Chaos Carrier With A Broken Talent-Chapter 33: Secret Benefits

Louis was an influential merchant in the Lower Expanse and a well-known Fabricator in Orsire City. This was one of the reasons why Ethan and Menir decided to go to him for the Green Mist Stones the first time and return to sell the Energy Core.

Therefore, Louis had a large selection of everything that could be useful to a Fabricator and a merchant of his type.

Hundreds of the Hollow Orbs surrounded Ethan and Menir, some containing rare elements and some not so much. They didn’t need to guess which elements were suitable for them since their Constructs informed them when they almost created the First Ring.

Louis stood in the middle of the warehouse, watching Ethan and Menir search for suitable Hollow Orbs.

It was important to understand that the rarity of an element did not mean that its owner was stronger than the owners of more common elements.

Leyla’s element was lightning, not the most widespread, but that didn’t give her any advantage over those who possessed fire or water. In terms of progression, ability, or talent, there was no difference between them.

However, for those who used elements to create something, it could be of great importance. To create certain products, special elements were needed, most often taken from the Hollow Orbs.

If a lightning element was required to create a Product, it didn’t matter how many fire Hollow Orbs you had. It was impossible to replace elements in a recipe without losing some of the qualities of the final Product.

It didn’t matter how much cabbage the cook put in the pie, it couldn’t become a meat pie. It was still a pie, sure, but the result and effect were different. That’s how it worked.

Thus, many Fabricators hunted for rare elements. This allowed them to create Products that other Fabricators couldn’t. Not because they didn’t know how or didn’t have the recipe, but because they didn’t have the right ingredients.

The Hollow Orbs were fairly simple to create. All it took was a source of an element and a way to extract the element from one source to put it into another. At the same time, it was not necessary to empty the original source, it varied from situation to situation.

Sometimes, it was almost like walking up to a river and filling a jar with water.

Step. Step. Step.

Menir approached the far shelf where there were only three Hollow Orbs with dark red energy inside. It wasn’t a hot flame, it was cold blood.

Unnoticed by them, Louis nodded slightly. For some reason, he was glad that Menir had a rather rare element.

Then, Ethan disappeared into the corner where he found two dark orbs.

He went to them because, among the dozens of elements surrounding him, he immediately felt drawn to this place.

This was not surprising because his Construct showed him which elements he needed.

’Darkness?’ Ethan thought, carefully picking up the orb. ’Yeah, this will help me.’

Soon, they returned to Louis.

His eyes scanned their orbs as he nodded deeply.

"Excellent choice. However, considering that I have very few of these, you’ll have to pay much more than usual."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "How much?"

"150 for yours and 200 for hers."

In a heartbeat, Ethan’s eyes went wide as he squeezed the orb tightly, almost breaking it. They had paid 500 coins for a rare Energy Core, and Louis was asking 350 for just two glass balls with an element? 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Damn, Louis, that’s a rip-off!

Louis shrugged.

"Well, you can try your luck with another merchant. I’m not forcing you to buy anything, but I’m not going to sell my goods at a loss. If I did, neither I nor this shop would be here."

Ethan seemed about to argue to get the price down a little, but Menir stepped forward.

"We agree. 350 claw coins? That’s a good price."

"Deal!"

It was too late to argue, so Ethan had to hand over 35 one-ring coins, leaving himself with only 15. His teeth gritted, but he knew it was necessary if he wanted to create the First Ring.

’Argh! 350 coins?! The Green Mist Stones were only worth 200! Both of them! Hopefully, these orbs will work!’

Ethan couldn’t be blamed for his reaction. No sooner did he receive a large sum of money than he had to part with it.

Sure, for some people, 500 claw coins were nothing, but not for Ethan. Only now, when he became a Carrier, did he have access to more money.

But money had a unique property: the more you earn, the more you spend. Sure, it didn’t always work that way, but if you needed money to progress, it was a never-ending cycle of earning and spending.

Ethan and Menir achieved a lot in the last few months, but without the Artifacts and Products, they would have accomplished nothing. They wouldn’t be able to enter the Poisonous Field without protection from the poison, and they wouldn’t have defeated Black Horn without the power of the Soul Stone.

"Tsk. I hope you’re happy you shook us down for our last coins. We’re leaving!"

Ethan waved his hand and strode toward the exit.

"Wait."

Louis’s voice stopped him.

"Don’t be in such a hurry. If you want to connect with the fragments, you can do so in my shop. There’s a suitable place right in the next room. What’s more, I’ll help you with advice."

Suspicion flashed in Menir’s eyes as she narrowed them.

Louis had no reason to help them for free. She could expect selfless help from many, but not from a merchant. It was in Louis’s blood to profit from every breath he took if possible.

"Really?" Ethan turned around in disbelief.

Louis nodded.

"Sure. Follow me. Helping young Carriers is a long-standing tradition for anyone who has been on this path for a long time."

Menir didn’t know exactly what Louis had in mind, but she didn’t have enough reasons to refuse. Louis’s help could be useful to them.

Once they were in the shadow of the passageway, a gleam flashed across Louis’s eyes.

’So they’ve chosen darkness and blood? But... What else is hidden inside them? I can’t let this slip away!’