Chapter 48 - 46: Divine Blessing

Chapter 48: Chapter 46: Divine Blessing

Ten minutes later, Lu Wei finally understood what a [Divine Blessing] was.

To put it bluntly, it was basically a cheat given to mortals by the gods, or you could call it a perk.

You see, the "Divine Spirits" of this world weren’t like the "Gods of Faith" from his previous life. They were all real, tangible beings, and there were a great many of them.

They lived in the Outer Planes. There were at least several dozen of them, each with their own duties, presiding over nearly all the laws of the world.

War, Magic, light, darkness... even weak monsters like goblins and kobolds had Divine Spirits they believed in.

And since these Divine Spirits were widely worshipped, it naturally meant they could intervene in the "Lower Plane" in certain ways.

For example, Believers could communicate with a specific Divine Spirit through rituals or prayer and receive guidance and Power.

For example, [Priests] could directly channel Divine Power to use their Skills.

For example, some people who made great contributions to "spreading the Faith" could become the "agents" of a certain Divine Spirit.

Or, for another example, a Divine Spirit might sometimes send energy containing its divine will down to the mortal realm to increase its influence in the Lower Plane and gain more Believers and Faith.

This was the so-called [Divine Blessing].

[Divine Blessings] appeared without any pattern. Unless one had mastered High Tier Skills like [Prophetic Magic], there was no way to predict where they would descend; it was all up to luck.

It was roughly equivalent to the "Gem Crystal Insects" from the Soul Series—a randomly spawning reward.

But the value of a Divine Blessing was far beyond what the paltry rewards from those insects could ever compare to.

Because whoever successfully absorbed one would immediately gain powerful abilities related to that particular Divine Spirit.

A simple one might just grant a massive boost to one’s Attributes.

A more complex one could grant a "Divine Skill" unique to that Divine Spirit... and while it would be a weakened version, it was still ridiculously powerful.

Furen would have a lot to say on this subject.

Because in all the novels he’d read, the protagonist would inevitably obtain a Divine Blessing and then ascend to greatness in a single leap.

Things like summoning lightning with the wave of a hand, turning your body into steel, manifesting a pair of wings on your back to fly—that sort of thing.

Of course, the fantasies from novels couldn’t exactly be trusted.

But since it contained the Power of a Divine Spirit, it couldn’t possibly be too weak.

So, in short, it all came down to one question—

"This thing has to be incredibly expensive, right?"

Lu Wei’s eyes were practically glued to the glass bottle in Mirana’s hand.

"Erm..."

Mirana discreetly shot Tock a look, signaling for him to put his weapon away, before she continued speaking.

"A complete Divine Blessing is exceptionally expensive, but this is just a tiny fragment. Plus, it’s red, so its value isn’t that high."

’A fragment? Can this stuff be sold in pieces like a Healing Potion?’

’You’re not trying to pull a fast one on me, are you?’

’Are you saying it’s not valuable because you’re afraid I’ll try to rob you?’

With a suspicious look, Lu Wei asked, "What do you mean, ’a fragment’?"

"It means that a complete Divine Blessing shattered into many small fragments for some reason."

Bai Ya explained in a soft voice from the side, "And correspondingly, the energy it contains is much weaker. At least, that’s what the books say."

Lu Wei, only half-understanding, asked, "Oh. Then what’s the deal with the color?"

"The color of the blessing differs depending on the Divine Being who bestowed it."

The walking encyclopedia, Bai Ya, continued her explanation. "Red is a common color for the blessings of many Divine Beings, like the War Goddess, the Fire Element God, and the God of Love and Desire. It’s also the most common color for blessings in general."

"But for that very reason, a mischievous God of Fooling also likes to send down red blessings to play tricks on mortals."

"Anyone who absorbs His blessing might go mad, become an idiot, have their gender swapped, or just drop dead on the spot."

"And because Divine Blessings can’t be identified, absorbing a red one is inherently risky. Consequently, their value is naturally lower than that of other colors."

’Holy crap, there’s a catch like that?’

’This God of Fooling must have nothing better to do, huh?’

’So he’s basically a mimic?’

Lu Wei gave Bai Ya a strange look. "What’s this God of Fooling’s name?"

"Um, I think it’s Azathoth."

"Scared me for a second. Thought Old Thief Miyazaki had achieved godhood."

Lu Wei muttered under Bai Ya’s confused gaze, then turned back to Mirana.

"Alright, I think I get the gist. But what does this have to do with tonight’s attack?"

"Once a Divine Blessing descends, it emits a very distinct scent that helps nearby creatures find it."

Mirana answered truthfully, "The scent is extremely alluring. High-intelligence creatures can barely manage to resist it through reason, but mid- and low-intelligence creatures find it nearly impossible."

"Kobolds have an exceptionally keen sense of smell, so even with the Divine Blessing sealed in this bottle, they could still faintly catch its scent."

"So..."

"Oh, I get it."

Lu Wei nodded. Now he finally understood where the "elite mobs" those Adventurers were talking about came from.

The bear goblin that could use Magic, the incredibly strong goblin, the Puji that took over the entire Underground City... aside from genetic mutation, they must have all absorbed a Divine Blessing.

’That’s wild.’

"Ahem. Speaking of which, I actually have a service for buying loot."

Having understood the situation, Lu Wei changed the subject, his mind inevitably turning to how he could acquire the item.

After all, the Introduction for his Precise Identification skill never said it "could not identify a Divine Blessing." This meant he might be able to figure out which Divine Spirit this particular blessing came from.

Whether he used it himself or resold it, he was bound to make a profit.

With that in mind, he immediately offered Mirana a "sincere" suggestion.

"You’re probably not planning to use this blessing yourself, are you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have held onto it for this long."

"If you’re planning on selling it, I doubt you’ll find any merchants in Heitai Town who can afford such a valuable item. You’d have to go all the way to Kalin Port."

"That journey takes several days, and it would be a shame if something... unexpected... were to happen on the road."

"So, why don’t you consider selling it directly to me?"

"Well..."

Mirana wasn’t surprised, as if she had already guessed Lu Wei would suggest this. She was just a bit hesitant.

After all, his recent behavior was that of a classic Crafty Merchant.

’But a Crafty Merchant who would risk his life for a comrade... he can’t be a bad person at heart, right?’

"I suppose that’s not out of the question."

After a moment of thought, Mirana named a price. "I’m not sure of the exact value, but Tock said it’s worth at least 50 Gold Coins."

???

’How much???’

’Fifty Gold Coins???’

Hearing the price, Lu Wei’s eyes flew open, and he immediately started kicking himself.

But he wasn’t regretting it because he couldn’t afford it.

Nor was it because he wasn’t sure if he could beat Mirana and her companions to snatch the Divine Blessing by force.

It was because...

Dammit!

’If I’d known, I should have demanded to "inspect the goods" first before talking about the price!’

’After all, it’s obvious Mirana is someone who values her comrades. Since she was willing to spend 5 Gold Coins to save her friend, she might have even agreed if I’d asked for 50 Gold Coins!’

’I lost out big time!’

"Heh... at that price, never mind."

A moment later, Lu Wei shook his head, grinding his teeth.

Mirana asked tentatively, "So, about that Healing Potion..."

"One moment."

Taking a deep breath, Lu Wei strode back to the campfire and opened his pack.

But instead of getting the potion, he pulled out a small notebook, flipped it open, and, heartbroken and furious with himself, quickly wrote—

On How to Be a Proper Crafty Merchant

4. Before naming a price, you MUST figure out the customer’s financial situation!!