Chapter 39

Palin had never been exposed to Chinese culture, so of course he wouldn't have thoughts like Sui Xiong's. But he was a devout believer, and even if his own deity's request went against his wishes, he would still obediently comply.

So when persuasion failed, he went to ask the shop assistant about the price, intending to buy the exquisite enchanted dagger.

But after he heard the price, even Sui Xiong, who was usually thick-skinned, couldn't help feeling his tentacles ache.

"This Soul of Ice is worth seventy thousand gold coins," the weapons shop assistant said casually.

Palin's eyes widened. Even though he'd been somewhat prepared, the shocking price still stunned him.

After a while, he couldn't help asking, "It's just an enchanted dagger. Does it really have to cost so much? I've seen high-end pieces before, and ten thousand gold coins is about the most they'd go for!"

The assistant sneered at him. He couldn't even be bothered to explain, and merely gave a disdainful snort through his nose before turning to polish a gleaming longsword.

There were endless bumpkins who'd never seen the world, just like the skeletons in the Ash Forest. The shopkeeper had instructed him that if a customer couldn't see the true wonders of Soul of Ice, then even if they had money, they weren't to be sold the weapon!

Palin had made a fool of himself. He wanted to ask a few more questions, but couldn't bring himself to go back and grovel, so he left the weapons shop dejectedly and decided to find an inn first.

But after he'd only taken a few steps, a small child who was dressed quite neatly despite being skinny stopped him.

"Wise mage, would you like to buy something good? You should definitely visit the Good Eye general store!"

Judging by the child's grinning expression and practiced sales pitch, he was clearly waiting outside the weapons shop to sell to down-on-their-luck adventurers whose feelings had just been hurt.

"Sir, you don't come to Dragon Roar Town often, do you?" the child said familiarly. "Anyone who knows Dragon Roar Town wouldn't go to that black-hearted shop, Dragon-Slaying Blade!"

Palin immediately nodded again and again, feeling that the child was right. How could an enchanted dagger possibly cost seventy thousand gold coins? Why didn't they just rob people!

...No, even robbing people didn't make money as fast as being a swindling merchant! The Orc Wolf Rider Band had spent five years robbing people and had only managed to save fifty thousand gold coins!

Over the past few days, while preparing for Pioneer Village, they had gone into Luer's treasure vault again.

Rod's skill with his hands was no worse than Ryan's. He'd dismantled all the traps along the way without much trouble. In fact, although the traps were extremely dangerous and powerful, their designs were quite outdated. Rod had even repackaged several of the better-preserved ones and sold them as antiques in the Thieves Guild's general store. He'd given them a surprisingly high price, and one had already sold in just a few days.

They'd found a total of fifty thousand gold coins in Luer's treasure vault. The remaining antiques and magical items were either too clearly marked to sell easily, or too dangerous to sell. The prime example of the former was a set of exquisite jewelry bearing the winged angel emblem of the Holy Angel Kingdom's royal family. Seeing it had left Rod drenched in cold sweat, especially when he carefully counted the wings on the emblem; his face had gone completely pale. The prime example of the latter was a section of extremely hard finger bone, wreathed in black magical energy. Satan had taken one look at it and stumbled backward in fright, nearly cracking his head against the stone wall.

Well, the former was a possession of the royal family of the most extreme and bellicose kingdom in the world, and it belonged to a prince who was no more than three generations removed from the throne. The latter was the phylactery of an evil lich. If it was killed, it would return to the mortal world using that finger bone as its anchor.

If the jewelry's discovery came to light, the Holy Angel Kingdom would definitely send experts to the Four Northwest Towns—not only to reclaim the set, but also to slaughter the entire family of the despicable merchant who'd sullied the honor of its great royal family. The lich's phylactery wasn't dangerous to expose, but who knew when the lich might suddenly come back to life?

In terms of value, the jewelry and the phylactery were both worth far more than a mere fifty thousand gold coins. But as long as someone wasn't insane, they wouldn't think of selling them. Of course, even if the seller were insane, they'd still need to find a buyer who was just as crazy and unafraid of death!

Although Palin came from a merchant family, he was far from wealthy. In his eyes, fifty thousand gold coins was already a staggering fortune. Yet that damned Dragon-Slaying Blade weapons shop had priced a mere enchanted dagger at seventy thousand, acting as if, "It's your loss if you don't buy it. I couldn't care less." It had left him seething with anger.

Now that he heard the child denouncing the black-hearted shop, he felt like he'd found a kindred spirit and kept expressing his agreement.

