Seventy percent of market price on 460,000 Divine Artifacts and 1.2 billion Demigod Tier Artifacts came to approximately 230 million Divine Crystals. Aurelyss announced this figure with the calm of someone who had done the arithmetic before she arrived.
Haru's expression remained neutral. Internally the number was significant. 230 million Divine Crystals was well beyond what he needed to push both of his Natal Artifacts to the Supreme God Tier, which had been the bottleneck sitting in front of him since the Arboriel campaign.
The Scepter and Armor, upgraded, would close the only real cracks in his combat power. It was the reason he'd been so motivated to move this inventory quickly. The Angels didn't need demonic equipment, as they used faith serving as armor and holy flame as sword with power that outstripped most conventional gear.
His empire's craftsmen, millions strong across Nature Elves, Dwarves, and Humans, could produce standard equipment internally. The various Gods under his command have already been equipped from the counted spoils. The mountains in the plaza were genuinely surplus, and surplus converted to Divine Crystals was worth infinitely more than surplus sitting in storage.
"Unfortunately." Aurelyss continued, "I can't pay the full amount immediately. One hundred million crystals now. The remaining 130 million at ten million per year over thirteen years."
The installment plan hit the table with the energy of something Aurelyss had clearly prepared and hoped he wouldn't examine too closely.
Unfortunately for her, he examined it. The Divine War was coming. The Burning Legion was coming. He had no particular confidence that in thirteen years the situation would be the same, that the Elf Empire would be in the same position, or that 130 million crystals owed to him would still be worth anything meaningful.
More practically: at his current rate of advancement, thirteen years from now he might be a God King. What would he do with delayed artifact payments at that point?
"The remaining 130 million." he said, "can be paid in Power Stones and Magic Crystals."
Aurelyss blinked, "Power Stones and Magic Crystals?"
In the economy of Gods, mortal resources like Power Stones and Magic Crystals were worth nothing. Although useful for castle forces to upgrade buildings, they were still unremarkable to anyone else.
Hence, no native empire stockpiled them in meaningful quantities because there was no meaningful reason to. The idea that a late-stage Supreme God would voluntarily accept them in place of 130 million Divine crystals worth of debt was, from her perspective, genuinely strange.
Then she remembered what he was.
"The quantities would be enormous." she said, "Tens of trillions, possibly. My empire doesn't hold that kind of reserve in mortal resources."
The Elf Empire was truly wealthy, with Elven Mother Trees and Elf Tribes spread across the entire Endless Continent, each contributing resources to the empire on a fixed schedule. Even with generations of accumulation backing a civilization that spanned the continent, nobody stockpiled tens of trillions of mortal resources. There was no reason to, not until now.
"Then you'll need to buy a portion of the collection rather than all of it."
He said it without apology. She was silent for a long time after that, long enough that he thought she might be preparing to retreat from the negotiation entirely.
Then: "I offer one hundred million Divine Crystals. One trillion in Magic Crystals. And one Divine Equipment as payment for this whole inventory."
"What equipment?"
Aurelyss met his eyes, "A high-level Supreme God Tier Artifact imbued with the Law of Time."
The silence that followed was Haru processing this.
"A high-level Supreme God Tier Artifact?" He said, "That too imbued with the Law of Time? You're not joking, right?"
"I never joke."
He studied her expression and thought, 'There is definitely something wrong here.'
She was quiet for exactly two seconds, long enough to be noticeable, "It was created by the Dimensional Demons. In addition to the Law of Time, it also contains the origin of Divine Laws of Abyss. Its former owner was the Fifth Demon Monarch of the Abyss."
She continued before he could respond, "In the Ancient Era, the Fifth Demon Monarch was severely wounded by the Titan Lord Varkath, and this artifact fell into his hands. Twenty thousand years ago, I acquired it from him in exchange for a considerable collection of God Tier treasures."
She paused, "The origin of the Abyss Law inside it cannot be removed. I've tried. It's incompatible with the Law of Time I command, which means I've held this artifact for twenty thousand years and have been unable to use it."
The expression on her face suggested this remained a source of personal irritation. For twenty thousand years she'd held something that should have been one of the most powerful artifacts available to a Goddess of Time. And yet, it had sat useless in her storage because the Abyss Law's origin inside it rejected every attempt at purification.
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