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"I will show you my most valuable item," she said. "The price is fixed. You cannot bargain."
Sekhmet’s heartbeat slowed.
"Show me," he said.
The witch stood.
Her bones cracked softly as she straightened.
Crick... crick...
She moved from behind the counter and walked toward a curtain at the back of the shop, one Sekhmet hadn’t noticed before. It was darker than the entrance curtain, almost black, stitched with thin silver runes.
She pushed it aside and disappeared behind it.
Shhhk...
Silence returned.
Bat Bat whispered, "We run?"
Sekhmet shook his head.
"No," he murmured. "We watch."
Bat Bat’s eyes darted around nervously.
"Witch dangerous," it whispered again.
Sekhmet’s gaze stayed on the back curtain.
He waited.
Minutes passed.
The shop felt heavier without her presence, as if her energy was still pressing on the air.
Bat Bat fidgeted on his shoulder like a child waiting for food.
Then the curtain moved again.
Shhhk...
The witch emerged holding a jar.
Not a large jar.
Not an impressive jar.
"Here are my most valuable three drops of blood. It’s the blood of god. I collected it when two gods were fighting." The witch said.
A small vial, no bigger than Sekhmet’s thumb, sealed with a pale wax that looked almost pink.
Inside was not liquid blood.
It was dry.
Almost powdery.
A soft pink-red crust clung to the glass like old paint.
Three drops.
Only three.
Sekhmet’s blood eye activated instantly.
The information appeared.
[Blood Type: Human God (Normal Blood)
Age: 10,000+ years
Quantity: 3 drops
Notes: Not essence blood. Residual divine chaos signature present.
Extra Information: Summon Compatibility: High
Potential Summon: Humanoid Harpy Bat (Half-human / Half-bat)]
Sekhmet’s breath caught.
His eyes sharpened.
His hunger stirred in a different way now.
Not craving.
Desire.
Because this was not just blood.
This was power sealed in history.
Bat Bat sniffed the air and nearly fell off Sekhmet’s shoulder again.
"GOOD," it whispered. "Very good."
Sekhmet kept his face calm, but inside his mind, he was already calculating.
"Humanoid harpy bat.
Half human. Half bat.
That is not a mindless minion.
That is a servant with hands. A scout with intelligence. A weapon that can wield tools."
He looked at the witch.
"How much," he asked quietly.
The witch’s eyes glittered.
"Four hundred thousand chaos stones per drop," she said. "Fixed price. It’s over ten thousand years old."
Bat Bat choked.
"FOUR HUNDRED—"
Sekhmet clamped a hand around Bat Bat’s mouth gently.
Bat Bat muffled its outrage.
"Mmmph!"
Sekhmet’s eyes stayed on the witch.
Inside, he felt something like pain.
Not because he couldn’t pay.
Because his merchant soul screamed at the idea of paying that much for three drops of dried blood.
He could already hear his father’s voice.
Never agree to the first price.
Never.
Even if you can pay.
Even if the money is nothing.
Sekhmet inhaled slowly.
Then he did the thing his father would respect.
He bargained anyway.
He pointed at the vial.
"Ten thousand years old," he said calmly. "Dry. Not essence. The amount is only three drops. Your price is ridiculous."
The witch’s smile widened, amused.
"You want it," she said simply. "Three drops of god’s blood are very hard to find for mortals."
Sekhmet’s eyes narrowed.
"I want fairness," he corrected.
The witch leaned forward, face inches closer, eyes sharp as knives.
"Fairness is for temples," she whispered. "This is underground."
Sekhmet held her gaze.
"Three hundred thousand per drop," he countered.
Bat Bat’s muffled voice squeaked, panicked.
"Mmmph!"
The witch laughed.
"Two hundred thousand per drop," Sekhmet continued, piling pressure, "and I buy in bulk."
The witch’s eyes narrowed, then her voice turned colder.
"Fixed price," she repeated.
Sekhmet exhaled, acting annoyed.
"Then keep it," he said, turning slightly as if to leave.
Bat Bat’s eyes widened in horror.
"No—!" it squeaked.
Sekhmet squeezed its mouth again.
The witch watched him turn.
Then she spoke casually, as if throwing bait.
"You will not find another god blood drop in Slik," she said. "Not in the upper market. Not in the City Lord’s vault. Not in the auctions. Unless you are very lucky."
Sekhmet stopped.
He did not turn back immediately.
He let silence stretch.
He let the witch wonder if she had pushed too far.
Then he turned slowly.
"How do I know it is real," he asked.
The witch smiled like she had won.
"You do not," she said. "But your eyes already told you it is."
Sekhmet’s jaw tightened slightly.
She was right.
His blood eye did not lie unless the gap was too large or something was shielded by a higher law. This vial had read clearly.
Sekhmet stared at the vial again, then forced himself to look away.
He gestured toward the shelves.
"Fine," he said. "If the price is fixed, then you will compensate me elsewhere."
The witch blinked.
"Compensate," she repeated.
Sekhmet nodded.
"I will buy your god blood vial," he said. "And I will buy more. But you will give me better rates on the common blood."
Bat Bat’s eyes sparkled.
"Common blood discount," it whispered.
The witch stared at Sekhmet for several seconds.
Then she laughed softly.
"You really are a merchant," she said.
Sekhmet’s expression did not change.
"It is a disease," he replied.
The witch tapped her nail on the counter again.
TAP... TAP...
"Fine," she said finally. "You buy God’s blood. I will lower the price of common blood by twenty percent."
Sekhmet shook his head immediately.
"Forty," he said.
The witch’s eyes narrowed.
"Greedy," she said.
Sekhmet shrugged.
"No," he replied.
Bat Bat nodded enthusiastically.
"HUNGRY," it echoed.
The witch glared at Bat Bat.
Bat Bat stared back, fearless.
The witch sighed.
"Thirty," she said sharply.
Sekhmet pretended to think, then nodded once.
"Deal," he said.
The witch’s eyes glittered again.
"Now," she said, "tell me what you want besides the god blood."
Sekhmet’s gaze sharpened.
He pointed toward the six jars he had identified earlier with extra information.
"These," he said.
The witch’s eyes narrowed slightly as she realized he had already scanned her shelves carefully.