The Wandering Merchant Moen

Xia Tong stopped hurrying along and chose to rest where he was, setting up camp.

The sky had already grown somewhat dim.

He took out the materials for a large tent from the backpack strapped to Torrent's back. These were spoils he had found while searching the camp at Gatefront.

After setting up the tent and cooking a meat stew, Xia Tong closed his eyes to rest.

At the same time, within his spiritual world, he nurtured the Spirit Ashes of the Stray Wolves and Spirit Jellyfish that had been damaged in the earlier battle.

Only after finishing all this did he fall into a deep sleep.

Another peaceful night passed without incident.

Three days later.

A strange group emerged from a long canyon.

At the front was a fine horse with two horns growing from its head.

Three imposing Stray Wolves flanked the horse, providing support and keeping watch.

Behind the horse was a simple cart, piled high with a full load of armor and weapons.

It was Xia Tong's group.

He had Irina sit in front while he sat behind her, the two of them sharing Torrent's broad back.

Originally, Xia Tong had planned to get down and lead the horse himself.

But Irina was, after all, a young lady raised under a strict noble education.

In her eyes, having her benefactor lead her horse was an extremely disrespectful act—one that could even be called outrageous.

Besides, Xia Tong still had to deal with the wild Misbegotten that occasionally sprang out from the roadside.

"Combat is already exhausting enough. How could I let my benefactor waste his strength leading a horse?"

Thus, after Irina repeatedly pleaded with him, Xia Tong "reluctantly" agreed to ride with her.

A gentle breeze brushed past them, yet there was none of the expected smell of sweat.

After days of fighting and wandering, none of them had really had the chance to bathe or wash their hair.

Yet Irina carried no unpleasant odor. Instead, she gave off a faint fragrance, like flowers and grass after rain.

"What a fantastical world this really is..."

Sitting behind her, Xia Tong could not help sighing inwardly.

"Lord Xia Tong?"

Irina seemed to sense the movement behind her and slightly turned her head.

"It's nothing. Hold on tight."

The Winged Misbegotten and Scaly Misbegotten wielding huge axes they encountered along the way were not actually that dangerous.

As long as they did not come in large groups, Xia Tong could handle them.

The truly dangerous one was the Troll wandering through the canyon with a massive golden sword on its back.

"If we truly fought it, injuries would be unavoidable. But with Torrent's speed, we could quickly run past it and escape without danger." Melina materialized beside him and spoke to Xia Tong.

"That Troll feels so terrifying..."

Irina shrank back slightly and said softly,

"Although I cannot see it, I can sense the terrifying aura around it. Father used to tell me some stories about them, too, but I do not know much."

"Could Lord Xia Tong tell me about them?"

Irina turned around.

Her eyes were tightly shut, her long eyelashes constantly trembling, and her face wore a curious yet gentle expression.

The weather was excellent today, Xia Tong was in a very good mood, and they had not encountered any troublesome enemies along the road.

So he quietly continued onward while telling Irina the legends of the Trolls.

"At the beginning of the Erdtree's establishment, Queen Marika and Godfrey, the first Elden Lord, launched a brutal war of extermination against the giants in the north in order to establish their supremacy."

Xia Tong's voice was calm and magnetic.

"These Trolls were originally close kin and descendants of the Fire Giants."

"But in order to survive, or perhaps because they did not share the faith of the Fell God, they chose to betray their own people and submit to Marika and the Erdtree's forces."

"The Golden Order was extremely hostile toward the Fell God's flame worshipped by the giants."

"To prove their loyalty, or as a condition for joining the Erdtree's forces, the Trolls personally dug out the faces of the Fell God from their chests."

"This act caused them to lose their ability to wield Flame of Ruin, as well as their former dignity. From then on, a black hole pierced straight through their chests forever."

"..."

Irina was engrossed in the story and murmured,

"They are pitiful too. They clearly submitted to the victors, yet did not receive the respect they deserved. Instead, they became laborers."

"Yes."

Melina added from the side,

"Having lost the source of their divinity and suffered enslavement for so long, many wandering Trolls have already lost their sanity. They only attack passersby on instinct."

