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Chapter 56: Trading
Before Yue Qiang left, he took the tiger’s broken tail with him. This broken tail didn’t look like much from afar, but when he gripped it in his hands, it was thick and heavy. He put it into his backpack before saying to Yin behind him, “Considering how powerful these two tigers are, I suddenly recall that there are two used S/L Modules on the table. Can it be that these two tigers have used them?”
“That’s very possible. If these two tigers have used the S/L Modules before, then it indirectly proves one thing: it is possible for them to acquire Progress Points, and the amount they got should not be too low.” Yin said, “This will explain why these two tigers have powers that exceeded a normal tiger’s limits. Moreover, there’s also another question regarding your strength, that is your stats. I sense that you have a rare stat, and at quite a high value as well. However, it seems that you can’t use it for combat?”
The moment Yue Qiang heard Yin’s description, he immediately knew what she was talking about.
When he first entered the game, as it turned out he had a rare stat – Charisma.
At the start of the game, he had 8 freely distributed stat points, and he had casually dropped it all under Charisma. He didn’t think much of it at first, but now words could not describe how regretful he felt of his actions. That was 8 freely distributed stat points. If he dropped them all under a combat related stat, fighting mobs would’ve been infinitely easier.
As for Charisma points, he had no idea what they could be used for at all…
As he shook his head slightly and wore a bitter smile at the same time, a thought came across his mind. The game system should not give out a meaningless stat, and one that was crowned a ‘Rare Stat’ no less. Maybe I haven’t discovered the real use behind Charisma yet?
While thinking, he typed a line of inquiry and asked tentatively, “Um… what do you think of me as a person?”
Yin looked a little surprised. After cocking her head slightly and giving it a thought, she said, “Your appearance and image are very average, and there is an unspeakable sense of vulgarity and abjection to you. However… you feel trustworthy. This feeling is a bit contradictory.”
I feel trustworthy? Is that the meaning behind Charisma? Still doesn’t seem likes it’s useful though.
While speaking, the duo walked for a very long time before they finally exited the tiger’s domain. Then, they continued to traverse for a very far distance and ran into a few scattered hunters, before finally figuring out the general direction of the trading market.
According to those hunters, this trading market had a very guileless name called: Green Cow Village Market.
No matter how you looked at it, the name gave off a low class and peasant feeling. But there were no other places where a great amount of people were gathered in this vast area.
After walking again for a very long time, they finally arrived at their destination.
This was a valley. There were several vertical streets inside it, and from the layout, it appeared to be the kind of old town made for tourism purposes. There were a lot of people inside the market, and it was plenty noisy. From time to time, all kinds of people would go in and out of the entrance. A large green stone was erected at the valley entrance, and five large words were written on it: ‘Green Cow Village Trading Market’. There was also a small line beneath it stating, ‘Honor Bound, Fair Trade’.
There was an old man with a white beard at the side. On one hand he held two baoding balls, and on the other he fanned a very strange-looking bamboo fan. He sat on a rocking chair and basked himself in the sun, looking very comfortable.
Yue Qiang found the sight interesting. He was just about to reach the entrance and enter the market, but he was stopped by the old man.
“Admission fee is 100 knife coins.” the old man holding the folding fan said.
100 knife coins for just an admission fee? Isn’t that daylight robbery? Yue Qiang had only earned a bit more than 100 knife coins after playing the game for such a long time, and now more than half of it was gone in an instant. In the end, he steeled his heart and passed out the coins.
The old man beamed at the duo, and his gaze hovered on Yin a little longer than Yue Qiang. He watched her from head to toe, and from toe to head multiple times. After glancing at Yue Qiang again, he said, “Never mind. I’ll just accept 68 knife coins from you. Go in.”
“This is nice. He saw your beauty and gave us a 30% discount right away.” Yue Qiang said.
“I think it’s because of that Charisma stat of yours.” Yin said, “68* over 100 is equal to five eighths. Your charisma is at 16 points. If this old man isn’t affected by your Charisma, 10 over 16 is also five eighths… don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence?”
*I have no idea how the author counted this but according to the text it should be 62.5.
“Your math is quite learned…”
The duo chatted randomly as they entered the market. Originally, Yue Qiang had planned to roam around gather information with a carefree attitude, but his attention was quickly attracted by a certain person. This because because the person was just too eye-catching in this market.
It was a man selling black bracelets at a stall beside the street. What’s eye-catching was that his bracelets weren’t arrayed on the stall for purchase, but worn on both his arms instead.
