Capítulo 280: -276- The buyer
"What's going on?"
In a corner of the restaurant, Argo, who had been brought over by Rozen, looked puzzled.
"I rarely break my usual routine and engage with a group of players in the restaurant, especially in this high-spirited atmosphere. So, why did you have to corner me here?" Argo displayed an unusually displeased expression.
But Rozen remained unfazed.
"I have something to ask you."
Rozen stated this, making Argo even more disgruntled.
"You want to discuss business even in this situation today?"
It seemed that Argo's mood had indeed been dampened. Otherwise, she wouldn't have displayed such a lack of enthusiasm even for a rare business opportunity.
Rolling his eyes, Rozen didn't waste any more time and got straight to the point.
"I want information on Diabel. Tell me everything you know." Rozen stared at Argo and continued, "Don't forget, you owe me a favor. You promised to provide me with information for free once."
Now, Rozen was going to use that opportunity.
"Diabel?" Argo was briefly surprised, then turned serious as she met Rozen's gaze. She spoke with a meaningful tone, "Now, on the brink of the upcoming boss battle, are you planning to obtain all the information about one of the commanders of the joint force?"
This could give rise to misunderstandings that Rozen might have ulterior motives.
"And are you going to tell me or not?" Rozen didn't bother explaining and gave his final notice.
Argo immediately surrendered.
"Fine, fine." Argo raised her hands and said, "Since it's you, I won't worry about something that probably won't happen. I'll tell you what I know."
With that, Argo began explaining.
This information broker was truly something. Despite Rozen only recently presenting the request, Argo already had a significant amount of information about Diabel, even without having to investigate.
No, it should be said that because it was Diabel, Argo didn't need to investigate his information.
Argo had already investigated Diabel's information a long time ago.
This was because Diabel was the initiator of the boss battle on the first floor, the leader of the player team that was the first to discover the boss room. He had also been the one to ask Argo to gather players for the strategy meeting. Argo must have acquired information about such a key figure ahead of time.
Thanks to that, Argo practically told Rozen everything she knew.
"Diabel was one of the first players to leave the town after SAO was declared a death game. He even convinced his teammates to gather the courage to leave the town and venture into the labyrinth area. They became a powerful team among the top players. In terms of team strength, the squad led by Diabel should be the strongest in SAO right now."
Argo explained.
"Perhaps because of playing other games before SAO, Diabel displayed a level of experience and skill that was quite sophisticated. Despite leading a considerable team, he boldly, like a beta tester, charged towards high-level monster training areas, villages, and towns. He rapidly gained experience points and completed numerous hidden and limited-time rare quests."
Normally, these hidden and rare quests would be claimed by beta testers who were aware of the game's mechanics. However, Diabel preempted these beta testers, triggering these quests himself. That was indeed impressive.
"Thanks to him, his teammates also boast impressive levels and equipment. Diabel himself has already reached level 12, surpassing the average level of top players by two levels. He wields a one-handed sword and, unlike you and Kirito, he equip a shield. His shield, even among players, is of the highest level and is a round shield, with defense power comparable to the Tower Shield. As for his equipment..."
Argo listed Diabel's information in meticulous detail, going so far as to recite the current performance of his equipment. It almost felt like players had no privacy in Argo's eyes.
However, Rozen was listening intently to every word.
And he caught some very crucial points.
"Bold like a beta tester?"
"One-handed sword?"
"One of the fastest players to leave the town?"
Rozen muttered these key phrases.
Then, Rozen suddenly interrupted Argo.
"I have a question for you." Rozen stared directly at Argo and asked, "Who was the player who wanted to buy my weapon?"
That one question silenced Argo's voice.
Unfortunately, this part wasn't as casual as revealing Diabel's information.
"They paid you 1000 Col, didn't they?" Rozen said straightforwardly, "I'll give you 5000 Col, but you can't ask them if they want to raise the price. Tell me directly. Can you do that?"
This was bordering on being unreasonable.
Although Argo was hardly known for having any scruples when it came to setting prices, Rozen's demanding behavior blatantly leaned toward his own side and went against business principles. It was practically unethical.
However, Argo saw Rozen's unusually serious expression and understood the importance of this question.
In response, Argo pondered for a moment and then sighed.
"Just this once." Argo raised a finger and warned Rozen, "Just this once, not to set a precedent."
Having said that, Argo seemed to recall something and added.
"I don't need any col for this, but you have to do something for me in return, and then I'll tell you."
Upon hearing this, Rozen immediately nodded without any hesitation.
Seeing Rozen's reaction, Argo sighed again and then told Rozen a name.
"Kibaou."
Argo mentioned this name.
"It was him who wanted to buy your weapon and familiar?"
An unexpected name came out of Argo's mouth.
"That guy?"
Rozen was taken aback.
However, at the same time, multiple clues in his mind suddenly clicked together, allowing Rozen to finally understand.
He understood the underlying complexity of this peculiar transaction.
For that reason, Rozen also confirmed with Argo.
"The person who wanted to buy Kirito's weapon was also him?"
Rozen's question surprised Argo.
"How did you know?"
Argo's question was practically an answer.
Rozen closed his eyes.
"So, that's what happened..."
Rozen's tone became somewhat complex.
"What's wrong?"
Argo seemed to sense something and inquired.
"It's nothing. You don't need to worry about it."
Rozen shook his head, not telling Argo and instead turning the question back to her.
"What do you want me to do?"
Rozen's words let Argo know that she couldn't dig any deeper.
Helpless, Argo brought up a request for Rozen.
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