Chapter 57
Ye Bai cleared her throat. "So, I'm about to head back to my territory. Would you like to join me? We can stop by the tailor shop in my territory to check on the apprentices, and you can also supervise whether I can complete the commission. It's a win-win, right?"
"…"
Di Linna looked at Ye Bai, who was smiling. After a moment of hesitation, contemplation, and calculation, she finally nodded slowly under Ye Bai's expectant gaze.
"But I can only give you thirty days."
"Deal!"
【High-level tailor ‘Di Linna’ has issued a personal quest ‘The True Weavers’. Do you accept?】
【Yes】
【New quest ‘The True Weavers’ added】
Quest description: Di Linna has commissioned you to find fabrics woven by the true weavers.
Quest reward: Light Feather Cloak, temporary technical guidance, unknown.
Quest deadline: 30 days
"Once you're ready to set off, come find me. I need to take care of some things in the shop," Di Linna said to Ye Bai. After she left, her apprentices would continue running the shop, but the quality of the items would drop a notch.
"Sure thing." Ye Bai walked out of the tailor shop, feeling quite pleased, when she heard a system notification:
【You have gained 10 points in ‘Deception’ proficiency】
…?
Ye Bai shook her head. This was just a normal credit; how did she end up gaining some random proficiency? This system was really unreliable!
---
Chapter 40
After leaving the tailor shop, Ye Bai continued her shopping spree.
In the main city of the Magic Academy, Meiluo City, the items Ye Bai needed at this stage were naturally related to magic.
【Elemental Crystal】X65
【Sunfire Grass Seeds】X45
【Windfruit Saplings】X23
【Frost Nettle Seeds】X51
【Magical Fiber Fabric】X21
【Mithril Ore】X123
【Elemental Clams】X43
This batch of shopping cost Ye Bai 31 gold coins and 5 silver coins, a bit more than what she spent in Tutu City. However, it was all worth it. Several potion seeds were not cheap, and both the Magical Fiber Fabric and Mithril Ore were rare materials commonly used for crafting magical items, making them excellent for boosting skill proficiency.
The materials Ye Bai purchased could easily elevate an ordinary villager to a professional, not to mention that her title as the First Lord increased the chances of encountering special talents, allowing for targeted training.
Having bought the most valuable high-level materials, Ye Bai, adhering to the principle of ‘save where you can, spend where you must,’ once again declined the map offered by the newsboy. Ignoring his resentful gaze, she navigated to the Merchant Guild in Meiluo City based on her familiarity with the building's exterior.
The Merchant Guild was a wealthy entity, with a spacious hall and wide open passages on all sides. Every day, a large number of merchants came and went in this main city’s guild.
Thanks to her status as a ‘Lord,’ Ye Bai entered the hall without any hindrance.
Bulk trading of goods between towns was concentrated in the Merchant Guild, and it was easy to foresee that as player levels increased, this place would become one of the frequent haunts for lord players.
The traveling merchant Kazmai, who had given Ye Bai a ride earlier, had come here to continue trading after parting ways with her, but it was clear he had already left.
As Ye Bai entered the guild hall, she passed a fountain and found a circular reception desk with service windows in abundance, where she wouldn’t need to wait in line.
As soon as she approached one of the windows, the receptionist greeted her politely and warmly, "Hello, esteemed guest! What can I assist you with today?"
As she spoke, a trading information page from the Merchant Guild appeared in Ye Bai's view.
The available goods were extensive, with everything one could need, and the prices were cheaper than those in retail shops outside. The only common feature was that quantities were measured in cargo boxes, with most items available in boxes of 100, and transactions here had to start at a minimum of 10 cargo boxes.
Ye Bai scanned through some tempting rare materials, but upon seeing the long string of zeros in the gold prices, she reluctantly turned to the cheapest basic supplies.
【Mixed Grains】X10 cargo boxes
【Wooden Planks】X5 cargo boxes
【Stone Bricks】X5 cargo boxes
She quickly decided to purchase a batch of storable grains and building materials, spending a total of 8 gold coins.
The storage fees and handling charges had already been covered by the seller, so Ye Bai didn’t need to pay anything extra. However, the costs were essentially included in the price she paid.
The reason for buying these items that could be produced in her territory was to free up more manpower for more effective construction and processing.
Ye Bai had a plan: upon her return, the third batch of refugees would arrive. If the population in her territory was sufficient, she would build all the necessary structures for upgrading, directly elevating her current level 1 territory to level 2, thus reaching the highest level of ‘Village.’
In the next game month, she would be close to advancing from ‘Village’ to ‘Town’ level.
"Your transaction has been completed. You can collect your goods in the storage area," the receptionist handed Ye Bai a special card, inscribed with the cargo box number and the location of the pickup warehouse in magical ink, which couldn’t be forged.
Seeing Ye Bai take it, the receptionist continued enthusiastically, "Do you need transportation? We can deliver to your designated warehouse within Meiluo City for free. If it’s to other towns, there will be additional transportation fees based on distance… Of course, I recommend hiring a guard team; there’s a discount if they accompany the transport team."
Ye Bai nodded immediately, "I need both a transport team and a guard team."
"Not a problem! Where would you like the goods sent?" The receptionist's eyes lit up as she added, "We have detailed information on transport and guard teams for you to choose from."
The receptionist's reaction was due to the fact that most merchants trading in the Merchant Guild came with their own transport and guard teams. The official guard teams of the Merchant Guild were not cheap, so most cost-saving merchants wouldn’t opt for them, making this value-added service rarely sought after.
But now, Ye Bai was venturing into the merchant road, temporarily taking on the role of the ‘big spender.’
However, calling her a ‘big spender’ wasn’t entirely accurate; this service was not a loss for Ye Bai. If she trained a guard team in her territory, she would have to invest a lot of time and manpower. By spending money, she saved time, which she could use to earn even more.
"I'm sending it to my territory, which doesn’t have an established trade route yet."
"I see." The receptionist replied, "In that case, the hiring price can’t be determined upfront; it will need to be paid based on the actual days."
Ye Bai said, "No problem. Also, I want to register my territory as a member of the Merchant Guild. If I remember correctly, I can register if my transaction amount exceeds 5 gold coins, right?"
"Oh, oh… of course!" The receptionist paused for a moment, surprised by Ye Bai's knowledge of the Merchant Guild's rules. "You’re a lord, and you want to register as a guild member under your territory's name?"
"Exactly," Ye Bai confirmed.
If she could register as an individual, she would join the Merchant Guild, a neutral faction. As her transaction volume increased, her faction reputation would grow, allowing her to gain discounts in the Merchant Guild.
Unfortunately, Ye Bai had previously chosen to join the assassin faction, which was universally opposed to the Makur Group. If she registered as an individual now, her identity as a black-cloaked assassin would immediately be revealed, leading to her being hunted down by the larger factions in Meiluo City.
Registering under her territory eliminated that concern. The faction reputation would be counted under her entire territory, and aside from being unable to purchase some unique items from the merchant faction, all other benefits would remain the same.
As the receptionist recorded ‘Bai Ye Village’ on the form, Ye Bai received a system notification:
【Your territory ‘Bai Ye Village’ has activated ‘Merchant Guild’ faction reputation. Current reputation value: 8】
Reputation value equated to transaction volume; the Merchant Guild was very realistic.
Table of Contents
