Yulong pulled him into the room like a hungry bear. Aiden staggered into the room, almost crashing into the coffee table. The fat man didn't care and simply began closing the curtains and looking around like a thief.
"Is there something you want to tell me, Yulong?" Aiden asked him as he rubbed the wrist that Yulong almost snapped. "You have been acting more like a thief than a General Affairs Officer."
"My apologies, dear guest," Yulong said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I have my circumstances."
"Care to explain them?" Aiden asked while taking a seat on the couch and testing its bounciness. "I don't like hiding like this."
"Of course," Yulong said as he sat down. "Here at The Grand Arcanum, everything that we buy and sell gets registered—except for the backrooms."
"I'm not here to sell drugs, pal," Aiden said with a laugh. "I just have a few gems to sell."
"And my brothers would snatch any gems that reach the register," Yulong said with a sigh. "You might not know us, dear guest, but my father runs this auction house. I am the youngest of the nine sons, and the least talented among them."
"Then, you try to snatch anything that comes your way," Aiden muttered with a smile as he cradled his chin with his palm. "But what use would the gems bring you?"
"Oh." Yulong paused and blinked. "You don't know what they are used for, dear guest?"
"No idea."
"The gems are natural manifestations of desire. Under controlled circumstances, people can use them to strengthen their physique, mind, essence, and recovery attributes."
"Like a shortcut instead of the usual way with abilities?"
"Almost," Yulong explained as he spread his arms. "Each person has a certain reservoir of desires, which grows with their abilities. The more we advance skills, the more we can cultivate the desire to strengthen ourselves."
"I see the logic," Aiden said with a nod. "But how do the gems come into play?"
"The common people call them shards, while us appraisers call them shards—partial desires taking shape. The shards are crushed and processed to release the desire inside them, which allows the user to strengthen themselves."
"Shards of Desire, huh?" Aiden understood the concept. "There should be a catch to this quick route of rise, right?"
"You are insightful, dear guest," Yulong said with a nod. "Most seekers avoid using the gems in that manner, for the sole reason that it could harm their foundation."
"And what does that do?"
"It burns away their potential. Their rise would be faster, but they must forsake their dreams of reaching the highest ranks."
"That makes sense," Aiden nodded. "Why would you want to use such a method?"
"I… cannot share that," Yulong said with a downcast expression. "I have my reasons to take this shortcut, even if it means destroying my future."
Aiden looked at his downcast expression and sighed.
Then, he waved his hand without the man's notice.
Several shards appeared on the table, each with a different color: red, blue, and green. Yulong heard their clatter and raised his head to see their number, and his mouth gaped.
"This is… more than I thought," Yulong said. "Is that… I can't believe it…"
"A Hungerborn Gem, uh, Shard," Aiden said with a smile. "I didn't want to sell it at first, but you convinced me that I don't need it."
"Are you…" Yulong asked with a gulp, "sure that you don't want to keep it? Let me explain how valuable it is."
"Sure. Knowledge is your thing," Aiden gestured for him to go ahead.
"A Hungerborn Shard is the purest form of desire, untainted by primal urges that monsters have. These shards are the most compatible with us humans, letting whoever uses it grow stronger without any drawbacks."
"No harming of foundation?" Aiden asked with surprise.
"There is none, but it comes with a risk of becoming a Hungerborn in the process," Yulong explained. "I have seen some of them here, but none this pure."
"It was an unranked Hungerborn," Aiden said. "It shouldn't be worth that much."
"I believe you are mistaken," Yulong reached out toward the shard. "May I examine it?"
"Go ahead."
Yulong picked up the shard and then placed it in front of him. He took out a piece of chalk and began drawing a circle that reminded Aiden of the stories of his old world.
After connecting the lines, Yulong took out five small stones and placed them around the diagram, which began to glow with the shard inside it.
"Ah, as I suspected—this shard belonged to a Spark Seeker."
"A spark?"
"It is the first rank of mastering desire," Yulong explained. "But do not look down on it—a single Spark Seeker is enough to lead a platoon here in the Fringes."
"What about the Middle Rings?" Aiden asked, attempting to gain a better sense of the world's power hierarchy.
"Sparks are the weakest of the bunch there," Yulong explained. "The more you move inward, the higher ranks would be for everyone."
"The same goes for the monsters," Aiden guessed.
"Indeed," Yulong nodded. "You ask questions that are rather common knowledge, my dear friend."
"I lived most of my life on the edge," Aiden said without elaborating further, and Yulong was smart enough to ask no further. "Would these sell for a good price?"
"I believe they would," Yulong said with a nod. "These monster shards are pure as well, more than anything I have ever seen. They would fetch almost ten bronze coins."
"That's plenty," Aiden said. "And the Hungerborn Shard?"
"This would fetch another twenty bronze coins," Yulong said. "But I wouldn't recommend selling it, even to me. This is a treasure you must hold for times of trouble, where you need to grow stronger without considering the ramifications."
"I would rather not," Aiden muttered with a frown. "It belonged to someone… I kinda know."
"That makes things more complicated then," Yulong said with a nod. "If you would sell it to me, I would give fifty bronze coins for all the shards—a token of my gratitude for this exchange."
"I'll accept it with honor," Aiden said with a smile as he placed down his coins on the table. "Does this get me the technique to start cultivating desire?"