Chapter 46 : Negotiation

“Jeosun, over here.”

As I entered the café, I saw Kim Hayun waving from a secluded seat.

I approached and sat across from Kim Hayun.

Meanwhile, Vanessa and Jeanne sat at a distant table and ordered coffee.

I wanted to keep them hidden as much as possible.

The reason was, of course, to conceal my ability.

If I introduced them, the fact that they were summons would eventually be revealed, and that would expose my ability as well.

I had learned from Anwi that recklessly revealing one’s ability was equivalent to risking one’s life.

Especially in my case, having a unique ability meant I had to be even more cautious.

It was common knowledge—even just from the internet—what happened to someone who won the lottery and went around telling everyone about it.

In fact, among top-tier hunters, many kept their abilities secret for the same reason.

Everyone had at least one hidden trump card for survival.

Vanessa and Jeanne also agreed with my opinion, which was why they sat far away.

One might think that, in that case, they shouldn’t have come along at all, but…

Anyway.

“What brings you here?”

“Ah, well…”

Kim Hayun glanced around before speaking in a low voice, just loud enough for me to hear.

“There’s someone who wants to meet you, Jeosun.”

As she spoke, Kim Hayun wrote something down in a small notebook she had brought.

[England, Cunningham, Idues, Purification.]

It was just a list of words rather than a complete sentence, but it was easy to understand.

‘Demonic Sword Idues.’

The beloved sword of Godfrey of Bouillon, leader of the First Crusade.

A war trophy obtained after cutting off the right arm of Kilij Arslan I, the second sultan of the Rum Sultanate.

It was known as a demonic sword cursed with the ‘Sultan’s Curse.’

And the family that possessed Idues was the Marquess of Cunningham in England.

‘Idues is said to have been corrupted inside a gate, isn’t it?’

In other words, the Marquess of Cunningham wanted me to purify the corrupted Idues.

[What are the conditions?]

[20 billion won.]

20 billion won.

That was an outrageous amount to be paid for a single purification.

I had earned 5 billion won from selling Anwi’s sword.

But that was because Anwi’s sword had lost much of its durability, which lowered its value.

In fact, after the Noryang Gate raid, the Dawn Constellation had only displayed Anwi’s sword as an ornament.

Anwi’s sword was so fragile that it would break after just one or two uses.

“It would be best if you discussed the details in person.”

“Understood.”

With that, Kim Hayun said she would contact me again and left the café.

I moved to where Vanessa and Jeanne were sitting and shared my conversation with Kim Hayun.

Since we were the only ones in the café, there was no risk of being overheard.

And after hearing the full story, their reactions were…

“Reject it.”

“I don’t think you should do it.”

They were against it.

I had a guess as to why, but I asked anyway.

“Why?”

“From what you’ve said, 20 billion won seems like a significant amount of money to you.”

“Yes, it’s a lot of money.”

Wouldn’t that be enough to become a building owner?

“But as you know, there will be plenty of opportunities to earn money in the future.”

Vanessa was right.

20 billion won was a large sum, but I would have many chances to make money.

Even if I just purified and sold cursed artifacts, I could easily make tens of billions.

Using the Transcendent’s Connector, I could acquire relics even better than Anwi’s sword and sell them.

Since I wasn’t in urgent need of money, 20 billion won didn’t hold much significance for me.

“The one in control here is you, so the negotiation should be on your terms, not theirs.”

“I think Vanessa is right.”

I nodded in agreement.

It was the Marquess of Cunningham who was in a desperate situation, not me.

They were the ones holding onto the ‘Sultan’s Demonic Realm’—a dangerous gate that could explode at any moment.

But if not money, what should I ask for in return?

“The Cunningham family should have Essence.”

At Vanessa’s words, my eyes widened.

“Essence?”

“Yes. The Cunningham family is a knightly house closely tied to the British royal family.”

The royal family and their close associates monopolized Essence. They didn’t publicly disclose it, but it was well known.

Hiding valuable resources was their specialty.

Vanessa spoke in a calm but cutting tone about the British royal family and their inner circle.

Then, she suggested a new condition.

“How about 60 billion won and Essence?”

“…What?”

“If they want to save their house, they should pay an appropriate price, don’t you think?”

Vanessa smiled brightly as she said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand the value of 60 billion won.

She had learned plenty about money over the past few days.

“The Cunningham family is extremely wealthy. So there’s no need to worry about them not being able to pay.”

Still, wasn’t tripling the price a bit too much?

And adding Essence on top of that?

“If it’s difficult for you, shall I negotiate on your behalf?”

“It’s fine. I wouldn’t want to burden you, Vanessa. I’ll handle the negotiation myself.”

I refused Vanessa’s offer.

If I left it to her, I had a feeling she would squeeze not just 60 billion but even a trillion won out of them.

Vanessa, being from East End, had a rather hostile relationship with the British royal family.

Of course, having more money was great, but I didn’t want to create unnecessary trouble.

Still, after hearing Vanessa’s thoughts, my perspective shifted a little.

‘I should at least get 40 billion.’

I heard they are a wealthy family, so wouldn’t it be fine to receive that much?

Of course, the essence as well.

Without realizing it, my way of thinking was becoming influenced by Vanessa.

