Merchant's Trade

Anrui followed closely behind Suo Mu Jin as they left the East Town.

But the two did not go too far.

Or rather, given Suo Mu Jin's business acumen, he couldn't have gone very far.

When Anrui caught up with the other person, the two had only been a few hundred meters away from the East Town, stopping at the entrance of a warehouse slightly to the north.

Anrui was somewhat surprised.

Having reached this point, Suo Mu Jin did not run away; instead, he stood still, displaying a businessman's smile.

"Mr. Anrui."

"You have killed someone. As Lord, you have killed the person you were supposed to protect."

"..."

"Then what do you think was my reason for taking action?"

With anger blazing in his eyes, Anrui lunged forward and delivered a punch squarely to Suo Mu Jin's chest.

The merchant took two steps back, appearing unharmed.

He used the merchant's abilities to increase the 'value' of his defenses while decreasing the 'value' of Anrui's attacks.

So this punch could have left him paralyzed from the waist down.

It turned into a normal fight between two adults and did not threaten his life.

Then buy the impact that your body has suffered.

"One punch took away 1/7 of my value, the difference is really huge."

Anrui saw all of this.

"Why would you make such a foolish choice?" He couldn't understand the other person's decision at all. "A merchant, whose skills are still at the Fourth Stage, cannot possibly defeat a warrior."

As the Lord of the town.

Anrui knew Suo Mu Jin's abilities well; if the other party insisted on leaving with those people, he would definitely be able to keep the news completely secret.

Instead of having his message screenshotted and his men blocking his escape route like this, he prevented them from doing so.

At the same time, Anrui slashed out with his sword.

This strike, imbued with a killing intent, is far more threatening than the angry punch from before.

Suo Mu Jin, being an elderly businessman, was powerless to escape.

He used 1/6 of his value to buy the accuracy of Anrui's attack, another 1/6 to strengthen his defense, and finally 1/6 to buy the power of the attack.

The merchant took three steps back and remained unharmed.

But the expression on his face was even more surprising. Suo Mu Jin looked at Anrui, who was clearly going to take his life, and actually laughed.

He even spoke to himself, as if declaring victory:

"Anrui, I'm certain that once you see me running away, you will chase after me."

"And if Alan and his men were watching, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to kill you with my own hands."

"What nonsense are you talking about..."

At that moment, Anrui felt his Essence rapidly weakening, and a strange power began to spread within his body.

"Poison?"

The businessman in front of me is cheating.

Anrui reacted instantly and slashed at the target with his sword again.

This time, Suo Mu Jin was not valuable enough to completely negate the danger of the attack.

He strengthened his defenses and reduced Anrui's attack accuracy.

He was then thrown backwards by the impact.

By the time he got up from the ground again, the value he had accumulated was almost completely depleted.

But in front of Suo Mu Jin.

Anrui had just been able to launch an attack, fell to his knees.

The power within him seemed to be a deadly poison specifically designed for awakened beings.

As a user of the Life Source Material, Anrui not only suffers from the damage to his body caused by the toxins, but the depletion of the Essence also pushes him rapidly toward the brink of death.

"Oh--"

Looking at the kneeling man before him, Suo Mu Jin, whose scheme had succeeded, smiled and shook his head, saying, "You are right about one thing: how could a merchant like me possibly compete with a warrior like you in terms of combat ability?"

The merchant staggered toward the Lord.

"So I've been thinking about it for a while now."

"How can I get rid of you, this fierce tiger blocking my way?"

The businessman, clutching his chest, approached Anrui with a deeply moved expression. "It's truly an honor."

"Fourth Stage Awakener can kill a Fifth Stage Ascender."

Anrui stared at Suo Mu Jin had come up in front of him.

He thought through everything that had happened before, but couldn't find a reason why he would be poisoned:

"You couldn't possibly have had the chance to poison me."

Suo Mu Jin wore a victorious smile:

"But I can make deals with the people around you; I'm certain you'll stop us from leaving in the East Town; I can even guess you'll chase me all the way here and give me a good beating."

"Your usual precautions are indeed very thorough, even to the point of being unusually cautious for someone with the stubbornness of a warrior. But you're probably powerless against the toxins produced by the combination of food, smells, and the Essence of merchants."

"After all, you're only at the Fifth Stage, not one of those sixth or Seventh Stage monsters."

