The receptionist looked montarily surprised by Lein's reaction, but her shock quickly turned into a wider smile. As if she had discovered sothing interesting, she spoke in a relaxed tone, "I don't have any information regarding its price, Sir."
Lein narrowed his eyes, slightly disappointed, but he kept listening as the woman continued, "The purchase of a King-Tier slave is not handled by , but directly by the owner of the slave market." Her words were clear, as if emphasizing that this was not a transaction just anyone could make.
However, before Lein could ask further, the woman pulled sothing out—a photograph. She held it out to Lein, revealing an image of a cube.
The cube looked alive. A faint pulse rippled across its surface, as if it were breathing. A soft white aura surrounded it, giving off a mysterious and ancient impression, as though it didn't belong to this world.
Lein only glanced at it briefly before shaking his head. "I don't…" His words trailed off.
Sothing tugged at his mory.
This cube… I've seen it before.
The mory surfaced suddenly—a mont in the Guandu Realm. Back then, he had visited a seed shop and t soone from the Cui race who had a system. And when he examined that person's body… he found sothing that looked eerily similar to the cube in this photo.
At the ti, the cube had no discernible information. Even with Lein's power, which had reached the King stage, he had been unable to read or comprehend what it was. So he had simply ignored it.
Lein took a deep breath before speaking in a calm tone, "I have it."
Instantly, the receptionist's eyes sparkled. Her smile widened, as if she had hit the jackpot. "Very well, Sir. I will summon the owner of the market."
After saying that, she didn't move away. She remained standing in place and pulled sothing from her pocket—a small wooden stick. Without hesitation, she snapped it in half.
Click.
The stick broke… and then, nothing happened.
Lein remained silent, waiting. There was no hint of surprise on his face. In the Void Cosmos, he had seen far too many bizarre things. Whatever the woman had just done was nothing unusual to him.
Since there was still ti, Lein considered turning around to inspect more elf slaves while waiting. But just as he was about to shift his attention, his ears picked up sothing.
A sound.
It was unfamiliar.
Not a sound from this place, not from other custors, nor from the usual chanisms or magic he was used to hearing. Sothing was different.
"Hello, Sir Lein."
The voice struck his consciousness like a bolt of lightning. Lein imdiately turned around, his eyes scanning for the source.
Before him stood a man, standing casually.
He was dressed in an outfit that had no place in this world—a stylish black suit, a crisp white shirt underneath, and a perfectly knotted tie. He smiled warmly, far too warmly for soone who had appeared out of nowhere without introduction.
"Hi, Sir Lein. How are you?"
His voice carried a strange familiarity, as if they were old acquaintances who hadn't seen each other in years. There was warmth in his tone, a genuine friendliness.
Lein remained silent, his eyes narrowing as his thoughts raced.
The receptionist beside him stood next to the man, calm as ever, her smile unchanged—still welcoming, as if the man's presence was expected.
Lein didn't answer imdiately. Too many questions flooded his mind.
That man's clothing… it was formal wear from Earth—his ho planet.
A strange tremor passed through Lein's chest. Impossible. No one from Earth should be here, in the Void Cosmos, let alone dressed like that.
"You…?" Lein finally spoke, his voice flat, but inside, his emotions churned. Confusion. Disbelief.
Who is this man?
Is soone playing a trick on ?
On instinct, Lein activated his status panel to check the man's information. But what appeared only heightened his wariness.
[Status Panel]
Na: ??
Level: ??
Race: ??
Power Core: ??
Rank: ??
Empty. Everything was blank.
Impossible.
Even when facing an Emperor, at least so information would usually be visible. But this? Absolutely nothing.
Lein's back stiffened. He didn't like this feeling. Sothing was off.
"Hello, Sir Lein. How are you?"
The man repeated his question, this ti with an even warr tone, as if he genuinely cared about the answer.
Lein felt his chest tighten once more. He didn't know what was going on, but sothing about this man… didn't make sense.
How does he know my na?
The thought scread in his head. But he suppressed it, unwilling to show any unease.
After a few monts of silence, Lein finally responded.
"Hi."
The word was short, nearly emotionless. He still didn't know what to say.
