Chapter 64 - 24: [Imperial Military and Norman Passat]

Chapter 64: Chapter 24: [Imperial Military and Norman Passat]

The elegant man in the blue robe turned around.

Eliot froze.

"[Wind Sword], Norman Passat." He subconsciously nodded in greeting. "The Demon Swordsman who was promoted to a Seventh-level Adventurer last month."

"You are... oh, I remember now. I know an outstanding junior named Randall Rysk," the blue-robed man recalled. "You seem to be the Assassin in his party. We met before when leaving the city."

"To think Your Excellency [Wind Sword] still remembers me... By the way, aren’t you stationed at the frontline camp in the third ring of the underground city?" Eliot asked.

"This morning, we discovered that a large amount of the frontline camp’s rations had begun to mold and were no longer edible. We used a massive amount of Identification Magic to do our best to separate the moldy food from what could still be safely consumed, but there is still a severe shortage," Norman replied. "I rushed back with a few other adventurers to purchase and prepare another batch. We need to transport another shipment over today.

"It just so happens you have rations here, so there’s no need to send them to the Spoils Trade Market. It will save us from those traveling merchants who buy low and resell to us at exorbitant prices; just transport them directly to us. We’ll be setting out later today, around dusk," he said.

"Alright!" Eliot hopped off the wagon briskly, so overjoyed he hardly looked like someone who had just been stabbed by a Blood Steel Longsword.

"Oh, wait a moment," Norman suddenly said. "Where is young Riska?"

"He... has some matters to attend to. I’ll let him know later that Mr. Passat was looking for him," Eliot replied.

"No, no. I just wanted to ask where these rations came from," Norman shook his head.

"They are spoils found at a Bandit Camp," Eliot replied. "They should be from a supply convoy the bandits intercepted earlier."

"Oh, then it’s been quite a while. Some of the grain might have molded as well," Norman nodded calmly. "Although the toxins of the Barren Land’s magic material mold can be neutralized with antidotes, the cost is simply too high. Supplies are tight on the underground city frontlines, and mixing antidotes into meals is truly not worth the loss. My apologies, but I need to run Identification Magic over the grain first. We won’t purchase moldy rations. Sorry."

Samael froze, subconsciously turning his head from the driver’s seat to look at Talia inside the carriage.

Eliot had already left to speak with Norman Passat, leaving only Talia and the pile of rations inside the wagon. She waved her hands repeatedly. She pointed at the rations, then through the wagon’s canopy toward Norman’s position, shaking her head in an absolute panic.

If another mishap occurred, Valak would absolutely not forgive them! Let alone the two of them, the entire Luojie City might be crushed by an enraged Valak at all costs!

Samael had a sudden flash of inspiration.

[Scanner activated.]

[Target: Wheat Grains (Normal, Edible)]

[Target: Wheat Grains (Normal, Edible)]

[Target: Wheat Grains (Fungal Mold, Toxic)]

Samael pointed to the sack of grain containing the mold, then pointed at the large iron box on Talia’s back.

"I will stall for time! Take this opportunity to stuff another sack of the spore-laden grain into your iron box, and we will repeat the previous mold-mixing process tonight!" he signaled to her.

Talia frantically unslung the iron box from her back, grabbed the sack of grain, and stuffed it inside.

However, Norman was already walking toward the steps at the back of the wagon. At this critical moment, Samael suddenly spoke up.

"Mr. Passat."

Norman stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him.

"I heard you are Randall’s mentor?" Samael asked. "It seems Randall only achieved his current success by following you."

"I wouldn’t say that," Norman replied. "It’s just that Randall Rysk’s internship mission was indeed accepted by our party. According to the alliance’s regulations, an Advanced Adventurer party must take on at least three rookie internship commissions each year. This is the duty of an Advanced Adventurer."

He studied Samael thoughtfully.

"Sixth-level or seventh-level?" Norman asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Your Excellency Warrior Knight, are you a sixth-level adventurer or seventh-level?" Norman repeated.

"First-level. I hail from a distant Monastery and haven’t been a registered adventurer for very long," Samael replied. "The alliance mandates that one must start from the very beginning."

"Your Armor," Norman said suddenly. "Is it some sort of Magic Pattern Armor?"

"Ah, yes. It’s from the Floren Royal Capital," Samael babbled, drawing upon the geographical knowledge he had picked up from the people around him recently. It was said that the famous Lunos Academy was located in the Floren Kingdom, so there was probably an abundance of Magic and the like there. Having one extra set of mystical armor wouldn’t raise any eyebrows.

"I see," Norman nodded. "Does it have Magic Material Circuits for cooling? The temperature around you is slightly lower than normal."

"Yes. Armor is heavy, stifling, and poorly ventilated. Sweating is inevitable during long treks, which drains the body’s stamina. Having such cooling Magic Material Circuits makes things much more convenient," Samael replied. "As expected of Norman Passat. I have long heard of your glorious reputation as an adventurer."

If he were capable of sweating, he would have broken out in a cold sweat by now.

"You are quite remarkable yourself," Norman nodded in acknowledgment. "Riska is truly fortunate to have the opportunity to travel with you."

He walked toward the steps at the back of the wagon, stepping aside to make way for Talia as she got off with the iron box on her back. The two brushed past each other.

Norman cast a glance at Talia. "You two are companions?" he asked, looking toward Samael.

Talia didn’t say a word; she merely nodded.

"Mhm." [Wind Sword] Norman Passat said no more. He simply fished a Rune Stone out of his pocket, inserted three Beast Eyes into it, and activated his Identification Magic, scanning the sacks of grain one by one. He tossed out the moldy grain, casually throwing it onto the ground, and kept the intact ones.

"Not bad. At double the purchase price, it comes to a total of 3,300 Ederic Gold Coins." He beckoned to Eliot. "You guys can get off the wagon first. I’ll transport the rations over and return the wagon to you later."

Everyone in the party beamed with excitement at the sudden windfall. Eliot patted Glad on the shoulder with enthusiasm, while Ruby skipped over and threw herself into Selena’s arms.

Samael and Talia stood shoulder to shoulder in the nearby shadows, watching from the corner as Norman drove the wagon away.

"You’ve got to be kidding me—this seventh-level Demon Swordsman is going to transport the final batch of rations to the Valak Dungeon?!" Talia sighed in a low voice. "To slip the mold in, we have to intercept this guy, along with his other high-level teammates?!"

"Demon Race money isn’t so easy to earn, huh..." Samael felt that the heavy money bag in the iron box behind him was growing somewhat hot to handle.