"That black-hearted shop just uses a few fine enchanted weapons to draw people in, like Soul of Ice and Tree Elder... But they mark the prices way too high, at least several times what they should be." The child clearly knew his stuff, or at least the person who'd taught him did. "As for that Dragon-Slaying Blade hanging on the pillar in the middle of the shop... Ha! It's a joke! Anyone who can use that sword well could slay a dragon with anything. Or, to put it another way, what dragon-slaying hero would ever want that lousy sword?"

Palin's mouth fell open. He'd heard a similar assessment from Sui Xiong, and now he finally understood why his own god had dismissed Dragon-Slaying Blade but shown some interest in the dagger.

A god's judgment really was beyond that of a mere mortal mage!

"Oh, by the way, did you know there's a story behind that sword?" The child grinned. "Thirty years ago, the town's mayor before last struck it rich. At the time, there was a famous catfolk beauty in the Orc Empire east of the Great Gobi, whose dancing and singing were said to be peerless. He spent a fortune on a stunning gemstone, hoping to win her heart with it. What do you think of that plan?"

Palin thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Not very reliable."

"Right, not reliable at all! Before he even reached the Orc Empire, the Tyrant of Extreme Cold caught up with him in the desert. He actually showed astonishing courage and fought a dragon over that gemstone..."

"Did he die?" Palin asked.

"No. Killing a fool whose brain was addled by lust would've been beneath the dragon's dignity. So the dragon carried him all the way back to the village and hung him from a big tree, with a long strip of cloth around him that said, 'This is the bravest pervert I've ever seen, and also the weakest.'"

Palin burst out laughing, amused both by the mayor's overestimation of himself and by the dragon's sense of humor.

"After he was rescued, the mayor had someone forge this Dragon-Slaying Blade and declared that he'd give it to anyone willing to go into the mountains and slay a dragon. And you can see how that turned out. Thirty years later, the town's had two more mayors, but the sword's still hanging there."

The two chatted and laughed as they soon arrived at the Good Eye general store. It was quite spacious, and judging by its walls and storefront, it had been around for a long time. It was certainly an old establishment.

Old Soth had once taught Palin that when shopping somewhere unfamiliar, there were only two good choices: a famous big shop or an old shop with a long history. The former was sure to have wide connections and plenty of stock, while the latter was likely to value its reputation. Either was worth doing business with.

As soon as they entered, the child called out cheerfully, "Ah Xue! Ah Xue! I brought you another customer! No carrots in my soup tonight!"

"Children shouldn't be picky eaters. You won't grow tall!" A middle-aged woman came out from the back room as she spoke. Her features were quite regular, and she'd probably been a beauty in her youth. She was simply a bit too fat and a bit too tall. She strode along with such force that the floor beneath her seemed to groan.

In just a few steps, the shopkeeper, Ah Xue, reached Palin. She grabbed the child and lifted him aside like a chicken, then smiled at Palin. "Welcome, sir. The Good Eye general store has been in business for nearly forty years. We specialize in all kinds of goods, including many things left behind by veteran adventurers. Our prices are fair, and our goods are fine. You certainly won't be disappointed if you shop here!"

Palin shrank back a little in alarm. Though the woman was an ordinary person, she was undeniably imposing. The difference in their builds was especially enormous, making him feel quite unsafe.

But he immediately came to his senses—he was a spellcaster! A mage! Even among adventurers, he was considered high-end. Why should he be afraid of an ordinary person?

So he straightened up again, wanting to project the presence of a mage. But gnomes were short to begin with, while the shopkeeper named Ah Xue was tall even by human standards. With nearly a twofold difference in height, all his efforts were meaningless.

Ah Xue didn't mind the young mage's attitude. Smiling, she asked, "What would you like to buy, sir?"

"...Actually, I'm just browsing. There's nothing in particular I want to buy."

"I see! Then you've come to exactly the right place. We have something you're sure to be interested in!" Ah Xue laughed and dragged a large chest out from behind the counter. It was nearly as tall as Palin, and crammed full of all sorts of equipment in a chaotic jumble.

"We bought all this from adventurers, and none of it's been inspected or appraised. Most of it is probably junk, but there are bound to be some treasures nobody's noticed. For just ten gold coins, you can pick one item and take it with you," Ah Xue said with a smile. "It's our specialty: a treasure hunt! Whether you make a profit or lose out is all up to your eye for a bargain. But each person may only choose one item."

Palin paused, looked at the jumble of equipment, and asked with a frown, "Can I use an appraisal spell?"

"Of course not! The whole point is to test your eye for a bargain." Ah Xue's answer came as no surprise. "If you use magic to appraise things, it defeats the purpose!"

"Picking out something truly valuable from a pile of unremarkable things—that joy and satisfaction is the real treasure!"

The chubby woman beamed, her eyes shining with a brilliance no ordinary merchant could possibly possess.