章 8: A Deal
Chapter 8 – A deal
A funny whistling sound traversed the bloody field. Under the solemn gazes of the soldiers, Jhin lay flat on the ground while two layers of anti-magic rope bound his body.
With a calm and nonchalant expression, he stared at the gorgeous woman in front of him and said, "How long are you going to keep staring at me? Am I really that handsome?"
"You…!" Crystal was speechless after hearing his words. She had been observing the man for about ten minutes since his captive already. She was extremely puzzled about his actions. With his strength, he could've easily resisted her act of binding her. However, instead of doing so, the man just let her do as she pleases.
"Who are you exactly? And what do you want?" Crystal interrogated.
"I'm Jhin, a merchant. As for what I want. Isn't it obvious?" Jhin replied. He had been observing her for a while. He realized that although she was acting tough in front of him, she couldn't conceal the fear in her eyes whenever their eyes met.
"Damn you! Are you playing with me?" Crystal snorted. "Tell me your identity and I might spare your life."
"Hehe, spare my life? Do you mean the other way around?" Jhin smirked at her boastful words. Although he couldn't move, he was confident that he would be able to survive even if her entire army besieged him.
As for the source of his confidence? It came from the reward he recently obtained.
[Power Tutorial]
Description: Allows the user to host to experience the future of the system once. In the host case, you are given the chance to summon a thousand ink soldiers once for about an hour's duration.]
Jhin was very confident of the system he personally designed. Even so, he didn't act rashly. He realized that if he wanted to build his foundation in this world, he would need a good guide. And among the people here, the best choice would be her, a commander of a battalion. Someone who hold a respectable position. Perhaps, if he did make a deal with her, he would be able to obtain information, and even secret arts for battle and warfare.
Much more, Crystal was a human. Although Jhin didn't know what race his current body is, deep inside, Jhin has a certain level of belonging to the human race. And unlike the other races, Jhin felt that he could easily adjust if his starting race would be the same as his race on Earth. After all, he was familiar as to how the human brain works. He was more comfortable, the possibility of him getting stabbed on the back would reduce significantly.
Therefore, Jhin was trying his best to execute the ultimate technique of a godly businessman. The super-duper extra cool poker face and calm demeanor, that even if the sky collapse, his composure would remain stable.
"Who are you exactly?" Crystal repeated. This time, her voice was more patient compared to before.
"As I said, I'm a merchant. My name is Jhin. If you are that curious about my identity, how about making a deal with me?" Jhin uttered. He wanted to make a new identity. And since he was a merchant back then, he decided to assume the same profession. This new identity would become crucial to his plans.
"What deal?" She nervously asked.
After she personally experienced his power, Crystal knew that she couldn't act rashly. Except from her, nobody knew that this man was the one behind the annihilation of the orc army. Thus, only she can decide what to do next.
Crystal knitted her brows. She was unsure what he was planning. What if he was just playing around, acting like a weakling just because he felt like doing so? She doesn't want to gamble the lives of her soldiers who greatly respected and trusted her. At least, she felt obliqued to do something to return their trust.
"Set up a barrier first, so that only the two of us will know." Jhin said as he scanned the soldiers.
Instead of replying, Crystal lifted her hand and muttered a short incantation. A small magic circle appeared and floated atop their heads. With a burst of light, a transparent barrier engulfed them. Separating them to the outside world. Without the permission from the caster, nobody outside would be able to hear or see anything that happened inside. The transparent barrier transformed the space into a blurry state.
"Good girl! The deal…" Jhin said as he stared at her eyes. Then with a grin, he continued, "Hmm, how about I give you one of the Shrine keys. In exchange, you have to become my servant for five years?"
'The keys?' Crystal was stunned. She stood rooted on the spot. She felt she was hallucinating. In her entire life, this was the first time she heard someone trading the shrine key for something. Even from the history books she read, no one has ever traded a key. Much more, Jhin only wants it to exchange for her freedom.
The key could be said to be priceless. Any race, given the chance to trade for such opportunity would instantly agree no matter what the price. The shrine key means the survival of the people. Although the key Jhin was offering was a key to an unranked shrine where what's inside was unknown, it could be danger or reward, it was still a chance to obtain resources inside.
Glancing at her soldiers, Crystal recollected the scene before their expedition. The waving hands of the children and worry-filled eyes of their spouses. Then she remembered the scene where she was thrashed so badly yet their trust towards didn't diminish one bit. Instead, it become stronger and were filled with fury.
Crystal realized that no matter what, she must get the key. However, to obtain it in exchange to her freedom… Crystal felt conflicted. To a young woman who was only on her early twenties, five years is too long.
Watching the change in her expressions, Jhin rejoiced inside. He felt that the attraction of the key was very tempting. If he succeeded, he would be able to save his trump card, the Power Tutorial. Moreover, he could start establishing himself into the new world.
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