Chapter 50 - 46: Mysterious Shop, Hidden Quest

Chapter 50: Chapter 46: Mysterious Shop, Hidden Quest

Shen Xing hesitated for a moment, then clicked ’Yes’.

A shop list immediately popped up before him.

[Garrett’s Wandering Shop

Soul Stone: 2 Silver Coins (Stock: 642)

Dynamite: 5 Silver Coins (Stock: 12)

Underground Dwarven Strong Alcohol (Green): 5 Silver Coins (Stock: 7)

Viper Potion (Green): 10 Silver Coins (Stock: 10)

Eye of True Sight (Green): 10 Silver Coins (Stock: 15)

Lighthouse Construction Plan: 100 Silver Coins (Stock: 2)

Hellfire Seed: 15 Silver Coins (Stock: 15)

Ice Crystal Shard: 15 Silver Coins (Stock: 10)

Mithril Ingot: 20 Silver Coins (Stock: 10)

Uplifting Drum (Gold): 20,000 Silver Coins (Stock: 1)]

...

Shen Xing stared at the long list of goods, stunned for a long moment.

’I can’t believe this merchant has so many treasures, even a Gold-Quality one!’

Although he couldn’t see its Attributes yet, he could tell from the staggering price of twenty thousand Silver Coins that this item was something special.

Beside him, Xia Wanyin also saw the series of treasures in the shop via the system interface. Her mouth fell slightly open in astonishment.

"Have you two found any items to your liking?" the Wandering Merchant asked, that same mysterious smile on his lips.

Shen Xing didn’t reply immediately, browsing the list carefully for a moment.

’There are quite a few things here that I need.’

He wanted to buy all the [Hellfire Seeds], as they were a key material for summoning Elite Level Inferior Demons.

The few bottles of [Underground Dwarven Strong Alcohol] looked pretty good too.

As for the other items, he didn’t know their uses yet and needed to think it over.

Just then, Xia Wanyin suddenly leaned in close, bent over, and said, "Starfire, buy the Eye of True Sight and the Lighthouse plan."

Shen Xing turned his head and met her fair, delicate, and pretty face.

Because she was leaning over, the collar of her long dress opened slightly, revealing half of her exquisite collarbone and a faint, shimmering glimpse of white skin.

He was momentarily stunned by the sight, then quickly averted his gaze and asked, "Buy these two things? What do they do?"

"They’re very useful!"

Oblivious to her own posture, Xia Wanyin explained, "If you place an Eye of True Sight near your territory, you can detect approaching enemies in advance."

"The lighthouse can be built in the territory. It emits a powerful light that penetrates the Fog, providing a good field of vision."

Shen Xing’s heart stirred. If what Xia Wanyin said was true, then these two items were indeed very important.

He glanced at his Silver Coin balance.

After the last wave of troop production, he still had nearly 692 coins left, which was more than enough to buy these two items.

He would even have some left over for other things he wanted.

So, Shen Xing carefully made his selections from the Wandering Merchant’s list, finally settling on four items.

[Transaction successful! You have obtained Eye of True Sight Scroll x15, Lighthouse Construction Plan x1, Hellfire Seed x15, and Underground Dwarven Strong Alcohol x7. You have lost 435 Vinar Silver Coins...]

His stock of Vinar Silver Coins plummeted instantly, and four new items appeared in his inventory.

Xia Wanyin also bought the other [Lighthouse] plan, the remaining [Viper Potions], and several hundred Soul Stones.

After their shopping spree, all that was left in the shop were Soul Stones and some miscellaneous materials.

"Hehe, you two are certainly decisive shoppers."

Seeing them buy so much at once, the smile on the Wandering Merchant’s face widened. "Is there anything else you require?"

"No more." Shen Xing shook his head. The truth was, he was out of money.

If he’d had enough Silver Coins, he definitely would have bought the [Uplifting Drum].

After all, it was the first Gold-Quality treasure he had encountered since starting the game.

The Wandering Merchant’s profound gaze swept over the two of them and the Soldier Types behind them, one by one, as if observing something.

After a short while, he suddenly spoke, "I see you two command many powerful Soldier Types and possess great strength. Would you be willing to do me a favor?"

"A favor?" Shen Xing’s heart skipped a beat, a glint flashing in his eyes.

’Based on my past gaming experience, when a randomly-spawned NPC in the wild actively asks for help, it usually means a special event.’

In other words, they had likely triggered some kind of hidden quest.

"Yes, a small commission."

The Wandering Merchant said slowly, "If you are willing to help, I will gift you that [Uplifting Drum]."

Shen Xing was astonished to hear the merchant’s offer.

After all, that was a Gold-Quality treasure!

On the Trading Section, even the most common Gold-Quality treasure sold for over a million.

And money didn’t guarantee you could get one, since very few players would put a treasure of that level up for sale.

Now, this person was actually offering one as a quest reward.

However, Shen Xing wasn’t blinded by the reward.

He knew that for hidden quests like this, the more generous the reward, the higher the risk.

"What do you need us to do?" he asked in a low voice.

"Hehe, it’s nothing major."

The Wandering Merchant smiled and explained, "A few years ago, I was taking the Ferryman’s small boat to cross the Black Water River."

