I Reincarnated Into A Single-Celled Organism! - I Reincarnated into a Single-celled Organism! - Chapter 156

I didn’t feel happy or excited by this offer. Rather, I felt extremely wary. I had no clue who this Mistress Sci was, and by all accounts, she should have no interest in me. If she singled me out, there had to be a reason, and I didn’t believe that such a reason was merely because she was interested in hearing about my scientific take on evolution.

The offer also sent several hateful glares my way. Brandon and Jordan both looked enraged, but it was the same for half the men in the building. The other half was merely shocked or envious. The uncle of the Capala branch was staring at me with a hard expression, but his face gave away none of the feelings underneath.

“Spirit.” I felt a nudge on my shoulder.

I hadn’t answered, and the woman on the balcony was waiting. Sammuel gave me a nod, his eyes saying what his mouth couldn’t. Pretty much, he was trying his best to tell me that this was an offer I couldn’t refuse. If I offended Mistress Sci in front of so many male suitors, I might not even have a tomorrow. Well, I didn’t believe that, but I still didn’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

I gave a nod. “Of course.”

As if my refusal to join the Stride family had caused everyone to half expect I really would refuse, a collective sigh sounded out when I answered. Whispers grew into people talking to each other than the flowery ladies that had just visited the floor. One lady in particular approached me.

“Please, sir, follow me.” She spoke with a teasing tone.

I could feel the hostility of those around me, but there was nothing they could do about it. It seemed like this was one of those situations where I would offend someone no matter what I did. So, I smiled and gave her a nod.

“After you.”

The pair of us vacated the common room, the jealous eyes of countless young men on my back. When the door to the backroom closed, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief, like a bullseye on my back was removed. I was probably just imagining it. Even if these guys wanted to hurt me, there was no way they could given my status. This was both in the physical sense and the background I now had.

I ended up climbing up a stairway. At the top was a second floor, where a series of private rooms lay. The girl who was guiding me led me to one end. This one seemed to have a larger door and had more presence than the rest, adding to the feeling that Mistress Sci was in some way special or unique to the palace. The young maid escorted me to the end of the hallway and opened the door, gesturing for me to enter.

Inside was a large bedroom, the bed in the center. It looked like a master suite, with a large window on the wall, and the indoor balcony she was previously on was only a short distance away. There was a large desk with many books and a few decorative trinkets, and the walls were also covered in bookshelves, but instead of books, there were a variety of items. Some of them gave off a feeling of containing mana. There were even weapons lying casually on display, as well as bottles of pills.

“Do you see anything you fancy?” A melodic voice called out to me, prompting me to turn around. “These are all gifts given to me by gentlemen I entertained previously. If you see anything you like, I’m willing to exchange it as long as you provide something I… fancy.”

I turned to see a woman seated at a vanity. She had her back to me, but even from the back, she held an elegance and beauty that was hard to compare. That said, with the mirror in front of her, I was able to get a better look at her from every angle. She had black hair, long and smooth, hanging down the sides of her body and reaching down to her lower back. She wore a white dress that revealed the curves of her body, the dress cut in a way that exposed her shoulders and neck, giving me a clear view of her milky white skin.

Her face was covered in a golden veil, though it only covered her mouth and nose, revealing her eyes. Those were the same as I remembered, a deep, dark, evergreen as if the palace was named for her eyes. Her gaze was alluring, and a smile appeared on her hidden lips barely detectable through her covering.

“Would that not be disrespectful to the men who provided you those gifts?” I asked, watching her from the entrance without approaching.

“Each man who provided me such a gift was hoping to cull my favor.” She responded, tilting her head my way. “They all wanted something from me that I couldn’t possibly return to them all. They provided it anyway, hoping that their gift would engage my interest, yet I couldn’t refuse them even if I wanted to. If I were to treat any of these gifts as meaningful to me, then wouldn’t that give the implication that I owe them something back?”

“So, you treat them as trash?”

“Do you place trash on shelves?” She didn’t look angry, but amused. “I treat them as decorations. I give them a place of honor on my shelves, and yet they are all equal to me, equal… and exchangeable. You can provide me a gift too, but as long as it’s an equal exchange, neither of us will have unreasonable expectations of the other.”

