The Messenger of Death

It's has been 3 weeks since Al said that they should get to business. During this time, he had been in control, not even switching with Alex, Lex, or Xander… well it remained that way because none of them asked to switch with Al, not even Alex.

Even after saying that they should get right down to business, Al was busy doing as he pleased. Acting as if he forgot that he said that he was going to deal with both Duna and Vincent while he was in control.

Despite all Al did during this period, Alex didn't request that he switched with him. Al used the skin crawler to change Alex's usual hairstyle, making the hair on the sides and back of his head visibly short – shorter than the upper and midsection of his head.

He flirted with random girls, touching them places, which made Alex shout at him, but nothing more than that.

Al made sure to change Alex's style a bit. He frugally purchased some jewelry, cheaply, making sure that he profited more than the seller. He was quite tenacious when negotiating with the merchants.

"If I wear this ring and it stops the circulation of blood in that particular finger, will you then sell it to me for a cheaper price?" Al asked as he inspected a simple gold-laced ring.

Although it was simple looking, its price was nothing to scoff at. At least it wasn't anything to scoff at for people that felt like a green LD-EC was a fortune. For Al, it was very cheap, but he insisted on buying it cheaper than its actual worth.

The chubby merchant's eyelids twitched for a few seconds. The moment he heard Al's comment, he knew the type of customer that he was facing. The merchant immediately concluded that Al was poor.

"If you cannot afford it then piss off!" The chubby merchant said in a low and threatening voice at Al.

Hearing the merchant's tone, Al decided to make him lose a lot today. "Can't afford this? Have you gathered so much fat that your eyesight is being shrouded by your body oil? Do you think I can't afford this piece of shit? You should be flattered that I'm even looking at your junk you call jewelry."

Al made sure not to look at the merchant while he was speaking. He purposely picked a diamond ring and then dropped it like it was pig shit, proceeding to bring out a handkerchief and used it to wipe the fingers that touched the ring.

"You poor bastard!" The chubby merchant was about to turn red from anger, no one has ever treated his goods like this. Despite his looks, he was a well-known merchant in the Southern continent.

Al raised the hand that touched the diamond ring and placed it next to the nose before sniffing it. Quickly, he drew his head back, away from the hand that touched the ring. "Goddamn, it smells like the poor masses." He muttered in disgust.

Al's theatrics had already started to garner the attention of many people, making the chubby merchant even more furious than ever.

['Why are you doing this to the poor man, Al?'] Alex questioned.

['This waste of space called me a poor bastard. That's an insult I can't stomach when I'm pretty sure that I'm richer than he is, even in his dreams.'] Al replied.

['If I was the merchant, I would also treat you this way if you asked me such a stupid question as soon as you picked a ring you liked.'] Alex said.

['And that's why you are you rabbit, I do the cheating, I don't get cheated on. Watch and learn boy.'] Al stated cheekily.

The chubby merchant was just on the verge of losing his self-control, but he had to hold himself back, this wasn't a normal marketplace, it was the Severance academy marketplace.

Since the Continental competition was just around the corner, people from everywhere had been showing up in the academy. Vendors opened up, tourists everywhere, cultivators with experience giving some pointers out, etc.

And since this was the academy's territory, and Al was clearly a student of the academy, the merchant was very hesitant in making any rash actions. He didn't want to be thrown out of the academy grounds before the rich people come across his vendor.

'I have to throw this poverty-ridden fool out of my vendor, he's spoiling business.' The merchant thought. His compliance and loyalty are for only those that could purchase his goods.

The chubby merchant was about to speak when the sight of something shiny caught his eye. There was a subtle, green glow that erased every thought from his mind, and the person holding what was causing this was Al.

Al had brought a green HD-EC out and used it to clean his hand that had touched the diamond ring, rubbing it on his hand like it was soap. He then brought the energy crystal next to his nose and sniffed it too. Just like he reacted when he sniffed his hand previously, Al did the same.

"Ah, it smells like the poor masses too." He commented, pretending to look disgusted by the sight of the energy crystal. Al dropped the energy crystal to the floor.

-Clank!

The chubby merchant's eyes followed the crystal, like a homing missile, if the energy crystal didn't land right next to Al's legs, he would have pounced on it.

Although Al was acting as if he didn't notice the greed in everyone's eyes, Al could clearly tell that they were concentrating on his crystal. He smirked intentionally and brought another green HD-EC out of his storage ring and used it to rub that same hand again.

