Sora reached out to grab it, but Ideor stopped him with a swift gesture. "Wait a minute, kid," he said in a low voice. "He's trying to sell you this thing at way too high a price. This crystal isn't even worth half of what you're offering him."

The merchant frowned, annoyed by Ideor's intervention, but he didn't let on. "Are you sure about this, old alchemist?" he said with a sneer. "I'm a businessman, not a liar."

"I didn't say you were lying, old monkey. But I know a scam when I see one." Ideor raised an accusing finger. "You know very well that this crystal isn't worth more than a handful of ecus in its current state. And you expect a young mercenary like him to fall for it."

Sora, who was feeling a little lost in this discussion, decided to remain silent, carefully observing the exchange unfolding before him. The merchant seemed to take a moment to reflect before quickly replacing the Moon Crystal in his trunk.

"Well, well," he said, an amused smile forming on his lips. "It seems I have no other choice. How about a fairer exchange? A well-forged weapon, perhaps?"

Sora glanced at the collection of weapons on the wall behind the counter. Several gleaming blades caught his eye, but at the moment, a sword wasn't the kind of object he was interested in. The one in his possession suited him perfectly.

"I'm not looking for weapons," he said calmly. Rather, I'm looking for artifacts that might be of use to me, or ecus."

The merchant raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by this answer. "Useful artifacts, eh?" He seemed to weigh up this request, his gaze settling on the shelves filled with mysterious objects and shiny vials. "Well, I've got just what you need. It's not as spectacular as this crystal, but it might interest you."

He stepped away from his counter for a moment to rummage in a wooden drawer underneath. Sora scanned the objects around him, but none seemed particularly useful or interesting. He was feeling a little overwhelmed, wondering if the merchant was about to make him yet another biased offer.

The merchant returned with a small wooden box, which he carefully opened. Inside, a small artifact glinted faintly in the dim light of the store. It was a simple ring, but its brilliance seemed different from that of ordinary objects.

"This is a Minor Protection Ring," announced the merchant in a proud voice. "It won't stop a devastating attack, but it can mitigate light wounds. It's useful for small fights, especially if you do missions where the dangers aren't too extreme. With this, I'm also prepared to offer you an extra 80 ecus."

Sora wasn't sure whether the exchange would be profitable, so he looked to Ideor for his opinion. The old alchemist gave him a slight nod, indicating that he could offer a slightly higher price.

"If you add another 20 ecus, I think it's a fair exchange."

The merchant seemed to hesitate for a moment, his eyes scanning Sora and Ideor with slight suspicion. He didn't like to be rushed in his negotiations, but he also knew that losing a sale at this point could damage his reputation in this busy neighborhood.

"Twenty écus, eh?" he murmured, lowering his eyes to the ring. He twirled it in his fingers, as if weighing his own offer. "That's starting to be a lot for a single artifact, even if I recognize that what you've brought me is interesting."

Sora remained silent, waiting for the merchant to make a decision. He knew this was a delicate negotiation. If the merchant refused, he risked getting nothing at all, but if he accepted, he would have acquired an artifact that could help him in his next adventures.

"Very well," the merchant finally said, his face straightening into an expression of resignation. "Twenty écus more. It's a fair price, for you as well as for me."

Sora felt a certain satisfaction in hearing this answer. He knew it might not be an exceptional offer, but he wasn't in danger of being ripped off this time. The merchant held out the ring in his direction, accompanied by the purse containing the extra ecus. Sora took the ring carefully and nodded.

"It's a deal," he replied, his voice firm.

The merchant, visibly pleased to have sealed the deal, turned to Ideor. "You've fooled me this time, you old fool," he said, smiling, looking more relaxed. "But I won't let you get me so easily next time."

Ideor replied with a smirk. "Next time, I might not be so patient. You see, there's always a way to get an idea of what's really worthwhile. But, for today, I guess you could say it's a good deal."

"Thank you," said Sora, bowing slightly to the merchant. "I'll put this artifact to good use."

As they headed for the door, the merchant watched them, muttering to himself, no doubt rethinking the negotiation. Ideor turned to Sora, an amused look in his eyes.

"You did a good job, kid. It's not always easy to get your head around these kinds of transactions. But you're starting to understand how it works. Besides, even if you don't have USHI, this artifact will come in handy, since it'll improve your physical stamina."

Sora nodded, a slight smile on his lips. "By the way, speaking of your commission. Since I can't offer you 10% of my artifact, I thought 25 ecus would be a good compensation."

Ideor rolled his eyes, an amused smile forming on his lips. "You've got some nerve, kid," he replied in a half-serious, half-amused tone. "But I'll let you pass this time. A 25 écus commission, eh? It's not much for an old man like me, but... you see, I prefer good deeds to écus." He paused, then added, "However, don't expect this kind of deal to become the norm. Next time, you might have to come up with more than just ecus to include me in your business."

Sora gave a nervous chuckle, recognizing that the situation was a little more complex than he'd thought. "I promise, next time I'll do better. I guess this means I owe you another favor in the future too."

"Exactly," Ideor replied, sounding more serious this time. "That's the way the world works: one hand washes the other. And don't worry, kid. You did a good job today. Negotiation is a skill you'll have to master, especially if you want to climb the ladder in this tower." He glanced skyward, his expression becoming more pensive. "The Order, quests, missions, all require a certain finesse. You'll learn to appreciate these little lessons."

Sora nodded, his mind already turning to the next stage of his journey. "Duly noted," he said, putting the ring back around his finger, already appreciating the slight protection it offered, even if it was still hard to realize how effective it was.

"Good," said Ideor, turning towards the exit. "Now, I think it's time for you to return to the Order, while I have a store to open. I wouldn't want to miss out on any customers because I was hanging around town with you."

