Chapter 15: The Merchant

Tasks are generally executed outside the city. The Holy City of Eirland is very large, and it requires passing through a magical teleportation array to get from one end to the other.

Using the magical teleportation array requires a fee based on the number of people, but students from the Nidlan Academy can use it for free, which is a privilege for students.

Poor Leo didn’t know this at first and spent half a day walking from one end to the other.

After leaving the city, the group headed towards the mission location.

“There is a pack of wind wolves in the northwest direction outside the city. They often enter nearby villages to hunt the livestock raised by the villagers, and almost every night, livestock are killed by the wind wolves. This mission is to eliminate the pack of wind wolves, which consists of about a hundred wolves. There is a lead wolf with a strength of C+ or above, but not at B Class. The other wind wolves are around D and E Class, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for you, just a bit challenging due to their numbers. It mainly depends on your cooperation,” Heles explained while leading the way.

“Here is a village that has been visited by the wind wolves. Let’s rest in the village for a while. As for you three, you can take a break or go directly to complete the mission,” Heles said.

At this moment, Nathan thoughtfully suggested to Leo and the others, “As adventurers, you need to learn to gather intelligence. You can’t trust the mission descriptions; the information provided by the guild may not be accurate. Sometimes, due to a lack of information, it can lead to fatal consequences.”

“Captain, the mission information from the academy can’t be false, right?” Mona retorted.

“Is that so?” Nathan scratched the back of his head. “I thought it was just like doing missions for the Adventurers’ Guild, I’m used to it, haha.”

Nathan then added, “But it’s best to develop the habit of not becoming overly reliant on the information provided.”

“Then let’s start by gathering intelligence.”

Leo felt this made a lot of sense. Even if the academy provided detailed mission investigations, he still needed to confirm it himself.

“I’ll accompany you; I can’t leave everything to you,” Jin said at this moment.

“Where should we start?”

Michelle was experiencing a mission for the first time, and everything felt new and exciting on her little face.

“It’s just a pack of wind wolves, what intelligence do we need to pay attention to?”

Yuris asked. In his view, wind wolves were just a bit faster and had larger numbers, but their strength was lacking.

“For example, if the lead wolf’s strength exceeds C Class, encountering such an unexpected situation could put you in danger,” Nathan replied.

“Even if it’s B Class, I can take it down,” Yuris said confidently.

“What if it’s A Class?”

Yuris remained proud, “I can escape!”

“What if you can’t escape?”

“Fight to the death!”

“…”

Is this what genius looks like? Their thought process is indeed different from ordinary people; there’s no way to communicate.

“The problem is not just the strength of the monsters. Sometimes, the mission issuer may induce adventurers to complete missions outside of the original scope, such as the ones attacking the village’s livestock not being a wolf pack but other monsters. If the mission requires eliminating the monsters attacking the livestock, and we eliminate the wolf pack, the mission won’t be considered complete.”

Leo looked at Yuris, somewhat speechless. How could you say the most cowardly thing with the most pretentious expression?

“You really understand!” Heles gave a thumbs up.

“So, Senior Heles, can I see the mission list?”

“Um…” Heles became hesitant, “I forgot to bring it.”

Leo stared at Heles, making her break out in a cold sweat.

“Then let’s just set off directly; there’s no need to gather intelligence.”

This guy definitely has a problem. It doesn’t matter; he is already prepared to face B-class monsters, and gathering intelligence would just be a waste of effort.

“How about we go eat first, and then discuss the mission after the meal?” Heles awkwardly changed the subject.

“That sounds great; I’m a bit hungry, let’s go eat first,” Michelle quickly responded.

Upon entering the village, they saw a large crowd gathered together.

“What are they doing over there? It looks lively.”

Heles looked around and suddenly became interested.

A merchant was standing on a high platform, introducing his goods to the crowd, attracting many curious villagers and adventurers.

“It’s a big sale! This is armor personally forged by the dwarven master Ruden, capable of withstanding any physical damage. Originally priced at one thousand gold coins, now it’s only one hundred gold coins on sale.”

“One hundred gold coins? That’s robbery!”

“Stop bragging; there’s no armor that can withstand all physical damage. It looks fake, and it’s still one hundred gold coins.”

“Everyone disperse, it’s all fake.”

“Don’t leave! This is armor forged by Master Ruden; this mark cannot be imitated by anyone.”

The merchant turned the golden hammer mark on the armor towards the crowd.

“Can’t tell if it’s real or not.”

“Even if it’s fake, it looks well-made.”

The onlookers were confused.

Seeing the expressions of the crowd, the merchant revealed a hint of glee, “Since everyone doesn’t believe me, I’ll demonstrate the armor’s effectiveness for you.”

The merchant had a guard put on the armor, and then he attacked with a sword.

“Watch closely; now I’m going to cut off his hands and feet.”

The merchant raised his sword and aimed at the guard’s feet.

The onlookers were puzzled; after cutting off the hands and feet, could they really be reattached?

The guard, wearing the armor, had his feet cut off, separating from his body. The merchant found a chair for him to sit down, then reattached the severed legs. The guard stood up again and walked normally, without any injury.

The crowd was stunned into silence by this display.

“Could it be fake? Is it really that powerful?”

“If it really has this effect, then one hundred gold coins is worth it.”

“Yeah, my brother-in-law’s uncle’s son’s father’s nephew’s grandfather’s second son became an adventurer and lost a leg, and his wife ran off with someone else.”

Some people were amazed, but others remained skeptical.

“It must be fake, unless I get to try it.”

An adventurer stepped out of the crowd and walked up to the platform.

“Are you really going to try it?” the merchant asked.

“Of course.”

“Then you put it on.”

“Let me be clear; if you cut off my hands and feet, I’ll make you go bankrupt. My companions are watching, and you can’t escape,” the adventurer said fiercely.

“The armor is absolutely fine,” the merchant assured confidently.

The adventurer quickly put it on, and just like before, the merchant cut off his hands and feet, then reattached them. Even after being severed, he could still move, and even with swords sticking out of him, he showed no signs of injury.

The crowd gasped in amazement at this miraculous scene.

“This is the new product forged by Master Ruden. I got it through special channels. Rather than calling it armor, it’s more like a magical item. While it can’t be said to be absolutely indestructible, it can protect vital areas.”

The merchant took this opportunity to boast.

“Hahaha! This is amazing! I want this armor; who dares to compete with me?”

The adventurer shouted loudly, looking like he would get angry if anyone dared to compete with him.

“Don’t be in a hurry; there is only this one piece forged by Master Ruden, but his disciples have forged more than one piece, and the effects are similar, but they are cheaper, only ninety gold coins.”

“I want a set!”

“I want a set too!”

Adventurers who were tempted immediately took action, those who didn’t have enough gold coins looked for teammates to pool together, and more and more people bought it, making the merchant’s face beam with joy.

———-
Support the Translation! 🌐✨

Your donations not only show appreciation but also keep the translator motivated! Every contribution helps continue bringing you more of what you love. Thank you for being a part of this journey! 💖

https://www.ko-fi.com/maxoofie