This is a classic case of flattering someone even after stepping down from a high position. [ Evergreen Tree ] had long since become desensitized to such words; he simply looked at his student:
Name your price.
[ Dawn Ah ] smiled as she looked at the man in the top hat:
"10 silver coins, delivery included."
The man in the top hat frowned slightly.
"A sheep is worth at most 5 silver coins, isn't that a bit too much..."
[ Dawn Ah ]'s body twitched:
"Ouch, my arm hurts so much! Was your arrow poisoned? Don't go! Let me call everyone over to judge this..."
"How about 8 silver coins...?"
"I probably won't be able to work for the next three days. Sigh, I can earn at least 2 silver coins a day at my buddy's construction site. The money for the sheep, plus lost wages, medical expenses, and compensation for emotional distress..."
"Okay, okay, I'll give it to you, I'll give it to you."
The man in the top hat looked like he was gritting his teeth, but he wasn't as angry as he appeared.
Clearly, the people in this new settlement are not only physically healthy but also intellectually capable, and he has no intention of doing business with the degenerates or the sickly and poor people of the Tree Worship Church.
He took out ten silver coins from the inside pocket of his clothes, stepped forward, and handed them to [ Evergreen Tree ].
[ Evergreen Tree ] casually weighed the currency in this world and winked at [ Backstabbing Expert ] who was poised to strike.
As the mentor's confidant (and major threat), the [ Backstabbing Expert ] clearly had a good understanding with the professor. He carried the half-dead Vine Sheep on his shoulder and walked at the back of the group.
The three had already silently divided up their roles: [ Backstabbing Expert ] was the henchman, the professor was the strategist, and [ Dawn Ah ] knew the most about this world, so the current communication would primarily revolve around him.
Sensing his mentor's earnest expectations, on the way back to the "truck," [ Dawn Ah ] struck up a conversation with the man in the top hat:
"What's your name, Mr. Merchant?"
" Gray, what about you?"
"Just call me ' Dawn Ah.' Is there no food left in your truck?"
There are many more.
"Then why do you hunt Vine Sheep?"
The man in the top hat didn't answer, but instead turned his head to look at [ Dawn Ah ]:
"I guess you've never seen a traveling merchant like me."
"Indeed, I haven't seen it. News of new settlements always takes time to spread, doesn't it?"
"That's true."
The man in the top hat nodded:
"If you'd seen similar traveling merchants, you wouldn't have asked that question. I'm not out hunting because of a food shortage."
"That's because?"
"Insufficient 'fuel'."
After crossing two low hills, the three finally saw the "truck" the man in the top hat had mentioned.
It was a three-story mobile fortress, about ten meters square, with a gray exterior that looked as if it were coated with a special metal. The outer wall facing the castle was the front, and it was equipped with protective walls and observation windows. It also had a simple maze emblem drawn by several straight lines.
At this moment, the bottom of this mobile fortress was covered by mud, just like a vehicle stuck on a dirt road in the real world.
It turns out the car was stuck...
[ Dawn Ah ]'s lips twitched slightly, sensing that some things do indeed exist widely in various worlds.
Meanwhile, the [ Backstabbing Expert ] behind him let out a gasp of surprise, as if he'd never seen anything like it before:
"I tested it, awesome!"
The man in the top hat stopped and turned around, saying:
"As you can see, this is my truck. I have shown my sincerity. Please take me to your settlement later."
Ed, inside the castle's secret chamber, could see everything happening several kilometers away thanks to the eyes of the three others.
While marveling at the fact that mobile fortresses actually existed, he couldn't help but question the technology of this world.
A hundred years ago, it was still the Middle Ages of swords and magic; now, mobile fortresses have appeared. Who knows, a hundred years from now, we'll have Psionic Energy flying machines and the like...
Indeed, crisis is the strongest driving force for technological progress; in order to survive, the intelligent races of this world will stop at nothing.
This businessman, however, seemed somewhat suspicious; he was approachable but not entirely trustworthy.
With that in mind, Ed reconnected with Duolin in his mind, informing him that a merchant was about to arrive and that he should not stray too far from the castle.
At the Dawn Ah time, a new text box appeared in front of the three people:
Special Mission - the Traveling Merchant Has Arrived!
Task Description: Merchants are special creatures widely distributed in the World of Disorder. Their desire for precious metals drives them to move along certain predetermined paths in order to obtain more precious metals. You are lucky enough to have encountered a merchant. Bringing him back to the camp will activate the limited-time [ Shopping Time ] event for the server.
Mission Rewards: Trust (from Gray ) +10, Gift (from Ed ) 1 Silver Coin, First Purchase Discount 20% (Limited to one per player)
[ Dawn Ah ] and [ Backstabbing Expert ] were immediately excited and accepted the mission without thinking. [ Evergreen Tree ], on the other hand, began to think about why such a mission had been triggered while accepting it.
Since its launch today, the realism of this world has far exceeded his imagination; he has almost forgotten that this is just a virtual world within an immersive game.
But the player panel and quest log—things only found in games—constantly reminded him that this wasn't the real world, and the development team was like...
It's as if they're trying to cover something up.
Having noted this question in their minds, the three looked at Gray to indicate that they were ready.
The man in the top hat bowed slightly.
"Please forgive me, this is the private space of the merchants, and outsiders cannot enter without permission. I will not invite you all to come up and rest. I will start the truck now, and I would appreciate it if you could lead the way."
The three nodded in agreement. The man in the top hat took the Vine Sheep from the [ Backstabbing Expert ], used a brass key hanging from the side of a thin tube at his waist to open the narrow door below the fortress, and crawled inside.
The faint sound of footsteps on the stairs drifted over, and the three waited quietly outside, wondering how the otherworldly freighter operated.
Merchant Gray emerged from the top of the mobile fortress, carrying Vine Sheep. Seven or eight Aberration corpses lay on the flat ground of the rooftop.
That should be enough.
He opened a trapdoor near the front of the fortress while muttering to himself.
Sunlight streamed into that secret space, and instantly a roar filled with anger and pain echoed through it.
Gray poked his head into the doorway and peeked inside.
"Oh, so you're all still alive."
He threw down the Vine Sheep he was holding, then the second, the third...
The roars in the dark space instantly turned into sounds of tearing and snapping, and the pitch-black opening emitted a teeth-grinding chewing sound like a giant beast devouring everything.
Two minutes later, the eating sounds stopped, and Gray closed the trapdoor again.
He inserted the brass key from his waist into a keyhole and slowly turned it. Painful howls and the sound of mechanical operation continued to come. The mobile fortress began to tremble, and then slowly crawled out of the mud pit, leaving behind a pile of broken bones that kept sinking into the mud.
Standing atop the fortress, Gray held the control stick with one hand and waved his top hat with the other.
Friends, let's go!