It was truly amusing how the human mind worked, especially after the passage of time. Humanity had advanced so much that even Elish did not know what went on in their heads.
However, that didn't stop him from desiring that understanding.
"A bargain of a lifetime, huh?" Elish repeated the man's words to him.
Julius nodded slowly and smiled at Elish. Something about the Branch Head made him likable, at the same time, it threw him off.
'Could it be...?' Elish returned Julius' smile, amused by what was going on beneath the surface.
'So that's how it is… Ah, this is why I like interacting with humans so much.'
"Firstly, I'd like to know the value of a single Ancient Coin in this region. We can move further up in our negotiations from there," Elish finally broke the silence with his question.
Depending on the region, Ancient Coins prices varied. This had a lot to do with the scarcity of said coins, total amount of Relics, and overall wealth of the given area.
Elish knew this well enough, so by positing the question, he made two things clear.
One was his knowledge of commerce, particularly regarding the Ancient Coins.
The second was the mere fact that he could always move to a more favorable region if Julius did not offer him a suitable answer.
Julius initially looked a bit taken aback, but then he proceeded to speak after thinking about it.
"It is difficult to estimate its value since it is not something fixed. It changes based on demand, as well as other factors. However, currently, a single Ancient Coin is worth about ten thousand coins."
Elish's eyes twitched slightly. He was surprised, though he immediately cautioned himself so none of his emotions leaked out.
'It wasn't this high before. Has there been a sudden demand for more Ancient Coins?'
In any case, it worked to his advantage.
"That's quite a huge sum," Elish said, sipping his tea.
"Indeed. It is unnaturally high now since there is a high demand for it," Julius told him.
"I see then. For how much do you want to purchase it from me?".
Julius paused. Perhaps he wasn't expecting Elish to be so straightforward, but there was also the fact that Elish had a lot of Coins to sell.
Such a decision wasn't something any business person would want to jump into so abruptly.
"I'll buy it at market value," Julius said finally.
'That's surprising. Is he stupid, or just desperate?' Elish thought to himself, sipping more tea.
"Why?"
"You must be surprised and questioning my decision. Normally I ought to haggle on the price and settle for a discount. To be honest, on good days I should be able to settle for a discount of thirty percent since we're dealing in bulk," Julius began.
'Precisely so. I do not plan on haggling, though.' Elish's thoughts trailed as he continued to listen to the man's explanation.
"For one, according to the events that have happened so far, it seems these coins are of very little value to you. The fact that you were able to so casually manifest them proves my point."
Elish smiled as he heard Julius' reason..
"True. I didn't think much of it at the time, but after this recent discovery concerning their actual value, don't you think I might change my mind?"
Julius nodded, still maintaining his professional aura and calm demeanor.
"That is a possibility, however, I highly doubt it," he responded.
"Really? Why would you say that?"
"You don't seem to be that kind of person," he said quite plainly.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Elish asked, a little curious about Julius and the hubris behind his words.
A moment of silence pervaded the room, until finally Julius' sigh broke it.
"I'll be honest with you. I'm currently in the possession of a relic which allows me to gauge a client, and even to an extent, charm them," he said, raising his hand to show him a ring he wore.
'I'm surprised.' Elish thought to himself as he interchanged glances between Julius and the ring. 'I already noticed the ring a while back, but to think he would tell me so soon…'
"I was wondering how long we would be playing this game, but it seems it's all over now." Elish smiled in response
Julius laughed lightly.
"To be honest, I had a feeling you already noticed. That's one of the reasons I came clean. I'm even more surprised that you're not upset. Most people would be," he confessed.
"Why would I be? You are simply using what you have to get what you want. Isn't that trade in its simplest?" Elish remarked.
It seemed that Elish's response truly amazed him, and he burst into laughter and lost his composure for a moment.
"I apologize, sir; you're a rather peculiar one. I have never met anyone like you," he said, calming down.
"Naturally," Elish replied. "So, what did your relic tell you?"
"To be frank, the relic had no effect on you. I was surprised initially since it's a grade-five relic, and it works for nearly everyone, unless you're under the protection of a more powerful contradicting relic," Julius said.
"Well, if you could count this as one," Elish raised up his hand, showing him his own ring.
"As I thought, you are a relic wielder. You're no ordinary man. To also be able to resist my charm, the relic must be of a very high grade.".
"Yes, indeed," Elish said, noticing that they were diverting from the main topic.
"Let's continue where we left off. You said I don't seem like the kind of person who would change my mind even after finding out the real value of my coins," Elish said.
He smiled sheepishly, also noticing that they had unintentionally made a tangent.
"Oh, that… well, it was just a hunch," Julius came clean once more.
"A hunch?"
"Yes, exactly. A hunch," he repeated. "As a merchant, especially one of my standing and experience, hunches and gut feelings are very important. I just had the notion that you have little use for the coins, even with their high value."
'Well, he's not wrong. He also seems to be very experienced and well-connected in this world. I suppose he's valuable enough.'
Elish would love to drain his memories, but it would be such a waste since he'd be very useful for him in the long run. In his opinion, he was the first human to have truly impressed him in that new world.
'Let's hope you do not disappoint me…'
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[A/N]
I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
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