Sora nodded, realizing that his morning excursion was coming to an end. He'd learned quite a bit and felt a little more prepared for the rest of his adventure, but he also knew there was still a long way to go. "Okay, I'm off to the Order. I've still got a lot to do there."

Sora smiled, feeling a little lighter after this meeting, but the adrenalin of a new acquisition and a good negotiation had given way to some reflection on what lay ahead. He knew that the battles ahead would be far more complex than this simple transaction, but he also felt that he was gradually getting closer to his goals.

"I'll be off, then. See you soon, Ideor," he said, turning on his heels.

"See you soon, kid. Take care," replied Ideor, watching him walk away.

Sora walked through the streets, which were beginning to come alive, his mind racing, his gaze fixed straight ahead. He looked at the ring on his finger and addressed his system. "System0, use equipment scan on my artifact."

[ Affirmative. ]

[ EQUIPMENT SCAN ]

[ - Type: Ring]

[ - Name: Minor Protection Ring ]

[ - Condition: Perfect ]

[ - Level : 1 ]

[ CAPABILITIES ]

[ - ___ : ___ ]

[ SKILLS ]

[ - Vitality : +0.19 ]

[ - Magic Resistance : + 0.11]

With a twinkle in his eye, Sora let a huge smile spread across his face. "It's great, my vitality has almost doubled and my magic resistance is much more powerful than before... Even if, at the moment, I don't need it yet."

"System0 uses stats sheet."

[ Affirmative ]

[ STATS SHEET ]

[ - Name : Sora ISOSHI ]

[ - Age : 17 ]

[ - Sex : Male ]

[ - Status : 100% (100 PV) ]

[ - Level : LV.0 ]

[ - EXP : 8/100 ]

[ CAPACITIES ]

[ - Strength : 0.55 ]

[ - Intelligence : 0.61 ]

[ - Agility : 0.55 ]

[ - Speed : 0.45 ]

[ - Vitality : 0.41 ]

[ - Magic : _ ]

[ - Magic resistance : 0.21 ]

[SKILLS ]

[ - The Collection ]

[ - Piercing Teeth ]

[TITLE ]

[ - The Climber ]

"Ahahah! That's great, I'm getting stronger." Sora shouted in the middle of the street.

His words didn't go unnoticed, and the few people around him all gave him a look of incomprehension.

As he began to walk again, a hand tapped the top of his head, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Sora looked up, surprised, and found himself face to face with a young man with sparsely combed black hair. He wore light armor and a smirk, looking both amused and a little mocking.

"It's not done to shout like that in the street," he said, staring at him with a defiant gleam in his eyes. "Looks like you won the lottery, kid. Won't you share some of that joy with me?"

Sora straightened up, gently rubbing his head where the hand had hit him. "Hey, who are you? And why are you hitting my skull?"

The young man shrugged with casual lightness. "My name's Jarek. And that was to put your feet back on the ground, you seemed to be lost in another world with your big smile. It seemed... amusing." He pulled away slightly, his gaze scanning Sora's ring. "Your ring's pretty interesting. You're lucky for a guy without Ushi."

Surprised to hear this information from a complete stranger, Sora immediately went on the defensive and took a few steps back. "How do you know about that?"

Jarek raised his eyebrows, a smile still on his lips. "No need to get upset or defensive, I mean you no harm. And to answer your question, I know you don't have Ushi because I was present when you joined the Order and Emma was surprised to see the result of your test."

Lowering his guard slightly. Sora scanned him up and down and noticed that he didn't look like he was lying and certainly didn't mean him any harm. "So does that mean you're part of the Order, too?"

Jarek nodded, his smile widening. "Exactly. I'm part of the Order, just like you, I'm also a mercenary."

Intrigued by the man, Sora didn't really know what to say. "Mercenary... I don't really like that word, it has such a pejorative connotation."

Amused, Jarek continued to display that same friendly smile. "It's true that it sounds negative, but we can't help it if that's what we are. We're mercenaries."

Sora shrugged, not sure how to react to this new encounter. "And so, you only came to meet me because I was talking to myself?"

"Not really," replied Jarek, his mischievous gaze still locked on Sora. "It was thanks to your scream that I found you, but let's just say I was more interested in seeing who this newcomer was who didn't have an ounce of Ushi in him."

Sora frowned, a little more wary now. He didn't like the idea of attracting attention, especially when it came to his lack of power. His lack of Ushi was a secret he preferred to keep, at least until he found a way to deal with this weakness. But this Jarek seemed to know everything, as if he'd already planned this meeting.

"You talk as if you know everything about me. Why are you interested in someone like me, without Ushi?" asked Sora, trying to remain calm while looking for clues as to Jarek's intentions.

Jarek's smile widened, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "Because, kid, anyone who really wants to climb that damn tower needs to know how to play their trump cards."

"And so, according to you, I'd have a trump card?" retorted Sora, curious.

"Obviously, your lack of Ushi is your main asset."

Sora raised an eyebrow, not immediately understanding what Jarek was getting at. "My lack of Ushi as an asset? Are you serious?"

Jarek burst out laughing, a raucous, infectious sound that turned a few heads on the street. "Oh, I'm quite serious. You see, everyone here thinks that Ushi is the key to success. It's that innate power that everyone thinks is essential to get ahead. But I see things differently. Your lack of Ushi may well be your greatest strength."

Not quite sure what he was getting at, Sora asked him another question. "Who are you, anyway, to be so sure of yourself? Are you someone special in the Order or something?"

Jarek let a big smile spread across his face before answering. "Indeed, I think I'm someone special here."

"And why is that?" retorted Sora.

Assuming a strange posture, Jarek replied, "Simply because I'm the only Gold rank in the Mercenary Order."

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