Chapter 100 - 98: Light-guided Arrow

Chapter 100: Chapter 98: Light-guided Arrow

"You’ve probably heard of Light-guided Arrow, right? It deals two-stage damage and has bonus damage against Undead and dark-type monsters. It’s actually quite powerful."

"To learn it, you need to pass a Priest Profession check and an Attribute Test. I believe it requires a Perception greater than 13 and an Intelligence greater than 10..."

Perhaps it was a merchant’s instinct, but after handing the Skill Book to Lu Wei, Sebas kept chattering on about how great Light-guided Arrow was, claiming it was in no way inferior to a Mage’s Magic Missile.

But even if he hadn’t said all that, Lu Wei was determined to get this Skill Book.

After all, Light-guided Arrow basically met all of his requirements—

Ranged, offensive, Magic.

Aside from not being a Mage skill, it was a perfect fit.

Moreover, he was in no position to be picky right now. Even if it were the most useless Professional Skill, he had to learn it first and worry about the rest later.

Otherwise, who knew when he’d ever complete the promotion requirement of "master at least three skills from other Professions."

"Sebas, thank you so much. You’ve really done me a huge favor!"

With that thought, Lu Wei led with a word of thanks, paving the way for the very likely possibility of having to buy it on credit.

"You’re welcome. It was no trouble for me."

Sebas said seriously, "We’re partners. It’s only right that we help each other."

"Ah, you truly are a respected merchant!"

Lu Wei continued to flatter him, "So much vision! You’re practically my role model!"

"Haha, you’re too kind."

A rare smile appeared on Sebas’s face, proving that flattery worked on everyone.

Even if the other person didn’t necessarily believe you—and was perfectly aware you were just laying it on thick—they couldn’t help but feel a little happy inside.

"So, how much do I owe you?"

Seeing that he’d laid enough groundwork, Lu Wei tentatively asked in a low voice, "It is a Professional Skill Book, after all. It must be very expensive, right?"

"It’s actually not too bad."

Sebas shook his head. "The Priest I bought this Skill Book from paid 10 Gold Coins for it. I paid him an extra Gold Coin for his trouble... Even though he’s a friend, I couldn’t let him help me for free."

"So you just need to give me the cost price of 11 gold coins."

"Huh? 11 gold coins?"

Hearing this number, Lu Wei’s eyes instantly went wide with surprise.

It wasn’t because he thought it was expensive, but because he thought it was far too cheap.

After all, a decent Universal Skill Book could cost a dozen or more gold coins.

’Wait, this can’t be a fake, can it??’

He stared blankly at the Skill Book in his hand. Having seen too many sales tactics in his past life, Lu Wei had an almost instinctual wariness of any product priced far below its reasonable range.

He’d bought a 30-yuan Nike T-shirt only to find it was a "Neki." A "Bull" brand power strip that was actually a "Cow" brand. "Snowflake: Brave the World" beer that was actually "Thunderflake: Brave the Grave."

Even a 199-yuan "full service package" turned out to be just a full set of services: foot massage, ear cleaning, and a pedicure... While it was still a decent value, it was a far cry from what Lu Wei understood "full service" to mean.

In short, all these painful experiences forced him to question whether the Skill Book in his hand was genuine.

He quickly used Precise Identification to check it.

Hmm... it was indeed Light-guided Arrow.

Not some terrifyingly named skill like "Light Speed Guide"...

’I can’t believe it’s really this cheap. I don’t even need to buy it on credit.’

"No problem, I’ll pay you right now."

Once he confirmed it was the real deal, Lu Wei immediately untied his coin pouch and started counting. "I didn’t expect it to be so cheap. I thought it would be much more expensive."

"Many people think so."

Sebas smiled. "But Ring One Professional Skill Books aren’t actually expensive. Ring Zero Tricks are even cheaper."

"After all, you have to become a Professional to learn Professional Skills, whereas you don’t for Universal Skills."

