A Successful Deal

The life energy contained in mid-grade elven spring water far surpasses that of low-grade elven spring water, making it several times more valuable. After a moment of contemplation, the masked man spoke, "Give me four thousand bottles of mid-grade elven spring water, and the dragon corpse is yours."

Sophia shook her head. "A skeleton is far from worth that much mid-grade elven spring water."

Four thousand bottles of mid-grade elven spring water were worth over ten million gold coins. She wasn't foolish enough to agree to such a price, or her lord would surely doubt her business acumen.

The masked man asked, "Then how much is the guild president willing to offer?"

"This much," Sophia replied, holding up one finger.

The masked man almost walked out. He despised women and swindlers, and this lowball offer was an insult. "It seems the guild president isn't serious about making this deal."

Sophia, still sincere, said, "If it were a fresh dragon corpse, I'd offer more. But this is just a skeleton."

The masked man retorted, "This dragon was of a saintly rank in life."

Sophia remained firm. "But it's still just a skeleton."

The masked man's breathing grew heavier, clearly annoyed by Sophia's repeated emphasis on the skeleton.

"So what if it's a skeleton?" he thought. To a necromancer, it was a treasure.

After a tense pause, he said, "Three thousand five hundred bottles of mid-grade elven spring water, that's my lowest offer."

"Thirteen hundred," Sophia countered.

The masked man fell silent.

After a fierce negotiation, they finally settled on eighteen hundred bottles of mid-grade elven spring water. The masked man's voice was lower than before, "The guild president is a sharp businesswoman. The dragon hide alone is worth a fortune."

Sophia smiled. "If it weren't for the dragon hide being usable for top-tier gear, I'd have only offered you five hundred bottles for the skeleton."

The masked man trembled with frustration, eager to leave. "Since the deal is done, let's make the trade."

"Hold on," Sophia said calmly. "I'm arranging for the elven spring water to be delivered. If you trust me, you can leave the dragon corpse here and pick up the water at our guild residence tomorrow."

"I trust you, of course," the masked man said, but he pocketed the space ring. "However, fairness dictates we exchange goods simultaneously."

He handed Sophia a magical communication device. "Contact me when the spring water is ready."

"Agreed," Sophia replied.

Once the masked man left, Sophia and the old mage Simon also exited the room. Back at the guild residence, Sophia immediately informed Haotian of the successful negotiation and the possibility of obtaining more dragon corpses from the masked man.

"Lord Haotian, the dragon corpse is almost entirely a skeleton, desiccated, as if it's been a mummified relic for years."

"That's fine," Haotian said. "Skeletons are preferable and cheaper. Besides, it's for recruiting undead dragon units, so the condition is irrelevant."

"Understood, my lord. Horden will arrive soon. We'll negotiate to acquire as many dragon corpses as possible."

"Good."

In Haotian's plan, even one dragon corpse was a great success. He hadn't anticipated the possibility of acquiring many desiccated dragon corpses, making him curious about the masked man's true identity.

"If he's not bluffing... the force behind him must be incredibly powerful. But there's an issue. If they're so formidable, why would they need to trade for elven spring water? They could easily deal with the high elves."

"The fact that they approached the Crystal Merchant Guild and concealed their identity suggests they're a shadowy organization."

"Could they be part of some dark faction? What could they need such quantities of elven spring water for?"

Haotian's thoughts raced, but with too little information, he couldn't reach a conclusion.

"Enough speculating. Let's secure the dragon corpses first."

Time flew by, and by nightfall, Old Butler Horden and the Royal Judgement Knights arrived at [Forest City], entering the Crystal Merchant Guild's residence and meeting Sophia. Learning that Horden had brought over twenty thousand bottles of mid-grade elven spring water stunned Sophia.

"The lord's stock of elven spring water far exceeds my imagination," she thought. "Could the mysterious benefactor behind Haotian be from the high elves? Otherwise, how could he have so much elven spring water?"

Reflecting on the transformation of the Golden Oasis, she became more convinced of this theory.

The masked man, apparently in urgent need of elven spring water, arrived shortly after receiving Sophia's message, despite it being late at night. They carefully examined each other's goods before making the exchange, both wary of being deceived.

Having obtained his desired elven spring water, the masked man's tone softened. "If the guild president needs more, we can arrange another trade soon."

"That's what I hope for," Sophia replied, adding, "But if it's more skeletons, the price will have to be slightly lower. Elven spring water isn't easy to come by."

At her words, the masked man's good mood vanished. He turned to leave but paused to say, "Wait for my message."

Watching him go, Sophia smiled. She had tested the masked man's desperation for elven spring water, aiming to save her lord some resources. This was her duty as a merchant, and the result did not disappoint.