As they walked, a melodious tune suddenly drifted from ahead.

It was the mournful timbre unique to a stringed instrument.

As the group drew closer, the music became clearer.

It was already evening.

Beside the ruins along the road ahead, the glow of a campfire stood out vividly.

And beside that campfire sat a wandering tribesman wearing a red cap.

"Looks like we've reached our destination."

Xia Tong's expression immediately brightened considerably.

On the slope not far from the campfire was another warm, bright golden glow.

It was—the Site of Grace before the walls of Castle Morne.

Xia Tong did not head toward the Site of Grace first. Instead, he went straight to the wandering merchant.

He had an entire cartload of goods to deal with.

"Hello, friend from afar. Looking to buy something? My name is Moen."

"Moen? Castle Morne? Interesting," Xia Tong thought.

This wandering merchant looked very much like Kale. Since they were of the same people, their clothing and manner of dress were quite similar.

However, his expression carried a little more ease.

Kale looked more troubled, after all, because he bore the heavy mission of searching for the Grand Caravan.

This man, on the other hand, seemed more like a pure businessman.

"I have a big deal to make with you." Xia Tong swung down from Torrent's back.

"Oh? What kind of big deal?" The merchant's eyes lit up.

Xia Tong turned sideways and pointed at the cartload of goods being dragged behind Torrent.

He walked over and untied the sackcloth and ropes holding everything in place.

Clatter!

Weapons and equipment immediately spilled out in a rush, piling into a small mountain.

It was an entire cartload of equipment!

There were more than ten full sets of weapons and armor.

Some were scale armor and large cleavers taken from Misbegotten. Others were standard armor and weapons from Godrick Soldiers and Castle Morne Soldiers who had died fighting the Misbegotten.

There was even a massive Troll's Golden Sword among them.

Of course, Xia Tong had not obtained that sword through battle. He was not capable of fighting a Troll one-on-one yet.

He had found it by chance in the wreckage of a carriage by the roadside.

"The goods are genuine..."

The wandering merchant casually rummaged through the pile of equipment and said,

"But they aren't much use."

He pointed at the enormous golden sword and said disdainfully,

"Look at this Troll's Golden Sword. Other than a Troll, how many people can even lift it? It can only be melted down into raw materials and sold as scrap metal."

"This was bestowed upon those Trolls by Queen Marika as proof of their submission to her faction! How did it become scrap metal in your hands?"

Xia Tong retorted with some dissatisfaction. He had dragged this thing here with great effort.

"Six thousand Runes. I'll sell the lot to you." Xia Tong named an outrageous price.

"Six thousand? Why don't you just rob me?"

The wandering merchant jumped up as though his tail had been stepped on, his beard twisting with anger.

"Two thousand! Not a Rune more!"

"Four thousand five hundred!"

"Two thousand five hundred! These Misbegotten blades are all chipped!"

"Three thousand eight hundred! This is Castle Morne refined iron!"

"Three thousand! Final offer. Take it or leave it!" The merchant gritted his teeth.

"Fine! Deal!"

Xia Tong immediately agreed with a grin, changing his expression faster than turning a page.

To him, selling this heap of scrap metal for three thousand Runes was already a very good deal.

After all, much of it was junk equipment taken from the Misbegotten—broken cleavers and tattered leather armor.

There was even armor from the Castle Morne Soldiers and Godrick Soldiers who had been killed earlier.

There was simply a large quantity of it.

He still had another batch of equipment stored in the warehouse at the Site of Grace, taken from Bridge of Sacrifice.

However, Xia Tong did not intend to sell that batch yet, because he already had enough Runes to level up.

The transaction was complete.

Night soon fell.

Xia Tong did not continue troubling the wandering merchant. Instead, he brought Irina to the Site of Grace nearby.

"Leveling up again?"

Melina appeared beside the Site of Grace and asked with a smile.

"Yes. This time, I'm still increasing Mind."

Xia Tong and Melina clasped hands and closed their eyes at the same time.

Soon, Xia Tong felt the golden Rune energy dissolve within his body before flowing into every part of him.