Chapter 42: Chapter 42: The Elven Princess: Ilyana Vaeloria

The content of the letter was as follows:

"Dear Mr. Ethan, I am glad to inform you that I have discovered your secret of selling all those sentient swords and buying mana orbs in large quantities. It was very astonishing to me that you're the owner of those D-Grade sentient swords because I learned that you're just an E-Rank hunter.

So, if you don't want your secret to be leaked, meet me at the Eldritch Chamber of Commerce.

But, You don't need to fear Mr. Ethan. Instead, I have a deal that you would very much like to hear.

I hope you will meet me soon enough.

From— your well wisher."

-----

Ethan was tense at first, but at the later part he couldn't help but find it amusing. It was a really polite threat. Feeling intrigued, he decided to visit the place to see what awaited him.

Setting this aside, Ethan took out his Skeletal Dragon Sword from the scabbard at his waist, and another sword called Holy Elemental Sword, which was given to him by Aria.

However, he didn't take it for free, because this sword's price was astronomical.

A single sword cost 3,000 gold coins. It was just a D-Grade sword, but infused with the holy fire element. That's what make it special.

He had requested this sword from Aria just to kill demons if needed in the future, especially with the Great Demon War on the horizon, he needed to be ready.

"Coins, coins, its all about coins," Ethan muttered to himself.

Setting that aside, he began synthesize both swords to see if his sword could gain the ability to kill demons. If it failed, it would be a huge loss.

[ Ding! ]

[ Congratulations! Your Materials Synthesis was successful ]

[ Your sword has upgraded to: Holy Dragonian Blade (C) ]

The previous skeletal bone sword had transformed into a sharp blade that radiated purification energy of holy fire. It seemed as if it was made to purify all evils. The sword's toughness had increased significantly, alongside its sharpness.

He cast [Appraisal] to see its properties.

[ Appraisal ]

[ Name: Holy Dragonian Blade ]

[ Grade: C ]

[ Attack Power: 105 ]

[ Durability: 320 ]

"Oh! What is it that you want from me?" Ethan asked, getting straight to the point.

"Straightforward, I like that," Ilyana said, her smile charming. "I have a proposition for you, Mr. Ethan. Your secret is safe with me, but in exchange, I need your help with a certain... endeavor."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

Ilyana leaned forward, revealing a peak of her snowy white bosom. Although, she might have done it unconsciously.

Ethan was charmed by the sight but pretended as if nothing had happened. He was definitely enjoying it a little.

"I want you to sell all your special weapons here," she said, coming a little closer. Her flowery scent drifted under his nostrils.

Ethan's raised his eyebrows . "Sell my weapons to you. That's your only condition? I have no problem doing that, but can you tell me how you found me?" Ethan was really curious about who had caught him; he acted so secretly, yet someone had seen it. It intrigued him a little.

Ilyana smiled brightly upon hearing his answer. Then, considering Ethan's curiosity, she pondered a little before calling out to an inconspicuous corner of the room, "Kai, come out."

From the shadows emerged a small boy, no older than twelve, with nimble fingers and sharp eyes. He had an air of confidence despite his young age and wore clothes that allowed him to blend seamlessly into the background.

"This is Kai," Ilyana introduced. "He has a thief class with exceptional skills. He noticed you during one of your transactions and brought it to my attention."

"Thief Class?" Ethan pondered. He head about classes, but unfortunately he had none. He had no idea how to achieve it either. He should have asked Aria earlier. She and her family must have assassin class with them.

Kai bowed slightly. "It wasn't easy following you, Mr. Ethan. You're very careful. But I have a knack for these things."

Ethan looked at the boy, impressed. "You followed me without me noticing? That's quite impressing."

Kai grinned. "I aim to please my mistress." He bowed lightly Ilyana respectfully at Ilyana.

Ilyana continued, "Kai's skills are invaluable to us, and he will be working closely with you to ensure smooth operations. Together, we can create a profitable partnership. What do you say?"

Ethan considered the proposal. It was risky, but the potential rewards were significant. And having someone as skilled as Kai could be an asset too.

"One last question. Why do you need my help? Your shop already look so well equipped, so what's the need of my help?" Ethan asked intrigued as it had been floating in his mind for a while now.

Ethan, you don't understand the ramifications of your actions, do you?" Ilyana said with a twinge of mystery.

As Ethan raised his eyebrows, not fully understanding its meaning, Ilyana explained, "Do you know how extraordinary it is to make sentient weapons? It is literally like breathing life into objects. Only a Legendary Class Weaponsmith can do what you did.

"The real value is in you, not the swords. Although at low-grade weapons, it was not so apparent how a sentient weapon functions, but once you upgrade them to B-Grade or above, you will see the real miracle. The weapons become living objects in reality. They can talk to the user like a partner as well as be equipped with special abilities, making them extremely formidable and rare to find.

"I don't know how you are able to achieve so much success in creating sentient objects, and I don't want to know either. Maybe you have a good master teaching you with your Legendary Class, or whatever. But I need your help to complete my goal and achieve my freedom," Ilyana said honestly.

Ethan nodded, understanding the gist of it. This Universal Synthesis skill had more potential than he thought. He had yet to discover more of its proper usage.

Ilyana mistook him as someone with a Legendary Weapon crafter class, guided by a reclusive master, saving him the trouble of revealing his secrets.

Honestly, he thought they could go on with the partnership actually. He became curious about her identity, to be assured farther. So, he used [Appraisal] on her, and it was successful. That basically meant she was less than level 50.