For a few seconds, Keld said nothing.

Then, finally, he looked up, his voice quiet.

"How much," he asked slowly, "are you expecting for something like this?"

Wade leaned casually against the counter, arms folded. Beneath his hood, his expression was unreadable.

"One hundred thousand coins."

Keld's eyes widened as if someone had just slapped him. "A hundred thousand?!" he barked. "For a single skill stone?"

"Yes."

Keld let out a low whistle, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You've got bigger stones than most nobles I've dealt with. I'll give you that."

He leaned closer, squinting at Wade like he was trying to decide if the younger man was insane. "But that price is absurd. You'll be lucky if I even get half of that for resale."

"Half?" Wade's tone grew sharper. "You and I both know flight skills are coveted."

"Anyone would pay ridiculous amounts for the chance to leave the ground. That's basically everyone's dream. Flight."

"It's not just about practicality. It's also about status. And you'll have an easier time selling status for more than power."

Still, Keld wasn't budging. "A hundred thousand is suicide for me."

"Even if this is real flight, and I can see it is, it's short duration, heavy mana drain, and the stat requirements alone make it unmarketable to a lot of adventurers."

"180 mana points for one minute of flight? Most wouldn't even consider it."

"I'd be sitting on it for weeks, maybe months, before finding a buyer stupid enough to pay that much."

"Then make it eighty thousand," Wade said evenly. "That's as low as I'll go."

Keld blinked.

"I like round numbers." Wade's tone was dry, almost bored. "But eighty's the lowest. If you can't afford it, I'll find someone else who can."

Keld gritted his teeth. He didn't like being cornered, but he wasn't blind either.

Wade had a point. This skill was a rare bird. And if he let it go, one of his competitors would snatch it up and flip it for a tidy profit.

He sighed, theatrically rubbing his temples. "You're going to ruin me at this rate."

He drummed his fingers on the counter, thinking. "Fifty thousand."

"No."

"Sixty-five."

"No."

"Sixty-eight," Keld countered.

Wade didn't blink. "Eighty."

Keld groaned dramatically, throwing his hands up. "Be honest. Are you trying to kill me?"

"Eighty thousand coins for a skill stone is already more expensive than the highest item in this entire store! I'll have to take a loss just to make that kind of purchase happen."

"I find that hard to believe."

Keld gave him a look, somewhere between admiration and exasperation. "You're relentless."

Wade smiled faintly beneath the hood. "That's how you stay alive."

Finally, Keld let out a long sigh, shaking his head. "Fine. Seventy-five thousand. But if this doesn't sell fast, I'll hunt you down and make you buy it back."

"Deal."

They shook hands, and the familiar golden shimmer of Exchange flared to life between them.

[Exchange Initiated]

[Transferring: 1 × Bone Wings Skill Stone → Keld]

[Receiving: 75,000 Coins → Wade Barrett]

[Exchange Complete.]

As the light faded, Wade watched his balance ticked upward, the number gleaming satisfyingly in his mind's eye.

Keld leaned back in his chair, exhaling deeply.

"I think you just wrung me dry, kid," he said, half amused, half annoyed. "Hells, I'll be lucky if I can even afford dinner after this."

"You'll manage," Wade said, slipping his hands into his cloak pockets.

Keld gave a weary laugh, rubbing his temples. "Yeah, yeah. Maybe I'll start selling fake miracles to nobles. 'Come one, come all! The legendary skill that lets you jump slightly higher!'"

Wade chuckled under his breath.

And then, softly, his system chimed.

Ding!

[Trade Recorded.]

[Total Profit: 266,600 coins.]

[Cosmic Value: +4.]

[After a jaunt through the Catacombs of a Thousand Kings, you've amassed a haul like no other. This sale is one for the history books. The universe watches on.]

[Balance: 5.]

The words glowed faintly before his eyes, fading slowly as he grinned.

'Not bad,' he thought, heart thudding with satisfaction. 'Not bad at all.'

266,000 coins in profit. And when added to the 35,000 coins he'd brought out of the dungeon itself, that made a grand total of 301,600 coins.

He could almost feel the debt chain around his neck loosening.

All he needed was two more dungeon delves, and he should completely repay Viscount Fairchild, and still have money left to grow stronger.

He exhaled at the thought. Then he looked up at Keld. "That's all I've got for tonight," he said.

Keld gave a short nod, still absently turning the Bone Wings stone in his hand like a man handling something too precious to sell.

"You're full of surprises," he said. "If that dungeon of yours really exists, you've found yourself a gold mine. Are you planning to go back?"

"If the dungeon's still there," Wade said, "you can expect me back soon enough."

Keld's grin widened. "Then do me a favor, would you? Give me first pick of whatever comes out next time."

"I'd rather bleed coins again than hear another merchant brag about a deal I missed."

Wade chuckled softly. "First pick, huh? You'll have to offer something better than sympathy next time."

"Fine," Keld said with a laugh. "I'll throw in my best bottle of Firewine."

"Tempting."

The two shared a brief look of mutual understanding as fellow traders.

With that, Wade pulled his cloak tighter and straightened. "Good doing business with you, Keld."

"Likewise."

"Try not to get robbed before sunrise."

Keld barked a laugh. "I could say the same to you, stranger."

Wade turned and made his way towards the door.

The bell above it jingled softly as he stepped out into the night air.

After a few minutes of walking and making sure he wasn't being followed, he slipped into an alley.

He tapped his chest, dismissing his equipped gear one piece at a time. When he was done, only the Pauldrons remained.

The cloak followed next. He rolled it up neatly and stored it away into his inventory.

His plain tunic and trousers underneath made him look like any other weary adventurer heading home after a long night.

"Back to business," he muttered under his breath.

He stepped out from the alley, looking this way and that.

It was time to find Viscount Fairchild.

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