[Benefactor, please change that name.]

"What?"

[Isn’t it a little... offensive?]

"Tingyun, the point of a name is to get straight to the point. The purpose of the Memory is to get rid of a disability, and the user should know that!"

[...Fine, then. Don’t blame me if you don’t get a contract.]

"Now, why would I do that?"

Sunny shook his head in disappointment. Honestly, why did everyone bash him for his naming sense? He bet they were just jealous.

***

And so, a day passed. After completing the Memory, Sunny handled the delivery process. Due to the nature of Memories, they had to be transferred from one person to another, so delivering them across worlds was a little tedious. Basically, through the platform, Sunny had to order a middleman for him to transfer the Memory to — which came with a fee, much to his dismay. His middleman would then deliver the Memory to the buyer.

Of course, with SoundlessHeaven being a Premium Investor, she was able to completely negate the costs of buying a middleman due to her special privileges. In fact, that was one of the special benefits of being sponsored by one. She acquired a middleman for Sunny to pass the Memory to — who, for some reason, had a strange look on their face when he transferred the Memory.

’Probably nothing important.’

With how fast space travel was, thousands of lightyears can be passed in only a few seconds. So, Sunny was pretty sure that SoundlessHeaven would receive her friend’s Memory pretty soon.

...Fast enough, actually, that he received a message from her the moment he returned to his room in the Express. Gulping, Sunny chanted in his head:

’Moment of truth, moment of truth, moment of truth, moment of—’

SoundlessHeaven: "I just received it, and it works! I couldn’t tell you how many years my friend has been looking for a Memory like this."

Sunny blinked. Years? He pitied them for a moment. Her friend must have been faced with quite the harrowing foe if her injury was unable to be healed for so long, despite the resources that were probably available to her.

SoundlessHeaven: "It’s very pretty, too! I wasn’t sure that you could create something matching my descriptions, but I’m pleasantly surprised."

’Uh-huh. Keep it coming.’

SoundlessHeaven: "I just have one question."

Sunny tilted his head.

Sunny’s Brilliant Emporium: "What is it?"

SoundlessHeaven: "Just to be sure, you came up with the name and description yourself, right?"

Sunny smiled. Finally, someone who was actually going to be appreciative of his creativity.

[I’m sorry, Benefactor.]

"You should be."

[No. I’m sorry for what’s about to happen.]

Sunny raised a brow, before responding to SoundlessHeaven.

Sunny’s Brilliant Emporium: "I did! Did you like them?"

There were a few long moments after his reply. Then, she asked another question.

SoundlessHeaven: "Could you give me examples of what you usually name your Memories?"

Wow, it seemed that he really made an impression. He knew that his audience would find him one day. SoundlessHeaven must have been a woman of exquisite taste.

Sunny’s Brilliant Emporium: "Of course! I have the Shadow Chair, which is actually just a wooden chair. There’s also the Extraordinary Rock, which used to be an Ordinary Rock. I once used both of them to defeat this unkillable guy, and through my hard work alone, I fell multiple floating islands. I also have the Heat Absorbing Thingy, which actually absorbs heat! There’s the Second Strike of Thunder, which is the sequel to the Strike of Thunder, and of course, finally, there is Saint’s Useful Charm That Would Totally Eviscerate All Her Enemies!"

[Oh, Benefactor...]

Hearing Tingyun’s sorrowful voice, Sunny raised a brow. Then, he received a message.

SoundlessHeaven: "You’re a very funny person, aren’t you, Mister Sunny? Can I call you that?"

[WHAT?!]

"What?"

While Tingyun released hoarse shouts of disbelief in his Soul Sea, Sunny raised a brow. He wasn’t too sure what about his words were funny, but he supposed she wasn’t wrong. He also wished that Tingyun would quiet down inside of him— that didn’t come out right.

Sunny’s Brilliant Emporium: "I am pretty funny, actually. And you can just call me Sunny. Most relevant characters do."

SoundlessHeaven: "Alright, Sunny! I’ll have the contract ready in a bit."

Sunny’s Brilliant Emporium: "Sounds good!"

