"The artifact was sentient." The man's voice trembled in fear. "It latched onto me." Then it was silent.
Cail was sure the man wasn't dead (he was as silent as dead), but he also knew what happened after. Either this man ran away because of fear, or he told the cult the truth. The artifact latched onto him, but they still didn't let go of his family. They probably even kidnapped him and tried to extract the artifact through various means.
The man looked very dazed. Cail had to bring back his attention. This is a customer, you know!
"That's rough, man. Going from an average Joe to being chased by strange guys." While Cail tried to act sympathetic. Despite having similarities in situation, he really couldn't muster any empathy.
But in order to lighten the atmosphere, Cail decided to tease him. "Aww, after hearing your problems, I really wish I could help you, okay? But I'm just one guy, you know? I can't fix all the world's problems, much as I'd love to. But..."
Hearing that, the man suddenly snapped. "Then why did you ask me!" He looked like he was about to cry from frustration.
While this bloody, half-dead-looking stranger was crazy, he did have some hope that this guy wanted to help him. But after hearing that, he wished he were just crushed to death by the madman's tires.
Seeing that the man was finally lively again, Cail thought, My energizer succeeded!
He clapped his hands and looked at the man now lying on the ground. "Didn't you hear my 'but'? Why are you like that? Come on, cheer up. Well, maybe I can help you—but it will cost something!"
He tossed a stone at the man lying on the ground. "I'm not a charity! I'm running something serious!"
"I see you're still grieving your loss... but have you considered that this might be a time to upgrade? For the low cost of your current soul (and one minor organ), I can give you a brand-new family, genetically tailored to love you unconditionally. Custom personalities. Even loyalty presets. Want this deal?" Cail joked.
The man looked deader than before. "Just kill me." His voice cracked. Cail thought, Is this man crying?
"You don't want that offer?" While Cail sounded serious, he was crackling. "Listen, I know you're sad and scared right now, but with just my limited-time offer, you'll be the one making others cry. You want to turn your fate around, right? Let's monetize that. Come, come, I'll show you something you could use."
The man moved a little.
Cail's eyes narrowed. He walked toward the man and sat beside his head. "I can offer you a deal, but based on what I can see, you don't have anything of importance."
Under the helmet, Cail's eyeglasses glowed with a faint light.
In Cail's vision, he could see some information about the upcoming trade. His glasses seemed to have some new upgrade; on the side, there was a scale. Cail mentally clicked on it.
...
[Cannot pay the appropriate price? You can trade for something of the same value!
Artifact: Sleepless
Can be traded for: Scarab of Reversal and Ashclock
Scarab of Reversal: Transfers a wound to a nearby person.
Side effect: The pain lingers and will never go away. Scabs will form over the transferred wound and slowly consume the user once they cover the entire body.
Ashclock: Can reverse time for 30 seconds.
Side effect: A random memory will be erased. Abusing usage will cause the user to lose their identity.
Client's affinity: Body Distortion.
Note: All of these are S-class artifacts. This is your first official deal!
Ability unlocked: Can suppress artifacts 2 levels below for easy use.
Client benefits unlocked: First Client to trade with S-level artifacts, 100% compatibility and growth for the chosen artifact.
After this trade, prices will change. A client will lose something as a price. They will be exempt if they possess the following:
The Chao Coin
Dealer's Token: Can be used once.
Note: The first three trades were trial trades. The real dealings begin with the fourth trade.
Prices: Unlocked.
Random information about the Client that the Client doesn't know: Unlocked.]
...
Cail's mouth hung open. What is this? This is the first trade recognized? What was I doing before?
The man looked at the silent Cail and felt a bit unnerved. Did I offend this guy?
Feeling uneasy, he sat up. "Ughh, so what's the deal?" This guy won't just suddenly kill him, right? The man had that feeling.
Cail snapped back to reality. He looked at the man. Good guy! this is my first legitimate Client?
Cail took out the Ashclock and Scarab of Reversal. He knew where they came from, but from the man's perspective, they just appeared out of nowhere.
"Your affinity is Body Distortion?" Cail wanted to confirm, but seeing the confused man, he knew the guy had no idea. So Cail told him directly, "Your affinity is Body Distortion."
The man nodded, still confused. Cail showed him the Ashclock and Scarab of Reversal. "Based on your affinity, the Scarab of Reversal is more suited for you. But because you're my first Client, you can also choose the Ashclock and still get a 100% guarantee in growth and compatibility. I just need to suppress them for easier use."
What Cail was saying was new to the man. Unbeknownst to him, it was also new to Cail. If someone were to hear about the 100% compatibility and growth, they would have a heart attack.
Guaranteeing 100% compatibility with an artifact that isn't your affinity? That would mean you're a god. That's impossible to achieve, as there are countless factors that prevent it.
After explaining the functions of the two artifacts, the man looked shocked. He looked at Cail straight in the eyes and said, "I thought the Sleepless was something rare."
Cail had no idea if artifacts were that rare. But to him, a person who had a box full of them, they weren't. All he could say was something vague. "Not that rare. A lot of void users have them."
The man asked, "What should I pay for that?" He knew that nothing in this world was free, especially artifacts.
Cail pointed at the man's eyes. "I want that in exchange for one of these. I can see you're straining yourself, and that artifact is sentient. There's a possibility it might turn on you and kill you."
The man paled and touched his eye. He hesitated for a moment, but he wanted to ask something important.
"What about my family? Can you do something about them?"
Just as Cail was about to answer, the Random Information was suddenly triggered passively.
Cail mentally screamed Wait! as he felt his void energy draining from the action, but suddenly, his words were stuck in his throat.
...
[Random Information about the Client that he doesn't know:
"His family has been long dead. Their decapitated bodies are buried under their home."]