Snow naturally knew that Xio had no idea what to expect, as he himself wasn't even sure of his own "pricing." However, this didn't stop him from flashing an wickedly wild smile at the petite yet remarkably spirited young woman:
"Letting me name the price? You're that confident?"
'Why is he smiling like that? Is his price something special? Not gold pounds?' A trace of suspicion rose in Xio's heart.
Under Xio's wary gaze, Snow stood up and said with a smile, "In that case... ten thousand times. This should be a fitting price."
"Ten thousand times? What is he talking about? What ten thousand times? Ten thousand times what?" Xio was momentarily dazed, completely unable to understand his meaning. Was it some kind of slang, or a specific "currency" he used?
Inexplicably, Xio suddenly thought of the foul language she had heard while roaming the East District. Simultaneously, she recalled some of the "scandals" she had heard while investigating this gentleman the previous night. Her female instincts made her immediately shield her chest,though there wasn't much there to shield.
"Oh, Miss Xio, I think you might have misunderstood something. I deal in legitimate information trading here. If you're unwilling, I won't force you to sell your body." Snow gave a light chuckle and then explained, "I generally follow the principle of equivalent exchange. I value information based on intelligence, Beyonder characteristics, and potion formulas, then convert it into the corresponding information. Of course, if you lack these, you can also use 'favors' to clear the debt. When I say one 'time,' I refer to you accepting one commission as a favor."
"In other words, to know the information about the Full Moon Ravings, I need to accept ten thousand commissions?" Xio frowned. Although this kind of price was within what she could accept in principle, ten thousand times seemed a bit too many, didn't it?
"Exactly. After all, you're only a Sequence 9 Arbiter; the occasions where you can be useful are limited. Furthermore, I will only give you commissions that are certainly within your current ability to complete; I won't do something like making a Sequence 9 participate in an ambush on a Sequence 8. Thus, the commission fee is relatively low. For a Sequence 9 to accept one commission, the conversion to money is about one pound. Of course, if it's a pathway with special utility like Seer, Savant, or Pleasure, the pricing would be a bit better.
"My valuation of favors follows a decimal system. That is, ten thousand Sequence 9 commissions can be converted into one thousand Sequence 8, one hundred Sequence 7, ten Sequence 6, or even a single Sequence 5 commission. But you cannot convert downwards.
"I know this price seems a bit low, but you must understand that I consider this an investment. If you die before you finish paying off your favors, my investment goes down the drain. It's only for a customer with investment value like Miss Xio that I would offer such a long-term, low-interest loan-style deal.
"Oh, and by the way, if,and I mean if,one day you actually advance beyond Sequence 5 and your debt isn't finished, regardless of how much is left, you must act for me at least once. This counts as the return on my successful investment. Aside from that, if you obtain some useful Beyonder items, I can also acquire them at a discount equivalent to favors of the same sequence. For instance, if you bring me a mystical item equivalent to Sequence 5, it could offset this entire ten-thousand-favor debt.
"Additionally, you can request not to accept certain specific types of work; this can be written into the contract.
"Finally, the contract will include valuation clauses for the information provided. If you feel the information I give isn't worth the price, the contract will automatically downgraded. So, you don't need to worry about me cheating you."
'He knows I'm an Arbiter?' Xio frowned slightly, gaining a significant recognition of this gentleman's information-gathering abilities. However, what she cared about more was,
"In other words, the information on these Full Moon Ravings is worth ten thousand pounds?"
The higher the value of information, the more secrets it involved and the greater the risk. Even the bounty on the seven pirate admirals was only around ten thousand pounds. A secret whose information alone was worth ten thousand pounds was something whose hidden danger Xio could hardly imagine.
"Precisely speaking, it's worth more than ten thousand pounds. But what you're asking for is only the Full Moon Ravings affecting Ms. Fors, rather than the Full Moon Ravings themselves. That's why the price is significantly discounted. By the way, I don't accept gold pounds here; after all, I'm not short of money."
Watching Snow's bright, perfect smile, Xio was momentarily speechless. Even if he did accept them, she couldn't produce them!
"Well then, shall we trade? Mmm, perhaps jumping into such a large deal right away is a bit too aggressive. We could switch to some smaller trades to slowly build trust, what do you think? For example, investigating your father... Oh, sorry, my tongue slipped..."
Snow took a sip of red tea, his expression still carrying that trace of playfulness. He didn't look at all like someone whose "tongue had slipped."
Xio, however, fell into a state of intense confusion.
"You know about my father?"
"A little bit. But only a little, so the value isn't that high. In fact, if you're willing to purchase the information on the Full Moon Ravings, I can throw this in as a free bonus." Snow leaned back comfortably on the sofa, pouring himself another cup of red tea as he quietly enjoyed Xio's troubled look.
At this moment, Xio suddenly felt it was somewhat absurd.
The clue she had been pursuing for so long was now being treated as a "gift," while the "small problem" Fors always insisted was nothing was worth ten thousand gold pounds even after a discount?
Her father's false accusation involved the Loen Royal Family. If such information could be given as an afterthought, then what kind of terrifying situation was Fors currently facing?
Xio's gaze gradually became firm. Even if it were just to investigate the cause of her father's death, she would accept the price of those ten thousand commissions, let alone when it also involved Fors.
"I accept this deal." Xio looked up, meeting Snow's eyes.
Seeing this, Snow snapped his fingers. Snap! He immediately pulled a contract from under the coffee table.
He didn't have the ability to sign binding contracts himself, but after modifying the "Notary" ability of the Sun domain earlier, he had discovered that he could use his Sequence 7 power to create a contract that "made the signer feel they had signed an unbreakable contract."
Although this contract essentially had no legal effect,it couldn't punish a contract breaker nor notify the other party if it was broken,in a certain sense, this kind of contract was even more useful than a Notary's fair contract.
Watching the man before her quickly draft the text of the contract, Xio's heart rose and fell with the movement of his pen.
Ultimately, she didn't call a halt to the trade. After reading the contract once, she signed her name.
As the spiritual connection was established, Xio's gaze turned back to Snow.
"The contract is signed. Can you tell me about the Full Moon Ravings now? And... about my father."
"Of course." Snow nodded slightly, then pulled a silver ritual dagger from his sleeve. As his spirituality gushed forth, several spirituality walls sealed the entire room. Only after completing this did he put away his smile and say, "Then, let us first speak of your father's matter."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]
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A/N: "Arbiter" (仲裁人) - Sequence 9 of its respective pathway, known for its ability to enforce rules and maintain order.
A/N: "Contract of Belief" - Snow's modified usage of his Paradox pathway's abilities to create psychological bonds rather than mystical ones.
T/N: "Ten thousand times" (一万次) - A price that initially sounds ominous but is explained as a long-term debt of favors. This reflects Snow's role as a "Devil" who makes tempting but costly deals.
T/N: "Loen Royal Family" (鲁恩王室) - The highest authority in the Loen Kingdom, often enshrouded in conspiracies and secrets.