Item Box

"I'm here to sell the bodies of three creatures."

"Oh? May I ask which?" Baires inquired with a polite smile as he took a sip of his tea. However, inwardly, he was already thinking that he would be handing him worthless things like goblins or lizards; common monsters on the First Plateau.

Heck, a few people would sometimes come to Trafford trying to sell completely normal animals like rabbits. Maybe bears, tigers, or something might have been barely acceptable, but rabbits?!

"Two Ancient Dreorins. Level 44 and 45. As well as a level 20 Crimson Centipede."

Baires spat out the tea he was drinking and started coughing. His head had been briefly filled with rabbits and that had made Rakna's words sound even more incredulous than they were.

"R-really? Two Ancient-Class Dreorins and a Hidden-Class monster?"

Rakna cocked his head to the side with an unreadable expression and spoke one word, "Yes."

"Do you have them on you or…?" Baires was about to ask how could a new Host possibly carry such humongous creatures until he saw the Tier 5 spatial ring on his customer's finger. His jaw almost dropped. "I-I see… your Emerald Grade is not just for show. Can you please tell me what species were the Dreorins before I give you an estimate?"

"One of them was Triceratops and the other was Stegosaur. Oh, and their level were respectively 44 and 45."

"All right. In that case… I could buy you the Dreorins' bodies for 30 000 Talys at face value. But I have to see their state first. As for the Crimson Centipede, I can offer you 40 000 Talys. Once again, I would have to see the state of the body."

Rakna was surprised by the figures which was a feeling the two girls next to him shared. "That's a generous amount."

"Of course. Their level aside, Ancient-Class Dreorins are rarer than their normal counterparts and their body parts are also more valuable. As for the Crimson Centipede, its value cannot simply be overvalued since its status as a Hidden Boss makes it precious enough already."

"I see. Where can I show you the bodies then?"

"You could hand them me to me right now," Baires said then thought of something. "Oh, sorry. Do you have Item Box?" Rakna scowled in return and he chuckled. "It seems you don't. It is a skill meant to be used in conjunction with a spatial storage. It allows you to visualize everything you have stored graphically and also manage it."

Baires rubbed his chin in thought then opened a drawer before pulling out a small box. He opened it and its contents were constituted of literal decks of Skill Cards. He grabbed one of them and fanned it before picking a certain one.

After putting the box away, he gently threw the card to Rakna. "Consider this a small gift from my part. It is not that expensive anyway. I just hope we can maintain a good relationship in the future."

Rakna took a look at the card and the description of it. It was indeed called Item Box and it did exactly what Baires had explained.

"[My View Shall Reach into the Void in the Palm of my Hands,]" after pronouncing the chant and learning the skill, he just thought about it and it appeared just like his status.

It was a System window with a toolbar at the top and the rest filled with a quadrilled zone with each slot containing something different along with a color to go with it. He tried to use his mind to select one of them but it didn't work. He tapped it with his finger instead and a smaller menu appeared; displaying things like 'Equip', 'Destroy', 'Exchange', etc…

It was a very video-game-looking and useful ability but the thing that caught Rakna's attention the most was that it was the first time a System window had required him to touch it.

"As you can see, it tells you of everything you currently possess in external spatial storages. Now, press on the 'Sort' button to bring what you're searching for to the forefront," Baires provided and Rakna followed his words.

He sorted the Items by nature and filtered out anything that wasn't an organic object. In a matter of seconds, the only cases filled in his vision had caricatures of the Dreorins and the centipede. It also displayed things like its name and level.

"All right. You can now select 'Exchange' on the menu and initiate a trade with me."

Rakna did as he was told and his System automatically connected to Baires. The specifics of the exchange cropped up in front of both of them and only needed to be accepted after setting the prices.

"Let's see…" Baires used his own Item Box to select the bodies. In his vision, a 3D model appeared right in front of his eyes, in the exact state in which the bodies had been stored. He raised an eyebrow in confusion before looking at the two other bodies.

"Other than the Triceratops who had a part of its chest blown off, the two others are in very good condition. The Stegosaur seems to have been decapitated very cleanly as well so there is no problem there," he said, skillfully hiding how shocked he was by that information, and paused.

"But… why does every single one of them have their hearts gouged out?"

Rakna remained emotionless as he replied, "No comment. Will it lower their value?"

"Well, not by a lot but it will," Baires mused and added a sum to the trade. "Do you assent to this price?"

"62 000," Rakna muttered that number calmly but couldn't help but feel amazed. Large amounts of money would always have that effect on people. "I accept. You're the expert here."

"Splendid," Baires smiled. "I already accepted the trade on my side, you only need to do the same."

