Tav

Under the skinny young man's guidance, Gagnor arrived safely at the Thieves' Guild beneath Presto Fortress.

Unlike the underground structures in South Sea Town, this Thieves' Guild was more like an underground cavern—or rather, it had been built inside one. Bare rock walls were exposed everywhere, and the air was thick with dampness.

Creatures such as rats occasionally scurried past along the edges. As for crawling insects, those were even more common.

The Black Market was laid out differently too. South Sea Town's Black Market was a corridor, whereas this one was a long passageway.

Perhaps because of the current situation, the Black Market was rather lively. More than a hundred people were trading, and most of the goods were various wartime supplies.

Gagnor walked down the passage, checking the prices at several potion-related stalls.

A vaguely familiar voice reached him.

"This is a Troll Rage Potion. It can rapidly stimulate strength and the will to fight, and it's much more potent than a Rage Potion. At a critical moment, it can help you turn defeat into victory..."

Gagnor turned toward the voice and immediately saw a masked woman introducing her goods to several customers.

Though her mask and clothing were completely different, and her voice was somewhat different too, he still recognized her after observing her for a moment.

The Potent Potions Expert.

After the customers left, Gagnor went over to the Potent Potions Expert.

"Can I help you?" the Potent Potions Expert asked.

Gagnor smiled. "Didn't you bring my Sith Dragon Potions here to sell?"

The Potent Potions Expert froze. "You are—"

Her words came to an abrupt halt. Gagnor had never mentioned any information about his identity, leaving her unsure how to continue.

"Call me 'Tav.'" Gagnor decided to give himself an alias.

The Potent Potions Expert recovered from her surprise and smiled as well. "That probably isn't your True Name or your real face, is it?"

"Hard to say." Gagnor neither confirmed nor denied it.

"An impressive disguise spell." The Potent Potions Expert praised him first, then answered his earlier question. "As a matter of fact, I brought some of your Sith Dragon Potions here too. It's just that war could break out at any moment, so most people are more concerned with potions like Troll Rage Potions."

Gagnor wasn't surprised. "How are the Healing Stones, Pain Relief Potions, Rage Potions, Swiftness Potions, Antidote Potions, and other basic potions selling?"

The Potent Potions Expert said, "Their prices have been rising every day. I'm guessing you stocked up on quite a few in advance. If you want to sell them quickly, you can come to me anytime. I'll give you a good price."

"What about potion ingredients?"

"Other than Silverleaf, the ingredients for all the other basic potions have risen considerably, especially Heather Herb."

The two of them chatted for a while.

When Gagnor was about to leave, the Potent Potions Expert suddenly said, "Wait."

"What is it?"

The Potent Potions Expert first glanced around, then lowered her voice. "Are you interested in an ancient ruin?"

"An ancient ruin!" Gagnor was surprised. "Could you tell me more about it?"

To some extent, he had obtained his Level 7 Storage Ring from an ancient ruin. His first expedition had yielded an enormous haul, so he couldn't help being interested in such adventures.

The Potent Potions Expert put all the potions on her stall into her Storage Ring, then stood up and left, waving for him to follow.

Gagnor followed her to a deserted corner.

Two men were sitting at a table in the corner, talking. One was tall and the other short. Both wore masks and clothes that were clearly meant as disguises. Gagnor felt that, at least for the shorter man, the disguise probably served little purpose. Judging by his height, even if he wasn't a dwarf, he most likely had a considerable amount of dwarven blood.

When they saw the Potent Potions Expert and Gagnor approach, they immediately stopped talking.

"This is Tav," the Potent Potions Expert introduced him, then added to the tall man, "He's the supplier of the Sith Dragon Potions."

The tall man nodded in sudden understanding.

The Potent Potions Expert pointed at the tall man. "He's the General Goods Merchant."

Gagnor nodded as well. The two of them had interacted several times in the South Sea Town Black Market, but they weren't familiar with each other. Besides, their disguises had changed their appearances, so neither recognized the other at first.

"This is the Hole-Seeker," the Potent Potions Expert introduced the short man.

Hearing that name, Gagnor couldn't help asking, "Was this Hole-Seeker the one who discovered the ancient ruin?"

The Hole-Seeker nodded. "I was. The Earth Element Holy Name granted me the talent to seek out caves. By chance, I found a hidden cavern not long ago. Its entrance is in an overlooked corner of the Thieves' Guild, but I'm completely unable to reach its depths on my own. So I'm gathering a party. Would you like to join?"

"What's inside the cavern?" Gagnor asked.

The Hole-Seeker said, "Some low-level magical beasts and ancient relics. The rewards might not be very substantial, but I asked a diviner, and the answer I received was, 'It's worth going.' You can ask one too. When it comes to unknown matters, it never hurts to consult a diviner more than once."

As he spoke, he took out a gold ornament engraved with a pattern. "I found this in the cavern. It's a gold ornament from the era of Fangfro IV. The pattern on it is the famous 'Fangfro's Mercy.' Even without considering its historical value, it's worth at least twenty gold coins!"

Gagnor thought for a moment. "When are you setting out?"

"That mainly depends on when we can find suitable members. We need at least five or six people," the Hole-Seeker said.

After a pause, he asked, "If I may be so bold, Mr. Tav, do you have a combat class?"

Gagnor said, "Of course. I'm a Level Two Hunter."

"Can you use first-circle spells?"

"I can."

The Hole-Seeker nodded. "Then you can join us anytime before we set out."

Gagnor nodded as well. "All right. I'll come back here in a few days."

He didn't intend to decide immediately. On one hand, the situation in Presto Fortress could change at any moment. On the other, he knew very little about the cavern.

Perhaps, just as the Hole-Seeker had said, he should ask a diviner...

Before leaving the Presto Fortress Black Market, Gagnor was drawn to a stall selling forbidden magic books and scrolls. His gaze settled on one scroll.

"Corpse Explosion?"

This spell was also recorded in the Blood Magic Notes, but because it was a second-circle spell, he hadn't learned it yet.

The stall owner explained, "Corpse Explosion, a second-circle spell. It makes a corpse explode, with tremendous power. But obviously, this is Black Magic, so you'd better not use it in public. At the very least, don't let the Church see you."

Gagnor thought for a moment. "How much?"

"Two gold coins. Final price."

"I'll take it."