Nameless King

"I've told you everything I know about soul pearl hunters. I have nothing more to add." Said Sven.

Wain nodded, "Okay, I hear you. I'm about to leave, but before I do, I'd like to see your assortment. What can I buy from you?"

Sven smiled, "I think we should start with how many souls you have. I need to know your capabilities, so I can suggest appropriate items."

"Right now, I have 1873 souls. Most of them are Common Rating, but there are a few Rare Rating souls. I suppose it would be fair if you gave me nineteen Void Souls for that?" Wain said calmly.

"Sure, no problem. But, I must warn you that I never give discounts or anything like that. Every soul has its exact price, just like objects do." Said Sven.

"I would argue with that. Different gear isn't always equally useful. It all depends on the situation. It doesn't matter to you as a merchant, though." Said Wain and extended his arm forward.

Each of the souls he had was Destroyed. It made no sense for Wain to use these souls for himself. It was far more profitable to trade them from Sven for a few Void Souls. Wain could have tried to get a few Spiritual Boxes out of the hundreds of souls, but he decided it wasn't worth it.

He would have gotten a few expendable Common Rating items at best. That wasn't the equivalent of nineteen Void Souls. Wain also had no shortage of Soul Essence at the moment.

Sven touched Wain's hand, and hundreds of souls passed to Sven in the next moment. It was like many white threads flowing through their hands, from Wain to Sven.

Then nineteen gray souls appeared in Sven's hands, and they instantly flew into Wain's body. Sven had used Void Soul immediately in the past, so he didn't pass them to Wain, but now it was a little different.

When the Void Souls flew into his body, Wain felt quite strange. It was as if he didn't exist. He felt like he was in the middle of a void and gradually became part of it himself.

"By the way, Sven, I don't understand something. It's about the prices of Void Souls." Said Wain.

"What is it?" Sven asked puzzled.

"You said a hundred Common Rating Primary Chronicle souls, I can trade for one Void Soul. That's understandable, but why didn't you mention the state the souls should be in? As far as I know, there's a lot more energy in Whole Soul than in Damaged Soul or Destroyed Soul. Wain asked.

Sven smirked and said, "That's not true. Do you really think I'd be working at a loss? For your information, that's basically impossible since I have no Void Souls."

"Hmm? Do you create them out of thin air?" Wain asked puzzled.

"It's practically like this. As this bar owner, I have special powers to convert souls into Void Souls. Only I can do that, and only here, and only at the exact price. It's like being in a bank." Smiling, Sven said.

'It was clear, though. Sven has a special role in the World of Darkness, but perhaps he is a common merchant. It seems surprising to me as I am just learning the boundaries and possibilities of this dimension.' Thought Wain.

He realized that besides Sven, other beings were capable of converting monster souls into Void Souls. Sven was a bartender, a merchant, and an informant all in one. Wain was lucky to have met such a useful person in his first neutral zone.

"So why isn't the state of the souls I pass on to you important?"

"It's simple. I'm sure you know how each soul state differs from the other very well. But, the point is that in Whole Soul, there is more energy just because one can gain an item or skill by crushing that soul.

These details don't matter for the World of Darkness because they are impermanent and can change. The World of Darkness does not consider a potential knife or shield as energy. It is similar to how money works.

If you go to the store, you're not going to pay with your phone or your ring, for example. These things are worth money, but they are not liquid for the store. The same system works in this case." Said Sven.

Wain nodded.

"However, there is another option that I sometimes think about. Maybe the World of Darkness rules is trying to cash in on those who don't know about it or for whom it no longer makes any difference what souls to give in exchange for Void Souls. At least that's what I would do." Sven muttered.

"I see, that does make sense..." Said Wain.

At the moment, it made sense for Wain to give only Destroyed Souls. However, that would change after a while. When all his stats except Energy were 80, he would no longer use Primary Chronicle Damaged Souls.

