Chapter 103
The group of lord's guards was acting quite suspiciously, drinking under the blazing sun in broad daylight!
As the five of them made their way to the market, they were enveloped by a strange feeling. They had never encountered such a scene in Mei Luo City. Although Bai Ye's proposed solution was effective, they couldn't quite put their finger on what felt off about it.
However, their attention was soon completely captured by the goods on sale in the market—
A rare blue-grade item, the **Night Cloak**, was selling for just 8 silver coins!
Initially, they had a vague sense that they might be getting ripped off, but the surprise was akin to riding a roller coaster. If they were to buy this in the shops of Mei Luo City, it would likely cost an extra silver or two.
Despite being around level 20, the players were mostly equipped with fine-grade gear. The only way to obtain rare equipment was through quests or purchases in towns.
Rare gear in NPC villages was considered a prized possession, hence the high prices. While it was available in the main city, taxes and rents inflated the retail prices. If their favorability in the inner city wasn't high enough, they wouldn't even get a discount.
So when Ye Bai presented a price that was slightly above market value, the five of them instantly felt a sense of ‘conscience pricing.’
“Buy! I’ll buy it!”
The player named Bing Huo immediately exclaimed, having been caught in the act. The others felt he had dragged them into this situation, and as a potential agent, he should have known better. So, he quickly spoke up.
Moreover, the Night Cloak had excellent attributes, perfect for players who often hunted at night. Its special effect reduced the alert range of monsters, meaning they could venture into more dangerous areas after equipping it.
Hearing this, the others quickly chimed in, “I’ll buy one too!”
Even though each of them had only about 8 or 9 silver coins to their name, this piece of equipment was indeed worth ‘breaking the bank’ for.
In terms of player equipment levels, they were transitioning from fine-grade to rare-grade gear. Higher-tier items, like the precious-grade equipment, were typically reserved for second-tier professions, even among NPCs.
Ye Bai, decked out in rare and legendary gear, was a true tycoon. No one in the game could match him; it required a trifecta of money, money, and more money, along with a bit of networking.
At this moment, the five of them were more than willing to spend. As long as they successfully gathered intel from Bai Ye Village, their civilization would provide them with more operational funds.
“Once in a lifetime opportunity,” they thought. The rare-grade equipment sold in the main city varied in attributes and might not suit them. Even if there were suitable items, there would usually be only one or two, and if they were slow, others would snatch them up. Here, however, there were exactly five pieces…
Wait, five pieces?
In the end, they emptied their savings and each bought a Night Cloak in Bai Ye Village, restoring their favorability to neutral.
The legendary figure Bai Ye was always easy to talk to. As they were leaving, he generously gifted each of them a loaf of bread from the bakery next door—advertised as being popular among the elite in other worlds.
As night fell, the curfew in Bai Ye Village began, and the five of them logged off with expressions of bewilderment, ready to report back to their organization about the day’s events.
When asked about their experiences, each of them found it hard to articulate their feelings.
Soon, the research teams from the three civilizations behind them concluded the first rule for future operations in Bai Ye Village—don’t mess with the flowers and plants of Bai Ye Village.
…
The next day, after experiencing a taste of ‘new retail,’ the five players didn’t show up again, likely off to hunt monsters nearby or report back to their faction.
With nothing else to do, Ye Bai was in the market of her territory, prying open the **Blood River Clams** and **Elemental Clams** she had previously bought from Tu Te City and Mei Luo City, much like a fishmonger at a supermarket.
Having been busy with Dilina’s quest and crafting horned horse traps, she had forgotten about these blind boxes, leaving them in her backpack until now.
【You lost a ‘Blood River Clam’, you gained a ‘Clam Meat’】
【You lost a ‘Blood River Clam’, you gained a ‘Clam Meat’】
【You…】
【You lost a ‘Blood River Clam’, you gained a ‘Anesthetic Fish Hook’】
“Hmm?”
Ye Bai paused, intrigued. After working for half a day and opening 23 clams, she finally got something different.
【Anesthetic Fish Hook】
Level: Rare
Type: Fishing Gear
Effect - Anesthesia: Fish caught will be completely anesthetized after 8 seconds, allowing for maximum catch level.
“Not a bad item. It might not be useful, but I’ll keep it for now.”
Ye Bai murmured as she stowed the anesthetic fish hook in her backpack.
There was a 9% chance of finding various odd items in the clams, and the anesthetic fish hook was a type of fishing gear. As the name suggests, it could be used with a fishing rod and line to catch fish in the water.
Fishing was also a life skill, allowing players to catch different types of fish from various water bodies. However, developing any life skill to a high level was no easy feat. Advanced fishermen could catch magical aquatic creatures, whose blood, scales, and organs were all valuable crafting materials.
The so-called catch level referred to the state of the final harvest, representing the freshness of the fish. If the anesthetic fish hook caught a fish while it was still alive, the higher the freshness, the more effective materials could be obtained.
Just as Ye Bai was about to continue opening clams, she suddenly heard the villagers gasping in surprise.
Looking up, she saw a familiar hot air balloon slowly drifting toward her territory. Sure enough, the traveling merchant had arrived.
The newly logged-in agents immediately took screenshots and logged off to send them to the faction’s research team for analysis.
Quickly, the research teams concluded that this was the effect of the **Traveling Merchant** policy card.
Learn!
The research team immediately disseminated this information and began experiments in the player territories under their jurisdiction, coinciding perfectly with the territory’s upgrade to level two.
However, they soon discovered that due to insufficient policy card slots, the development of that territory was severely hampered. An outbreak of disease occurred just as new migrants arrived. Although they had gathered in-game currency to buy some supplies and herbs from the traveling merchant, the losses far outweighed the gains.
It was then that the research team realized that Bai Ye’s situation was different. The level of the Seed of Creation must be very high, allowing for more slots. Learning everything would only harm them!
Of course, that was a story for another time.
At this moment, after the hot air balloon of the traveling merchant landed, Ye Bai saw someone stepping out of it—it was Kazmai, who had visited last time.
This scene made Ye Bai acutely aware of the flexibility of this world and how NPC favorability could play a larger role. Originally, the system was set to randomly refresh who the traveling merchant would be, but Kazmai’s reappearance undoubtedly confirmed that player actions could have a greater impact.
“Oh, my esteemed friend, noble lord! Look at the wonderful things I’ve brought you this time! I’m sure you’ll be pleased!”
As soon as he saw Ye Bai, Kazmai approached with enthusiasm.
Source Crystals were hard currency, always in demand. Last month, he made a fortune trading Source Crystals with Ye Bai, so he was naturally very warm toward her now.
“That sounds fantastic.”
Ye Bai smiled and stepped forward, and immediately, the familiar three rows of shelves unfolded before her.
She quickly glanced over the various basic supplies in the front row and focused on the last row of purple high-grade items, her eyes lighting up.
Indeed, clearing the shelves last time had its benefits—there were blueprints!
Not only that, but next to the blueprints was an even more valuable purple item.
If Ye Bai could see her favorability page with NPCs, it would surely show that her favor for Kazmai was skyrocketing.
The item more expensive than the blueprints was a pair of sheep with golden wool and black limbs and faces.
【Black Gold Sheep】
Level: Rare
Growth Period: 30-60 days
Yield: Black Gold Wool
The Black Gold Sheep is one of the highest-grade economic livestock in the myriad worlds. The black gold wool it produces can be spun into yarn for further processing or used directly as filling for high-end clothing, making it a luxury item with minimal processing.
Table of Contents
