Chapter 29: The Trio

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: The Trio

[Precise Identification: Simply touch an item with your hand to see its detailed information!]

As the Professional Talent of a [Crafty Merchant], it had to be said that Precise Identification was indeed very powerful.

But it also had some limitations.

First, it obviously had to be activated by touching the item.

Second, the so-called "detailed information" wasn’t actually all that detailed.

It was fine for Ordinary items, but it was a bit lacking for things with special functions.

Take the Stealth Skill Book, for example.

The information he saw through Precise Identification was roughly—

This is a Skill Book called "Stealth."

As for the Skill’s detailed information, Lu Wei only saw that on his skills panel after he learned it.

It was the same with this "Forest Patrol Leather Armor."

Just based on the Introduction, there was no way to tell why its Value was so high.

It was only because Lu Wei’s reasoning skills were strong that he could guess the general idea.

’Since its Level is High Level, that most likely means this Leather Armor has an affix.’

’And the Introduction says it was designed for people who need to travel quietly through the woods... so it might have something to do with Stealth.’

’Finally, according to the Note, the previous owner probably committed suicide over a love affair, and the damage is just daily wear and tear.’

’Hmm... In short, the person who looted the corpse definitely didn’t know its Value. After stripping it from the body, they sold it to this shop as regular Leather Armor.’

’Then the shop didn’t appraise it either, just gave it a quick wash and put it out for sale.’

’After all, an Identification Scroll isn’t cheap, so they’d never use one on a piece of Equipment that looks so unremarkable.’

As the "life story of the Leather Armor" gradually took shape in his mind, Lu Wei felt his judgment wasn’t far off the mark.

At the very least, the Value of "1 gold and 3 silver" was 100% real.

So no matter what, buying it was a definite win.

"Can you make it a little cheaper?"

Lu Wei asked the female shop assistant again, showing his interest in buying it without being so eager as to raise suspicion.

But before the shop assistant could speak, Furen, who was standing beside him, suddenly spoke up first with a look of touched emotion.

"Brother Lu Wei, you don’t have to save money for me! A brand new piece of Leather Armor is only two silver coins. Why buy a damaged one?"

"That’s right, sir. If your budget allows, I’d also recommend buying a new one."

The shop assistant gleaned a lot of information from Furen’s single sentence and immediately chimed in, "After all, there’s a big difference between them in terms of protection, comfort, and even appearance."

"..."

’Appearance?’

’Seriously, do people actually care about that?’

"No thanks, I think this one is just fine."

Shaking his head, Lu Wei insisted, "So, can you give me another discount?"

"Well..."

Seeing that he wasn’t going to change his mind, the shop assistant could only reply quietly, "95 Copper Coins. That’s the biggest discount I can give you."

"Alright."

Without any more haggling, before Furen even had a chance to argue, Lu Wei took the Leather Armor in his hands.

"It’s a deal!"

...

...

Soon, the day’s shopping trip came to a smooth conclusion.

After buying the Leather Armor, Lu Wei touched as much of the other Equipment as he could.

But unfortunately, he didn’t find any other hidden gems.

This just went to show how difficult it was to find such bargains.

This was because High Level Equipment with affixes often had obvious characteristics—Magic Patterns, materials, craftsmanship—that set them apart from standard gear.

An experienced Appraiser could basically tell with a single touch, so misjudgments were extremely rare.

Even when they did happen, it was more often a case of mistaking standard gear for High Level Equipment and wasting an Identification Scroll for nothing.

After all, some craftsmen did put a lot of effort into "aesthetics," carving decorative patterns and the like onto Equipment, which could mislead an Appraiser’s judgment.

To be honest, Lu Wei always found this behavior a bit stupid.

Pretty Armor wasn’t any tougher than ugly Armor, and a Sword with patterns wasn’t any sharper than one without... in fact, it might even compromise the blade’s integrity.

But as it turned out, plenty of people fell for it.

Like Furen, who ended up choosing a piece of cowhide armor that had been painted with black dye.