However, Wain believed that Whole Souls would always be useful. Even if he gets useless skills or items, he can give them to someone else or sell them. Only to someone in his own world, not to Sven. Trade was important in all worlds, not just the World of Darkness.

"All right, show me what you have."

"Are you interested in items from what price range?" Sven asked.

"From one to nineteen, of course, perhaps you have something exciting?"

Sven smiled and said, "I have a lot of unique and unusual items, but I think we need to start small. How about this one? I'm sure you won't turn down my offer."

Whooosh.

Then the ring on Sven's hand glowed brightly, and a small, rectangular box appeared beside it.

Wain raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked uncertainly, "Are those cigarettes?"

Sven smiled and nodded, "There are twelve cigarettes in this packet. They are called - Night Nebula. Of course, these cigarettes are unusual. They're unique."

"Go on," Wain said interestedly.

"Despite your regeneration, you will feel as if your lungs were on fire, but it will be a pleasant feeling. This is the special effect of the plant from which these cigarettes were made. Also, the smoke will be black and may turn into some kind of animal or something else. It's not an attack ability. It's just a beautiful, visual effect." Sven explained in detail.

Wain nodded. He wasn't upset that these cigarettes couldn't be used. It made sense. However, Wain wouldn't mind trying out some combat cigarettes for the sake of interest.

"I won't hide it. I like it. What's the price?" Wain asked.

Sven pointed one finger. They were cigarettes, though unusual, they couldn't cost much.

"All right, I agree, but I need three." Proclaimed Wain, and the next moment three gray souls appeared beside him. They instantly flew into Wain's body.

Sven nodded, and the ring on his finger glowed. Wain took the three black cigarette packets and shoved them under his cloak before moving to the Ring of Damned.

"Okay, now I need something powerful to fight with. Maybe some kind of bomb or scroll, a disposable weapon or something." Said Wain.

"Of course, the customer's wish is the law." Smiling said Sven, and his ring glowed again.

The next moment, three things appeared next to it.

It was a red, square amulet with the image of a lion. One parchment scroll with incomprehensible writing and a yellow crystal and a hollow cube inside. Each of these things was valuable and practical.

"Take your pick. I'm sure any of these things will help you in battle. For you, I've chosen the most interesting and useful things." Said Sven motioning the items to Wain.

First, Wain picked up the red lion amulet.

[Furious Lion Amulet (Primary Chronicle, Epic Rating)

When this amulet is used, the silhouette of a furious lion appears above the wearer, and an aura begins to emanate that will drive away all weak monsters.

As long as the amulet is activated, all Stats increase by 15 points, and the amulet's owner significantly increases his resistance to fire attacks.

The amulet's duration is 15 minutes, it can be used only once, and then it will be destroyed. After the amulet expires, all stats will be lowered by 10 for five minutes.

Uses: 0/1]

"How much is this amulet worth?" Wain asked.

"Five Void Souls," Sven said calmly.

Wain nodded, he was pleased with the description of this item, but he was hesitant to buy it yet.

He only had sixteen Void Souls left, and he wasn't going to use them all. He wouldn't be able to get that many souls anytime soon. He would have to hunt monsters for a long time.

However, the stronger he got, the more Void Souls he would have. Killing stronger and rarer monsters was advantageous.

Wain then picked up a scroll with various inscriptions.

[Curse of Blindness Scroll (Primary Chronicle, Epic Rating)

A creepy ghost appears near its owner when this item is used and flies toward its target. When the ghost reaches its victim, the target will be blinded for 10 minutes.

This item can only be used three times, after which it is destroyed.

Number of uses: 0/3]

'Hmm, quite a simple but effective item. I can incapacitate three enemies for ten minutes. If it's humans and not beasts, the blindness will render them practically useless.' Thought Wain and asked the price again.

Sven calmly said, "Four Void Souls."

Wain nodded and picked up the cube and the hollow metal cube. The two items became one piece when combined.