"And often, the price of a commodity depends not only on its Value, but also on the relationship between supply and demand."

"When demand is high, the price naturally goes up."

"Well said."

Lu Wei nodded, handing him 11 gold coins and happily stashing the Skill Book away.

Although he could easily pass the Attribute Test, he certainly wasn’t going to learn it right in front of Sebas.

And from start to finish, the latter never asked him why he was buying a Professional Skill Book.

"Sell, don’t ask." This was a principle a merchant had to abide by.

"Sebas, please help me buy another one or two next week."

Now that he had a "Purchasing Agent," learning three Professional Skills no longer seemed so difficult. Lu Wei made another request:

"Two would be best. Any Profession is fine, and I don’t care about the school of Magic. Ring One is ideal, but Ring Zero Tricks are also okay. Basically, whatever you can get your hands on easily."

"As for the price, besides the cost, I can pay you an extra Gold Coin for each book."

"What do you think?"

"Alright, no problem."

Without any hesitation, Sebas immediately agreed. "I’ll be here waiting for you again next week."

"Hmm... wait, my apologies, I don’t think next week will work."

Lu Wei suddenly remembered his mission. "I won’t be in town next week. Let’s make it the week after. You can bring the Skill Books along with anything you need identified."

"That works."

Sebas smiled and nodded. "I’ll see you in half a month, then."

"Sounds good."

Lu Wei also smiled. ’Dealing with smart people is just so much easier.’

Each gets what they need, complementing each other’s resources, and money is made over a pleasant chat!

Perhaps this was what "business" was really about!

’Looks like I need to broaden my own horizons!’

’After all, I’ll have to deal with Furen’s father in the future...’

"By the way, Sebas, you go to Kalin Port often, so you must know Viscount Delaroca, right?"

At this thought, Lu Wei asked with some curiosity, "What kind of person is he? Do you know much about him?"

"Yes, I know him. You could say that in Kalin Port, all merchants are more than familiar with him."

Sebas nodded, a flash of undisguised disgust in his eyes.

He lifted his Wine Flask and took a sip of the strong, pungent liquor, then muttered with a sneer:

"As for what kind of person he is..."

"Let’s put it this way."

"Anyone who has done business with the Delaroca Clan unanimously agrees that their family crest shouldn’t be a scale and a sailboat, but a bat and a vampire."

...

...

’Holy crap, his reputation is that bad.’

’In that case... it looks like I have no choice but to make him my godfather!’

’I’m so jealous of Furen. He has such a great dad!’

’And he’s still not satisfied!’

’No wonder he always clammed up whenever the topic came up. You were embarrassed to have a Crafty Merchant for a father, weren’t you?!’

A few minutes later, Lu Wei bid farewell to Sebas and started walking out of the Black Market, ruthlessly criticizing Furen in his head.

In his view, "vampire" was a complete compliment for a merchant.

And judging by Furen’s spending habits, although this Viscount Delaroca was greedy, he wasn’t stingy.

At least he was very generous to his own son.

So, could there be a better father?!

’He takes his good fortune for granted!’

’If Mr. Undead had just tried a little harder, I wouldn’t have to struggle so much now!’

"Sigh, winning the birth lottery really is the hardest skill to master."

"Luckily, I still have a chance to make up for it."

Muttering to himself, Lu Wei walked out of the Black Market, looked up at the bright sun in the sky, and silently quickened his pace.

He hurried back to the small wooden cabin. Bai Ya hadn’t returned yet; only Zovir and Anna were there.

"Mr. Lu Wei."

The two were pulling weeds in the yard. They immediately stood up when they saw him return.

"Mm, you two can continue... By the way, Zovir, go to the market and buy a chicken for me."

Without breaking stride, Lu Wei casually tossed a Silver Coin to Zovir, then rushed headlong into his bedroom.

The door shut, the Skill Book came out, and without a second thought, he started to study it.

