Theo started to explain the deal he had envisioned. He was offering a chance to turn potentially useless products into viable stock in return for low-grade artifacts. The black market trader fell silent for a moment as he considered it.

"So… you’ll appraise the items, and be paid in defective or low-grade artifacts?”

It was a rather suspicious proposal. Professional appraisers were expensive, often charging between three and five gold for appraising a genuine product, or fifty silver for a defective product. Meanwhile, the black market trader would only make a profit of one gold on genuine products, and nothing at all from defective products.

It might be a gamble worth taking if he had genuine products, but how likely was it that he would have any genuine products? If he appraised ten items and found eight duds, the cost of appraising eight defective items would be higher than the profit from two genuine products. This probability of making such losses was the reason why he sold his items, both genuine and defective, like cheap lottery tickets. However, Theo’s proposal would balance his costs and profits nicely.

Theo nodded. “Yes, I will take some of them.”

The black market trader’s poker face finally cracked into a smile. Theo was well aware that appraisers were too expensive for the black market trader and guessed that the black market trader wouldn’t be able to cover the costs.

This is an offer that a black market trader absolutely can’t refuse. I’m the only one in this world who would offer such a great deal.

Theo was correct. The black market trader was frantically calculating the benefits of hiring Theo. It was as if a jackpot had walked into his store out of the blue. When the black market trader scrutinized Theo’s proposal from every angle he could conceive of, he could only come to one conclusion.

No matter how I look at this, I would gain an enormous profit!

Even if nine out of ten items were defective, it was enough for the trader to pay for the appraisal. The most he would be risking was fifty silver, while the profit would be several times that. And if he got lucky and got two genuine products? Or three? His earnings would skyrocket. Although the black market trader wanted to agree to the proposal on the spot, he cleared his throat and shook his head instead.

“Hoo, I am at a loss. I don't know what to do.”

Theo frowned. “What do you mean? These are exceptional conditions.”

“You are right. You have indeed made me an offer that can’t be refused.” A smile flashed across the black market trader’s face. “But it’s too strange. What benefits will you gain, Young Master?"

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“I see.”

The black market trader stared at Theo like he could read his mind. But Theo didn’t look away from that uncomfortably sharp gaze.

The black market trader smiled as he assessed Theo’s response. “I’ve learned to stay away from one-sided deals a long time ago. After all, I never know what I might pay in the end. In fact, the person who taught me to live by this rule was killed for not following his own words.”

The black market trader was rather wary, since he couldn’t understand Theo’s intentions. In this world of humans, he wouldn’t believe in anyone but himself, so he couldn’t bring himself to accept this deal.

It’s a shame to reject the deal, but it’s also too good for me to accept.

Should he give up a good deal because it looked too good or prioritize profit? The black market trader was accustomed to a rough life, so he thought about it calmly.

“I'm sorry, but if you can't give me an answer, this deal is unacceptable.”

Theodore stiffened at the unimaginable response.

Is he refusing my offer because it’s too good for him? Is this really the world of the black market traders?

Theo wondered if he should go and find other black market traders. He hesitated for a moment before dismissing the idea. He wouldn’t have known this place even existed if he hadn’t visited three years ago. Theo had no idea where he could find other black market dealers, so the likelihood of closing a deal was close to zero. He needed to somehow make this deal with this black market trader.

But I can’t reveal Gluttony’s existence, so how do I convince this guy? A hasty lie won’t convince him.

It was difficult to instill trust in others, especially if he had to hide his intentions. It would be nice if there was a notary, but a black market shop wasn’t the place to find a notary. His attempts to hide his identity might prove futile. Suddenly, he had an idea.

... Wait a minute.

Theo’s face lit up as he remembered something. He looked at the black market trader and said without hesitation, “I'm sorry, but I can't tell you what I would gain from this deal. I can only ask you to trust me.”

“Is that so? Then this conversation...”

“Come on, don’t be so quick to say no.” Theo quickly cut off the black market trader. Theo’s idea crystallized as the black market trader stared cautiously at him. “If you’re a black market trader, then you know that illegal transactions are common, and there are many untrustworthy people out there.”

The black market trader frowned. “What’s your point?”

“... Do you have a Geass Scroll?”

