Chapter 94 - 92: Tricked Again

Chapter 94: Chapter 92: Tricked Again

When the two left the Adventurer Association, it was still some time before noon.

Mirana said she was going to see Kairos again and left by herself.

Since Lu Wei had nothing else to do, he’d wanted to visit the pitiful boy as well.

But Mirana said Kairos was very emotionally unstable right now and didn’t let him go.

Lu Wei completely understood.

In his previous life, he had a friend just like that—a great, optimistic young man who was paralyzed from the waist down after hitting his back on a basketball hoop stand. He never recovered his spirits after that, locking himself at home for a long time and refusing to see anyone.

If Lu Wei could travel back to his old world, he would definitely bring him a bottle of Healing Potion.

Unfortunately, it seemed highly unlikely he’d get that chance.

’This afternoon, I need to see Aryan’s uncle. Tomorrow is Sunday, so I have to get Sebas to appraise those items.’

’I wonder if he managed to buy the Professional Skill Books I asked for.’

’My Equipment probably doesn’t need any immediate upgrades.’

’Ordinary High Level Equipment only adds a few Attribute points. The boost is minimal, and I’ll probably replace it soon anyway. I’d just lose money on it in the end.’

’As for my Weapon... Confession should be good enough until my Professional Promotion.’

’And one Crossbow is enough for ranged combat.’

’Better to save my money for Skill Books.’

’If Sebas can’t get the Professional Skill Books, then I’ll consider getting a better pair of boots, or maybe a pair of pants with a special property...’

Standing in a shady spot outside the association branch, Lu Wei silently calculated for a moment before opening his profession panel.

[Name: Lu Wei]

[Profession: Crafty Merchant (Unique Special)]

[Power: 12 (+3+1)]

[Agility: 14 (+2+2+1)]

[Physique: 9 (+1)]

[Intelligence: 15 (+2+2)]

[Perception: 18 (+2)]

[Charm: 15 (+1)]

[Equipment: Soul Pendant, Sword of Repentance, Forest Patrol Leather Armor, Lion’s Heart Ring]

[Skills: Stealth Lv1 (22/50)]

[...]

[1. Earn 100 Gold Coins through mutually acknowledged, real transactions. (26.57/100)]

[...]

’That’s insane. A quarter of the way there in an instant.’

Looking at the massive jump in progress, Lu Wei thought to himself that his initial goal of "earning 100 gold coins in one year" had been far too conservative.

After selling that pile of junk, turning in the quest, and unexpectedly making an extra 13 gold coins this morning, his progress had shot up by nearly 20.

The savings in his pocket had also reached 25 gold coins.

And he was debt-free.

’Making money is just this easy.’

’I really don’t get how some people can’t even earn a few Copper Coins a day.’

’They must not be trying hard enough.’

’I might have a cheat ability, but honestly, that has nothing to do with it.’

’It’s all thanks to my own genius and resourcefulness playing the key role.’

’Take right now, for example...’

Toying with a Black Iron Badge in his hand, Lu Wei glanced around, planning to find someone to sell this thing to.

He had found it in that Wooden Box in the Goblin Nest. Besides this Black Iron Badge, there were also seven or eight Bronze Badges.

The Bronze Badges were useless, so he didn’t even bother taking them.

But this Black Iron Badge should be worth a little something... Someone would probably buy it just to show off.

As long as it wasn’t used to accept quests, no one would ever know who the original owner was.

’My ideal customer is one of those posers who deliberately struts around in front of female Adventurers...’

Quickly establishing a "customer profile" in his mind, Lu Wei walked into the bustling little plaza, looking left and right for a suitable target.

But after just a few glances, he hadn’t found a poser, but he had found Bai Ya.

She was in a corner of the plaza talking to a man with messy hair, looking very excited.

What?

’Did she just find her long-lost brother or something?’

Lu Wei stared for a moment, wondering what Bai Ya was doing.

Just as he was about to walk over and ask, he suddenly saw the fool frantically untie her coin pouch and dump all the money out, gesticulating anxiously.

From the shape of her mouth, she seemed to be saying—

"This is all the money I have. Can you make it a little cheaper?"

"..."

Seeing this, the corner of Lu Wei’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.

He didn’t even need to know the context to reach a conclusion.

That foolish woman was about to get scammed again!

...

...

"Thank you, thank you so much!"

"You’re such a good person!"

Meanwhile, Bai Ya, completely oblivious to Lu Wei "spying" on her, was bowing repeatedly to the man and thanking him.

This morning, after checking the latest material buyback prices at the market, she had rushed here to begin her "study" plan.

Considering her limited funds probably weren’t enough to post a commission, she decided to "ask for prices offline" directly.

So, for the past half hour, she had been wandering around the Central Plaza, asking many people if they could give her a "paid skill demonstration."

However, not a single one had agreed.

Some genuinely didn’t know any skills, some thought she was crazy, and some suspected she was a Swindler... until just now, when she had finally met a "kind, good-hearted person."

He looked fierce and menacing, but you can’t judge a book by its cover!

Not only did he not look down on her, he was also very easy to talk to!

