Omniscient Necromancer POV

The woman who entered the room with the sweating attendant was Keira Swordhand, the owner of the Swordhand Trading Company.

The expression on her face was serious, and her posture, with her hand on her hip and her chin slightly raised when she saw me, made it clear she was on guard.

She didn't know me and didn't trust me at all.

"Ah, so this is the Primordial Rock you spoke of, Docar," Keira said in a cynical tone.

I was surprised to see Keira Swordhand herself in person so suddenly. She was a rare figure among rare figures, someone with whom even the nobles of the Kingdom of Durtch struggled to arrange business meetings.

Known for her fearless personality, Keira was a woman who had grown up in the poorest suburbs of the Durtch Kingdom's capital, Aurelian, and became a merchant, but her success only came after the Towers of Babel emerged and she became a Climber in the First Raid.

With a Legendary Blessing that would make any Paladin jealous, Keira made a name for herself by fighting the battles against the Bosses on the first and second floors.

After that, instead of joining a guild, Keira decided to create the Swordhand Trading Company. Back then, monster items weren't as marketable, so her company was one of the pioneers in a market that later became highly lucrative.

For me, as Brandon, it was a complete honor to be in the presence of an S-Rank Climber, even if retired, for the first time. On the other hand, my transmigrated heart was beating wildly in my chest as I stood under that relentless gaze.

"Ms. Swordhand... This is quite a surprise," I said as I immediately stood up and bowed my head in respect.

"Thank you for your services."

She took her hand off her waist and smiled before sitting down on the sofa across from me.

"You don't have to be so formal, young man. We're in a negotiation room. Showing respect for me won't do you any good, you know?"

When I raised my head, I looked into her green eyes and felt as if my neck... No, my whole body was being squeezed by a large cobra.

If Erich McNee was someone wicked and untrustworthy during a negotiation, Keira Swordhand was a monster who would lure me into a trap and corner me without giving me any chance of victory.

I scratched my cheek as I sat up, already breaking into a cold sweat.

'I feel like I've only been getting involved with dangerous people lately...'

"Well, actually, maybe you're in a better position than I am," Keira suddenly stated. "Unfortunately, my friend Docar got desperate when he saw a Primordial Rock and ran to my office. That would make even someone who doesn't know what a Primordial Rock is realize that this stone is worth a lot. Especially one this size."

I looked at the elderly attendant and saw that he seemed to feel guilty as he stood behind Keira's sofa.

"But how about we be straightforward, young Brandon? You and I both know the value of this rock. There's no reason to beat around the bush. I offer..." Keira raised her right hand with five fingers stretched out. "Five gold coins."

"Five gold coins? Is this a joke?" I asked myself, incredulous.

The amount offered was less than half of what it should be... What was going on here?

That's when I realized that Keira was already playing the negotiation game. To begin with, she took the opposite approach that merchants would normally take: she discredited the product and made it seem less valuable than it really was. This was a basic strategy for tough negotiators, but one that risked irritating the customer and driving them away from a deal.

Instead, Keira took on the role of tough negotiator, only to immediately claim that I knew the price of such material and propose a price that was too high for most people.

Perhaps Keira didn't do this because she wanted to deceive me, but rather because she wanted to gauge whether I was a desperate kid who thought he had something valuable in his hands and would sell it for the first high offer, or someone she could negotiate with as an equal.

"Now I'm grateful that I did a two-year internship as a secretary at a multinational company..." I thought before smiling. After all, it was thanks to the experiences and knowledge of my life in the other world that I could be so carefree here.

"Do you really want to buy a Primordial Rock of this size and quality for a mere five gold coins?" I asked, massaging my glabella.

"And I thought Keira Swordhand, the heroine of the poor in the Capital, had the honor befitting a merchant."

"Y-YOUNG MAN! How dare you speak like that to—" Docan said before being interrupted by a mere wave of Keira's hand.

"It's okay, Docan. He's right... I didn't act with honor this time. Boy, tell me, you know what Primordial Rocks are used for, right?"

Because information traveled slowly in this world and books were so expensive, knowledge about the uses of most materials that came out of the Tower of Babel was a complete mystery to the general population. However, unfortunately for Keira, I knew.

I raised a finger and, in a lecturing tone, began to explain:

"A Primordial Rock has several uses for artisans and even blacksmiths. It is a rare material that carries metallic, crystalline, and magical properties. The only other material that also shares these properties is the famous Terminite, popularly known as a substance that nullifies the supernatural and magical powers of any Blessed One who comes into contact with it."

"However, despite its similarity to Terminite, Primordial Rock has different properties and effects. This material does not absorb, but rather grants power to those who touch it. It is believed that Primordial Rock is the crystallization of the mana in the air, water, and earth within the Tower of Babel, which is why it carries so much mana.

It is believed that if an S-Rank Hunter wore Primordial Rock armor, they would be able to fight alone even against the Seventh Floor Boss. However, Primordial Rocks are even rarer than Terminite, and the amount currently on the market can barely meet demand. After all, it is with the mana extracted from Primordial Rocks that great craftsmen are able to produce legendary weapons."

"Once it has no more mana, a Primordial Rock does not lose its value completely. The remains are used to make expensive jewelry as well as objects used to evaluate those who wish to become Climbers.

"Wheeet." Keira whistled. "Docan, were you negotiating with that know-it-all kid? My apologies for letting that happen, but now we know what kind of customer we're dealing with."