—

Kent didn't respond to the vendor's comments. He took the box with a victorious grin, already thinking and imagining the potential treasure he just bought. Auri peered down at the stones and chirped, "If none of this stone has any treasures inside, I will be very disappointed."

With their prize secured, the trio left the stall, Nima still grumbling about her lost shopping spree and Kent smugly thinking about the fortune that awaited them. Auri, however, remained focused on his true priority. "Now, where is that juice stand? I demand a drink!"

As they wandered deeper into the market, Kent's gaze was drawn to another section where many vendors displayed an array of seeds, grasses, and small plants.

[Ding! System notifications: low-level spiritual herbs! low-level monster breeding grass! low-level spiritual tree!]

His appraisal skill kicked in, and among the mundane offerings, he spotted rare spiritual herbs, monster-attracting grasses, and even a few evolution-enhancing seeds. These are all useful things for his void domain. Kent says to himself, "I hit the jackpot again. I was planning on buying some trees and other stuff for the void domain."

He approached a stall, rubbing his hand with a smirk. A frail-looking woman with dirt-covered hands runs the stall. "How much for everything on this table?" Kent asked.

The woman blinked, surprised. "Everything? That's at least fifty different species. Are you sure?" The woman thinks, "What will he do with all these trees and seeds? Is he a farmer? But he doesn't look like a farmer."

Kent nodded. "Absolutely. Aunty, Name your price."

Before the vendor could respond, Nima reappeared with a calculating expression. "Oh no, no, no. Miss shop owner, Don't try to cheat me. These plants look half-dead. The seeds are probably old. I'd say… two hundred for everything."

The vendor gasped. "Two hundred?! Do you know how rare some of these are?! Who let this kid lose? Who's child is that?"

Ding! +999 SP copied from the vendor lady (Annoyance). Ding! +999 SP copied from the vendor lady (Anger).

Kent sighed. "Aunty, this is my little sister. Don't get angry. I will give you five hundred dollars. What do you think?"

Nima tugged at his sleeve and whispered in Kent's ears. " Big brother, let's give her Six hundred dollars!"

"Six hundred dollars, final offer," Kent corrected, shooting Nima a determined look.

The vendor lady looked as if she wanted to throw dirt at them but finally relented. " Five thousand. That's my final price. Do you want to buy it?"

Kent replied, "Aunty, I am just a student. I have a small farm behind my home. Don't overcharge me. How about this? I will give you Two thousand dollars. I can't give you more."

The woman says, "Fine! Take them. Just don't come back to bargain ever again!"

Ding! +999 SP copied from the vendor lady (Annoyance). Ding! +999 SP was copied from the vendor lady (Frustration).

Kent paid the women her money and carefully collected the various seeds, grasses, and plants, stowing them away as if they were priceless.

Meanwhile, Nima and Auri had found their way into a livelier shopping section in the same alley. Nima excitedly examined enchanted jewellery while Auri dragged her toward a stall selling roasted spiritual fruits.

Chip! Chip,! "Nima! Buy me the biggest one. Make sure to choose the brighter and juicier one. It's the best!" Auri chirped, flapping his wings impatiently.

Nima first rolled her eyes but later gave in, purchasing a large, glowing fruit. Auri immediately began pecking at it with pure joy.

As Kent walked back toward them, he sighed at the sight. "I leave you two alone for ten seconds, and you're already raiding the food stalls. Where do you put all those foods? Both of your bodies are small. But you two eat like an elephant."

"It's called retail therapy, Kent. You should try it sometime," Nima teased. "Come, eat with us, big brother."

"Best decision ever!" Auri added between bites.

While eating, Kent asked, "Nima, what happened to the demonic leader's soul? Can you summon it? After catching him, you didn't summon him. Something wrong with it?"

"That's a good question, big brother." Nima replied, "I can't summon him right now. His soul body didn't materialize. The last time I checked, he was still a black ball inside my heart's black hole. I think I need more time before I can summon that spider face."