"As we reached the bank and I was about to disembark, I accidentally dropped my late wife’s Pearl bracelet. It was picked up by that group of Dark Nagas."

"So, I’d like to ask you two to help me retrieve that bracelet. It’s the last memento my late wife left me."

When Xia Wanyin heard ’Black Water River,’ she glanced at Shen Xing in his wheelchair, as that was the place they had encountered last time.

Shen Xing’s expression remained unchanged as he continued, "Retrieving a bracelet from a group of Dark Nagas is easier said than done."

"After all, those monsters are powerful, and they normally live in the water. We have no way of going in after them."

"Don’t worry, I have a special bait here that can lure them onto the shore."

The Wandering Merchant took a small leather pouch from his waist. "You just need to find the one Dark Naga wearing the Pearl bracelet and take back my wife’s memento."

Xia Wanyin leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Shen Xing, let’s agree. Most of the Dark Nagas in that river are Tier One monsters, and they drop a lot of materials."

"I was just about to take you there to farm mobs anyway."

Shen Xing was silent for a moment, signaling for Xia Wanyin to be patient.

"If you have bait, we can try to help you retrieve your late wife’s memento, but..."

Shen Xing’s tone shifted. "The reward you’re offering isn’t enough."

"Not enough?" the Wandering Merchant asked, perplexed.

"That’s right," Shen Xing replied. "There are two of us taking this quest, but only one reward. How to split it will be a problem."

"Also, this quest sounds very difficult, and most importantly, we don’t know how long it will take to find that specific Dark Naga."

"So I feel that just one [Uplifting Drum] isn’t enough for both of us to take action."

The Wandering Merchant was a bit baffled. He had roamed the Land of Mist for so many years, and this was the first time he’d ever seen someone haggle over a quest reward.

In his experience, whenever those Pioneers heard there was a quest to be had, and a reward to be gained, wouldn’t they act like starving wolves smelling blood and eagerly accept?

Even Xia Wanyin grew a little nervous, worried the Wandering Merchant would think them greedy and just turn and leave.

However, Shen Xing wasn’t being insatiably greedy; he was making a judgment based on the actual situation.

’Even though this is a game world, the NPCs have extremely high intelligence and can even converse like real people.’

’Besides, he said it was his late wife’s memento, so it must be very important to him. There’s definitely room for negotiation.’

The Wandering Merchant was silent for a moment, then chuckled and shook his head. "You’re right, one reward really isn’t enough."

"How about this? I’ll add an extra 500 Soul Stones and a Treasure Map."

He paused, then added, "But, in return, I have one condition. You must kill the Naga that has the bracelet."

Hearing this, Xia Wanyin’s mouth formed an ’o’.

She seemed to have never expected that he would actually agree.

Shen Xing had just moved his lips, and it had netted them an extra 500 Soul Stones and a Treasure Map as rewards. It was simply beyond her comprehension!

’So, you can play the game like this?’

A satisfied smile appeared on Shen Xing’s face. He nodded. "Deal."

[Quest Accepted: Black Water Memento]

[Quest Rewards: Uplifting Drum (Gold) x1, Unknown Treasure Map x1, Soul Stone x500]

[You have obtained: Dark Naga Bait (Quest Item)]

...

...

"Then I shall await your good news."

The Wandering Merchant still wore a gentle smile. "If you find my wife’s memento, you can find me in the ruins not far ahead. I will be staying there for a while."

With that, he led his pack beast and turned to leave.

When the Wandering Merchant had completely disappeared into the Fog, Xia Wanyin could no longer contain her excitement. She grabbed the armrests of his wheelchair and chirped, "Shen Xing, you’re so, so amazing!"

"To actually get that merchant to agree to give us a bigger reward... it’s incredible!"

In her excitement, she kept leaning forward, nearly pressing her whole body against Shen Xing.

Shen Xing gazed at the stunning face so close to his own as a delicate, elegant fragrance drifted into his nose. ’This is not good,’ he thought to himself.

’This game is too realistic. Why are even these aspects so detailed?’

"Ahem... Let’s go to the Black Water River and check things out first." Shen Xing coughed lightly, then added, "Also, you’re pressing on my arm."

"Ah!"

Xia Wanyin realized her actions had been too intimate and quickly pulled back, the tips of her ears turning bright red.

It had to be said, the blind girl was truly a great beauty.

Whether it was her slender figure or her exquisite, flawless face, she could be considered top-tier.

Her whitish eyes didn’t detract from her beauty; instead, they added a certain artistic quality.

Like the armless Venus de Milo, she possessed a kind of broken beauty.

For the next while, Xia Wanyin kept her head down and focused on traveling, seemingly not yet recovered from their moment of intimacy.

Shen Xing, on the other hand, didn’t feel much of anything. Carried on the Beastman’s shoulder, he leisurely held the Horse Lantern.

While they traveled, he took the opportunity to check the Attributes of the items he had just bought.

With a flip of his right hand, a uniquely shaped little object appeared out of thin air.

It looked like an upright eye that could turn and look around.

[Eye of True Sight (Green): An Eye of True Sight can be placed in the Fog to continuously monitor a 100-meter radius. It is not easily detected by enemies. Duration: 48 hours.]

...