Early the next morning, Chu Danqing took Da Bao out to set up a stall again.
He had Da Bao watch the stall while he went to collect the White Wool Robe and Silver Scale Cloud Brocade.
The other party's craftsmanship was excellent. Their tailoring Basic Skill Level was probably even higher than his Summoning Basics Skill Level.
The two pieces of equipment fit perfectly, without the slightest trace of alteration.
Chu Danqing put them on right away.
"Warm in winter and cool in summer—worthy of being made from the scales and fur of a White Dragon Fish and Cave Beast."
"The only pity is that they don't have true spirits." Chu Danqing sounded somewhat regretful.
Then he looked himself over again. Clothes made the man, saddles made the horse; dressed like this, even his appearance and bearing had improved.
Chu Danqing also knew why they had no true spirits.
First, a true spirit could only appear on one piece of equipment, so only White Dragon Fish's Roar and Regret of the Kin-Eater had true spirits.
Second, the Silver Scale Cloud Brocade was man-made equipment that had merely received Paradise's recognition. True spirits could only be extracted and bestowed by Paradise; they could not be obtained through human effort.
There was only one source for True Spirit Equipment: Paradise. Treasure chests were merely one branch among Paradise's methods of production.
It was precisely because the source was so singular that the maximum number of awakenings fluctuated.
After retrieving the equipment, Chu Danqing headed back to the stall.
At a glance, he saw Da Bao struggling to communicate with another apostle again.
However, compared with the previous heavily armored knight, this apostle was far more even-tempered.
Or perhaps he had only just arrived, and his anger had yet to build up.
Chu Danqing hurried over and said, "Sorry, I had something to take care of and came a step late."
This apostle had a sharp look in his eyes, and his presence was as keen as a blade's edge.
"It's fine as long as the owner is here." Without another word, he showed Chu Danqing a Skill Book called Life Link. "A summoning-type skill. Trade it for your Regret of the Kin-Eater."
Skill Book: Life Link Type: Active Skill Quality: Excellent Effect: Upon use, gain the skill Life Link. Can link a target within range and jointly bear part of the loss of health.
At first glance, it truly suited Chu Danqing's tastes, but upon closer inspection, he spotted the problem.
"There's something wrong with this skill." Chu Danqing immediately found the crux of it: the main issue lay in the words "jointly bear."
Having Da Bao bear part of the damage he took would be fine. Da Bao had high Constitution and could drain health.
But if he had to bear part of the damage Da Bao took in return, then he really would die on the spot.
"Jointly bearing it means I also have to share the damage my summon takes." Chu Danqing pointed out the flaw.
In truth, Chu Danqing really wanted the Life Link skill. It had a flaw, but there were plenty of ways to use it.
After turning it over in his mind, he already came up with quite a few applications.
The simplest method was to attach it to an enemy.
For example, Da Bao could link another enemy. When the enemy attacked Da Bao, that linked enemy would help Da Bao bear the damage.
Or more directly, link two enemies. Then when Da Bao attacked one enemy, it would be equivalent to attacking both.
He liked it very much, but his expression remained unmoved, as though the skill was nothing special.
"I can raise the price, but it'll be at a premium. You'll have to make up the difference." The other party's face revealed neither joy nor anger.
He showed Chu Danqing another Skill Book with a similar effect, called Energy Link.
"It's a set of skills, so it's worth more. Name your price."
To be honest, if there had only been Life Link, Chu Danqing would not have minded even if he missed out on it.
But now that it was a complete set, things were different.
Chu Danqing felt that he could play even more tricks with it. He could even double as damage dealer, controller, or support.
"I'm curious. Why don't you learn them yourself?" Chu Danqing asked.
He did not believe the other party could not see their value. Pies did not fall from the sky; what fell more often were traps.
If these two matching skills were used properly, they would be worth far more than his Regret of the Kin-Eater.
"That's not something you should ask." The other party had no intention of explaining. They were buyer and seller—why say so much?
After thinking it over, Chu Danqing placed the Wolf Fang Necklace on the table.
"Not enough," the other party said.
"It's enough. Skills need to be leveled up, and their flaws are too obvious." Naturally, Chu Danqing was unwilling to raise the price further.
"Your blade needs to awaken its true spirit too," the other party countered.
"But my blade has no flaws, and once fully awakened, it'll be Fine-grade quality. It's enough to last you through the second tier." Chu Danqing added another bargaining chip.
"Add another thousand Paradise Points." After a moment of silence, the other party gave his bottom line.
Hearing that, Chu Danqing spread his hands. "I don't have that many. Five hundred points, and we have a deal."
He had cut the price in half himself.
Without a word, the other party turned and left.
"Eight hundred. Take it or leave it—I really don't have any more." Chu Danqing called after him, adding another three hundred Paradise Points.
The other party paused. "Eight hundred and fifty!"
Chu Danqing's eye twitched. Someone with such an expert's bearing was actually haggling with him over fifty Paradise Points.
"Deal." Chu Danqing did not continue the stalemate and agreed at once.
You sold: Regret of the Kin-Eater, Wolf Fang Necklace, Paradise Points ×850. Obtained: Skill Book (Life Link), Skill Book (Energy Link).
Once the transaction was complete, the other party took the items and left without lingering at all.
With everything sold, Chu Danqing packed up his stall and left as well.
He immediately learned both skills, and the corresponding LV.1 knowledge surfaced in his mind at the same time.
Two more skills appeared in his blank skill slots.
Life Link (Active) LV.1: Link 1 target within 10 meters, jointly bear 50% of health loss, consumes 1 Energy Point per minute. Energy Link (Active) LV.1: Link 1 target within 10 meters, jointly bear 50% of Energy Point loss, consumes 1 Energy Point per minute.
"The sharing ratio is half. That seems rather interesting."
"It only limits the number of linked targets; it doesn't limit the number of links on oneself."
"But there's also a problem: how strong is the link?"
"If the link strength is too low, I'll have to find a way to solve that."
"I need to test it." Chu Danqing looked at the mere 2,650 Paradise Points he had left. His purse was truly embarrassingly empty.
Paradise provided relevant services, but they required Paradise Points.
Chu Danqing needed to reserve Paradise Points to activate permissions, buy restorative consumables, and he even wanted to raise the levels of these two skills after testing them.
There was simply no room to squeeze anything more out.
In the end, his gaze landed on Da Bao.
"How about it... shall the two of us test it ourselves?" Chu Danqing was not testing the sharing efficiency, but the strength of the link.
Da Bao looked bewildered. He had no idea what they were testing, but since Chu Danqing said so, he nodded. "Okay."
At that moment, Chu Danqing suddenly understood why the apostle who had bought Regret of the Kin-Eater had haggled even over fifty Paradise Points. Paradise Points really did not last; the stronger a person became, the more desperately short of them they were.
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