Since he came to this store last time with Aeliana, one Mana Stone had caught his attention more than the others.
Although he didn’t know what ability he would receive from a Mana Stone just by looking at it, Aeliana had said that it was a Level 03 Minor Forest Spirit Mana Stone.
Just by the name of the creature, and considering that it came from a creature that had become a special Elite variant, capable of generating a Mana Stone on its own, it already showed that this creature at least had some X factor that made it special.
Comparing the Minor Forest Spirit to a Mana Stone from a Kobold or a Wasp, the potential that this Spirit showed seemed greater.
And considering its name, perhaps there was even a synergy with Lisa’s Spiritual magic?
So Lohan decided to try to get more information about it.
"Edgar, if I’m not mistaken, that Mana Stone over there is from a Minor Forest Spirit, right?" The slime asked the man’s mind.
Edgar nodded and explained. "Yes, the former owner of this Stone was the Leader Spirit of a group of troublemakers who kept tormenting the farmers around Thalendor... because they were of the light element, which made them very small and fast, it was very difficult to kill that little pest."
Lohan nodded positively, feeling that this sounded interesting. "Do you happen to know of any unique abilities that this creature had?"
Edgar was a little confused by the question, but he still answered honestly, as this fascinating creature really seemed to want to buy this Mana Stone.
Even though many people looked at the Mana Stones in his shop, only a few people actually bought them, as the usefulness of these items was very limited, not to mention the need for elemental compatibility in their uses.
"Despite being the Light Element, the group that sold it to me only told me that this spirit could shrink and become faster the more this happened." Edgar said, scratching his stubble under his chin.
Hearing that, both Lohan and Lisa became interested!
Considering how inconvenient Lohan’s growing size was becoming for them, a skill to reduce one’s size and even increase one’s speed would be perfect!
"That’s very good, what would be the lowest price you could sell it to me for?" Lohan asked.
Looking at the little Slime, Edgar thought for a moment and asked first. "The selling price is 15 silver coins, but can you answer me a question? Depending on your answer, I can give you a discount of 1 silver coin, so you would only pay me 14 coins."
Lohan was interested in this, so he gave a thumbs up. "Sure, as long as it’s within my capabilities and not too personal, that wouldn’t be a problem."
Edgar smiled, but it wasn’t just a smile of curiosity... it was the look of a businessman who had just found a gold mine of information. He leaned over the counter, lowering his voice so that only the two little monsters in front of him could hear.
"Listen, my blue friend. The market for Mana Stones for mages and alchemists is becoming stagnant... they know exactly what they want and haggle over every penny to increase their profit margin. But there is a new market growing in Thalendor: Elite Tamers."
Edgar stroked his beard, looking seriously at Lohan’s core.
"These nobles spend fortunes on their Griffins and Mounted Panthers, but they are terrified of giving the wrong Mana Stone and causing damage to the animal with elemental instability.
I sell these stones to them and say that they ’strengthen’ the monsters, but that’s a very vague description. If you, who have a clear and rational conscience, describe to me exactly how the absorption feels... whether the power merges with the muscles, alters perception, or does something new that I can’t even imagine... I can sell those same stones for triple the price as ’Confirmed Evolution Catalysts.’"
He held out his open hand, pointing to the stones.
"I can give you a silver coin discount for ’technical consulting’ from someone who lives the process from the inside, how about it?"
Although Thalendor had a highly diverse population, 99% of the races were humanoids, and those who had monsters as hired familiars mostly had contracts with simple creatures, unable to describe the changes they received from the Mana Stones.
More developed creatures with high intellect were highly valued by Tamers, who already had high status, and were not something a small vendor like him could come into contact with.
But what he didn’t know was that Lohan and Lisa were also surprised by this information.
Trying to remain natural, Lohan tried to delve deeper into it. "Do masters of other monsters usually buy Mana Stones for them here?"
Edgar nodded to him. "Yes, little monsters love Mana Stones, so I usually sell them a few stones a week, but even though I know that Mana Stones can make little monsters stronger, I don’t know specifically how."
’Could it be that not only me, but any other monster can absorb Mana Stones?’ Lohan thought in surprise.
Looking at Lisa, he decided to suggest something mentally just to her. "Lisa, how about you also buy a Mana Stone for us to find out if it can be useful to you? If not, I’ll buy it back from you and absorb it myself."
Lisa readily agreed. Hearing that it could make her stronger, she felt she had an obligation to test it too!
But looking at Edgar, Lohan quickly thought of an excuse. "I’m sorry, Edgar, I don’t know if I can give you a clear explanation because I’m different from other monsters, like a Slime, I basically devour these Mana Stones and turn them into energy inside me, but we’ll buy one of these Stones for my companion Lisa and if we find out anything useful, we’ll tell you, how about that?"
Edgar was a little disappointed at first, but when he heard that they would test it and explain it to him, an excited smile appeared on the man’s face.
"Yes, that will be great.
Knowing how it helps monsters, I’ll be able to select better quality Stones and even look at different sales focuses in my store, hahaha." Edgar said excitedly. "Thank you very much, my little Slime friend. As a thank you, I’ll give you a discount of 1 Silver Coin on your Mana Stone and the same discount on little Miss Lisa’s Mana Stone."
Lohan smiled mentally and took 14 Silver Coins from inside himself, placing them on the counter and taking the Mana Stone from the Lesser Forest Spirit, already bringing it inside himself and beginning digestion.
As the amount of Biomass in it was much less than that of the Weaver Spider and his digestion speed was already much faster, in a few hours he would receive the new Skill from it!
Meanwhile, Lisa looked at the available Mana Stones and tried to choose something that could be useful for both her and Lohan in case she couldn’t absorb anything from it.
In a simple negotiation, the three were satisfied.
It was a pity that this pleasant atmosphere was suddenly ruined by a disparaging comment.
"Hohoho, now you sell the monsters directly at your counter without even bothering to remove the Mana Stones from them, Edgar?"