Rakna nodded and pressed on the button that said 'Finalize Exchange'. And just like that, the large bodies that were stored in his ring were seamlessly transferred to Baires' spatial storage while his balance suddenly went by 62 000; making it exactly 87 200.

"A pleasure to work with you," Baires said pleasantly and proceeded to look at Nyx and Flavia. "Do these ladies have anything to sell as well?"

"A Gold Eater," Nyx said candidly and Baires froze.

"Sorry? I must have heard wrong. Can you repeat?"

"A Gold Eater Squirrel is what we want to sell."

Baires made a very comical expression as he heard that for a second time. "Give me a minute," he said and rushed out of the room, leaving the trio together with the security guard, who awkwardly stayed still until his boss came back forty seconds later, carrying a sort of golden electronic scale.

He put it on the table facing the couch before covering it up with a blanket. "Could you please put the squirrel here?"

Nyx nodded and her ring flashed shortly. A small squirrel with glittering golden fur then instantly appeared on the scale. Baires knelt next to the table and inspected it very carefully. He lifted the legs of the animal, checked its underside, and then its neck before looking at the scale. He gawked at the numbers displayed on the small screen of the apparatus.

"Um, are you okay?" Flavia jolted him out of his daze and he rapidly stood up straight. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak.

"This is indeed a Gold Eater Squirrel. No doubt. Now, what you have to know is that a Gold Eater's value depends on how long the animal has lived and how much gold it has eaten in its life. Based on those variables, the price could go from a measly one thousand to a million Talys."

Flavia hiccupped at the price and Nyx blinked in surprise. On the other hand, Rakna appeared curious more than anything else, "What makes it so valuable in the first place?"

"Everything," Baires said as if he was expecting that question. "Its eyes are filled with mana molded into the Gold Element. Its blood can make anything edible with just a drop of it; pick a rock from the side of the road, put a drop of Gold Eater blood on it and it'll become a delicious treat. It can even heighten the taste of normal dishes. It's very sought after by chefs. The meat of a Gold Eater is very expensive as well, and don't get me started on its organs that are sometimes called the gift of the Alchemy God. There's also its fur that can be used as an enchanting medium."

"…this sounds like something that shouldn't be on the First Plateau," Flavia muttered.

Baires laughed as the high he got from having a Gold Eater in front of him died down. "A Plateau has their own local specialties. Gold Eaters are only seen on the First Plateau and it's something that gives a lot of income to Black Steel."

"Anyhow, this squirrel you have brought me is in perfect condition. Not even a drop of blood has been spilled, which is a very good thing. It weighs roughly 600 grams and seems to be twelve years old. Its concentration of Gold Mana is about 168. In other words, 860 000 Talys; that's how much I'm willing to give you for this squirrel."

Flavia couldn't make any sound and Nyx didn't even know what to say. It's not like money was something she had ever worried about, but giving one squirrel for what seems to be a fortune was an incredible experience.

"That's a lot of money," Rakna broke the silence with a laidback but nonetheless impressed tone.

"Indeed," Baires nodded. "Especially for new Hosts like you, it is quite a fortune. Now, to be sure, are you willing to sell this squirrel to us? You could auction and it might be sold for even more."

Nyx snapped out of it and shook her head. "It's all right. I will sell it to you. You were kind enough to explain to us how valuable this is so it's only fair."

"Thank you, Miss," Baires smiled and bowed. He grabbed an empty briefcase from below his desk and placed it on the table open. "Retire 860 000 Talys," he uttered and the case was filled with a bunch of shining Talys.

"The balance limit of a new Host is 100 000 so here you go. You can take this briefcase and deposit everything in it at the Pavilion," he said as he pushed the money toward Nyx. "This briefcase has been made so that only the person who closes it can open it again. I will give it to you along with the money."

The former goddess nodded in understanding and confirmed with her AI that there were indeed 860 000 Talys in front of her before closing the briefcase.

Baires then proceeded to store the Gold Eater Squirrel inside his own spatial storage and smiled good-naturedly at the trio. "Will that be all then?"

"Yes," Rakna said and stood up. "Thank you for the honesty during this trade."

"Naturally. I pride myself on my fairness and professionalism. If you ever have more bodies to sell in the future, please come to us. Since we are a business affiliated with the Pavilion, we have branches wherever the Pavilion is. So, we might see each other again in upper Plateaus."

"In that case, let's meet again, Baires," Rakna said and exited the room with Nyx and Flavia along with the guard guiding them.

Baires sighed contently as he looked at the new entries in his Item Box. Other than the Gold Eater, the bodies weren't much for someone of the higher plateaus but Baires didn't forget who gave him these and where.

A Host that arrived on the First Plateau the day before had come to him to sell Lv.40+ creatures and a Hidden Boss. He could only shiver in excitement at what kind of things he might bring them in the future.