Chapter 19: Transaction Completed
Terrence let out a long, silent breath, feeling an overwhelming wave of relief wash over his chest.
Finally, after everything he had gone through, he had a real, high-paying customer standing right in front of him.
As they walked through the massive front gate of the Neil Residence, Terrence couldn’t help but keep his eyes glued to the surrounding estate. It was undeniably grand, boasting a sleek, modern architectural design. However, there was still a hint of standard local construction—most of the surrounding structures were composed of heavy concrete slabs. It wasn’t quite as breath-taking or imposing as the Contribution Agency, but it was impressive nonetheless.
"I assume that you didn’t lie about having a total of one hundred slimes, right?" Clame asked, her voice calm as she walked slightly ahead of him.
Terrence looked up, a short, self-assured smile appearing on his face.
It seemed like Clara had done her part in setting up the preliminary transaction. To an outsider, that line of questioning would sound utterly bizarre. Anyone else would be confused as to why a high-ranking figure would care about slimes—let alone a hundred of those notoriously weak beasts.
However, Terrence was standing here as a merchant. He couldn’t afford to ignore a potential buyer’s skepticism.
Taking a deliberate, steady exhale, Terrence gave a firm nod.
"I didn’t lie about it. Clara verified it herself."
Clara, who was walking just behind Clame, beamed with a proud smile and nodded along. She stepped up immediately to support his claim.
Clame didn’t waste time thinking it over. She glanced sideways at her secretary, Nair. Understanding her unspoken command instantly, Nair took a step back toward the entry archway.
"Lock the gates," Nair ordered the guards.
CLANG.
The heavy iron doors swung shut, locking into place with a resounding thud.
Instantly, Terrence felt a thick, suffocating tension drop over the entire courtyard. His legs felt a bit weak as Clame stopped walking and turned around, her overwhelming pressure flaring outward. The sheer weight of her aura felt like a shadow slowly creeping over him, threatening to swallow him whole.
A momentary prickle of worry touched his mind, but Terrence quickly forced his posture straight. He held a far greater level of confidence in the miraculous power of his System.
"I don’t know what kind of cunning technique or trick you used on my sister, but that won’t work on me," Clame announced, her eyes narrowing as she glared down at him.
Seeing the aggressive shift in her sister’s demeanor, Clara panicked. She dashed forward, throwing her body directly in front of Terrence with her arms spread wide open to cover him.
"He didn’t do anything to me, sis! It’s real!" Clara yelled defensively.
Terrence took a second to regain his full composure, gently pushing past the sudden wave of pressure before clearing his throat.
"Why would I try to scam you?" Terrence asked, keeping his tone perfectly level. "I am not knocking on death’s door just yet."
Clame clicked her tongue softly, her gaze remaining cold.
"I will applaud you for managing to find an A-Rank slime," Clame said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Finding a slime that powerful should have been practically impossible. But to suggest that you have a hundred of them is utterly absurd. That specific type of slime is exceptionally rare. Even if you got lucky once, there is a hard limit."
Clame’s face became completely unreadable, her intense gaze searching for any sign of hesitation on his face. But Terrence was filled with an unnatural, absolute calm.
"If I show them to you right now, would you believe me?" Terrence asked smoothly.
Clame didn’t show a single ripple of shock. She merely scoffed.
"Here we go. You are really going to stick to that bluff? If you managed to fool Clara, I assure you, it won’t work on me."
Terrence chuckled softly. He casually stepped around Clara, sliding his hands deep into his tactical jacket pockets.
Clame’s sharp eyes caught the motion immediately.
"You have a Pocket Sanctuary hidden in there..." Clame noted, her brows furrowing slightly as her mind calculated the possibilities.
"But a standard tamer can only hold one at a time. Unless you are extraordinarily talented, you can only contract two beasts max. And only contracted beasts can be stored inside a Pocket Sanctuary. Now you’re telling me you have a hundred?"
"Whatever my means are, that is my personal business, Lady Commander," Terrence replied, matching her gaze without backing down an inch.
"All you need to believe is that I can show them to you right now."
Acting as though he were triggering a spatial artifact hidden deep within his pockets, Terrence directed his eyes toward the wide, open concrete courtyard of the estate.
POP. POP. POP.
On the smooth stone ground, vibrant slimes of various metallic and crystalline colors began appearing one by one. Right beside Terrence’s waist, a tiny purple spatial rift—invisible to everyone except him—was rapidly spitting them out in quick succession.
Clame’s eyes locked onto the clearing, frozen in place.
Beside her, Nair stood completely dumbfounded, her jaw slightly slackened as the sheer number of creatures multiplied across the yard. Behind them, the elite escorts quickly turned away, instantly recognizing that witnessing this meant stepping into danger.
Clara, on the other hand, puffed out her chest with immense pride, thrilled to see her claims validated.
"Now, sis! Look at that!" Clara declared, gesturing broadly toward the growing army. "Do you still doubt Terrence?"
Clame swallowed hard, a visible drop of sweat tracing down her neck as the 99th Guard Slime materialized on the pavement. She reached into her coat, pulled out a specialized Inspecting Frame, and pressed it against her right eye to scan the glowing aura of the swarm.
Her breath hitched in her throat. She was almost completely speechless, her confident posture wavering as her voice came out in a stunned, defeated whisper.
"All of them... are A-Rank..."
Terrence took a calm step forward, keeping his hands casually stowed inside his pockets as he surveyed the massive collection of oozing, high-grade beasts occupying the courtyard.
"So..." Terrence asked, breaking the stunned silence with a slight tilt of his head. "Will you buy them?"
Clame forced herself to regain her composure, shaking off the initial shock as she adjusted her monocle. She didn’t bother asking how he managed to acquire or transport such a absurd force—she knew a true merchant would never reveal a trade secret of that magnitude. Besides, she was far more interested in the practical application of commanding an entire army of high-tier units.
"How will I be able to control them?" Clame asked sharply. "Do I need to sign individual contracts for all ninety-nine?"
Terrence shook his head smoothly.
"They are not bound by contracts," Terrence explained. "If you wish, you can contract one, but I don’t even recommend doing that. They are... trained to obey direct verbal commands even without a contract."
Clame’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
"Are you absolutely sure about that?!" she demanded, her voice rising an octave.
"Yes," Terrence answered without a second of hesitation. He paused, letting the weight of his statement settle over the silent courtyard before adding, "So... should we settle the payment?"
Clame gave a swift, breathless nod. She reached into her inner coat pocket and pulled out a black high-capacity credit card. She had already prepared the full funds beforehand, even while harboring deep doubts about his claims. Deep down, a part of her had desperately hoped it was real—and now, the impossible reality was standing right in front of her.
[Progress: 100/100]
[Congratulations! You have completed a mission!]
[Reward Issued: S-Rank Vampire Butler!]
Terrence’s heart leaped with excitement, until a sudden, second notification popped up right beneath it in bright red text:
[New Mission Triggered!]
[Feed the S-Rank Vampire Butler with 5 A-Rank Beast Cores to awaken it from its slumber.]
Terrence froze, his jaw tightening as he stared at the screen in utter disbelief.
Wait... what?!