places yesterday and bought thirty-two portions of soul powder altogether."

"Thirty-two portions?" Karl's gaze shifted. He paused on the arms Aya revealed as she waved them about.

Her slender arms were covered in scars.

"Aya."

"Yes?"

"Would you rather have Black Stones, or food?" Karl spoke slowly. "I have some bread, cured meat, and a little milk stored in the city. I can sell them to you cheaply."

"But you'll have to come with me."

"Bread, cured meat, and milk?" Aya swallowed instinctively, uncertainty in her eyes.

Compared with Black Stones, those goods were better value at the market.

And if Karl really was offering them cheaply, she could make another profit by reselling them.

"Uncle." Aya's eyes flickered. "Please wait a moment."

She bundled up the goods on her stall, slung the bundle onto her back, then turned and hurried away.

Somewhere in the ruins.

"We want Black Stones!"

A huge figure spoke in a childish voice.

"Big sister, Black Stones are right there. If we trade at the market, he won't dare pull anything. Who knows what might happen if we go out with him?"

"Xiao Nan has a point." A hoarse voice followed. "Better to make our money safely. There's never a shortage of robbery and murder in Black City."

"But..." Aya hesitated. "The Month of Severe Winter is almost here. If we don't have enough supplies, we'll have a hard time getting through it. And I've been at the market so long that I still haven't earned enough to cover the stall fees. This is an opportunity."

"Do you know him?" In the darkness, a staggering old man emerged and asked, "Do you know what kind of person he is?"

"How can he get his hands on so much food? And why do you trust him? Have you thought about what could happen?"

The old man pressed her again and again, closing in with each question.

"I don't know what he's like." Aya shook her head and answered seriously. "But Uncle Kolong once said that this man can always get good things nobody else can. His identity is very mysterious. Someone like that shouldn't be short of money, and there's nothing I own worth his trouble."

"What if..." The old man tapped his cane. "What if?"

"I want to take the chance." Aya's gaze was resolute. "If he really has a lot of food, I can build a connection with him. That could bring plenty of benefits later."

"And if he tricks you..."

"Then I'll have lost the bet. I'll accept the consequences!"

"You..." The old man was furious. "I shouldn't have let you buy Kolong's stall in the first place. With your skills, you could've made a steady living mining."

"Living?" Aya's face grew bitter. "That's all it is. Just living."

"Mining day and night every day—is that any different from being an animal? I don't want to spend my whole life like one."

"Big sister." The burly "boy" stepped forward. "I'll go with you."

*

*

*

Karl didn't have to wait long. Aya soon returned, now accompanied by a burly man wrapped up from head to toe.

"Uncle."

Aya smiled.

"There's so much food that I might not be able to carry it all by myself, so I brought a companion."

"Mm."

Karl nodded slowly.

It was only natural for her to be cautious. Besides, he didn't sense any threat from the burly man.

"Let's go!"

He turned and motioned for them to follow.

The "snowflakes" still drifted through the city, and black snow had piled higher on the ground. Sparse, scattered footprints marked the road.

Not long after.

"It's inside."

Karl glanced toward the wooden house ahead.

Aya was about to step forward when the burly man beside her held out an arm to stop her. He then cautiously approached the wooden house.

Creak...

The door opened.

Mountains of bread, strips of meat, and barrels of fresh milk came into view. The burly man froze in place.

Aya's body tensed. Her face remained expressionless, but her fingernails had dug into the flesh of her palms until they bled. She didn't even notice the pain.

It was real!

He really did have a way to get his hands on a great deal of food!

Karl's expression didn't change. Whether to make trading easier or to plan for the future, he needed an agent here. Aya, who had little backing of her own, was just the right fit.