Nyssa's expression remained calm as Luna stared at her in shock. "You know what the Spirit Locking Talisman does," she said evenly, "but you don't yet understand its full potential." She lifted one finger slightly, as if placing weight on an invisible scale. "When five thousand of them are stacked together and activated in sequence, they are capable of suppressing a Tier-Ten beast."

"A Tier-Ten?" Luna gasped, the words leaving her mouth before she could stop herself.

Nyssa nodded once. "Yes. That is precisely why Blossom Tower never sold these talismans on the open market." She turned her gaze toward the distant wall, her voice steady and measured. "We have been stockpiling them quietly, testing their limits, refining activation methods. Your husband only supplies us with one to two thousand Spirit Locking Talismans per month. With such numbers, all we could do was wait."

She turned back to Luna. "But if he truly needs funds urgently, then this changes things."

Luna's heart beat faster as Nyssa continued. "I want you to convince him to produce ten thousand Spirit Locking Talismans in one batch." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Alternatively, he may sell us the method itself. The complete spell structure. The sealing formula. If he does that, Blossom Tower is willing to offer him one million gold coins."

Luna's breath caught again.

Nyssa raised a hand calmly. "Of course, we do not have that amount in liquid gold," she said. "But we possess treasures of equivalent value. Ancient artifacts. Rare materials. Enough to cover the price many times over."

She paused, letting the temptation sink in.

"As a show of sincerity," Nyssa added, "I will provide a treasure now as a deposit. In return, I expect the order to be completed by the end of this month."

Luna stiffened. "This month?" she asked, disbelief clear in her voice. "That's barely three weeks."

Nyssa studied her closely. "According to the reports we've received, Lord Icarus supplies Blossom Tower with roughly eight to nine thousand talismans of various types each month," she said. "At least half of that production goes through House Griffin, correct."

Luna nodded slowly.

"In that case," Nyssa continued, "this is not beyond him. Difficult, yes. Exhausting, certainly. But possible."

Silence filled the hall as Luna weighed the implications. Ten thousand Spirit Locking Talismans. The strain it would put on Qin Wei. The opportunity it represented. The danger hidden beneath it all.

Finally, Luna bowed her head slightly. "I will relay everything to him," she said.

Nyssa nodded in return. "Good."

As Luna turned to leave, she felt the invisible weight of the decision settle on her shoulders. Whatever Qin Wei chose next would not only decide their immediate future, but could very well pull them into conflicts far greater than either of them were prepared for.

Chapter: Merits and Weight

Nyssa did not hesitate any longer. With a simple motion, she reached into the air beside her and produced a white stone shaped like a flattened prism. Strange characters were etched across its surface, ancient and sharp, and beneath them a number glowed clearly.

132,447.

"Take out your merit stone," Nyssa said calmly.

Luna nodded and raised her hand. A similar object appeared in her palm, smaller and triangular, its surface smoother from frequent use. The number engraved on it flickered faintly.

1002.

Nyssa brought her own stone forward and pressed it lightly against Luna's. The symbols on both stones pulsed, threads of white light flowing between them for a brief moment before settling.

"Go to the treasury," Nyssa said. "Retrieve whatever treasure you deem suitable." Her voice remained steady. "If we calculate two hundred and fifty thousand gold coins as an advance payment, then within Blossom Tower's internal system, that equates to roughly five thousand merit points."

She withdrew her stone. The number on Luna's merit stone surged upward and stabilized.

6002.

"I am transferring them to you," Nyssa continued. "Use them as you see fit."

Luna stared at the glowing number for a moment, then bowed deeply. "Thank you, Master," she said, her voice sincere.

Nyssa gave a small nod in return.

Luna turned and left the hall, her steps quick but controlled as she climbed higher into the tower. Floor after floor passed beneath her feet until she reached the twenty-seventh level, where the air itself felt heavier with sealed power.

In truth, the merit system was not unique to Blossom Tower. Nearly every major guild employed one in some form. Members earned merit points by completing missions, with higher difficulty tasks yielding greater rewards. Gold was common, but merits carried a different kind of value.

With merit points, guild members could access the treasury and exchange them for items that gold alone often could not secure. Potions refined from rare beasts. Skill scrolls passed down through generations. Weapons infused with elemental cores. In desperate situations, merits could even be converted directly into currency.

The exchange rate was fixed.

One merit point was worth fifty gold coins.

Luna tightened her grip around her merit stone as she walked.

Six thousand merit points.