Yue Qiang immediately recalled a news he had seen before. There was a man who attempted to smuggle Swiss watches and wore all fifty or so watches on his arms when passing through the customs. He wore long sleeves to hide the goods, but he was ultimately discovered by the police. The picture in the news when the fellow was found out showed that he wore more than twenty watches on each of his arms. It was very comedic, and left him a very deep impression.
This bracelet selling man before him was more or less the same!
There were at least seventy to eighty bracelets packed densely together on both of his arms. Moreover, they were all black in color. From afar, he would look as if he had worn black armor on both his arms. There was also a white cloth erected beside the fellow, written with a trembling scrawl of words: Deng Fang’s products, quality guaranteed.
There was no doubt that this bracelet selling fellow was Deng Fang.
Yue Qiang thought that this fellow was extremely interesting. While holding in his laughter, he walked forwards and asked, “Hey there, brother. I wonder if you can tell me how much is your bracelet, and what effects does it have?”
When he was close, he discovered that this Deng Fang’s looks was incredibly simple and honest, having what would one call an honest fool’s look. Seeing Yue Qiang’s approach and inquiry, and noticing that he was followed by a girl of amazing beauty, his face immediately blushed bright red as he stuttered, “My bracelets can take you into the ground and above the skies; overturn a river and upset a sea. All nine-nine eighty one of my bracelets are completely unique and of infinite variation. You want to know what effects they have? Then please observe these five big words then.” (minus ten thousand ellipses of pauses and stammers)
After finally stammering these words with great difficulty, he stretched his arm and pointed it at the trembling scrawl of words on the white cloth beside him, ‘Deng Fang’s products, quality guaranteed’.
The second he stretched his arm, the bracelets on his arms immediately bumped into one another and causing all sorts of ringing noises. It was incredibly similar to the sound of a waste collecting aunt sweeping clinking glass bottles.
Yue Qiang could hardly hold his cheer as he listened to the advertisement script, and even the calm-looking Yin wore a faint smile on her face.
He walked forwards and said, “Can you tell me exactly how much this bracelet costs?”
“My brother Deng Yuan told me that I should ask for 500 knife coins, even though it costs only 100.” Deng Fang said righteously, “Many customers would try to cut down the price after all.”
This Deng Fang was so cute Yue Qiang wasn’t sure what he should say anymore. After laughing on the inside for a while, he asked again, “Why do you need to wear all… nine-nine eighty one bracelets on your arms? Isn’t it… heavy?”
“My brother Deng Yuan told me that if the bracelets are displayed on the stall, then they would all be duped away in a minute.” Deng Fang said honestly.
This Deng Fang was a weirdo, and his brother was even more interesting. Yue Qiang said again, “Then I suppose that your selling lines and that five words on the white cloth are written by your brother, Deng Fang?”
“That is true. My brother Deng Fang is extremely smart…”
Before he could finish, Yue Qiang took a bracelet off his arm and asked, “Can you help me appraise this bracelet?”
This was the spoils he got when he took down the Zhao Scout. It was black in color and had a passable passive skill as well.
The honest fool Deng Fang accepted it and examined the bracelet for a while. Then, he spoke up suddenly, “This bracelet… t-t-this bracelet is made by my deceased teacher, and is a lot more precious than all the bracelets I have on my arms. Where have you gotten this, young sir?”
Yue Qiang did not answer him.
This Deng Fang might look very foolish, but the bracelets he wore on his arms actually did not look like fakes. From where he stood, he could see that they were very well made, and some were even glowing with a faint light.
This fellow might be a little challenged in the head, but he did seem to know his trade.
After considering for a moment, he suddenly took out yet another bracelet.
This bracelet was green, and there were many simple and unadorned rust spots on it. It looked incredibly dirty. It was the Ring of Earth. Somewhat solemnly, Yue Qiang passed over the Ring of Earth and said, “My brother, can I trouble you once more to appraise this bracelet?”
The moment Deng Fang saw the Ring of Earth, his expression immediately turned serious; far more serious than when he saw Yue Qiang’s black bracelet for the first time. He examined the Ring of Earth closely and repeatedly for a very, very long time before he finally returned it to Yue Qiang.
“I am lacking.” Deng Fang said honestly, “I doubt even my brother Deng Yuan can see for what it is. If there is one person in this market who can identify this bracelet’s origin, then he can only be my grandfather.”
“Your grandfather?”
“Didn’t you see him when you come in? He sits on a rocking chair, and holds a bamboo fan in his hand always.” Deng Fang said.
