Evan Chu knew Luna—the Sword Spirit—wasn’t happy with his approach. She thought he was acting cowardly, using tricks instead of force, and that it made him look weak, not like a real man.
"Evan, your Fireshift is strong enough to crush him outright—why hold back?" Luna’s voice rang out, sharp and direct.
Evan grinned, answering Luna, "You think I actually want to be sworn brothers with that beast? This is just baiting the hook—if Doran trades me the Water Spirit Pearl fair and square, maybe I’ll let him walk away. But if he tries anything sneaky, I won’t hesitate to take him down."
"So you’ve got other plans, huh? What are you really after?" Luna asked, suspicion in her voice.
"Exactly. Didn’t you say these monsters are made of metal particles? If I want Metal Crystals, I need to get on Doran’s good side. Otherwise, I’ll never find out where they’re hidden. Besides, fighting down here is a nightmare—if he bolts, I’ll never track him down again," Evan explained.
Luna chuckled, teasing, "You really know how to play people, kid. Hope your plan pays off!"
Doran, the Blacksteel King, stared greedily at the Iceflame Crystal and Fire Crystal in Evan’s hand. Evan couldn’t see his eyes in the darkness, but he could feel the beast’s excitement—a hunger to claim those treasures for himself.
"Take out the Water Spirit Pearl and let’s trade, fair and square. If you really think I’m worth calling brother, then you’ll be my big bro. If you think I’m boring, grab what you want and walk away—we’ll never cross paths again," Evan said, his tone unyielding.
A faint green bead appeared in Doran’s hand. Evan couldn’t see it, but he could sense the energy pulsing from it—the Water Spirit Pearl he’d risked everything to find.
Evan forced himself to calm down, then said, "To keep things fair, let’s each place our items in one hand and use the other to take the trade. That way, neither of us can pull any tricks."