Chapter 160 Negotiate with the Lord of Twilight

Inside the cave, the air was damp and musty. The only source of light came from a small opening at the top, casting eerie shadows on the walls. 

Ulquiorra closed his eyes as he rested on a stone slab. He could feel the coolness of the cave seeping into his bones. The silence within the cave was broken only by the faint sound of dripping water, creating a soothing rhythm that echoed through the darkness. 

He loved to stay inside the cave because it was silent and calm. The solitude allowed him to reflect and find solace in his own thoughts, offering a sense of tranquility that he couldn't find anywhere else. 

He just fought with two Vasto Lordes and got a little injured. 

He would rest here a little bit and his little injury would be completely healed.  As he sat in the cave, he could feel the tension slowly leaving his body, replaced by a deep sense of relaxation. 

The healing properties of the cave's atmosphere seemed to work wonders, accelerating his recovery.

After he was completely healed, he would go visit the Lord of Solitude to get his payment.

The lord of solitude had something that he wanted. So he accepted the request to fight with two Vasto Lordes.

And as he rested, he suddenly opened his eyes. 

"Hum?"

Ulquiorra looked at the entrance of the cave. 

He could not feel anything out of the ordinary. But his instinct told him that there was something outside.

He slowly stood up from the ground and walked toward the entrance.

"Who are you?"

Ulquiorra saw a man in black clothes. His skin wasn't black or white. It was a color that he had never seen before in any arrancar.  

The man in black clothes looked at him for a moment before he replied.

"I am Kurosaki Ichigo."

"What are you? You are not an arrancar, I can tell."

"I am a Shinigami."

"Shinigami? I have never heard of it before. And why are you here?"

Ulquiorra looked at him intensely. Even though he could not feel any power from him. But he knew that he must be very strong.

At least he must be stronger than Barragan and Nnoitra.

…

Ichigo looked at Ulquiorra. He could feel that he was very strong. As strong as a captain in the Soul Society.

Ulquiorra didn't have any malicious thoughts toward him, so he didn't have to be hostile to him either. He seemed curious about him and just wanted to know who he was and what he was.

As to the question of why he was here, Ichigo thought about it and replied.

"I came here to investigate the explosion. Are you the one who caused it?"

Ichigo asked and he didn't think he would get any answers back that quickly, but he was surprised. Ulquiorra just nodded and accepted that it was him who did it.

He didn't seem to care why he wanted to know that. It was a mentality of someone who was very strong.

"It was my doing when I fought with the Lord of Death and the Lord of Despair. If I have disturbed you in any way, I apologize."

He was very polite and considerate for a Vasto Lorde. Ichigo felt that he might be able to befriend him like he did with Harribel.

"No, I just want to know the cause and I know about it now. Thank you for being honest about it. However, I'm curious about the reason behind your fight with the Lord of Death and the Lord of Despair. Can you tell me why?"

Ichigo knew who the Lord of Death was from Haribel but he didn't know about the Lord of Despair. This was a very good opportunity for him to gather more information.

And what lord was he? He could already tell from how strong he was. He must be the Lord of Twilight that many Arrancars have spoken of.

He could fight with two lords and seemed to be very cool about it.

Ulquiorra thought about it and then replied.

"I fought them for someone with a certain price but I can't tell you what the price is."

Ichigo nodded so the information that the Lord of Twilight was a mercenary was true. He could use him as a source of information if he did something for a price.

"Well, I won't ask then. But do you sell information?"

Ulquiorra nodded.

"I do, but the price varies according to how important the information is."

Ichigo smiled, then asked about the Lord of Despair.

"Hum, So you don't know many things about us; I will tell you about the Lord of Despair if you tell me about Shinigami."

"No, I can't do it. Information about Shinigami is way too high for the information I could get from ordinary Arrancars."

"So you have traveled around, if you could say that. Then how about tell me something ordinary about Shinigami?"

The negotiation continued as Ichigo tried to find a middle ground with Ulquiorra. 

"Alright, how about this? I'll give you some general information about Shinigami, and in return, you can share a lesser-known fact about the Lord of Despair. That way, we both benefit from the exchange without compromising too much." 

Ulquiorra considered Ichigo's proposal for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.

"Then let's proceed with the exchange. I will tell you first, then."

Ichigo would tell him about Shinigami because he would know about it sooner or later. He was near the place where they would make a base.

It was a good idea if he could form a friendly relationship with the locals.