The day arrived when I was supposed to meet the Marquis of Cunningham.

“Master, since it might be dangerous, please take my scissors with you.”

At the front door, Vanessa handed me her golden scissors.

“Are you sure you can give this to me?”

“If it’s you, Master, you can keep it entirely.”

Without her exclusive artifact, Vanessa’s combat ability would naturally decrease.

Even so, she handed over her scissors without hesitation, as if it didn’t matter.

I was slightly touched.

“Thank you, Vanessa.”

Vanessa smiled silently.

By the way…

“I don’t even know how to use scissors.”

“You just cut with them.”

Vanessa cheerfully mimicked a cutting motion with her fingers.

What exactly am I supposed to cut?

I was afraid to ask.

“Sir Jeosun, take my flag as well.”

Seeing Vanessa hand over her scissors, Jeanne, unwilling to lose, handed me her flag.

[Saint’s Flag]
[Grade: Epic]

It was a flag made by Saint Joan of Arc.

‘The grade has increased.’

Jeanne’s flag, which once had the label “crude,” had now risen from rare to epic.

Since Jeanne herself was a legend, it was natural that the flag she carried was gradually becoming “legendary” over time.

Given enough time, it might reach the level of the “Flags of the Saints,” a holy relic from the Hundred Years’ War.

But that aside…

[Vanessa Walker’s Golden Scissors]
[Grade: Legendary]

• The golden scissors of Vanessa Walker, the tailor recorded as Jack the Ripper. They possess an extraordinary cutting power that can sever anything.

Attack Power: 2800 ~ ???

‘These are incredible scissors.’

Although Vanessa’s scissors had lower attack power than a twin dragon sword, they had the advantage of being lightweight and fast.

Swish—

The shoe cabinet I tested it on sliced apart like tofu.

‘I need to use this carefully.’

If I wasn’t careful, I might cut my own hand.

I carefully put the scissors into my pocket and stored Jeanne’s flag in my subspace backpack.

For reference, both relics did not take up inventory slots since they were bound items belonging to Jeanne and Vanessa.

“Call us if you need anything.”

“Yes, I will summon you if it gets dangerous.”

After dismissing the two, I waited for the cooldown to pass before heading to the café in Cheongdam-dong to meet the Marquis of Cunningham.

It seemed like he had rented out the entire place because there wasn’t a single person inside the three-story café.

The Marquis of Cunningham sat on the terrace, accompanied by his attendants.

“Welcome. You must be the Purifier.”

The Marquis of Cunningham rose from his seat and greeted me warmly.

Meanwhile, I was momentarily startled when I saw his face.

His name was Alexander Cunningham.

The first Swordmaster of England that I had encountered.

A knight with whom I once exchanged swords in the back alleys of East End.

The Marquis of Cunningham’s appearance was exactly the same as that knight.

Even his aura was identical.

“My name is Gerald Cunningham.”

‘I had a hunch when I heard the name Cunningham…’

So he was a descendant.

Now I understood why Vanessa had shown such hostility toward him.

Even if they were merely carrying out royal orders, it didn’t change the fact that the Cunningham family was one of the main forces that framed Vanessa as Jack the Ripper.

Meanwhile, the Marquis of Cunningham looked at Choi Jeosun with curiosity in his eyes.

‘So the Purifier is a young man.’

Purifiers who cleansed magical contamination were usually older priests or monks.

In contrast, Choi Jeosun was incredibly young.

At most, he looked like he was in his late twenties.

However, the Marquis of Cunningham was not foolish enough to judge someone based on their appearance.

The mere fact that he had purified the cursed bridle was enough proof that he wasn’t someone to be underestimated.

Still, one could not entrust a family treasure to just anyone.

The Marquis of Cunningham decided to ‘test’ Choi Jeosun.

“I heard that you purified the cursed bridle.”

“That’s correct.”

“Then, can you purify this sword as well?”

The Marquis of Cunningham drew the sword from his waist.

It was a dull-colored blade, tainted with a murky glow.

The Cursed Sword, Edyuz.

Edyuz was called a “cursed sword” because its wielder was easily overwhelmed by its magic.

Anyone unworthy who wielded it would be forced to keep swinging it until they completely drained their magic and died.

The Marquis handed the cursed sword to Choi Jeosun.

If he truly had the ability to purify Edyuz, then he wouldn’t fall under its control.

However—

“It’s possible.”

Choi Jeosun accepted Edyuz without hesitation and spoke calmly.

The Saint’s Flag repels the Sultan’s curse.

Since the flag he received from Jeanne was repelling Edyuz’s curse,

The Marquis of Cunningham, unaware of this, was astonished to see Choi Jeosun remain completely unaffected.

There wasn’t even the slightest sign of him struggling against the sword’s magic.

His expression and tone were completely composed.

‘If he can handle this much, I can trust him.’

Without realizing it, Choi Jeosun had passed the Marquis’ test.

However, the Marquis of Cunningham was unaware of one thing.

That he was the one being tested.

“40 billion.”

“And if you add some essence, I’ll purify it for you.”

“E-Essence?”

At the unexpected demand, the Marquis’ mouth involuntarily fell open in shock.