[ Sent by MistPrincess02 (230 reputation points.) - Alright. I am selling you this information at a discounted rate. Don’t forget this goodwill in our future transactions. Pay up first. ]
I tapped open my merit icon and sent her one merit point.
A notification sprang up.
[ 1 merit deducted. Remaining Merit points: 2,001 ]
[ Sent by MistPrincess02 (230 reputation points.) - Payment received. I obtained information that Ivory was working with the Zahara Clan’s descendants to lure the Worst One into a trap.
The duel was intended to be non-lethal, and with two instructors present, they should have brought the fight to an end once they realised it become bloodthirsty.
But they hadn’t. The duel was meant to cripple the Worst One’s spirit veins and be a final nail in the coffin for the Worst One’s reputation, which would result in his expulsion from the academy.
Then, he would no longer be a threat to the Zahara Clan’s descendants.
How did the Worst One win against a top ranker in the Magical Swordsman Department? I don’t know. Nobody knows! Rumour has it that he has obtained a life-saving elixir before the duel that temporarily increases his strength. This aligns with how, despite emerging victorious, he had ended up in a worse condition than Ivory.
I heard that they had to use a revival kit on him.
Has the Worst One truly committed the crime for which he was accused? I have no idea. However, it doesn’t matter. His reputation is already buried under the dirt, and it’s only a matter of time before the situation escalates further.
Oh! The Worst One has been discharged from the hospital. Rumours have it that he has returned to his dorm, so you will likely find him in his room
I have information about the next trap by Ivory and the Zahara Clan descendants for the Worst One. It costs 20 merit points.
Also, there is ongoing speculation about whether Instructor Fredric of the Magical Swordsman Department and Instructor Serafina of the Berserker Department are complicit in the Zahara Clan’s activities. I’ve the answers you’ve been looking for. It costs 50 merit points. ]
I furrowed my brows, pondering as I read through the message.
Cripple my spirit veins. I sighed.
Anyone with functioning brain cells could connect the dots and fish out the culprits responsible for the event that has transpired between I and Ivory.
Considering that I had met someone sitting on my bed when I entered my room was enough to tell that I was being spied upon.
I needed to find a way to bring Felix out and let him be on the lookout so I could fish them out and deal with them.
Although her information was correct, since I was the topic of the discussion, I found it lacking, as I had already drawn several conclusions on my own.
I was curious about the next trap they had planned for me.
However, I didn’t have much hope that it would reveal anything valuable since the Zahara Clan might have orchestrated it to misdirect suspicions away from themselves. But it was still worth investigating.
Nevertheless, the costs of obtaining this information were too high.
Their costs are twenty and fifty merit points, while information about me costs one merit point.
Perhaps she thought no one would purchase mine if it was so expensive, so she used theirs to cover the cost she had procured.
The Merit Point is a currency, but it isn’t Roble notes, gold, or coins; it’s a digital, magical token that can only be earned and used within the academy.
Merit Points cannot be bought with wealth. It was introduced to combat the wealth gap between nobles and commoners. Everyone had to work for every merit point they earned.
They can be used to access privileges such as entry to a special dungeon, a place where students can test their skills against powerful magical creatures, extra training time in a special room with specialised equipment, and many more.
Although it was a hassle that I couldn’t use my wealth to monopolise the system and gain an edge ahead of others, it was a system that worked, so the academy has continued to utilise it.
I wouldn’t have given this bargain a second thought if the information hadn’t concerned me.
It could also aid me in completing my quest.
[ I will pay you 10 merit points for the information regarding the next trap by Ivory and the Zahara Clan descendants for the Worst One. And 10 merit points for the information regarding instructors Fredric and Serafina. ]
I swiftly received a reply.
[ Sent by MistPrincess02 (230 reputation points.) - Make it 18 merit points for the first. And 48 merit points for the other. ]
At that moment, I also received a reply from my other friends.
[ Sent by Queen of Solitude (Reputation: +20.) - It seems you know something about Ezekiel Zahara. I will give you 25 merit points for the information you have. ]
As one of my newly added friends, we haven’t yet established a rapport where I would share everything I know just because she asked. So it wasn’t a surprise she doubted me.
Besides, I had sent that message to determine if she had already obtained the information she wanted from other sources.
After all, it’s been nearly two weeks since the event occurred.
But she was persistent. That means she hadn’t yet obtained the information she was looking for or wasn’t satisfied with the one she had already obtained.
I looked at Iamthegoat’s message, which I had yet to respond to.
I wanted to collect the information I had purchased from MistPrincess02 and sell it to him to recover the merit points I had spent. However, I was also uncertain if he had obtained the information he was searching for.
Now, I could sell that information for 25 merit points without worry.
I wouldn’t go broke if I continued in this line of business.