CHAPTER 59: CH-59

I couldn’t take my eyes off it. It was a golden medallion, engraved with the symbol of an eye inside a reversed triangle.

When I looked closer, my gut told me to pick it up.

"Oh? Interested in that relic, are you?" the owner asked.

"Relic?"

"Yes. Relics are treasures from the towers— each holds a power of its own. They’re not something you can just buy with ordinary money, either."

"So you just sell this stuff here? I thought all items from the Tower were regulated by the Association."

It was common knowledge that items from the towers contained traces of radioactive energy that could make ordinary humans sick.

That’s why, even today, rare stones and minerals that passed the safety tests were incredibly valuable and often used to craft luxury jewelry.

"No, I don’t have a license for that. But this one’s a defect. It’s been sitting around for decades, and no one really knows what it does, so I bought it just as a piece of art."

"So it’s not radioactive?" I asked.

"Not at all." He shook his head, sounding disappointed.

"Can I take a look?"

He nodded and handed it to me. The second my hand touched it, a translucent window popped up in front of my view

[Detected: God-Level Item — Status: Broken]

I almost jumped from my seat. But thanks to the acting card, I managed to keep my composure.

’Are you really sure that it’s a God-Level item?’ I asked again.

[Affirmative: Although the medallion is not currently emitting any energy, the system detected faint traces of residue that can only be found on items far beyond the level of this world.]

Jackpot! Anything bearing the word ’God’ was bound to be overpowered.

’System, do you know what it does?’ I asked mentally while pretending to examine the medallion. It had the same texture as gold from my previous world.

[Full analyzation could not be done due to host insufficient strength.]

’Just give me what you got.’

[Based on the limited data, this relic has a cognitive-type ability.]

’Oh, can you be more specific?’

[No, host. You need to at least repair the medallion partially before more details can be revealed.]

’So it can be repaired, right?’

[Affirmative, Host.]

’How hard is it to repair?’

[With the proper materials and the host upgrading the system, fixing this item part by part is possible, allowing the host to use its power in a weaker state.]

That sealed it.

Without wasting a second, I placed the medallion back into its casing.

"How much for this thing?"

The owner looked momentarily surprised, then smiled. "It’s not exactly for sale, but I acquired it for thirty million. I’ll part with it for forty."

Yeah, right. No way he bought a defective item for that much... maybe ten million, and that would be a generous estimate.

"Thirty million for a trinket? Sounds a little steep, don’t you think?"

The owner let out a laugh, as if I just told a good joke.

He leaned back, crossing his arms with that smug little grin sellers wear when they know they’ve got something the customer wants.

"Normally I would agree. But this came from the 30th floor of the Tower. Even if it’s useless, it’s still a rare piece you don’t find easily."

"And how am I supposed to know you’re telling the truth? You could have bought it at some market stall, and I have no way to verify it because this thing can’t even be tested."

"Mr. Mercer, as an honest businessman, I have no reason to lie to a VIP customer. If it’s too expensive, you’re free to walk away."

Damn it. He got me.

I tried everything I could to sway him with my abilities, but his willpower was too strong. It didn’t help that my persuasion skills were ineffective against the same gender

Next time, I’ll aim for a shop owned by a woman... and make sure she’s easy on the eyes.

"Thirty-two," I said quickly, cutting in before he could open his mouth again.

The last thing I needed was for him to start talking and drive the price up even higher.

"Thirty-nine." he countered.

I leaned back, pretending to think it over, though we both knew I wasn’t leaving without it.

"Thirty-five."

He shook his head. "You’re persistent. Thirty-eight. Final offer."

Our eyes met, and I could tell that he wasn’t bluffing.

"Deal."

His smile turned from businesslike to friendly in an instant as he carefully placed the pendant in a special wooden box.

"It’s an honor doing business with you, Mr. Mercer," he said, pushing it toward me.

I could only laugh bitterly. I had been schooled by a veteran haggler. No wonder he was able to keep this business afloat for so many years.

After the transaction, my total earnings for the day dropped to just thirty-one million, with the money transferred directly to my bank account as per my request.

This was good money. Even a B-Rank hunter like May would have to work for over a year to save this much after deducting expenses related to climbing the tower.

At the same time, I realized just how badly I underestimated how money worked in this world.

The richer I got, the more expensive everything became, and the jump in costs was brutal. If I didn’t find a good source of income soon, I would be drained in no time.

I couldn’t keep relying on Ellie, whose entire fortune was tied up in luxury items.

Now I had two options: go tower climbing or find a way to inherit the Mercer Group.

The latter has the best outcome, but the problem was that I knew nothing about the family’s legal team.

According to the real Daniel, preparations had already been made to ensure I inherited nothing.

Not that it mattered now.

Whoever was pulling the strings clearly got no plans of letting the Mercer’s fortune slip away. They had gone as far as faking Daniel’s life just to keep control of it.

Wait.

Another idea crossed my mind. What if I got rid of the imposter and took control of the family’s legal team myself?

Actually, I didn’t even need kill him. All I needed was proof he was a fraud — then I could bend the narrative to my advantage.

Wow, sometimes I amaze myself with how sharp my brain gets when I’m plotting evil plans. Must be the system’s influence because I swear, I was a very tame person before.

"Ace?"

Ellie’s soft voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She just returned from selling her bags—and netted me another ten million. What a good sugar mommy.

I should reward her for being such a reliable financial backer.

"I’m sorry, Aunt Ellie. I was just thinking about something. So, where are you headed after this?"

"I’m having dinner with Ethan and Ella at the Golden Rose Hotel. Apparently, Daniel told him not to bother him for a while, so Ethan wanted to check if we’d gotten into an argument," she sighed.

"I already told him that his father is just busy, but he wouldn’t listen—kept saying Daniel was acting very cold ."

Just picturing it nearly made me laugh out loud. He was kissing up so hard, completely clueless he was talking to an impostor.