“Why is this compass from the God Race and it’s even a product of Fig Corporation?” Xia Fei asked, puzzled.
It had to be stated that they were now in the territory of the Demon Race, so how could he get a hold of a Fig Corporation compass out here? This was definitely a huge insult.
Ricky smiled. “Is this the first time you’re purchasing such a high-grade compass?”
Xia Fei nodded. No one would care to make repeated purchases of a spatial compass which was worth several tens of thousands Origin Crystals unless they were literally overflowing with money. Just thinking about how much he would have to spend just to get a hold of this made his heart ache a lot.
“The two peak races have been at loggerheads since time of old, always in a state of opposition with each other. That is why they will spare no effort in fighting their enemy. Illegal goods like this unregistered spatial compass impacts the rules greatly; if an expert own such a compass, they can be allowed to go wherever they desire without any restriction whatsoever, so the two races place strict restrictions to their subordinates, disallowing them from purchasing such unregistered compasses.
“We’re in the Demon Race territory. Think about it yourself; wouldn’t the God Race desire to see chaos here? That is why the God Race secretly produces unregistered compasses and sells them to the Demon Race; likewise, the Demon Race produces compasses to sell to the illegal merchants from the God Race.”
Xia Fei suddenly realized what he meant. This was what had been referred to as mutual destruction, which would happen during economic wars. Their own race would of course not be selling banned items, but they would be more than happy to do so to their enemies. This was why a spatial compass produced by the God Race could appear in Demon territory, for it was simply just the two sides mutually trying to damage each other.
“Because there’s been a surge of unregistered compasses flooding the market in recent years, plenty of chaos ensued in the territories of the two peak races, especially from those forgotten tribes. They often acquire such compasses to kill and abscond with goods. Their methods are very vicious indeed.
“These are all the side effects of having the two supreme races clashing with each other, which is why, over a hundred or so years ago, the two races came to an accord for both sides not to sell unregistered spatial compasses in either’s territory, thereby reducing the chaos in the Law Realm. Of course, there are still stocks from the past out in the market, though their prices have of course become inflated accordingly.
“I won’t lie to you; this particular compass is considered the premium treasure I have in my little shop—something I have been unwilling to sell for many years. If not for the fact that you got matched up with me, I wouldn’t offer it up for sale. I’m sure you heard of the illustrious name of Fig Corporation, which is of the God Race and can even be considered to be the most powerful company in the Law Realm. Everything Fig produces is sure to be of superb quality; it’s rare for commoners to even get a glimpse of most of its stuff.”
Though Ricky was polite, he was still a shrewd businessman deep down. His words had very subtly hinted to Xia Fei that this spatial compass would not be sold for cheap.
“What’s the travel distance that this compass provides?” Xia Fei asked. He could already vaguely sense that Ricky would be taking a vicious swipe at him today, but it could not be helped. It was nobody’s fault but his own for urgently needing such a superior compass.
“Fig Corporation 100 series compass. It is of the Precision Edition and affords an effective travel radius of ten billion lightyears from the center of the Law Realm. Its most unique feature lies in its accuracy, with an error not exceeding one centimeter for every 100 million lightyears!
“You ought to know that spatial compasses are items that very often produce errors. After all, the level of skill required to open such a long spatial tunnel is immense! For there to only be a centimeter of error every 100 million lightyears means that you’ll at most shift a meter from the coordinates you input if you travel over ten billion lightyears.
“That is why this spatial compass has been called a Precision Edition. Presently, in this entire Law Realm, only the Fig Corporation is able to achieve such a small margin of error!”
Xia Fei could feel his heart bleed when he heard this. The Precision Edition would no doubt be more expensive than the normal edition, which probably meant that this item would cost him an arm and a leg!
After a slight pause, Xia Fei asked, “Actually, all I’m looking for is just the normal edition, but since there’s none, I guess I can make do. How much are you selling this compass?”
Xia Fei, of course, knew what this high precision meant. What he meant by making do was just a tactic to help him keep the price down.
When attempting such a super long range of travel, even the smallest error could result in a fatal outcome. If he wanted to get from one warship to another, the margin of error would ultimately have him travel right into steel alloy plates which measured dozens of meters thick. In such a scenario, he could not cry even if he wanted to, since the body would instantly fuse with the metal and his life would end just like that.
Normally, when using a spatial compass, it would be better to choose a fairly open space to land on; this was to account for the potential margin of error. Of course, the more precise the compass was, the more locations he could choose to travel to and the more convenient it was to use.
Ricky said, “For a spatial compass that only has an error of ten meters every 100 million lightyears, it can be considered an exceptional product. The fact that this compass from the Fig Corporation can achieve a centimeter of error is already shocking in itself! It just goes to show how amazing it is.
“Since this is the first time you’re visiting my little shop, I may chalk it up to fate. Let us be friends and I’ll charge you nine hundred grade 5 Origin Crystals, and this powerful 100 series Precision Edition spatial compass from Fig Corporation will belong to you.”
Nine hundred grade 5 Origin Crystals would come up to ninety thousand grade 4 crystals! Furthermore, the energy stored within a grade 5 Origin Crystal was considered to be top-notch; aside from the rich clans, who were at the level of the Nine Great Clans, the average person would never have seen even one of them before, and Xia Fei did not even have a single one on him to offer.
