The Champion-ranked chewed slowly. His expression remained neutral.
Then he set the pick down on the edge of the plate.
A murmur rippled near the entrance.
The whispering of media personnel picked up. Their camera drones had been recording since the moment he accepted the sample.
Now, they were inching forward, trying to capture every detail of the moment. Some were already guessing something was wrong.
But Vale simply turned toward Isaac.
"It's good," he said.
The whispering stopped.
He asked, "How much are you selling these for?"
"5,000 Obol per piece."
His voice was clear enough to be heard by the surrounding customers and, likely, the hovering drones as well.
Isaac had deliberately set the price high. It was not done out of greed, but because of the location.
Sector 4's central marketplace was considered a luxury hub. Undervaluing goods here would only damage their reputation. High-end customers didn't trust cheap-looking items, no matter how effective they were.
