Chapter 74: The Transaction
Claire greeted Marcus with a smile.
This booth operated on a low-profit, high-volume basis for ordinary goods, so she had already remembered Marcus as a major customer, especially since he was from Earth.
"The items are fine," Marcus replied with a smile and a nod. "I'm just browsing, hoping to find a good deal."
"You'll be disappointed. There are no bargains here. Besides ordinary items, no one dares to buy anything anomalous without the Crossroads' appraisal."
"That's true. After looking around, there really isn't anything great in this plaza."
At this point, Marcus seemed to remember something: "However..."
"However what?" Claire asked curiously.
"I just saw a woman sitting on a sign, completely obscuring it. I wonder what she has. Maybe she really got a bargain."
"I remember that this kind of behavior isn't allowed in the Crossroads Trading Area. I wonder where this woman comes from."
Claire smiled upon hearing this, adopting a knowing expression:
"Is she a rather heavy-set woman?"
"Yes, does Claire know where this woman comes from?" Marcus asked.
"Brother, you must be talking about someone named Ruby, one of the Shadow Keeper's subordinates."
"I saw her when I arrived. I guess the Shadow Keeper has her guarding something."
Claire seemed to realize this as well, smiling as she continued,
"The Shadow Keeper is a newly appointed keeper. Her Night Rain Society is allied with our Crimson Society, so we're all quite familiar with each other."
"If you need to make any trades, brother, I can act as a go-between. She's not one to take advantage; I'm sure she won't let you down!"
"By the way, after all this time, I still don't know your code name, brother?"
Marcus, hearing this, understood that Claire had probably already figured it out. He was indeed perceptive. Marcus himself was terrible at coming up with names, and seeing the tactical suit he was wearing, he said...
"Claire, just call me Doctor. To be honest, that Ruby is occupying my booth. I don't know what's going on, so I wanted to inquire. I'll have to trouble you."
Since Claire had already noticed, continuing to deny it would be deliberately insulting her intelligence. Marcus was worried that someone was trying to rob him.
Now that he heard the other party was a Keeper, and according to Claire, a fairly fair person, he should be able to get what he needed.
"Okay, Doctor, don't worry, I'll help you contact someone."
Claire took out something that looked like a smartphone, a communication tool used between their allies, but its functions were rather limited.
Messages could only be received when both parties were in Crossroads Plaza; once they returned to reality or entered a private room, they could no longer receive messages.
Claire flipped through several pages, selected Ruby, and sent a message.
Less than two minutes later, a substantial figure came bouncing over, bringing a wave of energy.
As soon as she reached him, Ruby, breathing heavily, said to Marcus in a surprisingly sweet voice,
"Oh, so you're the booth owner! I saw you just now. You're past your time limit, you know? There were people waiting for you, and you were just wandering around. I was so worried, thinking something had happened."
"Um, Ruby, I saw you waiting over there. Why were you sitting on someone's sign? Anyone would think you were blocking it on purpose, of course no one would bother you," Claire asked, somewhat exasperated.
"Oh? Is that so!" Ruby scratched her head upon hearing this. "When I was standing there, people kept mistaking me for a booth owner, asking me what Soul Plant was, and wanting to take a look."
"They didn't even know what Soul Plant was and still wanted to ask. I told them I wasn't a booth owner, and they said if I wasn't, why was I standing there? After that, I ignored them, but some people thought I had hearing problems and came right next to me, gesturing."
"It annoyed me so much that I just sat down and blocked their view." Ruby said, then apologized to Marcus, "I'm sorry, I didn't think that much of it, I'm really sorry."
Now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, Marcus waved his hand, indicating that he didn't mind; the transaction was more important.
"The Soul Plant is still with me. Do you want to trade it, or...?" Marcus asked.
"No, it's Shadow. I'll send her a message right now."
Ruby took out her communicator, sent a message, and then turned her gaze to the cluster of structures on her left.
Claire and Marcus followed Ruby's gaze.
A distant structure, like a beacon, seemed to brighten for a moment, and a white figure flickered and drifted closer along the shadowy path.
In a short while, a woman dressed in white suddenly appeared beside the three of them.
Her beautiful face, veiled in black, turned slightly first, then her neck, and then her shoulders and body.
Normally, when a person turns, their feet move first, leading to a body twist; but she seemed to have her head leading the twist.
Her entire body appeared fluid and graceful, not quite human-like, but more like silk flowing in the wind, stretching and twisting in the breeze.
It didn't look scary; instead, it had a strange sense of elegance.
"Keeper!" "Keeper Shadow!"
The three greeted her in unison upon seeing her appear.
"Ruby, Claire, thank you both. Ruby, you should go and rest." Shadow nodded.
Ruby hummed in agreement and disappeared from the spot; she was just catching up on a crucial part of her show and was eager to finish.
"Claire, you should go too; it seems someone's come to the booth." Shadow said to Claire, who was waiting beside her.
"Alright, I'll go now." Claire was about to turn and leave when, as if remembering something, she added, "Keeper, this Doctor should also be from Earth."
After saying this, she bowed and left, returning to her booth to continue serving customers.
Upon hearing this, Shadow's cold gaze softened noticeably, though her expression remained somewhat reserved, as if she wanted to express kindness but didn't know how.
Only Marcus and Shadow remained.
"Ruby said you're called Doctor, right? Let's go to your private room to talk." Shadow said.
Hearing this, Marcus inwardly praised the other party, who was clearly considering his safety. The private room was a completely safe zone, demonstrating her good faith.
"Keeper, please come in!"
Marcus summoned the entrance, granting Shadow's request for entry. The two entered Marcus's private room together.
"This is the Soul-type Venus Flytrap I obtained."
The two sat facing each other across a coffee table, Marcus placing the Soul Plant possessed by Ray on the table.
Everything in the room was under Marcus's control; if he disagreed, the other party couldn't forcibly take the Soul Plant.
Shadow picked up the Soul Plant, examining it carefully, seemingly deep in thought.
(End of Chapter)
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