Chapter 246: Chapter 244: Schrödinger’s Miss Saintess
Behind Hilia and Elina’s tent, on either side of a simple small table, sat Hilia and Pascal.
Pascal said he hoped to discuss the transaction with only Hilia, so Elina did not participate.
However, when she heard he was interested in purchasing their relic credentials for 500 Gold Coins, to be honest, she was a little tempted.
Gold Coins is no small amount.
Relics can be attempted again, but 500 Gold Coins could disappear in a flash.
But since Pascal said he only wanted to negotiate with Hilia, Elina could only leave, hoping Hilia could gain the upper hand in the negotiation and sell both pieces for a high price.
After clearing it once, starting over again, both Hilia and Elina were confident they could quickly reach the top.
No need to ask Rose for help.
Because Hilia still remembered the steps from the first to the ninth floor.
As a core area, its puzzle was unlikely to change unless it was dynamic from the start.
If the initial exploration was a full collection exploration, allowing Hilia and Elina another go would turn it into a speedrun—reaching the ninth floor in one day!
The premise is...
"Don’t sell." Rose’s voice reached Hilia’s ears, causing her smile to slowly fade away.
Although unsure why Rose advised against selling, Hilia chose to trust him.
Just as she was preparing to refuse Pascal, Rose further instructed, "Tell him to wait until you’ve secured the credentials for the 12th floor, then sell it to him. Remember to ask for a deposit."
Hilia was taken aback, even more confused.
But she quickly reacted, and after a brief discussion with Pascal, she regretfully said, "Sir Pascal’s offer is very tempting for us, but unfortunately, we might not be able to sell the credentials to you right now."
Pascal frowned, "Miss Hilia, what do you mean by this? Weren’t you ready to sell?"
"For some special reasons, I apologize."
The special reason referred to Hilia not knowing the reason herself.
"However..." Hilia shifted her tone, "If Sir Pascal can wait until we reach the twelfth floor of the central tower and obtain the credentials for it, we’d be more than willing to sell them to you."
Pascal said unhappily, "Twelfth floor? This relic’s core is only up to the twelfth floor. If you reach the twelfth floor, wouldn’t that mean you’ve cleared the relic?"
Hilia smiled, "Sir Pascal, what you don’t know is that obtaining the floor credentials doesn’t mean the exploration is over. On the contrary, after finishing exploration and entering the next floor, the previous floor’s credentials will disappear and be replaced by the next floor’s credentials.
"For instance, after I complete the sixth floor and reach the seventh floor, I get the exploration credentials for the seventh floor, not the sixth. So, bringing out the twelfth-floor credentials doesn’t mean it’s cleared.
"But for Sir Pascal, it’s different. As long as you have the twelfth-floor credentials, you can enter the twelfth floor at any time, directly skipping all the previous stages to tackle the twelfth floor, which is much more advantageous than starting from the ninth floor."
Pascal was tempted.
Conquering a new ancient relic offers the same benefits and prestige increase as cracking a relic that hadn’t been breached for decades; it can instantly boost notoriety and voice power.
As a prince, what he lacked most was voice power.
His aim to accuse Hilia of embarrassing the Holy Court was for voice power, and clearing a relic was also for voice power.
"As the eighth child of my father, I lag too far behind my brothers and sisters. Aside from my unfortunate sister Benovia, whom I can disregard, others are targets I need to surpass..."
Pascal’s thoughts raced.
He thought of the formidable fronts of his brothers and sisters, and then of his own potential to soar, to become Emperor Ista, suppress the Holy Court fiercely, and reclaim the Four Great Empires...
His thoughts wandered too far.
Returning to the moment, Pascal fell into contemplation.
Originally, Hilia’s temptation at 500 Gold Coins wasn’t false.
During the conversation, Pascal could discern that Hilia was genuinely tempted and wanted to sell.
But just as she was about to agree, she suddenly calmed down and declined the 500 Gold Coins.
At this point, he felt his speculation was correct.
Perhaps behind Hilia was a secret cooperation between the Holy Court and the Elf Race.
The two could be delved into further in case something crucial was uncovered?
Just before he retreated, Hilia presented another point of contention.
She actually wanted to sell when they reached the final floor.
Theoretically, if greedy for money, selling at the end can maximize benefits.
The ninth floor is close to the twelfth floor, but the price can double, as success in conquering is within reach.
Ordinary mercenaries might not care about this reputation, but for Pascal, it mattered greatly.
Even if it meant paying a thousand Gold Coins, it was still a profitable transaction.
An iron rooster ready to strip its iron skin away.
"However, this turns things uncertain. Is it a secret transaction or personal behavior?" Pascal thought.
While contemplating, he suddenly heard Hilia say:
"We intend to leave the title of relic conqueror to you, Sir Pascal, isn’t this worth 1200 Gold Coins?"
The title of relic conqueror... Hold on.
If the conqueror of the relic were not an elf, but him, then accusations against Hilia would be baseless.
Because exposing it must be based on her achieving the relic conquest as an elf and making it public, letting others know that a grand human relic was speedrun by two elves.
Only then can she be exposed and accused.
If he bought the speedrun title...
This is entirely different from the ninth-floor credentials, the twelfth floor is likely to be a few days’ speedrun, while the ninth floor is still four floors away, who knows when it can be achieved.
Pascal’s original plan was to purchase the ninth-floor credentials and proceed slowly while verifying whether Hilia acted alone.
At that time, Hilia and Elina would undoubtedly speedrun, quickly reaching the same pace as them, then effortlessly surpass them, claiming the title of relic conqueror.
Or, once they were tempted and nodded yes, fabricate a difficulty to stall the deal... not only would this confirm the situation, but save five hundred Gold Coins.
So, why does it become uncertain again?
Pascal was somewhat bewildered.
After a while, he firmed up.
"A relic conqueror is but a nominal title, 1200 Gold Coins is too much, 900 at most, if agreeable, the agreement can be signed now."
The haggling signified giving up.
Dwelling too much on Hilia’s situation posed great risks, whereas simply conquering the 12th floor was risky but manageable, though it was a pity not to step over the Holy Court.
Pascal pondered.
Hilia observed the changes in Pascal’s expression, recalling the simple words Rose had shared with her while he was contemplating, and she silently hummed, calmly saying:
"1200 Gold Coins, not more, not less, after completing the exploration, you can also claim bonuses from the Holy Court and the Royal Family, bonuses are certainly more than these Gold Coins, what are you still worrying about? If you don’t agree, then just forget it."
