Chapter 235 The Best Offer Possible

Lisanna, her fingers delicately grazing the gems, examined each one with a practiced eye. She held a particularly large ruby up to the light, the crimson hues dancing in her gaze. Her expression shifted between curiosity and satisfaction as she continued her assessment.

Suzuka couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness, but she maintained her composure. Hermit, on the other hand, shifted from foot to foot, his tiny hands fidgeting as he anxiously observed Lisanna's examination.

After what felt like an eternity to the goblin, Lisanna finally looked up from her inspection. Her expression transformed into a smile.

"Hmm, not bad, Helen. A few nice pieces here and there, but most of these gems are a bit on the poor side. I can give you 20 gold coins, and that's the best I can do." Lisanna said, her fingers expertly flipping a particularly shiny crystal.

 Suzuka, slightly flustered, tried to negotiate, "Come on, Lisanna, these gems are rare finds! Surely they're worth more than that. How about 30 gold coins?"

 "Well, they're not exactly top-notch. These crystals have a lot of micro-cracks making them almost useless. I'll have to repurpose most of them into crystal dust, which does not sell for that much."

Hermit, who had been eyeing the gems with utmost concern, let out a dramatic whine, resembling a hurt puppy. His tiny heart split in half after hearing that his precious gems would be turned to dust. 

Suzuka sighed, realizing her hopes for a bigger payday were dashed. 

"Alright, Lisanna, 20 gold coins it is. I was a fool for hoping that Hermit's junk gems would sell for big coins. Just promise me you'll show no mercy crushing these crystals."

Hermit, clutching his tiny chest as if personally wounded, let out another pitiful whine. Her harsh words toward his precious shiny rocks felt like a spear jabbing his tiny heart. 

Lisanna grinned, "Oh! So these are his? Well, do not worry, I promise. You know I will. They'll be in good hands. Not even one of these gems escapes the hammers."

Hermit, now with sorrowful tears in his eyes, shot a painful look at Lisanna, who chuckled at the goblin's adorable distress.

The goblin, his trembling hands clasped together, let out a high-pitched whine that sounded like a mix between a squeak and a whimper. His eyes, wide with a hint of desperation, darted between Suzuka and Lisanna. With his tiny hands gesturing towards the gems, he mumbled in his broken goblin speech.

"Master... gems... precious... not enough... Hermit sad. Precious gems, not enough shiny coins. Bad day for little Hermit."

His meaty ears drooped, and he gave Lisanna a pout that could rival a kicked puppy's, hoping to elicit some sympathy.

Lisanna, unimpressed by Hermit's theatrics, rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed sigh. She shot Suzuka a look that silently asked, "Is this goblin for real?" before turning her attention back to the tiny, whining creature.

"Oh, spare me the drama, Naked Scuttle. I've seen better acting from a poorly crafted golem. Your gems are flawed, and you're lucky I'm even willing to take them off your hands. Maybe next time, try finding something more valuable than shiny rocks with cracks. I'm offering a fair price. These gems are not even close to being top-notch quality. You're lucky I'm even taking them off your hands. The market doesn't pay extra just because they came from a goblin with a flair for theatrics."

She leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and added with a smirk, "If you think they're worth more, maybe you should try selling them yourself. See how many people line up to pay a premium for a goblin's collection." Lisanna's tone carried a mix of sarcasm and spite, clearly unimpressed by Hermit's attempt at negotiation.

Hermit's pitiful whine only intensified, but Lisanna remained unfazed, "You should be grateful we're even considering them. Now, hush up and let the grown-ups talk business."

Suzuka, somewhat embarrassed by Hermit's outburst, let out a resigned sigh.

 "Fine, Lisanna. We'll take what you're offering." She shot Hermit a stern look and hissed, "And you, goblin, zip it. We're lucky she's even buying these rocks. Now be a good little treasure keeper and keep that stinking mouth of yours shut, or I'll do it for you."

Hermit, trembling like a leaf in the wind, nodded meekly and clasped his hands over his mouth, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and disappointment.

Lisanna, after finishing the inspection of the gems, turned her attention to the kill proofs Suzuka had brought. She inspected them and asked, "Hmmm... You killed The Beast? And so many at that! Where did you take down these creatures?"

Suzuka, with a hint of pride, pointed to the abandoned bandit camp outpost on her map and replied, "I went back to that abandoned bandit camp outpost and took care of them before they started causing real problems for the townspeople. Why?" 

