Asking for Compensation

Reman Linoyi's expression turned solemn when he heard Aunt Reta's request for him to return the barrier-bypass talisman.

Though he had anticipated this turn of events, he had hoped to avoid a falling out with Aunt Reta, who held sway within the Spirit farmers' community.

"Madam Reta, please don't be angered," Reman took a deep breath, carefully choosing his words to quell Aunt Reta's ire.

"I agree that the talisman was given to my family as a pre-wedding gift, so naturally, I wouldn't just keep it without offering you something now that Jasmine and Aksai won't be marrying.

How… how about I offer you 100 spirit stones in exchange for the barrier-type talisman?"

"You—" Aunt Reta's fists clenched tighter, ready to unleash her fury on Reman Linoyi. 

However, before she could speak, Aksai placed his palm over Aunt Reta's clenched fist, gently pressing it, and urging her to remain silent. When she turned to him, she saw Aksai's smile, speaking volumes to her.

Aunt Reta's anger subsided slightly upon seeing Aksai's calm demeanor. She took a deep breath before nodding at him, signaling for him to take charge of the conversation. 

After all, it was his potential marriage the two elders were discussing. He had as much right to speak on the matter as her if not more.

"Uncle Reman, may I ask you a few questions?" Aksai looked directly at Reman, who sat across from him. Reman was momentarily taken aback by Aksai's composed demeanor, seeing him in a favorable light despite their differences.

Reman's remarks about Aksai's family were merely a pretext to back out of the agreement he had previously made with Aunt Reta. While he may not marry his daughter off to Aksai, he didn't wish to sour his relationship with him either.

"Go ahead, lad," Reman replied promptly, snapping out of his reverie.

"You mentioned not knowing about my lineage as a reason for not marrying your daughter to me," Aksai's tone was neither submissive nor confrontational.

"I understand the dynamics of arranged marriages, so I won't fault your reasoning. Though you could have inquired about my lineage if truly interested, I won't dwell on that now.

It seems you're determined to annul the marriage. And that's all fine by me.

Still, your sudden change of heart intrigues me. When you initially agreed to my aunt's proposal, you knew as much about me as you do now. Nothing has changed since then. 

This suggests an external factor influenced your decision. I wonder what that might be?" Aksai asked, his gaze fixed on Reman with genuine curiosity.

Aunt Reta widened her eyes in surprise at Aksai's words. In her anger, she had failed to approach the situation with the same composure as Aksai. Even Reman was slightly taken aback by the boy's analysis.

After a moment of hesitation, he decided to speak the truth. After all, the aunt and nephew were soon to learn about Jasmine's potential marriage with the outer disciple of the Purple River Sect, so there was no point in concealing the matter.

In fact, now that it had come to this, he decided to borrow his future son-in-law's influence to sort out the matter.

"Well," Reman glanced at Aunt Reta, offering a wry smile before speaking in an awkward tone.

"The truth is, Madam Reta, I've found a better match for my daughter recently. This young man has become an outer disciple of the Purple River Sect and shows great promise in Spirit cultivation.

He… He has already reached the late-stage Spirit Refining realm before the age of 20. Now, tell me, how could I refuse such a match and choose Aksai over him?"

Reman explained, supposedly sighing with a sense of resignation. Yet, beneath his words, one could detect a hint of pride as he spoke about his future son-in-law's accomplishments.

Aunt Reta's expression became complicated upon hearing Reman's real reason for canceling the potential marriage between Aksai and Jasmine.

On one hand, she felt the urge to knock the man's head against the worn-out table and break both it and his nose in the process.

On the other hand, she was struck by the impressive background of Reman's future son-in-law. His status as an outer disciple of the Purple River Sect far surpassed her own standing as a mere 1st-order mid-grade talisman maker.

While she wanted to fight for Aksai as much as possible, she also felt truly powerless when faced with Jasmine's choice of such an influential and talented suitor. There was no way for her to defend Aksai's honor in their current situation.

"So that's how it is," Aksai nodded at Reman before speaking up.

"In that case, there's no need for us to hold your daughter back from the bright future ahead of her. We wish you and your daughter all the best for the future," Aksai smiled and spoke in a tone that conveyed he harbored no hard feelings.

"About the barrier-bypass talisman," Aksai's voice trailed off as he looked at Aunt Reta. She nodded at him, tacitly giving him full authority to decide on the matter. Aksai pondered for a moment before speaking up, his voice decisive and his tone serious.

"I suggest you offer 300 spirit stones for the barrier-type talisman. Either that, or you hand us the barrier-type talisman itself."

"This… 300 spirit stones is a bit too much," Reman's expression darkened as he spoke. 

"Lad, it's a 1st-order high-grade talisman. You wouldn't be able to get more than 200 spirit stones even if you were to sell them at Lakir City's market these days."

Although Aunt Reta had the option of putting such a rare talisman up for auction, she might not be able to handle the risks that came with it. Even if she were to sell it in Lakir City, the Lakir clan might pressure her into selling it for relatively fewer spirit stones than its actual market worth.

In essence, Reman's point about the talisman wasn't entirely unfounded. He had initially suggested 100 spirit stones as a starting point for negotiations. He had decided to buy the talisman for about 200 spirit stones so that he would be able to close the matter for good while avoiding a fallout with Aunt Reta.

Reman hadn't anticipated that Aksai would raise that amount by an additional 200 spirit stones in a single go.