A Geass Scroll was an item that was mass produced by the Tower of Magic that allowed one to enforce a geas.

The black market trader’s face stiffened as he nervously asked, “Young Master, are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“...Then the story’s different.”

The black market trader pulled out a small box from under the counter. He opened it and pulled out a piece of parchment. The reddish hue of the parchment and magic circles on the surface proved its authenticity. This was the first time Theo had seen a Geass Scroll.

“Is this it?”

“Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve taken it out, since there aren’t many situations that require it.”

The red parchment between Theo and the black market trader shone brightly. Just like its name, it would create a compulsion to adhere to the contract written on the parchment. If the contract was broken, the oathbreaker risked blindness or losing their lives. Thus, a Geass Scroll was more reliable than any notary.

“... Let’s start. My name is Canis. And you, Young Master?”

“Theodore Miller."

“You truly are a noble. I will write down the terms of the contract as you described earlier. Don’t regret it later.”

The black market dealer started carefully drafting the contract. If this deal went sideways for any reason, then he might be left with costly consequences. The Geass Scroll would protect him as long as he was meticulous. As a result, he took his time as he filled half the parchment with clauses.

Theo quietly examined the parchment and added, “Canis, I would like to add one provision.”

“What is it?"

“I’d like to add a clause about confidentiality. If you can’t keep quiet about me and this transaction, then the deal is off the table.”

In truth, Theo didn’t have any leverage to enforce his demand, but his face betrayed nothing. He could only look confident. A strange expression appeared on Canis’ face before he smiled. The provision wasn’t a big deal to him.

“Ha, is this revenge for before? Well, okay. That’s why we are using the Geass Scroll. I will concede this much.”

This would prevent any information from leaking out. 

Theo was relieved. Although he was smart, bargaining with a black market trader was a different story. He wasn’t particularly adept at dealing with people. He could only hope that this wouldn’t happen next time.

“Hey, Young Master.” This time, Canis was the one who wanted to say something.

Theo buried his impatience as he replied, “... What?”

“Can you appraise cursed items? If possible, I would like to ask you to do that as well.”

“Um...”

Cursed items? It was an unexpected question. Gluttony was a grimoire that ate magic books. He hadn’t verified if Gluttony could identify curses before consuming them. However, the black market trader had many things that could be used to verify this.

“Let’s try an item.”

Canis took out an item without hesitation. He was certainly quick when there might be profit involved.

Well, I’m not in a position to criticize him. Theo grabbed the ring with his left hand and closed his eyes to focus.

“Appraisal.”

He could feel the tongue swipe at the ring within his fist. The visualized information entered his head, dispelling any worries.

[+2 The Widow’s Wail (Accessory)]

[A ring made of high purity silver. The first owner of this ring lost her husband early in life, and died soon after as she suffered from an illness of the heart. The widow’s sorrow remained attached to this ring and turned into a strong curse. If a woman wears this ring, she will be affected by a Depressed condition. If a man wears this ring, there is a low chance of being affected by the Depressed condition.

* The grade of this ring is Normal.

* When consumed, a very small amount of magic power will be absorbed.

* When consumed, the digestion time will be eight minutes and twenty-two seconds.

* When worn, the owner of Gluttony will not be affected by the curse.]

However, the notifications didn’t end there. The following notifications were enough to banish his weariness.

[You have appraised a cursed item. The faint curse has shrunk back in the presence of a predator.]

[Curse magic is a mysterious phenomenon. When you feed Gluttony a cursed item, there is a low probability that the owner will obtain the memories and experience of skills of the person who left the curse behind. The more powerful the curse, the greater such probability.]

[Gluttony’s owner will not be affected by the curse.]

The result was better than he’d expected, so Theo accepted the request without any hesitation. Of course, he didn’t forget to extract a price for it, as cursed items were added to the list of items he could take as payment.

After that, the process went smoothly.

Once the two added their thumbprints with blood, the parchment absorbed those prints and shone with a burgundy light. The Geass Scroll had activated successfully. Canis put it back in its box and sealed it tightly. Since the contract had a confidentiality clause, the existence of the contract itself became an absolute secret.

“Now, since the deal is established...” Theo, feeling tired, raised his left hand with a gentle expression. “Let’s start immediately.”

It was time for him to fill up his magic power.