It looked pretty cool, but Lu Wei didn’t believe for a second that the layer of black dye had the "waterproofing function" the shop assistant claimed.

If it actually rained, it was more likely to dye Furen into a black dude.

In total, the two pieces of Leather Armor—one old, one new—cost Furen 3 Silver Coins and 95 Copper Coins.

Adding in the hearty lunch and the supplies purchased in the afternoon, Furen’s savings Officially dropped below 4 Gold Coins.

Lu Wei, on the other hand, still had 70 Copper Coins.

"Let’s not eat at the tavern tonight."

Perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed for getting so many freebies, Lu Wei made an uncharacteristically generous suggestion on the way back. "I’ll buy some vegetables and meat in a bit. We can just have dinner at home."

"Sure... but I don’t know how to cook."

Furen scratched his head in embarrassment. "I can probably only help you with the prep work."

"What’s so hard about cooking? Just chop up the ingredients and throw them all in a pot to boil."

Lu Wei waved his hand dismissively, looking very confident, but his words made Furen a little uneasy.

However, the thought of that incredibly delicious roasted rabbit put his mind at ease, and he sighed in admiration,

"Brother Lu Wei, you’re amazing. You can do anything."

"You’re too kind. This is just how poor people are."

"Uh... um, right, can you use Stealth successfully now?"

"About seven or eight times out of ten. And seriously, that was a pretty clumsy change of subject."

"Was it..."

"Yes. You really don’t need to feel insecure about being rich. It’s not your fault."

"..."

The setting sun, like molten Gold, slowly soaked the eaves and streets, stretching their shadows long.

A woman with a headscarf, a dark-skinned laborer, and groups of three to five variously dressed Adventurers... The pedestrians bustled back and forth, their steps hurried. After a long day of work, it was finally time to rest for a moment.

They bought two heads of lettuce, a cabbage, and a few potatoes from a peasant woman by the roadside.

Then they got a pound of wild boar meat from the butcher shop.

Just before sunset, Lu Wei and Furen finally returned to the small wooden cabin, their arms full.

And that’s when they saw a familiar figure.

Brown curly hair, a gray linen dress... Bai Ya?

Seeing Bai Ya sitting on a rock by the road, her head buried in her arms as if she had fallen asleep, Lu Wei and Furen glanced at each other in surprise.

Although they didn’t know why she was here, it definitely wouldn’t be right to pretend they hadn’t seen her.

So, as they drew closer, the two of them stopped.

"Miss Bai Ya?"

Furen reached out and gently pushed her shoulder, intending to wake her up.

But with just that one push, Bai Ya shot up as if startled, nearly stumbling in her panic.

"Ah, M-Mr. Furen, Mr. Lu Wei..."

Realizing it was Lu Wei and Furen, her face instantly turned red. She quickly lowered her head and stammered out an explanation:

"Mr. Lu Wei, I... I came to thank you..."

"You weren’t here when I arrived, so I thought I’d wait a little... I didn’t expect to fall asleep..."

"Uh, you don’t have to be so formal."

Lu Wei said helplessly, "I’ve told you before, we’re even."

"Um..."

Bai Ya kept her head down, wringing her fingers, and just let out a soft "um" in response.

And that was it.

The scene suddenly became awkward.

?

Lu Wei stared at Bai Ya blankly, a question mark hanging over his head.

’Seriously, what does "um" even mean?’

’Aren’t you supposed to say something like, "I’ll work hard to repay you," or "I’ll never forget that you saved my life"?’

’If not that, even a "Well, I’ll be going now" would work.’

’Right now, you’re just making us both look stupid.’

"Um..."

After waiting a long time for Bai Ya to say anything, Lu Wei finally couldn’t take it anymore. He resorted to a time-honored tactic from his past life to break the deadlock:

"So... have you eaten yet?"

"We’re about to have dinner. Why don’t you join us?"

"..."

The last rays of the setting sun spilled down, perfectly deepening the blush on Bai Ya’s cheeks.

To Lu Wei’s surprise, she immediately lifted her head and nodded eagerly, as if she had been waiting for this all along.

"Okay!"