Trade

Nokxian Grove, in the gap within the In-Between.

With a sweep of her sleeve, the Winter Queen stirred up ten thousand autumn leaves, and her cold yet magnificent figure emerged amid the frigid wind.

She was neither at the Heart of the Forest nor in the hall where she received audiences. This place was gloomy and strange, its damp rocks draped in moss.

Two voodoo-decorated candlesticks suddenly flared to life. Faint ghostly blue light shone from the skulls' eye sockets, nearly extinguished by the breeze.

This was the resting place of the death god Moonberry had been searching for day and night. The troll had hidden it cleverly and carefully, concealing this frivolous underworld palace in the gap between the In-Between and Ardenweald.

Perhaps he could deceive Lady Moonberry, but there was no way he could hide from the Winter Queen's eyes.

The king of vampires had once said something quite well: I am Revendreth.

As one of the Eternal Ones, the Winter Queen's fate was tightly bound to Ardenweald's. The death god's little tricks were nothing more than a ridiculous clown show beneath the Queen's gaze—an utterly terrible one, the kind unfit for any stage.

"Oh my, oh my! Your Majesty the Queen, you have finally come to visit lonely old Bwonsamdi. What an honor! This old troll is so grateful I can scarcely contain myself."

A flippant voice suddenly rang out. A troll death god with a bizarre afro and a skull mask abruptly appeared before the Queen.

He was bare-chested, dressed in ragged shorts, and carried some inexplicable bone ritual implement on his back. His entire body floated in the air, swaying constantly, making him look exactly like a slippery little hoodlum.

He really looked like he deserved a beating.

"But you think too highly of old Bwonsamdi. If you need me next time, just have your little brother quietly send word. After all, we've been neighbors for tens of thousands of years. You know what I mean, hehehehe..."

"However, seeing as this is our first formal meeting after being neighbors for so long, and since you have personally come to visit, does this mean that matter..."

Bwonsamdi rubbed his hands and chuckled. It was clear that he attached great importance to this meeting, so much so that he had become overly excited and somewhat carried away, forgetting one very important principle of his favorite kind of transaction.

Rule one: never name an exorbitant price.

"Begone!"

The Winter Queen frowned slightly and summoned a beam of starlight directly at Bwonsamdi. She looked quite angry. Bwonsamdi hastily dodged as the beam, carrying a terrifying falling star, smashed the spot where he had been floating to pieces and overturned several feet of earth in the process.

Bwonsamdi's stylish establishment was instantly left in ruins. That would surely make the old troll ache for quite some time.

"All right, all right... cold-hearted Queen..." Bwonsamdi waved both hands repeatedly to show that he knew he was at fault.

No one dared provoke a noble Eternal One, not even a Loa god.

He helplessly rubbed his hands. "But anyway, what does someone as esteemed as you need old Bwonsamdi for?"

The Winter Queen extended her palm, and a glint of gold appeared before Bwonsamdi.

"I need you to deliver this to a child." The Winter Queen's voice was filled with majesty, carrying an air that could not be refused.

Bwonsamdi put away his slick, glib demeanor and wore an unusually serious expression.

"Oh my, oh my, Your Majesty, you have truly given me a difficult problem. We both know what it means for this little thing to appear here. Though old Bwonsamdi dearly wishes to earn your forgiveness, I think we should pass this time."

Scratching his head, he said, "It's not that I'm unwilling to help you, but old Bwonsamdi has caused enough trouble already. I don't want this to draw that old fellow's attention again."

"Now isn't the time to invite trouble. After all, I'm a businessman. I don't want to stay in the shadows forever. A businessman... you understand. I have to make a few little calculations.

Bwonsamdi sighed and shook his head, still refusing this long-awaited chance to repair their relationship. The reason... perhaps every troublesome child was reluctant to face their father's furious rage, especially before they had resolved to defy him.

To be honest, that explanation was debatable.

Since the days when he had been a small priest, Bwonsamdi could no longer remember what his father looked like. Yet to him, there was still someone in this world who resembled either a father or a tyrant, pressing down on him like a towering mountain until he could barely breathe.

Although Bwonsamdi had repeatedly sworn venomous oaths to kill that moldy old death god Mueh'zala, that day would not be today, because he was not ready yet.

Or rather... he had not yet been driven to his limit.

The Winter Queen did not seem surprised by Bwonsamdi's choice. She had never intended to get something for nothing. It was simply that before she could name her price, this transaction-loving fellow had already laid all his cards on the table. It seemed emotions truly could easily affect the judgment of intelligent beings, whether human or god.

"As payment, Nokxian Grove will be completely open to you. You will no longer need to hide. You will have a place to rest, just like every wild spirit."

The Winter Queen spoke calmly, as though she were discussing something insignificant, but Bwonsamdi could not sit still at all. In fact, he truly jumped up!

"Really?! My honored Queen, are you truly willing to accept me, a god of death? Do you understand what this decision means?"

Bwonsamdi's voice rose an octave, and the entrance to the dark palace beyond sounded as noisy as a market in Zuldazar.

The Winter Queen said nothing. She merely watched Bwonsamdi with her usual emotionless gaze.

Of course Bwonsamdi understood what that meant. He touched his chest and took several deep breaths to calm himself, then said:

"All right, all right. You truly know how to make a deal. You have made a request that old Bwonsamdi simply cannot refuse. As you wish, the deal is made. I will fulfill my duty at once."

With that, he raised his hand slightly and summoned a wisp of death magic. A golden feather slowly rose from the Winter Queen's slender palm, then slowly descended into the troll death god's palm.

"Look, look, look, what is this? A golden feather?"

"Shh. Don't tell old Bwonsamdi its secret, because old Bwonsamdi has seen them before!"

"That hateful old thing made a deal with the iron giants."

Bwonsamdi laughed loudly in a showy manner. Shaking his head, he said, "Tsk, tsk. Trading precious Titan Power for a whole flock of boring canaries. I have to say, Molten Beard got the worst end of that bargain. Old Mueh'zala's smug laughter annoys me just hearing it."

The troll death god began clowning around again. Perhaps he thought it made him irresistibly charming, but girls generally did not like that sort of thing.

There was no need to doubt it: the Winter Queen would never point that out. As for a certain exotic little fang princess, perhaps she was still... playing in the mud?

"Keep it safe. At the proper time, give it to the right person. It is a beacon. It will guide him to the one who can help him, and the one who can help you as well."

After saying that, the Winter Queen swept her sleeve and vanished into the cold wind.

"That couldn't be better... Hey! Wait! Your Majesty, did you trick poor old Bwonsamdi? If I hadn't taken on this mess, I would never have been dragged into this damned business!"

"Now, not only do I have to deliver your package and get tied onto your pirate ship, I also have to make time to deal with that damned old troll alone! And all you gave up was a tiny little right of residence! This isn't fair at all!"

The troll death god realized it a little too late, but unfortunately, the place was already empty.