Chapter 61 - 59: Long-term Cooperation

Chapter 61: Chapter 59: Long-term Cooperation

Huh? He agreed??

’Is there really something wrong with his head???’

Seeing Big Beard actually agree to sell him the Star Core, Lu Wei’s expression instantly turned to one of shock.

But the former remained quite calm and explained with great earnestness:

"You’re right. Since no one in Kalin Port recognizes this gemstone, I’d have to go to a bigger city to have any chance of selling it."

"And that would undoubtedly cost me a lot of time and energy."

"Besides, I bought this gemstone for less than two Gold Coins. To be able to flip it for a threefold profit is already a very good deal for me."

"As for its true Value... just as you said, knowledge is money."

"You have the knowledge to appraise it, so you deserve to profit from the difference."

"Alright, as we agreed, you appraised four items for me in total... The last one doesn’t count, since you didn’t provide any information about it."

"The appraisal fee is five Silver Coins per item, so the price of the One-handed Sword is 3 gold and 9 silver minus 2 gold, which comes to 1 gold and 9 silver."

"Add to that the 5 gold coins for this gemstone."

"In total, you need to pay me 6 gold and 9 silver."

"..."

’Wait, is he really that principled?’

’Is this the ultimate show of respect for paying for knowledge?’

Staring at Big Beard in utter amazement, Lu Wei felt a bit ashamed of himself as he finished listening.

After all, it seemed the man wasn’t a Crafty Merchant, but a genuinely honest one.

’Well... then again, I was pretty conscientious this time, too.’

’I offered five Gold Coins, so I’m only making less than five times the profit.’

"I won’t be buying the One-handed Sword for now,"

A moment later, Lu Wei came to his senses and shook his head with a helpless sigh.

"I only have 2 gold and 6 silver right now, plus a Low Level enhancement gemstone worth less than 3 Gold Coins."

"Please wait for me. I’ll go sell the gemstone first, then come back to buy this Black Gemstone."

Considering that the Star Core far surpassed the One-handed Sword in both Value and Rarity, Lu Wei decisively gave up on a Weapon that would have been a huge upgrade for him, deciding to focus on making money first.

Seeing this, Big Beard thought for a moment before making a sincere proposal:

"Compared to a One-handed Sword, I believe your knowledge is the real treasure."

"I think we might be able to work together long-term."

...

...

YES!!

This is a real Weapon!!

Half an hour later, Lu Wei swung the Mola Crystal Steel One-handed Sword in his hand, his expression ecstatic. He felt like a kid again who’d just found a perfectly straight stick on the side of the road.

And besides the One-handed Sword, he also had a Rare Gemstone in his money pouch worth 22 Gold Coins!

That’s right. For only five Gold Coins, he had acquired both the gemstone and the One-handed Sword.

The price was striking a "gentleman’s agreement" with Big Beard—

To appraise items for him!

Every Sunday, Big Beard would set up a stall in the Black Market, and if Lu Wei had time, he was to come here and help the man appraise some of the rarer materials.

There was no appraisal fee, but they would split the profits eighty-twenty.

Big Beard would take eighty percent, and he would take twenty.

Any losses would be borne by Big Beard alone.

In short, all Lu Wei had to do was provide appraisals to make money without any liability, while Big Beard could save himself the trouble of finding people to do it. It was a true win-win situation.

Lu Wei had no reason to refuse such a partnership.

After all, his general store was just starting out, and he didn’t have the time or Power to go scouring the Black Markets of various cities for good deals.

Therefore, this method, which saved him both time and effort, was the most suitable.

"I’ll be here on time next Sunday."

Lu Wei slid the One-handed Sword back into its Sword Scabbard with satisfaction and made his promise in earnest.

Big Beard nodded. "Alright... By the way, I still don’t know your Name."

Lu Wei smiled and replied, "Lu Wei. If you need to find me, you can leave a message at the Adventurer’s Tavern with a female bartender named Clara."