The man in the sharp suit smiled. It was a calm smile, yet for so reason, it carried a subtle pressure. His white teeth showed as he raised one hand, offering it for a handshake.
"My apologies, Sir Lein. I forgot to introduce myself. My na is Aion."
His voice was pleasant, as if this introduction was the most natural thing in the world.
Lein took his hand, feeling a firm but controlled grip. A foreign na. He committed it to mory, searching through his recollections, trying to connect it to anything—but there was nothing. Aion. He had never heard of it before.
But before he could question further, the man spoke again.
"You have this cube, don't you? Could you show it to ?"
His tone was relaxed—too relaxed for sothing that shouldn't be widely known.
Lein studied him for a mont before nodding. With a practiced motion, he extended his hand and retrieved the cube from his spatial ring. The object, about the size of a baseball, floated above his palm, rotating slowly.
[System: Node] ???
Lein's eyes sharpened. Does he really know about this?
There shouldn't be many people who could recognize this item. Even he himself couldn't see its full details. But… what if this man could?
A faint unease stirred in his chest. Lein didn't like this situation. If Aion truly understood the value of this cube… what would happen next?
Worse still, this cube wasn't sothing just anyone could find. It couldn't be replicated or copied. If Aion truly knew its significance…
Hopefully, this won't beco a problem.
The man took the Node Cube with an air of familiarity, examining it intently. There was sothing in his eyes—not just curiosity, but deep understanding.
Lein held his breath as he saw Aion's eyes glimr faintly, as if layers of light were penetrating into the cube. He had no idea what the man was seeing, but Lein could sense one thing—Aion was looking deeper than he could ever imagine.
"Yes, this is the sa cube…" the man murmured, sounding pleased.
He lifted his gaze and looked at Lein again.
"However, the quality of this cube is quite low, Sir Lein."
His brow lifted slightly, as if he found that surprising. But before Lein could respond, Aion continued.
"Nonetheless, we can still accept it."
Lein frowned. We?
There were many questions he wanted to ask, but before he could utter a single one, Aion spoke again.
"How many cubes do you have, Mr. Lein?"
Lein tensed.
In an instant, the atmosphere around him shifted.
Why was he asking that?
Lein knew very well—this cube wasn't sothing that could be found easily. Even among those with great power, not everyone could obtain one.
In fact, perhaps only figures like Mharzan would be capable of possessing sothing like this.
Then what about Aion? Was he soone like Mharzan as well?
Lein fell silent, his mind racing.
This cube was extrely rare. In all likelihood, ordinary people couldn't get their hands on it. Only those with strength and influence on the level of Mharzan—a man who was trying to do the sa thing as Lein—might be able to possess one.
If Aion was asking about the quantity… did that an he was soone like Mharzan?
Lein tried to think of the right answer.
He couldn't ntion too small a number. That might make him seem weak.
But stating too large a number was also dangerous. If Aion saw him as a threat, the situation could beco even more complicated.
Lein swallowed hard. He had to choose a reasonable figure, sothing not too far from the market price of a king-level slave.
"I only have 34, sir."
His voice remained calm, but a subtle hint of unease lingered in his tone.
Hopefully, that would be enough.
Aion stared at him for a mont, then his expression shifted—not anger, not suspicion, but… disappointnt?
"I'm sorry, Mr. Lein," Aion said, shaking his head slightly. "The price for a king-level slave… for the first tier, is 200. The second tier is 800."
As he spoke, he returned the blue cube to Lein's hand.
Lein froze. 200?
His chest tightened. He had estimated the price of a slave to be around ten cubes per unit. But this number was far beyond his expectations.
More than a hundred tis his estimate…
His miscalculation made him feel foolish. He regretted stating such a small number.
Aion seed to notice the change in Lein's expression. But instead of showing aggression, he simply offered a small, reassuring smile and said in a calm tone,
"You can rent them if needed, Mr. Lein."
Lein, who had been frustrated just monts ago, instantly snapped to attention.
Rent them? That was possible?
His eyes widened slightly, hope returning to his gaze.
"Are you serious, Mr. Aion?" he asked quickly, needing confirmation. "That's really an option?"
His expression now brimd with anticipation as he awaited Aion's response.
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