He then threw the crystal to the ground, and it landed right next to the first one that he threw.

Al repeated this same act four times before sniffing the hand that touched the diamond ring. "Ah, now it smells like wealth," Al said and looked at the chubby merchant. "You were saying?"

-Gulp!!

The audible sound of the merchant gulping reached Al's ears. "Say something? Me, I'm sorry to say sir, but I can't remember what happened from a few seconds ago." The merchant flashed a wide and innocent smile.

'A kid with this much wealth, he must be from a rich and powerful family here in the western continent. Aiigoo, why did I have to insult a rich kid, what was I thinking?' The merchant thought.

"I seem to recall hearing you call me a poor bastard," Al mentioned.

"My word!! I did that? Oh no, it must have happened again. Dear Sir, please can you find it your gentle, charismatic heart to forgive me. You see, I have this rear condition where the body fat that I've gathered in my body shrouds my brain with my body oil. I might have said that, but I wasn't in my right senses." The merchant faked an apologetic expression.

If one couldn't hear or know what they were talking about, they would think that the merchant was really a pitiful person.

['What the fuck!?'] Alex exclaimed, shocked to see that the merchant had lost every shard dignity he possessed.

['This is the omnipotent entity know as money.'] Al lectured.

"Oh really, you have a condition like that?" Al mocked with a smirk on his face.

"Yes sir, I have a good eyesight for things, but at times when it happens, even my sight gets shrouded by my body fat." He sighed and placed his hand on his rotund stomach.

"Ah, that's quite unfortunate. The universe isn't fair, you are already ugly, and yet it cursed you with such rare fat condition." Al shook his head.

"Here, come and have a seat while I clean this place up." The merchant invited Al.

Knowing fully well what the merchant meant by that, Al wasn't going to let him have his way.

['Not on my watch, piggy. Milo,'] He called out in his mind and Milo stealthily slipped out of his sleeves, transforming into a cat.

The appearance of a cat next to the green HD-ECs caught the attention of everyone that had been thinking of a way to get their hands on the crystals.

"Clean this filth up." Al pointed at the crystals.

['Don't destroy them, just swallow them and keep them within you.'] Al added in his mind, knowing that Milo could understand his thoughts.

Milo gladly swallowed the green HD-ECs, causing everyone there to wince in pain as they watched such fortune being swallowed up by a mysterious cat…

Some people dispersed in anger and pain, and some waited to see if Al was going to drop any more crystal and they were going to offer to clean them up.

The chubby merchant swallowed his greed and brought a cup of tea for Al. Al drank the tea and then spat it out. "Filthy, you call this tea?!" He bellowed, faking his anger.

"I'm so sorry, I like the tea and thought that it would suit your taste." The merchant apologized nervously.

"Me, like what you like!? Are you perhaps trying to insult me?" Al questioned.

"No, no, how can I dare to." Cold sweat started to form on the merchant's forehead. 'What sort of little devil did I offend? If he makes any report to his family, they might be able to take me out of the academy and punish me, I'm in their territory.' The merchant thought in fear.

"Forget it, this is what I get for visiting a place lower than my standard. I was only drawn in by the artistry of the gold-laced ring. It's my fault." Al sighed and got up.

"No, no sir!! It's all my fault, please don't blame yourself. The ring that caught your eye!! How about I give it to you as a gift… and… I know that what I have is below your noble standing, but if you still wish to purchase anything, I will sell it to 10 percent lower than the actual price." The merchant offered.

['Stingy fuck! Just 10 percent?'] Al complained in his mind as he began walking away.

"15 percent!" The merchant offered but Al still didn't stop walking away.

"20 percent!!"

Suddenly Al stopped, "Since you are showing such sincerity, how dare a young person like me to refuse." Al sighed, pretending to look reluctant…

And that was how Al cheated a merchant.

['Aren't you going to come up with a plan on how to assassinate Duna and Vincent?'] Alex asked after the whole ordeal ended.

['Who said that I don't have a plan already?'] Al replied.

['What!? And you didn't tell us? What is the plan?']

['Patience rabbit, patience,'] Al placed Milo on his shoulder as he replied to Alex.

['What will patience do!?']

['This is why you need me in your life. Can't you see that the population of people in the academy is increasing? With this many people, if we assassinate any of them properly, it will be harder for the academy to narrow down the suspects. We just have to wait till the whole school is bustling with a lot of unfamiliar people.'] Al grinned…