"I’ll remember that. My name is Sebas."

Big Beard lightly tapped his chest and gave his own name in return.

"In Kalin Port, many people call me Sebas—my promise is as good as gold."

...

...

’Sebas.’

’Sounds like the name of a butler from a Japanese anime.’

’He even has a nickname. He must be a pretty big deal in Kalin Port.’

’But that makes sense. After all, none of the wares at his stall have a Value lower than one gold coin.’

’So his Power must be pretty high, too...’

A few minutes later, Lu Wei said goodbye to Sebas and started walking out of the Black Market, pondering Big Beard’s background.

’In any case, he’s definitely a merchant with far more Power than me.’

’Ah, forget it. I’ll just go socket the gemstone into my sword first.’

Shaking his head, Lu Wei’s pace quickened involuntarily, his expression growing eager.

That’s right, he had no intention of selling this "Star Core."

Mainly because he wouldn’t be able to sell it anytime soon anyway.

So he might as well socket it directly into his One-handed Sword and create a Weapon that could dominate Heitai Town, at the very least!

’That shouldn’t be an exaggeration!’

’Although I still don’t know what the [Force Field] affix does exactly, I’m guessing it’s related to gravity.’

’Either way, it’s gotta be badass!’

’Come to me, my peerless divine weapon!’

His eyes gleamed with ever-increasing anticipation, and his pace grew faster and faster.

But at a certain moment, Lu Wei suddenly stopped in his tracks, then backtracked in confusion to a small stall that primarily sold "scrap metal."

Glancing at a Blacksmith’s Hammer placed in the corner, he turned to the stall owner. "This hammer..."

"Only 3 Silver Coins!"

Probably not expecting a human to buy a Blacksmith’s Hammer, the stall owner pitched it with a look of pleasant surprise. "An absolute steal! It weighs nearly 25 pounds—even as scrap iron, it would be worth 1 Silver Coin!"

Lu Wei scratched his head. "Uh, I actually just wanted to ask who sold you this hammer."

The stall owner’s expression instantly became wary. "Why are you asking?"

"I think the person who sold it might be a friend of mine."

An image of Tock appeared in his mind, and a faint smile touched Lu Wei’s lips.

’So much for your tough talk. Said you could just kill a few monsters to pay for food and lodging, but you still ended up having to sell your weapon in the end.’

’Just wait till I see you next time, I’m going to Taunt you relentlessly!’

"Please, just tell me."

He fished out a few Copper Coins from his pouch and tossed them to the stall owner. Lu Wei was willing to pay a small price to get some ammunition for teasing his friend.

Seeing that there was money to be made, the stall owner immediately chuckled and replied:

"It was two men."

"Men? Not a Dwarf?"

"No, no, two humans."

The stall owner recalled, "It was yesterday, around noon."

"One had messy hair, the other was a bit thin. Said it was loot they’d found."

...

...

「Adventurer Association, Heitai Town Branch.」

Meanwhile, as Lu Wei was wondering what had happened to Tock, Bai Ya was in the main hall’s "book corner," reading intently.

The midday sun was warm and pleasant. Light streamed through the window, making her slightly curled long hair look fluffy, like ripe heads of wheat.

This morning, she had first gone to the market to memorize all the latest buyback prices for various materials, then had run over here to cram on the subject of insects.

Because she disliked insects, this was her weak point, one she needed to shore up as much as possible before their next trip into the forest.

After all, sometimes, even tiny insects could pose a great threat to an Adventurer.

’I’m getting a little hungry.’

’I wonder if the Captain is back yet.’

’The ingredients we bought yesterday will go bad if we don’t eat them soon.’

SNAP—

A little while later, Bai Ya gently closed an illustrated guide to venomous insects titled *Insects, Die!*, stretched lazily, and decided to head back to their cabin to cook and eat before returning to her studies.

But as soon as she looked up, she saw a familiar figure standing before her.

"Huh? Sister Mirana?"