Chapter 165: Unsuitable for Land and Water

Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Unsuitable for Land and Water

She shook the broken bamboo rod in her hand, her words an obvious warning: "My patience, much like this rod, isn’t very sturdy."

Traveling Merchant 001 looked at the broken piece of rod and swallowed a nonexistent gulp of saliva. The smile on her face grew strained, filled more with resigned helplessness than anything else.

She muttered to herself as she rummaged through that magical pocket of hers, her movements clearly much more deliberate this time.

"B-level... B-level... Let’s see, the good stuff I’ve been saving..."

A moment later, she gingerly presented three items.

"Since you’re fishing, I made sure my selection was all fishing equipment. This is all I have to offer."

Seraphina Sinclair nodded slightly and looked at the three items she was presenting.

The first item was a collapsed fishing rod, dark cyan in color, with natural, flowing water-like patterns that made it look quite peculiar.

"This is the Green Flood Dragon Tendon! A B-level fishing rod! Its core material fuses the primary tendon of a powerful Aquatic Beast with a special memory alloy. It has incredible resilience and comes with dual enchantments for force dispersion and durability."

"Theoretically, it can withstand the pull of a C-level monster fish and even briefly hold its own against a B-level one. It’s telescopic for easy carrying. Original price... uh, discounted price... 36,000 Black Fog Coins."

Traveling Merchant 001’s voice trembled as she stated the price. The discount was clearly so painful it took her breath away.

Seraphina Sinclair’s gaze swept over the fishing rod. Her Insight confirmed that Traveling Merchant 001’s description was largely accurate. It was, indeed, a B-level item, and a very good one at that.

But Seraphina Sinclair couldn’t possibly make a decision without seeing the other options.

The second item was a coil of fine line. Attached to one end was a pendant, neither metal nor wood, shaped like a sleeping flower bud.

"This is the Sleep Vine Fishing Line, a B-level piece of auxiliary fishing gear! The vine comes from the Illusion Dream Vine, which only grows in the Dream-mire Swamp deep within the Black Fog. It naturally emits a potent hypnotic aura. But even if the fish get drowsy, they won’t just leap onto the shore for you; you’ll have to find another way to catch them. The price... the price is 30,000 Black Fog Coins."

’I’ll pass on this one.’

What Seraphina Sinclair needed right now was something to catch fish, not just daze them.

’If the water were shallower, it might be useful; I could just scoop them up after they were knocked out.’

’But in water this deep, and with the fish being so much smarter, it’s not nearly as effective.’

’First, there’s no guarantee it would even knock them out. Second, I doubt a net could even reach them.’

’Compared to that, the Green Flood Dragon Tendon is a much better choice.’

’As for the fact that I don’t know how to fish... this is B-level equipment. Surely it doesn’t require the same amount of skill from the angler as ordinary gear, right?’

When Seraphina Sinclair finished her thoughts and looked up, she saw Traveling Merchant 001’s expression.

The merchant looked like she was about to cry.

’Why? Because she’s losing money?’

Seraphina Sinclair’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment before moving to the next item.

’Love to see a shady merchant losing money.’

The final item was a metal spear, about the length of an arm. It was pitch-black with an incredibly smooth surface. Its tip was a spiral, from which a cold light seemed to faintly gleam.

It was clearly no ordinary item.

"It’s called the Water-Breaking Spear, a B-level throwing weapon!"

Traveling Merchant 001, her face a mask of misery, rattled off a long description before forcing out the price through gritted teeth: "Discounted price... 42,000 Black Fog Coins."

Seraphina Sinclair paid her no mind. While the Traveling Merchant was speaking, she had already used Insight on the weapon.

[Abyssfrost Watersplitter Spear (B-level)]

[Description: The shaft is forged from Mystic Iron mined from the depths of polar ice, and its body shimmers with a dark, watery light. It is bone-chilling to the touch. A cold gleam is perpetually condensed at its point! The spear tip was not man-made, but naturally formed by the elements after the initial forging. Faint, scale-like ripples are visible on the shaft, and holding it reveals a fierce, vicious tremor contained within—an eagerness to break the water’s surface.]

[Traits: 1. Spiral Armor Piercing: The Water-Breaking Spear ignores water resistance, allowing for extremely fast throws. Its spiral tip grants it terrifying piercing power, providing a highly effective penetration bonus against scaled and hard-shelled defenses, and inflicting a continuous, deep tearing effect. 2. Unsuitable for Land and Water: This is an underwater weapon! When used out of water, the shaft’s vibrations become erratic and difficult to control, drastically reducing throwing accuracy and damage. However, Trait 1 remains in effect!]

[Note: "It once waited with a Hunter in the Boreas Abyss for three years, all to send that cold gleam into the brow of a great Kun."]

Seraphina Sinclair’s gaze had been firm, but after reading the weapon’s description, she began to hesitate.

Even with the negative trait of [Unsuitable for Land and Water], the description noted that Trait 1 would still be active!

It was Trait 1 that caught Seraphina Sinclair’s eye.

Armor-breaking items were a rarity. If she didn’t seize this opportunity, she knew she would deeply regret it the next time she faced a monster with tough defenses.

’What should I do...’

’I want the fishing rod and this weapon.’

’And... it seems I don’t have enough Black Fog Coins for either of them.’

Seraphina Sinclair gently picked up the Abyssfrost Watersplitter Spear, her fingers brushing against its surface for a moment.

Just as Traveling Merchant 001 thought she had made her choice, the woman reached for the Green Flood Dragon Tendon rod.

Only when the woman was holding both items did Traveling Merchant 001 snap out of her daze. She seemed bewildered, stammering, "You don’t... want both, do you?"

"The total discounted price is seventy-eight thousand, correct?" Seraphina Sinclair asked, looking up and calmly confirming the number.

Seraphina Sinclair’s fingers slowly slid across the cool body of the Green Flood Dragon Tendon rod before tightening her grip on the bone-chilling shaft of the Abyssfrost Watersplitter Spear.

She really did want both.

Traveling Merchant 001’s eyes widened, and she began to shake her head frantically. "What do you mean, seventy-eight thousand? The deal is for one discounted item only! You human! You... You’re despicable!"

"Seventy-eight thousand. The price is very fair."

Seraphina Sinclair’s tone was level, as if she hadn’t heard the other woman’s screeching. She tightened her grip on both items. "I’ll take them."

"No! Absolutely not!"

Traveling Merchant 001 looked ready to jump out of her skin, her voice cracking as if on the verge of tears.

"We agreed you could only pick one! How could you do this?! This is robbery! Extortion!"

"When was that ever said?"

Seraphina Sinclair looked up, her gaze calm, but her words were pure sophistry. "You said the deal was for this transaction only. Am I not allowed to buy two items in a single transaction? Besides..."

She paused for a moment before adding, as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world, "I can’t afford any of them anyway. So I plan to buy them on credit."

’We’re both business people. Buying on credit is common, isn’t it?’

As she thought this, she reluctantly stroked the Water-Breaking Spear one last time. If buying on credit was truly impossible, she would have to put it back.

The Black Fog Coins she had, plus her runes, should be enough to afford the Green Flood Dragon Tendon.

Traveling Merchant 001 was stunned speechless by this blatant twisting of words.

’This woman not only wants to buy two heavily discounted B-level items, but she also wants to do it on credit?!’

’What kind of human is this?!’

Traveling Merchant 001’s lips trembled as she pointed at Seraphina Sinclair. "You... Don’t even think about it! That’s completely unreasonable! I’ve never met anyone so... so..."