Honestly, the price was not considered exorbitant and could even be considered cheap. Such a top-grade spatial compass would cost at least thirty thousand grade 4 Origin Crystals if bought legitimately, and Ricky had only asked for three times this price as his opening offer.
Ultimately, this was an unregistered, illegal item. Charging ninety thousand for such an illegal product, which could be used whenever, was definitely considered a kindness.
“I can accept that price for this. Sell this compass to me, though I don’t have that much currency on me right now, so I’ll have to sell you some things before I can purchase it outright,” Xia Fei said.
Ricky was quite surprised. He had sensed a very unique scent from Xia Fei with his keen merchant’s intuition, and it was the calm and composure that an expert would characteristically possess, so he quickly surmised that Xia Fei was not someone of lowly caliber.
In the Law Realm, wealth and caliber were often proportional, and the higher level a warrior was, the more wealth they had to their name. That was why he had been so courteous with Xia Fei, different from the snobs in restaurants. Ricky was interested in making major transactions, and his judgment was on the mark.
Xia Fei planned to buy the spatial compass for a price of ninety thousand grade 4 Origin Crystals. Ricky, as such, ended up getting the shorter end of the stick with this deal.
“Heh… Since the esteemed client is so forthright, let us head upstairs and discuss more. I won’t deny it; I, Solomon, is considered one of the best businessmen in Black Lion City, regardless if you’re selling something legitimate or otherwise, I’ll take them all as long as they are of value.”
Seeing that he was on the cusp of cinching his major transaction, it was time for him to demonstrate his own prowess. Ricky boasted freely as he led Xia Fei up to the second floor, where a fancy and quiet room awaited them.
The staff gingerly brought a silver platter over and lying atop it was a metal casing with the Fig Corporation insignia etched on. Ricky opened the case to reveal the superior-quality, black spatial compass, which was just slightly bigger than a watch, surrounded by whiteand plush velvet cushion that further accentuated its grandeur.
“This here before you is the 100 series Precision Edition spatial compass from Fig Corporation. It has a fully automated search function for coordinates, so if the coordinates you key in are dangerous, the compass will warn you with a prompt. Its superalloy exterior makes it waterproof, fireproof, and impact-resistant., able to withstand even the most hazardous conditions. Its small size makes it easy to hold in your hand, and it’s silent and instant when activated.
“More importantly, this spatial compass has the ability to let multiple people pass through. A normal spatial compass will at most allow three to use it together, but this here allows a total of six people, which is twice what a normal compass offers! After all, it costs money to activate a spatial compass every time, so being able to have more people pass through each time will end up saving you quite a bit of money!” Ricky gave an enthusiastic rundown of its features, praising how precious the performance of this compass offered.
If Xia Fei sold this item, he would at least set a price point of at least two million, so getting it for a mere ninety thousand? Would he really miss out on such a steal like this?
*Snap*
Ricky shut the case. Xia Fei had yet to pay, so the item had yet to belong to him. The most Xia Fei could do at this point was look.
“Esteemed client, can you show me the items that you are looking to sell?” Ricky smiled. He was someone who stuck to the rules. He had not asked for Xia Fei’s name, since humans who turned up in Demon territory would more often than not be criminals looking to run from the law. Asking for a name would, instead, be taboo.
Xia Fei nodded and pulled out the darkness metal weapon, Waning Moon’s Toll!
“Darkness metal!” Ricky’s pupils widened, and a look of excitement became visible in them.
“This is actually darkness metal! What a treasure—an absolute treasure!”
Xia Fei did not share his sentiment. He still had the other Ode of Hundred Spirits in his spatial ring. It was also forged using darkness metal. Comparing the two, he felt that the Ode of Hundred Spirits’ ability to split and attack was something he could take advantage of more. As for the dagger, Xia Fei already had the phenomenal demonic dagger Blood Crystal, which was far greater than this weapon he was now selling.
While Waning Moon’s Toll was something unimportant to Xia Fei, it was something that Ricky could not keep his eyes off, his fingers incessantly caressing the blade, heaping praise upon praise.
“Refined darkness metal with flawless craftsmanship… This dagger must be a masterpiece of a master artificer! Its design is unique as well, meaning that the person who designed it is at the master level. This is no doubt a weapon of the highest quality, peerless and exquisite!”
More than ten minutes passed, yet Ricky was still unwilling to let go of Waning Moon’s Toll.
“Esteemed guest, do you truly wish to sell this darkness metal weapon?”
“Yes.”
“Alright then.” Ricky was invigorated hearing this. He asked somberly, “Name your price.”
With a smile, Xia Fei offered, “One million grade 4 Origin Crystal.”
Ricky’s smile frozen, his expression turning unsightly.
Actually, Xia Fei had no clue how much darkness metal went for, but Lionheart Emperor Oro had once told him that using Waning Moon’s Toll would be enough to exchange for a superior spatial compass and with some surplus, so he gave a starting price of one million.
An overwhelming asking price that could be haggled down was the habit a merchant from earth had, Xia Fei of course was confident in his skills in doing so, not at all embarrassed when giving such a price at the start, looking like it was a reasonable offer.
After quite some time, Ricky asked again, “H-How… much?”
“A million grade 4 crystals.” Xia Fei raised a single finger for emphasis.
Just as he said this, he heard the door pull open.
“A million? I’ll take it!”
Turning around, Xia Fei’s forehead creased.