As he set his phone down, he turned his attention to Tingyun, who was laughing without a hint of joy:

"...Are you okay?"

Weak mumbles escaped her lips.

[I think... I think you need to learn how to use your powers for the greater good, Benefactor. To use them how they were intended.]

Sunny made a face.

"I’m not going out of my way to fight evil, you know?"

Tingyun sighed:

[You already are. But that isn’t what I mean. Let me... let me think on it.]

If Sunny could send her a confused look, he would. Instead, he just shrugged his shoulders.

A moment later, SoundlessHeaven sent a message.

SoundlessHeaven: "Before I forget, is there anything in particular you’d like in the contract?"

An grin filled with avarice stretched on Sunny’s face. He furiously began to type, thinking of all the great things that he could obtain through their deal. Well, the main thing was Soul Shards...

[That’s it!]

"Exactly. Soul Shards are... it?"

A cough resounded in his head as she explained:

[Benefactor, I need you to add a particular line at the end of the contract...]

Sunny tilted his head as he heard Tingyun’s words. Then, he asked:

"O...kay? Why would I need to do that, though?"

Tingyun clicked her tongue.

[If I explained, you would respond saying: ’Just another one of the not so treacherous Lost From Light’s talents,’ which would then lead to you not taking it seriously. Trust me when I say that this is for your own benefit.]

Sunny frowned for a few moments, before nodding. It wasn’t as if his Shadow would deceive him.

’I don’t talk like that...’

Did he?

Sunny’s Brilliant Emporium: "The most important thing is that I have a steady supply of Soul Shards. I can make Memories up to the Transcendent Rank, but I need Soul Shards of the same Rank in order to do so. I haven’t tried to create a Supreme Memory yet, since failing would mean losing a Supreme Soul Shard." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

SoundlessHeaven: "Done. I can send you a Supreme Soul Shard to test, if you’d like."

Sunny’s eyes widened. It seemed that she was doing very well for herself... damn, most Saints have no business fighting Great Nightmare Creatures in the first place. He was quite impressed, honestly.

Sunny’s Brilliant Emporium: "I’d appreciate that. I’d also need materials harvested from Nightmare Creatures. Advertising would help, and if you can, I would like it if you sent me unused Memories for me to study."

Once again, she didn’t seem to show any problems with those conditions. Finally, he asked what Tingyun suggested.

Sunny’s Brilliant Emporium: "If it’s alright, would you be willing to talk outside of business?"

’That sounds creepy...’

Honestly, he had no idea what Tingyun was thinking. If he lost this opportunity, he was really going to send her back into his Shadow Core to reflect on her actions.

’I’m really starting to sound like a proper slaver, huh?’

It took a few minutes for her to respond.

SoundlessHeaven: "You want to talk on a personal level?"

Sunny pursed his lips.

Sunny’s Brilliant Emporium: "If you’re comfortable with it."

’And now, we wait...’

He heard a faint hiss above him, revealing an onyx serpent hanging down from the ceiling, peeking at his phone.

"I believe in you, My Lord..."

SoundlessHeaven: "For certain reasons, I can’t give out my real identity."

Sunny gaped. Serpent gaped, as well, revealing its tiny fangs:

"M—My Lord swishes? No, that’s impossible..."

SoundlessHeaven: "But if you’re alright with that, then I’d love to! :)"

"He scores! My Lord, this is the scent of great things to come. Your seed will spread across the stars, and the world will know of the—"

Ignoring Serpent’s hisses, Sunny made a face. Then, he summoned Tingyun into his room, watching her step out of his shadow. Serpent made a startled hiss, before falling from the ceiling in a coiled entanglement of scales.

"So, what exactly was the point of this?"

There was a sly, conspiring grin on her macabre skin.

"Training, of course. Can’t have what happened last time, can we?"

’Last time?’

Serpent nodded its little head:

"It was a true disappointment, My Lord. All of your charisma is going to waste! Listen to the fox."

Its tongue flickered outward for a moment, before slithering back into Sunny’s shadow. Tingyun, on the other hand, sent him a mysterious smile as she did the same, her enchanting figure consumed by darkness.

"Trust the process, Benefactor. You’ll thank me one day..."