"I'm willing too," Liora joined in, approaching the eggs Ren had extracted. "I'll take whatever beast you recomnd."
Ren nodded, selecting one of the eggs and handing it to her along with another similar book. "The demonic Bashe. A perfect choice to complent your will-o'-wisp."
Liora observed the egg with fascination.
"Can you create any egg?" she asked, genuinely impressed.
"Almost any, with the correct materials," Ren responded, looking at the three nobles. "Though I would ask for discretion for now. There are... implications I'd prefer not to discuss publicly until I'm better off."
The three nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation. The ability to create eggs at will was sothing many powerful factions would covet, not to ntion the implications for the kingdom's economic and political balance.
"It's magnificent," Liora murmured, observing the Bashe egg. "I've never seen one of this type; specific eggs occupy less than 1% of the market. I'm too accustod to seeing random eggs of plain colors as the only way aside from very specific species."
Ren nodded, visibly pleased with her reaction. "The materials were rare for this one," he explained. "The Bashe components are more rare than those of Larissa's Lynx. I had to buy parts from Bronze-1 rank specins instead of iron, which considerably increased the cost."
"How much did it cost you exactly?" Liora asked, genuine concern appearing on her usually serene face.
"Approximately 105 thousand crystals, at the end of the day the materials don't compare with the 100 thousand mana points needed for the transformation... Of course, from the experints Julius commissioned to do, I already had so very close to the mana limit so I paid mostly only those 5 thousand," Ren responded naturally.
"One hundred and five thousand?" Liora almost dropped the cultivation book she held in her other hand. "That's... a considerable amount to gift for an iron student. But wait, a specific egg can be worth millions depending on the type. Though I'm not sure if this one has ever existed in the market…"
"It would be of low value, perhaps 150 thousand. A volu on the potential of different creatures that I was reviewing with Wei classified it as a maximum potential of Bronze 2... Of course, yours will reach gold as well as Larissas though," Ren comnted.
"Then I'll pay you for its real value," Liora clarified with a confident smile.
Min let out a little laugh from his position by the door. "Our Ren is quite the magnate. Don't think you'll win him over with a paynt like that. Anyone would think he has a secret crystal mine under his bed."
Ren shaked his head. "I'm no magnate, though I'm saving to recover my parents' house. I don't need you to pay . First of all, I did it without consulting you. Secondly, I believe I'll have enough crystals with the doubled final paynt at the end of the last sester's month… I've almost finished processing all the skins and obtained other awards..."
Liora listened to the exchange attentively.
Unlike her cousin Luna, who pretended calmness but often got carried away by her emotions, or Larissa with her almost perpetual 'dark playful' attitude, she had always been the most observant and practical of the three. And what she saw in Ren at that mont was fascinating: genuine generosity mixed with pure pragmatism, an unusual combination, especially in soone so young.
"I insist on paying you," she finally said, her voice acquiring the formal tone she used for her family's official ceremonies. "The Ashenways don't accept such valuable gifts without proper compensation."
"It's really not necessary," Ren began, but Liora interrupted him with an elegant gesture.
"Of course it is. My family values balance in all things, Ren. I'll pay you ten tis the cost."
Min softly whistled. "One and a half million crystals. That would buy a decent house in the outer districts."
"It's only fair," Liora responded with simplicity. "The real value of this beast, especially if the cultivation thods Ren has developed work, far exceeds that amount."
She directed her attention back to Ren, studying him with an intensity that would have made many adults uncomfortable. "There's sothing I'd like to understand better, however. Why did you choose a Bashe for ? They're mainly known for their illusory capabilities in mist and poisonous abilities. They're enormous serpents in the wild but not particularly synergistic with fire."
Ren smiled slightly, the kind of smile he reserved for technical discussions about beasts, one that his dormitory companions knew well.
"It's more for the demonic part and not the serpent part," he explained. "Your will-o'-wisp possesses spiritual properties similar to those of the Bashe at high ranks. The synergy will improve other aspects of your will-o'-wisp, not just the fire... Though you'll also be able to obtain black spiritual fire at so point."
He made a gesture with his hands simulating the union between both beasts. "When correctly combined, they create an effect you could call anatomical exchange. Opponents will not only be unable to touch you on the exchanged parts, they'll burn when they try."
Liora assimilated this information with growing interest. "So the illusory mist evolves and becos part of my body. I could create illusions that cause real physical damage..."
"You could see it that way," Ren confird. "Section seven of the manual explains the specific techniques. It's a quite different approach to conventional combat."
"Quite clever," Liora comnted, a smile forming on her lips. "No one will expect the 'sweet and quiet' Liora to use such... novel techniques."
"I'm not sure those adjectives... I an... That's exactly what I thought," Ren responded, quickly correcting himself upon seeing Liora's sudden change of expression. "Your opponents might be prepared to counter fire or illusions, but likely not both simultaneously, and the black spiritual fire cannot be extinguished with water."
Liora looked at what would be her new companion with renewed appreciation. "One and a half million crystals is a ridiculously low price then, considering what you've given ."
"Well, then I'll gratefully accept the paynt for my own cultivation... But you don't need to hurry to pay; it will take 3 months reaching the rank where my beast will require more than 4 million to advance."
"I'll keep that in mind. And Ren..."
She looked up from the book, her eyes reflecting a sincerity she rarely showed. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Not just for the beast, but for trusting with your thods. I assure you that your trust is not misplaced."
The genuine gratitude in her voice contrasted with her usual cheerful and casual tone.
"There's nothing to thank for," Ren responded, slightly uncomfortable with the display of emotion. "It's just a practical application of my theoretical knowledge."
Liu rolled his eyes at the response to what had clearly been a significant mont. "And thus, ladies and gentlen, is how our favorite genius perfectly ruins an emotional mont."
Ren ignored him and turned to Luna, who remained sowhat apart, clearly still uncomfortable from her previous misunderstanding. "Do you also want the beast I prepared for you?" he asked, with a slight smile.
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