-266- What kind of person?

Argo's explanation made sense to Rozen.

In other words...

"Familiar and weapon, even if only one of them can be successfully traded, that's not bad... Is that what you mean?" Rozen voiced his thoughts to Argo, earning a thumbs-up from her.

To this, Rozen had only one thought.

"They sure are persistent..."

Rozen muttered to himself and then disinterestedly inquired, "So, what does the other party want?"

Even though he asked this way, Rozen knew what the other party wanted.

"Definitely the familiar, right?"

That was beyond doubt.

Though the "Anneal Blade +8" was indeed very powerful, capable of being used until Floor 4 without issues, it was at best early-game equipment. Starting from Floor 5, weapons with higher performance than the "Anneal Blade" would appear, even if they were unenhanced prototypes.

So, currently, Rozen's "Anneal Blade +8" was certainly among the top-tier weapons for players, but in terms of potential, it was low, to the point of being depleted. After all, the sword's eight enhancements had already been used up, and it couldn't be improved even slightly.

Compared to weapons, familiars had higher potential. Although it depended on species and rarity, familiars that could be upgraded like players and unlock skills, even if they had lower potential, they wouldn't become useless in the early stages of the game. Until reaching Floor 50 or above, players wouldn't think of discarding familiars.

Not to mention, Rainbow Butterfly was an ultra-rare species, with only seven existing in the entire SAO. Even if it were cultivated properly and invested in, using it until the end of the game wouldn't be a problem.

Even if the other party didn't know the rarity of the Rainbow Butterfly, familiars were inherently precious. Only Rozen had obtained one during the beta testing period. This spoke volumes about the potential and value of familiars.

At the very least, if it were Rozen, he would definitely choose the familiar over a weapon that lost its value in the early game.

However...

"Once again, you guessed wrong, ZenZen."

Argo said this playfully.

"The other party doesn't want the familiar; they want your weapon."

The unexpected choice left Rozen once again dumbfounded.

"They don't want the familiar but the weapon?"

This time, Rozen was genuinely puzzled.

Last time, Rozen guessed that the other party was a team leader, considering they could offer so much money, but he ended up being wrong.

This time, Rozen guessed the other party wanted a rarer and more powerful familiar, but he was wrong again.

For the usually calculating Rozen, this was an exceedingly rare occurrence.

Once could be excused, but to get it wrong twice, what kind of person was the other party exactly?

Rozen's mind was immediately filled with various thoughts.

He even contemplated buying information from Argo.

However, this wouldn't be wise.

If the other party truly didn't want Rozen to know their information, they would keep raising the price until Rozen couldn't afford it.

If the other party didn't mind their identity being revealed, then even if Rozen spent money to buy the information, the outcome wouldn't be detrimental.

"Well, this is certainly interesting..."

The corners of Rozen's mouth curved upward slowly.

For those familiar with Rozen, this expression indicated his growing interest in something.

Of course, Rozen didn't voice his thoughts.

He just looked at Argo and asked with curiosity, "What price did they offer?"

Rozen's question prompted Argo to respond without hesitation.

"60,000 Col."

Argo rapped her fingers on the table in front of her, sounding like she was shopping as she boldly spoke.

"If you're willing to sell, the other party is offering 60,000 Col to buy your weapon."

This was another unexpected number.

As mentioned earlier, a high-performance weapon like the "Anneal Blade" had a market price of around 15,000 Col, and a fully enhanced "Anneal Blade +8" would fall between 40,000 to 50,000 Col, depending on the enhancement parameters.

Rozen's "Anneal Blade +8 (4s, 2q, 2d)" had enhancements of +4 Sharpness, +2 Quickness, and +2 Durability. With these enhancement parameters, he could certainly sell it for the top price of 50,000 Col.

In other words, 50,000 Col was the maximum Rozen could get for his "Anneal Blade +8."

But the other party was offering 60,000 Col?

Something was definitely amiss here.

Unless the other party was a brainless player with an extreme fondness for weapons, there was no way they would offer this much. Could a brainless player amass 60,000 Col, or even the 200,000 Col they previously offered?

Clearly not.

As for a weapon enthusiast, that possibility could also be ruled out.

A true weapon enthusiast wouldn't have hesitated to buy Rozen's familiar previously.

So, Rozen really wanted to ask Argo about this.

"This transaction seems quite mysterious. Haven't you ever suspected something?" Rozen looked at Argo with a perplexed gaze.

However, his inquiry was met with a smirk from Argo.

"I did think the same thing initially," Argo replied in a more inquisitive tone. "But after meeting the client, I changed my mind. He doesn't seem like someone who would scheme extensively. Rather, he seems like someone who can be easily manipulated by others, or even the type who would be caught easily and jailed immediately if he did something wrong."

"What kind of person is that?" Rozen's interest deflated like a balloon.

"In any case, you don't need to worry about traps in this deal. I wouldn't have taken on an assignment that seemed dangerous," Argo explained with unwavering determination.

Rozen was quite relieved by this aspect.

Argo might lack principles, but she wasn't devoid of conscience. If she genuinely judged something as dangerous, she wouldn't casually sell the information.

With this, Rozen decided not to pursue the matter further.

"Never mind, it's none of my concern who the other party is."

Rozen responded to Argo.

"Just let them know that I don't plan on selling the weapon."

Even though the price had exceeded the weapon's value, it still provided more benefits to Rozen at present as compared to the "Anneal Blade +8."

"No matter what, the strategy battle against the Floor 1 boss will start soon. I won't sell my weapon for a bit of money and weaken myself needlessly," Rozen explained. "Besides, I'm not short on money."

As one of the first beta testers, how could Rozen possibly be short on money?

In Rozen's inventory alone, he had over 70,000 Col.

Naturally, if one calculated Rozen's equipment, items, and familiars, his wealth was even greater. Not to mention the money he spent on enhancing weapons and cultivating familiars, which added up to even more.

"You're right," Argo agreed with Rozen's stance. "I'll go reply to them then. See you at the strategy meeting in three days."

Rozen nodded.

The two of them parted ways at the bar.

Little did they know that this matter was also tied to the strategy that would unfold in three days.