It was more than enough to change the balance of power around Qin Wei. The question now was not whether she could help him.

It was whether the choice she made inside the treasury would push them forward…

or drag them into something far more dangerous.

Chapter: The Silver Vault

Luna walked into the treasury corridor, her footsteps echoing softly against the polished stone floor. Female guards stood posted on both sides, their expressions calm and alert. Blossom Tower had always been like this. From the lowest apprentice to the tower master herself, everyone here was a woman. It was not a rule written anywhere, but an unspoken tradition that had persisted for generations.

At the far end of the treasury hall, a wooden desk sat beneath a hanging mana lamp. Behind it, a young woman with light-brown hair lay slumped forward, cheek pressed against an open ledger. A thin line of drool had pooled on the page.

Luna stopped in front of the desk and tapped it lightly with her knuckles. "Tiara."

The woman jolted awake with a sharp gasp, quickly wiping her mouth with her sleeve before looking up. "Ah—Luna?" she blinked, eyes widening. "You're here? Seriously?" She glanced at the desk, then back at Luna. "How long has it been since you last exchanged merit points? Years?"

Luna smiled faintly. "Something like that."

Tiara stretched and leaned back in her chair. "So," she said, curiosity lighting her eyes, "what are you looking for this time?"

"I don't know yet," Luna replied honestly. "But something in the five- to six-thousand merit point range."

Tiara froze.

"Five… six thousand?" she repeated, her voice jumping several pitches. "Are you joking? What kind of suicidal mission did you run to earn that many points?"

"It's nothing," Luna said calmly.

Tiara studied her face for a moment, then laughed awkwardly. "Alright, alright. I get it. You don't want to talk about it." She stood up, grabbed a heavy key from beneath the desk, and motioned for Luna to follow. "Come on. I'll take you in."

They walked past several sealed corridors before stopping in front of three massive doors. Each was carved with runes and marked clearly.

Bronze Vault.

Silver Vault.

Gold Vault.

Tiara gestured toward the middle one. "Silver Vault," she said. "Items here range from one thousand to ten thousand merit points. You won't find trash inside, but you also won't find anything that can bankrupt the tower."

She inserted the key, and the door slid open with a low hum.

Luna stepped inside and stopped.

Rows of display cases stretched across the chamber, each encased in transparent crystal that looked fragile at first glance. But Luna could feel the dense layers of defensive formations embedded within the glass. Even a rank-seven expert would struggle to break one open by force.

She walked slowly, eyes scanning the treasures within.

Tiara followed beside her, pointing as Luna paused in front of the first case. "That's the Veilheart Cloak," she explained. "When activated, it bends light and mana perception around the wearer. It's not true invisibility, but it makes tracking almost impossible. Price is thirty-two hundred merit points."

Luna nodded and moved on.

In the next case lay a thin ring etched with swirling lines. "That's a Mindward Ring," Tiara said. "It protects against mental interference, illusions, and charm effects. Not absolute immunity, but enough to save your life if someone tries something dirty. Forty-five hundred points."

Luna lingered for a moment, then continued.

They stopped before a short blade, no longer than a forearm, its surface dull and unassuming. "Don't let the look fool you," Tiara said. "That's a Soul-Piercing Dagger. It ignores most physical defenses and directly harms spiritual constructs. Excellent against summoned beasts and spirit armor. Cost is five thousand points."

Luna's gaze sharpened slightly, but she still moved on.

A set of boots came next, resting on a velvet stand. "Windstep Greaves," Tiara said. "They store kinetic energy while you move and release it when you jump or dash. Perfect for sudden repositioning. Thirty-eight hundred points."

Luna took a deep breath as she continued deeper into the vault. There were pendants that stabilized mana flow, bracelets that converted excess energy into shields, scrolls sealed so tightly that even Tiara admitted she didn't know their full effects.

Finally, Luna stopped in front of a larger case.

Inside rested a palm-sized crystal core, swirling with pale blue light.

Tiara's voice lowered slightly. "That's the Aegis Core. When embedded into armor or worn as a pendant, it can generate a layered defensive barrier that reacts automatically to lethal attacks. It doesn't last long, but it can save someone from certain death."

Luna stared at it in silence.

"Price?" she asked.

"Five thousand eight hundred merit points," Tiara replied.

Luna's fingers tightened around her merit stone.

This wasn't just about value anymore. Whatever she chose here would be placed directly into Qin Wei's hands. And once she made that choice, there would be no taking it back.

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