“Is that so…” I glanced at the shelf one more time, and something in particular stood out, so I reached and grabbed it. “What about this?”

She smiled widely behind her veil. “That is a good selection. That blade is called Eternal Harmony. It was given to me by a prince. Not the one who came with you.”

I had only grabbed it because I felt it had a good amount of mana coming from it. It wasn’t the type of blade I was familiar with, but it did feel good in my hand and properly balanced. In this world, it seemed like I needed a blade. Nearly every man in the common room below had a weapon strapped to their waist. I supposed I could have asked the Capala family to provide me one, but they were already struggling for money and I doubted they’d give me one this nice.

“So, you wouldn’t mind if I kept it?”

“I offer everyone who comes to my quarters a trade. However, you must provide something I’m willing to trade, otherwise, wouldn’t it be strange?”

I nodded, putting the blade back down on the shelf gently. “In that case, I do have something you may want.”

“Oh?” Her eye quirked.

“Do you doubt it?”

“As I understand it, you were a commoner until very recently. Your sense of value might be a bit skewed from others. Even if the Capala family gave you something worth the price of trade, it might not be something they’d want you to exchange.”

“Well, since you offered to trade, will you not even entertain me?” I asked a bit helplessly.

She paused for a second and then nodded. “Alright,  what is your offer?”

I turned my back to her for a moment and then pulled out an item from my Luminal Space. When I turned back, I had a pot with a flower in it. I placed it in front of her. For a moment, her pleasant look slipped into one of surprise, and then a bit of derision.

“You wish to give me flowers? And not even a cut one…”

“A cut flower is a dead flower.” I shrugged. “This one is very much living.”

She frowned slightly. “Do you think this has the same value as that sword?”

“Did you not remember our discussion before? Evolution is only the best chance for the current environment. Value is much the same. Gold has no value when a man is starving. In a desert, I’d prefer water over clothing, would you not agree? Yet in a snowy mountain, the same water I’d trade all my clothes for I’d want to trade back. Only you can determine value.”

“I am no botanist or herbologist.” She cocked her head. “Indeed, I have never seen this flower before, but I don’t know to confirm if it is useful.”

“Useful?” I blinked. “Isn’t everything on your shelf a decoration? I think its use as a decoration is self-evident, and perhaps even more useful than many of the items you have on display.”

She let out a little laugh, almost at a loss for words. “I think you might be using my words against me.”

“Nonsense. You are not a swordsman, so you do not use a sword. How could a sword be valuable to you? On the other hand, you live in the Green Palace, and blooming flowers are a bit of a going theme. If you were going to decorate, would this not be superior in every way?”

“I can’t argue your logic.” She sighed. “However, there is another aspect of value, and that is scarcity. I can go to a florist and get flowers any time I desire. They are hardly rare. A sword like that is only made once in a while. A metallurgist might create one of these swords in their entire life. It is one of a kind.”

“This may be the only of its kind, but swords are as plentiful as flowers.” I sighed, putting the pot down in front of her. “However, if it’s scarcity that you want, this flower is also one of a kind. I’m afraid it’s the only one of its kind. Another part of the value is how long something will last. A life is beautiful because it is short. Similarly, this sword will be on this earth far longer than this plant. When this plant dies, it will become extinct.”

This wasn’t a ploy. During my month of experimentation when I was on my own, I had already attempted to resurrect extinct plants. This one was the closest to a success. It sprouted and grew into a full plant, but it didn’t absorb the mana correctly. Thus, it had the genetics of an extinct mythic plant, but it only matched it in appearance. Whatever alchemic effects it might have provided wouldn’t come from this plant. I had considered this plant a failure, but still kept it in my Luminal Space just in case I needed to reference it. I never expected it to become useful in such a moment.

Mistress Sci stared at the plant I left on the counter for some time. It was anyone’s guess what she was thinking. I had only argued with her about it on a whim, but it would be nice if I got that blade. After nearly a minute, she let out a sigh.

“I never expected a commoner to be so good with his words. I will accept this as trade.” She responded.

I grinned, grabbing the blade and putting it at my hip. “Words aren’t the only thing I’m good with.”