Kent nodded, " So, that's how it is. By the way, I have a ghost core. You can feed it to Raka. It will make him like Lumo—an intelligent soul."

"Really," Nima jumps with excitement. " Can he talk after eating the ghost core? You don't know how hard it is for me to send him to buy some snacks. I had to write everything on paper before sending it to him. If he can talk, it will be easy to buy snacks."

Kent sighed while thinking, "This girl always thinks about food. Even after getting an intelligent servant, she thinks about buying snacks. But I can make Raka sell and be in charge of my vegetable shops."

"If you two are finished eating, then let's go back. It's getting late. I have some work to do. Hurry up!"

The trio left the black market with a mix of satisfaction and exhaustion, the weight of their purchases making their steps slightly heavier. Kent carried the stones and small trees, and Nima carried the seeds and some personal items she bought. Auri joyfully flew above their head, holding only one seed in his mouth.

Chip! Chip! "I am helping Kent and Nima with carrying stuff. I am so happy. My tummy is also full."

The city streets buzzed with nightlife as they made their way back to the hotel, neon lights reflecting off the glass windows of towering buildings. The contrast between the black market's wild energy and the structured, modern district was striking.

"I can't believe we spent that much time in there," Nima muttered, stretching her arms. "I barely even got to shop for myself!"

Kent rolled his eyes. "You say that, but your hands were full of bags. Let's not forget Auri here, who spent half her time demanding food."

Auri, perched smugly on Nima's shoulder, chirped. "Correction—I was conducting taste tests. How else am I supposed to know which spiritual fruits are the best? My standards are very high."

Nima scoffed. "Your standards are expensive. What are you doing carrying only one seed? Now you are even resting on my shoulder. Shu! Shu! go fly. Lose some weight."

"Nima, don't act like a queen; you are not the boss," Auri added dramatically.

"What did you say? Do you want—thousand years of pain on your butt?" Nima and Auri both started arguing with each other and saying weird stuff to each other.

Kent ignored their banter as they entered the hotel lobby. Every time, the grand marble floors and chandelier-lit ceilings made it feel like they had stepped into an entirely different world.

The receptionists gave them polite nods, accustomed to the presence of travellers who carried strange artifacts or weapons. This was, after all, a city where the supernatural was a daily occurrence. Kent Nima carrying stones, seeds and trees to their room was very normal.

After taking the elevator up to their floor, they finally entered their room. Nima flopped onto the couch, dramatically sighing. "Finally! My feet are killing me."

Auri landed on the coffee table, inspecting the fruit he couldn't finish in the black market. "I have exercised a lot by flying my way back. Rest? There is no rest when there are still snacks to be eaten."

Kent, however, had other things on his mind. He carefully sat down and retrieved the box of stones he had won from the black market's gambling stall. He placed them on the coffee table, his fingers tracing over the cool, smooth surfaces of the stones. Each one held the potential for either incredible wealth or absolute disappointment.

Nima peeked at him from the couch. "So, are you gonna open them now, or just stare at them dramatically?"

Kent smirked. "Patience, little sister. This is art. Watch me!"

Auri flapped his wings. " Kent, If none of them contain treasure, will you cry?"

"Shut up, Auri." Taking a deep breath, Kent opened the stones with his dagger coated with sword intent. His sword intent creates a thick layer of sword Auri on the soul slash dagger. It was smooth, like cutting butter.

A faint glow shimmered over his eyes as he examined the stones one by one. Most of them were worthless—ordinary rocks with no special properties. However, his heart skipped a beat as he reached the last two. One of them holds the spiritual mine core. He opened the last two stones with a face full of excitement.

[Ding! Hidden Spirit Core detected!

Name: "Heart of Aether"

Special Property: Catalyst for Spiritual Stone Genesis.]

[Ding! Infernal Crystal detected!]

Kent's grin widened. "Jackpot. Two Jackpot. My ticket to be rich is here. Ha Ha Ha!!!"

Nima sat up. "Did you find something good?"