Death... and me

Rean then returned the sand on the mount in front of him and began to ponder.

'It's just like silicon back on Earth. The Zalion Metal is mixed with a few other elements. However, it's a lot easier to separate Zalion from the other elements than silicon from others. Besides, I still haven't found anything like silica sand, which is around 77% silicon in its composition. It has to be it.'

The merchant saw that Rean seemed to have finished whatever he was doing.

"So, is it what you were looking for?"

Rean nodded, satisfied.

"That's it indeed. Can this senior tell me which kind of sand is it?"

The merchant didn't mind before explaining.

"We call it Marfin Sand. You can find quite a lot of it in our Sect Territory in the County of Gobope. It has a pretty yellow-white color, so people like to often use it as decoration. If you are planning to build something here in Sasamil City, it can be a good addition."

Rean was delighted to hear that. He came to this merchant because he saw he selling several types of sand. It wasn't rare to find people like him since even the Cultivation World needs to build residences. The reason this sand caught his attention was that it really resembled silica sand back on Earth. Rean didn't expect that this wasn't silica sand, but Zalion instead.

"That's great! How much does it cost?"

The merchant smiled before immediately offering.

"It costs five Rank Two Spirit Stones for 10 kilograms. Don't try to bargain with me. This is already a great price since moving it from Gobope all the way here is not cheap. This is also not easy to obtain since we need to separate it from common dirt. If not because the cultivators like the color, which gave us the idea to sell it, we wouldn't even do it."

Rean laughed before saying.

"Good! Give me a minute."

Rean then left straight away. A few seconds later, he returned in a flash with Droman.

"Can you tell me what is so urgent?"

Rean nodded as he pointed at the Zalion sand.

"That's the metal I told you about. It has the characteristics that we exactly need!"

"What?!"

Droman quickly grabbed some of the sand. Rean had told him what kind of reaction he needed to expect from the sand, so he also tried it himself. Sure enough, he got the same result as Rean.

"It's true!"

Droman's eyes lit up as he looked at the merchant. The man was obviously puzzled by Rean and Droman. Although Marfin Sand was quite beautiful, there was no need to be this excited, right?

Droman didn't care, though.

"What's your name, friend? Also, from which power you came?"

The merchant understood that he probably will get a good deal, so he immediately became even more polite.

"Ahem... This friend can call me Olibo. I'm a member of the Illusion Mountain Sect from Gobope Country. I see that you are very interested in our Marfin Sand."

Droman nodded.

"Yes. Tell me. How much of this sand can you produce? Also, how much do you think is available in your Sect Territory?"

Olibo was taken aback by that question. Still, he quickly pondered about it and answered.

"Well... If our sect goes all out, we should be able to produce around a ton per month. As for how much is available in our territory... I'm not sure. But I know that it is only present in our Sect's Territory since I've never seen any other sand seller with an identical type as ours. If you don't believe me, you can go around and try to find something similar."

Droman shook his head.

"I'll be direct. My Dalamu Sect wants all the Marfin Sand present in your Sect Territory."

"What?!"

Olibo almost fell back when he heard that.

"A-All the Marfin Sand? Th-That would be at least a few hundreds of tons! Are you sure that's what you want? My friend, our sect might not be a big power, but we won't accept being fooled either."

Droman shook his head.

"I'm not making fun of you or your sect. We really want to make this deal. However, there will be a condition."

Droman had already learned from Rean. They should hold a monopoly from it as soon as possible. The best way, obviously, would be to involve the Zafa Bank.

"Condition?"

Droman nodded.

"All the Marfin Sand will be sold exclusively to my Dalamu Sect. You won't be able to sell it to no one else. In exchange, we will buy all the available sand there."

Droman then looked at Rean before asking through a Spiritual Sense Message.

'Are you sure you want to buy everything? I doubt that this is the only place where you can find this kind of sand.'

Rean smiled before answering.

'I'm sure. The reason is simple too. No one needs to know what we are going to use this sand for. So what if everyone sees us buying it? Who other than ourselves know how to use it? Besides, we are only acquiring one ton per month. It isn't that hard to hide it for a while. Also, we will need more of it in the future when we reveal the Circuitry Formation.'

Droman agreed with Rean and continued to negotiate with Olibo.

"Also, this is a secret trade between your Illusion Mountain and our Dalamu Sect. We will have our own people going to collect the sand at your sect, so there is no need for you all to appear."

Olibo couldn't help but think that their Marfin Sand had a much better use than they thought. But then again, they had been selling it for many years already, but no one ever showed so much interest before.

Droman could tell what Olibo was thinking, so he added.

"If you want to go around investigate, then so be it. Other than my sect, no one else has a use for this sand anyway. However, you better not mention that my Dalamu Sect wants it. Otherwise, this deal will be called off. Remember, this is a secret negotiation between our two sects."

Droman then passed the guy a Thoughts Transmission Talisman.

"Use this talisman to tell me your sect's decision. In any case, I'm pretty sure you won't find anything. Well then, we are off."

Without even waiting for Olibo to answer, Droman turned around and left with Rean.

'Is this okay?'

Droman nodded.

'I might not have known something like 'copyright' before. However, if we are talking about typical negotiations, then I'm pretty good at it. Don't underestimate the head of the Formation Master Hall.'

Roan and Old Worm noticed the things that Droman and Rean did. However, none of them seemed to care too much about it, so they didn't ask anything. Roan bought quite a few low-level skill books that the Dalamu Sect didn't have during this time. Not that Dalamu couldn't get them, but that they didn't have a need for it.

Old Worm didn't find anything that interested him, though.

"Let's enter the Inner Part. There are a lot more shops there that we can browse. It's already quite late anyway, so the gate to the Core of the City has probably been shut already."

Rean became puzzled.

"They close the gates here? Isn't this City way too big to do something like that?"

Droman shook his head.

"It's only the Core. The Inner and Outer Gates are open all the time. It's just that there isn't much in there other than the guilds, Clans, and the Imperial Palace. So to keep order, they keep it closed for the night."

After finishing his explanation, their group entered the Inner City and went to the shops in front of the Core Gates. Even if the gate closed, the shops were as lively as ever. Even the night time wasn't enough to decrease the number of customers.

Rean and Roan did find a few things that interested them, so they bought them with their money. In Rean's case, he and Droman walked around together and found a few parts they could use during their projects. Of course, the Inner City shops turned out to be a lot more expensive than outside.

Old Worm and Roan didn't stay together, though. A few hours later, the four of them gathered once more to head to the Dalamu Sect's Residence in the Inner City.

As mentioned before, it wasn't anything impressive. The first floor and second floors were used as a shop where Dalamu conducted their trades. The third was reserved for the Dalamu Sect members who came to the Capital. Usually, it stayed empty, with only the disciples doing some cleaning now and then. Today was a rare occasion where more than one guest would pass the night within.

Old Worm and Roan went straight to their rooms and locked themselves inside. Rean and Droman, on the other hand, discussed what they would do tomorrow.

"The test will start in 37 days. We have one month of access to the repository. Let's make the best of this time to prepare you for the exam. I'll focus on the formations you aren't that proficient in. As for the Marfin Sand, we should get an answer from Olibo and their Illusion Mountain Sect tomorrow."

Rean pondered a bit before saying.

"In that case, let's first seal this deal. It is a lot more important than the access to the repository."

Droman agreed with Rean. They talked about a few more things before they returned to their rooms as well. However, this was only the start for Rean and Roan. After all, they also had to gather information about the situation in the Imperial Family.