Lisanna smiled, "You know, you're in luck. There's a quest on the board to clear out that very outpost. Not many were brave enough to take it, so it's been sitting there for a few weeks. I'll do you a little favor and process it as if you officially took the quest and completed it. You'll get the reward for it. It's against the rules so, it goes without saying, that a little hush-hush is in order, alright? No word to no anyone."

Suzuka's eyes gleamed with interest as she leaned in.

 "Really? That would be great. I mean, yeah, no word to anyone. So what's the reward for the quest?"

Lisanna leaned in, speaking in a hushed tone. 

"It was rated as a veteran class quest so the reward is decent - 15 gold coins."

Suzuka's smile widened, appreciating the unexpected bonus. 

"Perfect. I'll take it. Thanks, Lisanna."

Lisanna chuckled, "No problem, Helen. You've earned it. Oh, and by the way, you've unlocked a couple of new titles with these achievements. We'll mark them on your hunter license card. You will receive a 'Stalker Killer' and 'The Beast Annihilator.' These are some pretty impressive titles, not many of the rookie-class adventurers have such achievements as you. Soon you will be able to rank up, and that will let you take on more difficult quests."

Suzuka offered a genuine smile to Lisanna and expressed her gratitude, "Thanks again, Lisanna, I can't wait till I can rank up to Rookie 4. I appreciate the help. I'll be off then, need to go spend the coins. Bye."

She nodded her thanks to Lisanna, her mind already drifting towards her next move. With her newly acquired coins safely stashed away in her item storage, she made her way to a quiet corner of the guild. Sitting by a table, she began to contemplate her next move, her mind buzzing with possibilities and plans for the future of her town.

The goblin trudged along behind Suzuka with defeated steps, dragging his oversized ears along the ground as if they were weights pulling him down. His posture resembled a crooked bow, slouching under the weight of sorrow and self-pity. His tiny feet dragged through the floor with each step heavier than the last.

He clutched at his chest, where his precious gems had once rested, now replaced by an empty void that seemed to tear at his tiny goblin heart. The world around him blurred with the haze of self-pity, and his pitiful demeanor painted a portrait of a goblin who felt the weight of the universe on his shoulders. 

Tears glistened in his big, watery eyes, and his lips quivered uncontrollably, barely containing the sorrowful cries that threatened to escape. The pain of losing his precious gems, collected through countless hardships, gnawed at his tiny goblin heart. It was as if each step carried the burden of a thousand defeats, and the world had become a place of unbearable loss and despair. His world, built on the hard-earned treasures he'd collected through hardships, now seemed to crumble around him.

Suzuka, noticing Hermit's pitiful appearance, couldn't resist a cheeky comment. She looked at him with a cheery yet mocking expression and asked, "Hey, Hermit, why the long face? You should turn that frown upside down! The plans for the town are moving great so far, and here you are sulking. Oh, by the way, those precious gems of yours, they were barely worth something, weren't they? I guess they weren't as valuable as you thought! Good thing they not completely worthless."

She delivered the words with a playful grin, fully aware that her teasing would dig into the goblin's wounded pride. Suzuka couldn't resist a good jab, especially when it came to Hermit's seemingly overestimated collection of gems.

Hermit, already on the verge of an emotional breakdown, couldn't hold back the torrent of sorrowful sobs that erupted from his tiny frame. His ears drooped even lower, resembling wilted leaves, as he tried to muffle the sound of his cries. Gritting his teeth in a futile attempt to suppress his overwhelming sadness, he felt the weight of depression settling in the pit of his stomach.

Each sob carried the weight of his past struggles, the memories of goblin farms, the hardships, and the dreams he had attached to those gems. Suzuka's cruel words had pierced through his already fragile emotional state, and he couldn't help but feel utterly defeated.

Between choked sobs, he mumbled, "Why, Master? Hermit tried so hard... thought gems were valuable... wanted to help the gobbies... But now, it's all gone..."

The goblin's shoulders shook with the weight of his despair, and the flicker of hope that the gems represented for him seemed to have been extinguished by Suzuka's words.

Between gritted teeth and choked sobs, Hermit managed to mumble, "Master, it hurts. My gems... my precious gems meant everything to Hermit. Why... why do you mock Hermit so? It's not fair. It's not fair!"

His tiny hands clutched at his chest as if trying to physically contain the pain that echoed in his heart. The depression settled over him like a heavy, suffocating fog, and he felt like the weight of the world had crushed his spirit.