The businessmen are also quite weak now.

But dealing with Anrui, who was already exhausted, was not a problem.

Suo Mu Jin pulled out his Travel Staff, which he used when he was a merchant. The tip of the cane gleamed with a sharp metallic luster, pointing directly at Anrui's heart.

"If you don't stop me, don't chase after me."

"At least we can still eke out a living and wait to be buried, along with this small town..."

Thud! Just then, a thunderous bowstring twanged.

An arrow flew out and instantly pinned Suo Mu Jin's arm to the ground, while his Travel Staff was flung aside.

Suo Mu Jin fell to the ground, clutching his injured arm.

Arrows cause more than just simple wounds.

A decaying force emanated from the wound, causing the skin and muscles of the arm to turn gray and rotten.

His only remaining value is stabilizing his injury; he can't do anything else.

Aside from his skills as an awakened being, he was merely an old man.

"Linsey!"

Suo Mu Jin's eyes widened in anger.

He turned his head away; the owner of that thunderous bowbeat was none other than Linsey, who had returned just in time.

Linsey stopped Suo Mu Jin from killing Anrui.

He came carrying a bow and arrows. The long trek through the wilderness and the unexpected encounter in the Meteor Crater had left his appearance and clothes tattered and covered in dust and blood.

But when Linsey looked at Suo Mu Jin, his eyes showed both weariness and determination.

"Thanks to the plants you provided, I have cultivated crops that can grow in cold environments. So this arrow was aimed at your arm, not your head."

Suo Mu Jin loudly questioned:

"You chose to stand by Anrui's side, like a dead dog waiting to be slaughtered, clinging to life here?"

Linsey shook her head:

"I have a way to deal with the Dragon Beast, and we're about to set off."

Suo Mu Jin didn't believe Linsey at all, and even had the illusion that the young man in front of him had gone mad:

"You say you have the power to defeat a Seventh Stage monster?"

"Don't be silly, we can work together to find a way to get across Black Mountain and put down your bow and arrows!"

"My explanation is very sincere." Linsey walked up to Suo Mu Jin, drew his longbow, and almost pressed the arrow against Somkin's head. "Now, give me the antidote for the poison on Uncle Anrui."

Undeterred by the threat of death, Suo Mu Jin replied without hesitation, "I refuse!"

He was determined to die together with Anrui.

Since he had no hope of escaping this hopeless world, he would use that hopelessness to trade for Anrui's life.

Ding-dong!

With a clear sound, a Walnut Coin engraved with Twin Snakes Mark was tossed in front of Suo Mu Jin.

This simple coin does not gleam with the golden light that symbolizes wealth.

But it contains the power of Merchant Skill.

Suo Mu Jin was extremely weak at this moment.

Although he was unwilling, he was powerless to resist the temptation of the coin he had created.

Merchants succumb to the power of their own will and the power of the transaction.

He replied:

"The antidote is in the warehouse, in a brown Glass Bottle."

Linsey nodded, took the antidote from the warehouse, and gave it to Anrui.

As his meticulously planned scheme crumbled, his hope of dying alongside Anrui also vanished.

Suo Mu Jin shouted in frustration, "Linsey, why don't you understand!"

"Do you want us to die in this foolish and desperate place along with this foolish warrior?"

At the same time, Anrui, who had just taken the antidote, took out a small Jade Balance from his pocket.

The deadly poison targeted his Essence, leaving his body almost completely exhausted and unable to recover in a short time.

But despite his frail body, he held Linsey's hands tightly:

"Linsey, do you really have a way to kill that Dragon Beast?"

Anrui's eyes held a conflicted hope.

Reason told him that Linsey couldn't possibly defeat a Seventh Stage enemy. But his experience in Black Mountain gave him an unrealistic hope for the young man's abilities.

"That's right, I have a way."

Linsey answered in this way.

Under the influence of the City of Law Scales, the other two people present could tell that this was a heartfelt and honest answer.

It was at this moment that Linsey turned her head.

He looked calmly at Suo Mu Jin and answered the merchant's earlier, resentful question:

Unfortunately, the Elemental Realm is not a place of despair either.

"On this trip, I happened to find a place where I can live safely."

"Even if the Dragon Beast enter this world from Black Mountain, they absolutely cannot harm that place."