When he saw she really had less than three silver coins, he immediately agreed to a cheaper price!

"Um..."

Looking at the man, Bai Ya asked shyly in a small voice, "Could you possibly make it a little cheaper? I need to save some money for food."

"Hahaha, of course."

The man paused for a second, then laughed heartily and agreed. "Then let’s make it two silver coins. To be honest, if using skills didn’t take so much stamina, I’d do it for free."

"Ah! Thank you so much!"

Bai Ya bowed again, hastily handing the man her only two silver coins, and asked eagerly, "So, can you start now?"

"Well... there are too many people here."

The man put on a troubled expression. "I think we should go somewhere with fewer people."

Bai Ya came to a sudden realization. "Ah, right, right. That was my oversight."

The man looked around. "It’s fine. So, is your captain nearby?"

"No, he’s busy with other things."

"That’s good."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Ah, I mean, if he were nearby, maybe he could come watch too."

"Oh, oh, it’s useless for him to watch... Right, so what are your Combat Skills?"

"It’s... Triple Slash!"

"Wow, that sounds so powerful."

"Of course it is..."

Chatting as they walked, the two quickly left the plaza and arrived at a secluded alleyway.

Seeing no one around, the man stopped, turned back, and said with a serious expression:

"This should be good. Well then, I’ll begin."

"Okay!"

Bai Ya, her face full of excitement, immediately gave him "casting room" and watched the man’s movements with rapt attention.

Then, she saw the man draw his sword and, shouting "He-ya!", slash forward three times in a row.

Immediately after, he turned around and did it again.

One had to admit, the man had a strong sense of contract; he repeated the move ten times before stopping, then sheathed his sword with the air of a grandmaster.

"Alright, I’ve demonstrated it ten times."

"Ah, but..."

Seeing that her skill list still only showed [Imitation], [Stealth], and [Jump Slash], Bai Ya was completely baffled, not knowing what went wrong.

’It was definitely ten times, so why didn’t I learn it?’

’Did I miscount?’

’Or was I not watching carefully enough? Did I miss something?’

"Um, could you demonstrate it again?"

After a moment’s pause, she requested in a small voice, "I haven’t learned it yet..."

"Learned it?"

The man stared at her as if she were an idiot. "You think you can learn one of the Combat Skills just by watching it ten times?"

"Ah, I..."

Bai Ya was suddenly at a loss for words, but she had already spent the money, so she could only blush and ask in a small voice:

"Then... can you give me some money back? Half would be fine..."

"Impossible! I’ve fulfilled my promise!"

The man’s expression changed instantly. He questioned her loudly in a fierce tone, "You’re not a Swindler, are you?!"

"No, no, I’m not..."

Frightened, Bai Ya shrank back and hastily waved her hands. "I-I didn’t trick you..."

The man glared. "Then why are you asking me for a refund?!"

"I... I..."

The disappointment of not learning the skill, the pain of losing all her money, and the grievance of being falsely accused—the combination of these three things instantly sent Bai Ya’s already near-zero ability to handle situations into the negatives.

At this point, she couldn’t even worry about why she hadn’t learned "Triple Slash" anymore; her only thought was to quickly shed the suspicion of being a "Swindler."

But her mind was a complete blank, and she had no idea how to explain herself.

So in the end, she panicked and lowered her head to apologize to the man.

"S-Sorry. Y-you don’t have to give me a refund..."

"Hmph!"

Glancing at her with a smug expression, the man snorted coldly and seemed about to leave.

But the next second, perhaps thinking her foolish appearance made her easy to bully, he suddenly turned back and said sternly:

"No, you must be a Swindler. I’m taking you to the guard post. I can’t let you go on and deceive others."

"Ah, b-but I’m really not a Swindler!"

Bai Ya looked up, so anxious she was on the verge of tears. "P-Please, you have to believe me!"

"No. Your actions make that very hard to believe."

The man’s face was grim as he advanced step by step. "But I just remembered that slaves, Swindlers, and Thieves are all branded on the chest."

"How about this: if you let me take a look and confirm you don’t have a brand, I’ll believe you."

"Huh?"

Bai Ya’s eyes widened, and she instinctively clutched the collar of her shirt. "N-No!"

"Then I’ll just have to take you to the guard post!"

The man’s tone was cold and sinister. He took another step forward, backing Bai Ya into a corner.

And while Bai Ya had been scammed often before, she had never been cornered like this. Her mind was already blank, and she wanted to run away purely on instinct.

But no matter which way she tried to run, the man would block her. He wasn’t in a hurry to do anything, clearly enjoying toying with his prey.

Until Bai Ya suddenly drew the dagger from her waist.

"Hm? Getting angry after being found out?"

After a slight pause, the man sneered, "But you don’t hold a dagger with two hands. You can’t hurt anyone like that."

"I-I’m not a Swindler..."

Bai Ya’s eyes were stubborn. Gripping the dagger tightly with both hands, she kept repeating that sentence as the first motion of Jump Slash appeared in her mind.

Then, to the man’s stunned astonishment, she leaped high into the air.