In the underground workshop of St. Amanda’s Academy, Dorothy sat dumbfounded in her seat, her expression frozen in shock, her gaze locked in place, unmoving as if she had turned to stone. At this moment, she felt as if her fragile heart had been dealt a ruthless blow by reality. After remaining in a daze for a long while, her mind finally started functioning again, and the first thought that popped into her head was a complaint. "Damn, this old guy didn’t even try to haggle?" That was what Dorothy thought. The price she had offered was something she had carefully considered for a long time. From her perspective, it was absolutely an exaggerated asking price—one meant to be bargained down. This was five mystical books, after all! Each one was worth anywhere from four to five hundred pounds. Five of them combined had a value of over two thousand pounds! That was enough to buy a house in Igwynt and live comfortably for the rest of her life just from collecting rent! And then there was that mystical spatial storage item… Could it be that such extraordinary artifacts were actually not rare in the mysticism world? Dorothy pondered this in her heart. Her initial offer had far exceeded the price she had originally anticipated. She had done this deliberately to leave room for negotiations—her actual bottom price was only about two mystical books. She had reserved space for bargaining, set her psychological baseline, and was fully prepared for a long back-and-forth with Aldrich. But who would have thought that he would accept her so-called exorbitant price without hesitation? In an instant, Dorothy felt as if she had suffered a massive loss. She had thought she was making an outrageous demand, but in Aldrich’s eyes, it was as if a kitten had merely opened its mouth. "Ugh… this feels like such a loss… Is this guy really that rich? If I had known, I would have asked for even more…" Dorothy screamed internally. Even though she had gained far more than she expected, she still felt cheated. Human nature is a strange thing. "What’s wrong, Miss Mayschoss? For both parties to reach an agreement so quickly and conclude this deal—shouldn’t that be something worth celebrating?" Seeing the stunned look on Dorothy’s face, Aldrich spoke in a calm tone. Hearing his words, Dorothy’s expression shifted through a series of complicated emotions before she finally let out a long sigh. "Whew… Fine. Deal. Now, can you show me the things I asked for?" Dorothy said, after thinking it over for a moment. In the end, she abandoned the idea of going back on the deal at the last second to demand a higher price—such an act would be a blatant violation of contract principles. Seeing her response, Aldrich gave a faint smile of approval. "Heh. As you wish, Miss Mayschoss." Saying that, Aldrich got up and walked into a room adjacent to his workshop. After a short while, he returned with several items in his hands and placed them on the table before Dorothy. They were two old books and a small, palm-sized copper box. The box was round, adorned with various gemstones and intricate engravings, giving it an air of value. "This is a ’Cursed Box.’ Only high-ranking of Stone Craftsmen can craft them. Inside, it contains a special compressed space capable of storing numerous items. Several advanced branches of the Stone path have the ability to create such boxes, and the most refined ones can even house an entire city within them." As he gestured toward the copper box on the table, Aldrich continued his explanation. "This particular one is a basic model, with a total space of 7x7x7—343 cubic meters. I believe that should be sufficient for your needs. The method of use is simple: open the lid and place objects inside. The yellow gemstone on top adjusts the size of the entrance." As he spoke, Aldrich demonstrated. He opened the lid of the box, revealing not a solid bottom, but a pitch-black void. Then, he twisted the yellow gemstone on the lid, and the opening began to expand. As it grew beyond the physical boundaries of the box, an orange-yellow light ring formed around its edges, constraining the space. "Be careful. Most Cursed Boxes are designed solely for storage—this one included. Do not put sentient beings inside, as the environment within severely degrades intelligence. Also, avoid causing significant damage to the internal space. If the box is damaged or collapses, it will violently expel everything inside all at once." After finishing his introduction, Aldrich returned the box’s entrance to its original size and closed the lid. Then, he looked at Dorothy, waiting for any questions she might have. "A Cursed Box, huh… You said many high-ranking Stone Beyonders can craft them. Does that mean these aren’t considered rare in the mysticism world?" Dorothy asked. The way Aldrich had so readily brought out the item for trade made her wonder if it was actually quite common—perhaps not worth much at all? "Heh… Not rare?" Aldrich chuckled. "Miss Mayschoss, I said that only high-ranking Stone Beyonders can create Cursed Boxes. But the scarcity of high-ranking Beyonders might exceed your imagination. And those specializing in Stone are even rarer. I can tell you plainly—there are very few individuals in this world capable of making these. Additionally, the success rate of crafting a Cursed Box is not particularly high.” "This one you have here… is valuable enough to start a war between two White Ashes." "Huh?" Hearing Aldrich’s words, Dorothy was momentarily stunned. She couldn’t tell if he was being serious or just bragging. If it was true, then hadn’t she just made an astronomical profit? This was something valuable enough to make two White Ash Rank figures go to war over, and she had obtained it just by offering a piece of information? From Aldrich’s perspective, was this item simply not that valuable? Or was her intelligence far more valuable than she had assumed? Or… was he simply bluffing? "Now then, Miss Mayschoss. The items are here. It’s time for you to share your information with me." Aldrich sat back down in his chair and addressed Dorothy. After gathering her thoughts, Dorothy began explaining what she knew about the two Black-ranks. In her account, she briefly described how, while protecting the victims of the Crimson Eucharist, she had tracked two mysterious Black-rank outsiders. They served a master called ’Deer Skull’ and were acting under orders to find a Stone Beyonder in Igwynt. Moreover, they had already pinpointed St. Amanda’s Academy and would likely make a move soon. Upon hearing Dorothy’s words, Aldrich fell silent. He sipped his tea while deep in thought, his furrowed brows revealing a trace of solemnity. Dorothy could tell that he took the information about Deer Skull very seriously. "So… it’s finally happening." Letting out a slow sigh, Aldrich muttered to himself. Then, he looked at Dorothy and spoke again. "Thank you, Miss Mayschoss. The intelligence you’ve provided is highly useful to me. It will allow me to prepare in advance." "You’ve got an enemy coming for you? A powerful one at that? Are you planning to retreat?" Dorothy asked. She had already pieced together the situation—it was clear that Aldrich was about to be targeted by an old foe. "Retreat? Hah… For a Stone Beyonder, abandoning one’s ground is the most foolish choice. It’s no different from courting death." Aldrich snorted coldly. "Then… you’re planning to stand your ground and fight? What are your odds?" "My odds?" Aldrich mused. "In my current state, even with ample preparation… maybe four out of ten." As he spoke, he locked eyes with Dorothy and continued. "But if you, Miss Mayschoss, were to stand on my side, I believe we could push that to six out of ten.” 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂 "So, Miss Mayschoss, are you interested in making another deal?" "The reward—one personal favor from me."