Chapter 78: Trading Rare Materials
The item World_Builder was holding was a ragged piece of black ore. Its surface was reflective, shining against the sun, while its edges were sharp and uneven.
From a distance, it looked like an ordinary piece of coal.
Even Aurelius would have regarded it as such in the past.
But after spending several hours in the Ernst Academy’s library, going through hundreds of books regarding extraordinary materials, he would no longer make such a rookie mistake.
Black diamond!
This was the name of this black ore. It came from the conditions under which it was born.
Just like diamonds, it was also created under intense heat and pressure. However, it also required one additional material: Mana.
This made black diamonds far more precious than ordinary diamonds.
Even among extraordinary materials, it was exceptionally valuable, comparable to the Underworld Tulip Medea had just obtained.
Had that been all, Aurelius would have been happy but not so shocked.
What stunned him was another trait of black diamonds: They were one of the main materials required to forge the Mystery Cloak!
Aurelius had been searching for it since he had gotten the recipe, only to find no clues about it, much less see the real thing.
Now, seeing it being presented right in front of him, he had the urge to knock World_Builder unconscious and snatch it away.
Of course, rationality prevailed over emotions.
He knew the persona he had carefully built would instantly collapse if he were to do this.
If he and World_Builder were alone, he might have considered it.
But being in a city and surrounded by numerous Players, there was no way that Aurelius would make such a grave mistake.
Furthermore...
’Getting it out of this fat man’s hands should be easy for me,’ Aurelius thought.
Under World_Builder’s bright eyes, he took the item from his hands.
The moment he touched it, Alchemist’s Touch was activated. It was immediately confirmed that this material was indeed a black diamond.
However, Aurelius continued the inspection as though nothing had happened.
He examined the black ore for several seconds, as though trying to peer through its secrets.
In the end, he nodded.
"I didn’t expect you would be able to get your hands on such a material. This thing is pretty rare."
"You must have gone through a lot to obtain it."
Aurelius stared at "Jonathan" and paused briefly.
"I’ve been conducting some experiments with Professor Anna that require rare materials like this."
"How about I buy it for five gold coins?"
Even though Aurelius made the offer verbally, he didn’t forget to use Trade to initiate a trade.
Immediately, a translucent window appeared in front of World_Builder’s eyes.
"Ding! Trade has been initiated!"
"Do you wish to trade a Black Diamond in exchange for 5 gold coins, 5 Favorability with Aurelius Sol, and 500 EXP?"
World_Builder’s eyes lit up.
What was this? Was this piece of junk really worth that much?
He had never expected it!
The gold coins were nothing on their own.
But whether it was Favorability, or even more importantly, the Experience, they were enough to make him go crazy.
"Yes! Absolutely! Please, take it!" World_Builder nodded repeatedly, watching as the window disappeared and five hundred EXP were credited to his account.
As for Aurelius handing over five gold coins? He didn’t care!
He was immersed in the happiness!
500 EXP! This was half a Sun Knight Class!
The more he thought about it, the more enthusiastic World_Builder became.
What he didn’t know was that Aurelius was as happy, if not even happier.
Five gold coins!
He had obtained such a precious material in exchange for five gold coins!
Remembering the trouble Medea had gone through to obtain the Underworld Tulip, he strongly doubted she would be driven mad if she were to learn of this.
Moreover, this was not the end of things.
Aurelius glanced at World_Builder from the corner of his eye.
With his newly earned EXP, it was almost certain that this fatty would become the first Player to buy the Sun Knight Class.
’Should I say that this man is really lucky? Or that he is hardworking enough?’
Aurelius shook his head.
He was about to turn around, intending to deal with the rest of the Players and harvest a wave of EXP.
But just then, World_Builder stopped him.
"Brother! I want to purchase 5 Gacha Potions! Give me one for now, and I’ll come to you to collect the rest." World_Builder said.
The 500 EXP he had just earned immediately disappeared.
They flowed into Aurelius’ account, filling the column that had been emptied following his last upgrade.
Even so, he found it impossible to feel happy.
Had this fatty gone insane, wasting his EXP like this?
How would he be able to show off his Rare Sun Knight Class if he wasted his Experience for no reason?
Unfortunately, Aurelius could do nothing.
He grabbed a "Gacha Potion" and handed it to World_Builder under his expectant eyes.
Then, he watched as the fat man drank it in a single gulp.
His face lit up with anticipation as the liquid flowed down his throat, even greater than when he had earned the 500 EXP.
But soon, the joy in his eyes dispersed.
Reluctance, anger, and despair replaced it.
"No! How could it only give me 15 EXP? My 100 EXP have been wasted!"
"I’ve been scammed!" he wailed loudly, looking ready to request a refund.
He swore that once he got his EXP back from Aurelius, he would never gamble with them again.
Unfortunately, he had no chance to do any of this.
Before he could react, he was violently pushed aside, shoved to the ground by his fellow Players.
A large crowd gathered around Aurelius, surrounding him from every direction.
Then, loud voices erupted.
"Brother! I also have an item here. Please appraise it!"
"Young man! I obtained this from the depths of the Goblin Mountains!"
"This is the underwear of my crush! Please keep it!"