Aalto froze for a moment, but he wasn't a fool. He quickly realized: "Though what you say makes some sense… it still doesn't add up!"
"Even if you wanted to avoid suspicion, why not just sell it to me at market price?"
Lucian remained unflustered, smiling calmly. "See, this is where you don't understand. That's the approach of ordinary merchants. A high-end merchant like Abby naturally has his own business logic!"
"Think about it—if you saw a merchant selling intel to an acquaintance at above market price, then selling it to you at slightly below market price, what would you think?"
Aalto pondered for a moment. "Selling it to me at slightly below market price…?"
"If that were the case, I'd definitely think the merchant was exploiting his acquaintances but being friendly to strangers…"
"Then, when I wasn't too familiar with the merchant, I'd only buy intel from him. But once we got closer, I'd go to other merchants instead."
Lucian nodded slightly. "Not bad, not bad. Young man, I see you've got a knack for business."
But now, Aalto had fully adopted the merchant's perspective and asked in confusion, "But in that case, wouldn't you just keep selling intel to newcomers at below-market prices without any repeat customers?"
Lucian smirked mysteriously. "Exactly, but that's not all! What if I stopped exploiting acquaintances and sold to everyone at just a hair below other merchants' prices?"
Aalto was stunned, then gasped. "If that were the case… once I got used to buying intel from you and saw your prices were still slightly lower than others', I'd keep buying from you indefinitely?"
Lucian burst into laughter. "Precisely! First, use low prices to attract customers. Once everyone's used to buying intel from me, and my prices remain just a bit lower, they'll stick with me forever."
Lucian grew more excited as he spoke. "And when other merchants lose their customer base and can't sustain themselves, I can…"
Aalto's eyes lit up, and he immediately picked up the thread. "Then you can raise prices!"
"By then, everyone's used to buying from you. Even if they notice the price hike, they'll have no other options and will have to keep buying from you!?"
After saying this, Aalto fixed Lucian with an intense gaze. "I never expected you to be a business genius! May I ask who you really are?"
Lucian laughed heartily. "Want to know? That's still intel…"
Without hesitation, Aalto transferred five million Shell Credits to Lucian on the spot. "Master! Please share this intel with me!"
"Not only that, I'd like to collaborate with you. I believe we can monopolize all intel and customers in Jinzhou!"
Lucian was taken aback, then laughed even louder. "Good lad! I see great potential in you. Since that's the case, I'll give you a chance to work with me!"
"You provide the Shell Credits, I provide the business strategy. Let's establish an intel monopoly, selling information across all of Solaris!"
Aalto was completely swept up in Lucian's grand vision. He felt a broad and bright path unfolding before him!
But just then, KU-Money interrupted from behind. "Hold on a second—"
The two turned to look at it. KU-Money stared at Lucian in confusion. "So should I call you Lucian or Abby now?"
"And also, can you tell me how you turned into a human? Or rather, how did you become an Echo?"
Hearing the name "Lucian," Aalto snapped back to reality. "Lucian? What Lucian? Where's Lucian?"
KU-Money pointed at Lucian. "Him."
Aalto scrutinized Lucian—now in Abby's form—up and down, then turned back to KU-Money, puzzled. "KU-Money, are you mistaken?"
"I've never met Abby, but I've heard of him. This is clearly Abby."
Seeing that his cover was about to be blown, Lucian quietly flew over to Camellya. Meanwhile, KU-Money said to Aalto, "I just saw him transform from Lucian into Abby with my own eyes. How could I be wrong?"
Aalto's mouth hung open. "Transformed from Lucian into Abby…"
It was as if everything suddenly made sense to him—no wonder he'd always felt like he was dealing with Lucian whenever he interacted with "Abby."
Aalto was horrified and immediately looked toward Lucian, only to see that he had already reverted to his original form and was sprinting toward the greenhouse with Camellya in his arms.
Aalto flew into a rage. "Lucian!! Stop right there! You *&%#￥ (Huanglong profanity)!"
"Damn it, at least tell me about this 'major event that will shape Jinzhou's future'!"
After shouting, all he heard was Lucian's faint voice carried by the wind: "Five million was just the deposit. If you want the intel, you'll have to pay another five million for the balance!"
Aalto: "???"
Stumbling, Aalto lowered his head in despair, feeling as if his life had lost all meaning. KU-Money shook its head and tried to comfort him. "Look on the bright side—it's a blessing to see someone's true nature, even if it costs money."
Aalto was even more devastated. "Who spends five million just to see someone's true nature!?"
…
In front of the greenhouse, Lucian wiped away a nervous sweat and sighed in relief. "Whew… good thing he didn't chase after us…"
But then, Camellya, still in his arms, spoke softly. "You're truly despicable…"
"Oh, you're awake?" Lucian joked. "Congratulations, you're a boy now."
Camellya: "?"
She struggled slightly in his arms. "Put me down."
Lucian's expression turned serious. "No, you're not in any condition to walk."
Camellya frowned. "Why not? I feel surprisingly fine…"
"Strange, I must've been treated in the recovery pod, right? So why am I in your arms?"
Lucian didn't answer. Instead, he carried Camellya into the greenhouse, climbing the familiar stairs—exactly like the greenhouse in his dream.
At the top of the stairs stood the same white piano, with Shorekeeper sitting at it, playing.
But unlike in the dream, this time, Lucian could hear Shorekeeper's music—ethereal and enchanting, like celestial harmonies that cleansed the soul.
Hearing them approach, Shorekeeper turned around. She glanced at Camellya, still trying to break free in Lucian's arms, then looked at Lucian. "You've returned."
Her words carried a deeper meaning, but Lucian paid no mind. "This is my first time entering this greenhouse in reality. If dreams count, then I suppose you could say I've returned."
"Speaking of which, was it you who brought us here?"
Shorekeeper nodded slightly and stepped closer. "Yes. You are both members of the Black Shores. I didn't want you to end up harming each other."
Realizing she couldn't break free, Camellya stopped struggling and instead studied Shorekeeper. Though she had been with the Black Shores for a long time, she rarely had the chance to meet Shorekeeper.
She hadn't expected Shorekeeper to wait here specifically for Lucian. Camellya glanced up at Lucian's face. She had originally planned to flick his forehead, but since her arms were pinned, she pursed her lips, suddenly raised her head, and—
—sank her teeth into Lucian's neck.
Lucian: "?"
Shorekeeper: "?"