About ten minutes later...

[Skills: Stealth Level 1 (22/50), Light-guided Arrow Level 0 (0/20)]

[Light-guided Arrow: Priest Professional Skill, Ring One Magic, Molding Magic]

[Casting Requirements: Perception ≥ 11, Intelligence ≥ 9]

[Casting Range: 30 meters (attack effect slightly diminishes with distance)]

[A flash of light rapidly flies toward a creature you designate within Casting Range, making a Remote Magic attack against the target and applying a Secret Mark to the point of impact. Within ten seconds, the Caster can actively detonate the mark, causing a small area-of-effect explosion with holy properties.]

[Magic Power Consumption: 1 Magic Power per cast, 0.5 Magic Power per detonation]

[Hit rate and casting speed are closely related to the "Perception" Attribute.]

[Attack and explosion power are closely related to the "Intelligence" Attribute.]

[Skill Level Enhancement increases Casting Range, extends mark Duration, and reduces Magic Power required for Casting and detonation.]

"..."

’As expected of a Professional Skill.’

’This is so damn strong.’

’I feel invincible already.’

Half an hour later, Lu Wei swaggered out of his room, already itching to try out his new skill’s power.

As luck would have it, Zovir returned at that very moment, holding a large rooster with its legs tied together.

"Mr. Lu Wei, here’s the chicken you wanted. This is the change."

Handing the chicken to Lu Wei, Zovir then pulled a handful of Copper Coins from his pocket.

There were about sixty or seventy of them.

A live chicken cost around 30 Copper Coins, so he probably didn’t take a kickback.

"Give it all to Anna. Consider it her salary for the near future."

In a very good mood, Lu Wei couldn’t be bothered with such a small amount of money. He tossed out the sentence and carried the chicken to the backyard.

Zovir and Anna stood there, stunned. A moment later, looks of excitement appeared on both their faces.

Especially Anna. This was the first time in her life she had ever received a salary.

When she was a slave, she got nothing.

"So many..."

Staring at the handful of Copper Coins in Zovir’s hand, she unconsciously swallowed. "I’ve never seen so much money..."

"There will be more in the future. Put it away safely."

Zovir stuffed the Copper Coins into her pocket and sighed sincerely, "We’re so lucky to be able to work for Mr. Lu Wei."

"Yes, Mr. Lu Wei is as benevolent and kind as a god."

Anna agreed devoutly. "Besides Mr. Furen, I’ve never met such a good person... By the way, you should take this money for now. Your boots are very old; you should buy a new pair."

"No. I will earn my place as an official employee through my own hard work, and then I’ll use my own salary to buy New Boots."

Zovir shook his head and reminded her seriously, "The most important thing for you to do right now is to go and thank Mr. Lu Wei."

"Ah! Yes, I almost forgot!"

With a small cry, Anna finally remembered. She quickly straightened her clothes and jogged toward the backyard.

The backyard was slightly more spacious than the front, with a small vegetable patch. Bai Ya had just tilled the soil last week and planted Dragon’s Breath Pepper, which were now just beginning to sprout.

Seeing Lu Wei standing under the eaves, Anna slowed her pace and was about to walk over.

But in the next second, she saw Lu Wei suddenly wave his hand. An arrow-shaped mass of golden light appeared out of thin air, shooting at an incredible speed toward the large rooster a few meters away.

And then...

"BANG!"

The explosion was accompanied by a piercing shriek from the chicken.

Before Anna’s horrified eyes, the large rooster exploded like a feather-stuffed pillow, turning into a bloody mist. In the blink of an eye, all that was left was a cloud of floating chicken feathers.

"..."

Anna clamped her hands over her mouth, her face drained of color in fright.

Her eyes were wide, and her body couldn’t stop trembling with Fear.

"Oh my god!!"

’Mr. Lu... Mr. Lu Wei’s true identity is a Demon!!!’