Chapter 76: A Trade & Return
"It’s you!" LunaticTV exclaimed, catching Medea and the rest of the adventure team off guard.
Before they could say anything, the Player had spoken again.
"Aurelius! It’s me! Your biggest fan! Please accept me as your little brother!" he shouted, his face bursting with enthusiasm.
Had he not been pinned to the ground, he probably would have rushed over and hugged Aurelius’ leg with tears.
Such a reaction only made everyone’s surprise even stronger.
"Aurelius, do you know this man? Could it be...?"
Andrea’s mouth opened wide, and she brought her hand in front of it, as though trying to hide her astonishment.
She stared at him as if she had just uncovered the traitor’s identity.
Yet the teasing in her eyes made it clear these were far from her true thoughts.
Likewise, neither Matthew nor Marcus had much of a reaction.
The only person who truly had was none other than the ever-indifferent Medea.
As she turned to look at him with bloodshot eyes, Aurelius felt a chill run down his spine.
He subconsciously shook his head.
"No. I’ve never met this man. He must be mistaking me for someone else." He directly denied the accusation.
Unfortunately, his words did not seem too convincing.
Aurelius was a pretty rare name on its own. At least, they had never heard of anyone named like it before.
Combined with the look of familiarity on LunaticTV’s face, there was no way they could believe it was a mere coincidence.
Sensing the distrust in everyone’s eyes made Aurelius sigh.
But he knew that he would have never believed himself either had he been in their shoes.
Shaking his head, he approached Medea and LunaticTV.
"Let me give it a try. Perhaps we can work something out," he said, earning her nod in response.
Despite this, the dagger on LunaticTV’s neck didn’t move in the slightest. It was as though Medea had decided to cut his head off if Aurelius’ attempt failed as well.
Aurelius fell into thought. He knew obtaining the Underworld Tulip was the end goal of their expedition.
As long as he managed to get it, his Mission and journey would be over.
For other people, this might have been difficult.
But for him...
He stared into LunaticTV’s eyes.
They were filled with excitement.
It was not the excitement one would feel upon seeing their idol. If Aurelius had to say, it was quite similar to Andrea’s look before she led him into the cavern.
Andrea had been after his money back then.
Now, LunaticTV was after his fame.
Aurelius had an idea. He activated the Trade Talent.
This time, no shop appeared. Only an ordinary exchange.
"Ding! Trade has been initiated!"
"Do you wish to give up the Underworld Tulip in exchange for 3 Favorability with Aurelius Sol?"
As LunaticTV was going through the prompt, a voice echoed in his ears.
"My friend, how about you give up on this flower? My team and I have gone through a lot of effort to get here."
"As long as you give us the Underworld Tulip, I’ll be grateful."
Such words caught his companions off guard.
They had been waiting to see how Aurelius would try to convince this madman to part with this treasure.
They had imagined several methods. For example, threatening him or promising something of equal value.
In the end, his way of obtaining the treasure was by offering some gratitude?
Marcus shook his head with a smile.
"I knew it. He’s just a young noble after all. How could he possibly understand the matters of true Awakeners?"
"At most, he can throw one or two Fireballs while hiding behind everyone else..." he chuckled, happy to see Aurelius make a fool of himself.
He even glanced at Andrea, ready to tease her for his new friend’s behavior.
But before he could say anything, an enthusiastic voice had spoken before him.
"Yes! I agree!"
"Boss! Anything for you!"
Under everyone’s stunned eyes, LunaticTV nodded repeatedly.
Then, struggling to reach into his clothes, he retrieved the Underworld Tulip and pushed it over.
The white mist around the hill swirled as though in response to its appearance.
No one had time to pay attention to it, though.
Aurelius’ empty promise... had actually worked?
"How is this possible?" Marcus muttered in shock, unwilling to accept such an outrageous reality.
Though he tried to hide it, Aurelius overheard his mutterings.
Even so, had no intention to ridicule him.
Cautiously picking the white flower, he smiled faintly and handed it over to Medea.
"This is it. I believe you’ve been looking for it for a while."
Medea was lost in excitement and pure shock. She didn’t know when she stretched her hand and grabbed the Underworld Tulip.
The moment she did, the smile on Aurelius’ face became more heartfelt.
"Mission—Expedition has been completed."
"Reward: 1000 EXP. 3 Skill Points. A Promise."
As expected. The Mission had finally been completed, and the rewards had been given.
Yet just as Aurelius was wondering what the mysterious promise entailed, a discordant voice brought him back to reality.
The smile on his face instantly faded.
"Boss! Are these pretty girls your lovers? You’re truly mighty!" LunaticTV shouted.
--
The journey to the lake had been mostly uneventful, save for LunaticTV’s appearance. The return journey was even smoother.
Their team easily dealt with the wandering goblins, reaching the human stronghold before the sun had even set.
Aurelius had achieved several of his goals during this trip.
He had farmed EXP. Completed Missions. Upgraded the Class Creator Sub-Class.
He had even met several Awakeners who might prove of help in the future.
But despite all this, his smile had long since disappeared.
All because of the member that had been added to the group.
"Boss! Boss! Where are we going? Are we finally visiting your palace?"
"Boss! Why are we walking on foot? Wouldn’t it be faster to soar into the sky?"
"Boss..."
From the lake to the human outpost, LunaticTV never stopped chattering.
His mouth seemed like a fountain of words that would never run out.
Worst of all was Medea’s reaction.
Not only did she not try to dissuade him, but she instead encouraged him, gesturing for him to speak more and more loudly.
It was only when they entered the city that LunaticTV finally shut his mouth. Not because he wanted to, but because Matthew suddenly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.
Stopping near the entrance, Andrea chuckled. She then looked at Aurelius.
"I guess this is where we part ways..." she said, her voice regretful.